Author Interview: Kathleen Bolton/Cassidy Calloway

If you have read my review for Confessions of a First Daughter, you would know that I highly adore it! So I hunted down the author but to find out that Cassidy Calloway is her pen name! Her real name is Kathleen Bolton and she agreed on a quick and fun interview with me!

She does not have a site but she does co-write with others on a site called Writer Unboxed if you want to check her out!

First, what inspired you to write Confessions of a First Daughter?

Mine was an unusual journey. I'd been invited to submit a writing sample for this project by a publisher looking to pair a writer with a high-concept storyline which was pitched as "The West Wing meets Princess Diaries". I knew the second I read the storyline that the book would be so much fun to write. First Daughter Morgan Abbott is a lovable character who gets into trouble. She's hates how being a quasi-celebrity interferes with trying to have a normal life. Added to the mix that her mother is the president of the United States, which provided plenty of mother/daughter angst, boyfriend troubles, then you've got a fast-paced read. Above all, the book was meant to be funny and entertaining. Plus I'm a political junkie, so the whole project was right up my alley. I let the jokes fly, and I was able to dial into exactly what the publisher was looking for, luckily!

What do you find is the easiest part in writing? And the hardest?

The easiest part about writing is when you've just finished writing a really good scene that you know clicked with all the elements: pacing, dialogue, freshness. Those moments are awesome. The hardest part about writing is having confidence in yourself that what you are writing will eventually lead to a publishable book. No one writes without a ton of revision, that's just the way it is. But if there's nothing to revise, you're dead in the water.

Are you currently working on any new novels? If so, can you please give a quick summary about them?

I've delivered book 2 in the First Daughter series, which is called SECRETS OF A FIRST DAUGHTER and will be released in 2010. It's the further adventures of Morgan Abbott, her hunky Secret Service boyfriend Max, and more conflict with the bratty Brittany Whittaker. This time the fun takes place in London, which was really cool for me because London is one of my favorite cities.

Did you always wanted to be an author? If not, what led you to become one today?

I vividly remember the moment I decided I wanted to be a writer. I was around 9 years old and had just finished reading a Little House on the Prairie book. My mom had come into my room to tuck me in, and I sat up in bed and informed her that I wanted to be a writer. I've been pursuing it on and off ever since.

If you could jump into any book, which book would it be?

Lord of the Rings, post Sauron. Middle Earth is so cool. I'd want to help rebuild Gondor.

If you could travel back to any era or year, which era or year would it be?

I'm pretty happy with today. I like having cures for diseases and the Internet.

Lastly, please give us an interesting fact about yourself that many do not know of!

I am a huge fan of Project Runway and other elimination reality shows. I can waste a ridiculous amount of time on them.