Author interview: kt belt
1. Hi KT tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to write?
Can’t say I’m very complicated. My first love and general background is aviation, though I am also quite interested in motorsports. I can’t really say I was inspired to write any more than a bird is inspired to fly. I’ve always liked telling stories and would probably go crazy if I couldn’t. My first forays into written stories were comic books. I worked on them for several years, but unfortunately, I have no talent for drawing. So, books it is.
2. What appeals to you most about the sci-fi genre?
Sci-fi gives an author very tight control of the world, setting, and character. Allowing a very fine focus on any element as required by the story’s plot or themes. I generally write character stories, however, I’m well aware of the scientific/technical aspects of how everything works even if those aspects are rarely discussed openly in the book. While present in all stories, the subconscious aspects of storytelling such as mood and tone, which are colored by world, setting, and character, gives the sci-fi reader greater engagement and immersion than most other genres, in my opinion.
3. Tell us a little bit about your latest project and the challenges you’ve faced putting it all together?
The latest book in the series “Cause of Death,” which released on 3/30/22 was actually pretty easy to write. It deals with series main character, Carmen Grey, teaming with a disgraced starship crew to find a research based concealed behind enemy lines. Needless to say, nothing goes according to plan for her. The first book in the series “Monster of the Dark” is currently in the semi-finals for Hugh Howey's 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC). There are a lot of great books in that contest and I’m excited and proud to be among them. Lastly, I’m hard at work on the fourth book in the series, which as yet is untitled. I can’t go into specifics without spoiling anything, but it is a monstrously complicated work in all respects. So far, though, I’m enjoying the challenge and its slowly coming together.
4. What type of characters do you like to write the most and how much of yourself do you put into them?
I absolutely hate to write myself, which is part of the reason that most of my main characters are women. That being said every character is “me” in some way. Everyone interprets the world by their own perspective and filters it back in the same way. As for the first part of your question, I’ve always loved seemingly incompetent characters that are very good at what they do.
5. For any wannabe writers out there what’s the most useful thing you’ve learned?
The first thing is that writing is a skill, the same as any other. It takes practice and the more you do it the better you get. The second thing is that, as writers, I feel that we worry too much about the craft of writing instead of the craft of storytelling. Most people don’t notice writing that is technically “good” (except exceptional rhetoric). By contrast a good story can stay with you forever. The last thing, and this is important, is that you should live your life. If, for example, writing is your escape and you become successful at it, writing then becomes your job and you’ve lost your escape. Develop other hobbies if you can. It will prevent you from becoming burned out by writing while also feeding your muse.
6. What writing tricks do you utilise to hit your deadlines and keep your stories on track?
The easiest way to make sure you hit your deadlines is to have realistic deadlines. It sounds stupid, but there is no point setting a goal you can’t meet. I personally like to consider my daily word count rate, how long the book will be (word count to story progress ratio), and extrapolate when the book will be complete plus margin. Word count can then be adjusted as needed.
7. Are you a plotter or a pantser (make it up as you go)?
Both and neither. The stories I’m writing now were fully considered several years ago. The stories I’m considering now will be written years from now. I personally don’t like outlines and though I have notebooks, I hardly write anything in them. I know everything that is going to happen, but it is in my head. Good ideas I remember. Bad ideas are forgotten pretty quickly. Multiply that over several years and you’re left with strong (hopefully) good ideas. That being said, small details and nuisances are added as I go, often as a second pass edit. Consider it like planning for a road trip. You know where you are going. You know in general how to get there. But there could be side trips or entirely new routes taken even though the destination remains the same.
8. What plans do you have for the future? A new series or perhaps a dip into other genres?
The Mirrors in the Dark series will be five books long, unless book four or five become too long and have to be split (unlikely). After that I have a fantasy trilogy planned, which I’m itching to get to. In sci-fi, and other than Mirrors in the Dark, I have two standalones planned and another trilogy. I’m sure I’ll think of something else by the time all that’s done. As I said, I love telling stories.
9. With the world the way it is at the moment what sort of tales do you prefer? Ones with heroes where good triumphs over evil or ones that take a darker approach?
I personally think this is a very nihilistic era in human history for reasons, but I’d rather not get into the reasons why. I’ve always appreciated a well-crafted story, but I’ve always preferred tales dedicated to the good, beautiful, and true. Those are the stories that endure no matter what is happening in the world.
10. What’s better, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?
I’m from generation Y, so I’m a bit too old for Harry Potter to affect me the way it has some others. Star Wars has unfortunately been corporate strip-mined to death. So, if I had to say “what’s better,” I’ll have to say Lord of the Rings.
Follow KT -
Personal website- KT Belt (ktbeltbooks.com)
Bookbub- KT Belt Books - BookBub
Goodreads- K.T. Belt (Author of Monster of the Dark) | Goodreads