When I’m rich and famous, my dream is to open up a rescue centre for abandoned elderly dogs – the dogs that few people would ever adopt because they may only have a few years left of life. I want all those dogs. I want to set up little rooms for them with lots of comfy sofas and blankets and beds so they can all curl up and rest and live out their days in style.
2. What is your nickname?
I’m soooooo boring that I actually don’t have one, other than people playing around with my name (Katrina, Katriana, Katikins, etc). So, I guess I’m in the market for a nickname if anyone wants to put suggestions forward...
3. What is your greatest fear?
Upsetting people and letting people down. I try so hard not to do this and avoid confrontation, but sometimes it doesn’t work. I’m very hard on myself if I know someone is upset because of me.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Warm, dogs, cuddly, dogs, upbeat, dogs, heart-tugging, dogs, friendly, and... dogs?
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Fun, passionate, enthusiastic, lively, and, erm, dogs?
6. What book character would you be, and why?
One of my favourite series as a child was The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy, and I always wanted to be Mildred Hubble. It just sounded so much fun to be at Miss Cackle’s Academy. But, recently I read and loved Alone by Megan E Freeman, which is about a girl who wakes up one morning to find her town completely abandoned. She teams up with a rottweiler. I would throw myself into this lifestyle of no people and no traffic and no noise, but I’d probably try to find more dogs to be my companions.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Erm, oooh, this is a tricky one. Well, I love to pat all the dogs, so I think I’d have to go back to the early 1900s and pat and nose-boop Sergeant Stubby, the pit-bull terrier. He was found abandoned as a puppy but went on to help, support, and save so many soldiers’ lives during World War I. What a fantastic dog Stubby was!
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
"You're an author? Wow! You're an actual, real-life author!" Something like that, I suspect!
9. Who is your greatest influence?
Eek, that’s a tough question with a bunch of possible answers. My mum and dad are definitely the most influential in all my day-to-day choices. However, specifically with my writing, I am influenced by the great David Almond, the extraordinary Neal Shusterman, and the legendary CS Lewis.
10. What/who made you start writing?
I’m not really sure because I have memories of writing stories when I was a teeny tiny person (Monty Mouse was the title of one story!), which I guess means it was probably a calling I was born with, if that’s a thing. As a child I loved make-believe and reading fantasy stories like CS Lewis books, and The Wishing Chair and The Faraway Tree series, by Enid Blyton, so I was swept up in that magic very early on in life.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
Hello. I mean, there are so many ways you can deliver this word – questioning, angry, excited, interested... and everyone uses it!
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Noooooo! A book lover should never be asked this! A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness. No! The Unwind series, by Neal Shusterman. No! It has to be Skellig, by David Almond. No! Ugh, I can't answer this question.
Kate Foster works as a literary agent and writes children's books about friends, family and dogs. Originally from the south east of England, she now lives on the beautiful Gold Coast in Australia with her family and rescue dogs. She loves eating cake, reading books and watching cooking programs on TV. For more infoprmation, see www.kfosterbooks.com.
