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If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
There are so many types of paranormal abilities—telepathy, precognition, channeling, among others. Because curiosity is one of my top strengths and I like to peek behind the curtains, astral projection or the ability to explore different planes of existence would be enticing.
What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
I didn’t start my fiction writing career until I retired. I’m proof that it’s never too late to follow a new path and find new, interesting, and perspective-changing experiences.
When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?
In my novels, I usually introduce my protagonist using interiority and/or action. This allows readers to form an immediate bond with the protagonist, immersing them in the protagonist’s perspective through the protagonist’s thoughts and actions. For example, in A Proof of Love, the reader is introduced to Katie Blake in the Prologue through her recollections of her younger self and the motivation that leads her to seize the day and write about the special people in her life, ones her readers will remember.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’d describe myself as a plot-plantser.
Before I begin writing, I have a story in mind—I know the general character arc that shows the protagonist’s internal transformation. I’ve imagined the turning points, the character’s confrontation with her darkest moments, and the change that occurs by the end of the story. Then I get to work fleshing out the important secondary characters, including using inanimate objects and locations as supporting characters.
After I have the story in my mind, I write what I term a mini-story, including a few paragraphs on the story’s theme(s) that sketch the plot, conflict, and resolution. Then, in the next section, I elaborate on the powerful influences/influencers in the story, followed by descriptions of the strong challengers, the major conflict, and the resolution.
The most useful technique I use to develop the characters is writing a character profile for each in the story. In this profile, I identify elements such as physical descriptions, the home or neighborhood they live in, close relationships, family members and background, gender relationships, job, dress style, favorite foods, regrets, best qualities, worst qualities, religious and philosophical beliefs, and so on.
To be sure, though, nothing is set in stone. My characters and events evolve, and each day as I write about them, the characters take me by surprise with their actions and thoughts, and unexpected events surface without warning!
For tracking characters and events, I develop a timeline and a list of characters and their relationship(s) with each other. Both of these will be revised and edited throughout the novel’s development.
I maintain a style sheet while I’m working on my novels. Style sheets are usually used by copyeditors, but I have found this tool essential in keeping track of style and usage for my own purposes. For example, I will list words that I always hyphenate or capitalize, notate how I treat inner thoughts by using italics, not quotations, and so on. The style sheet also lists all references I have used for fact-checking and fact-finding. When I hand the manuscript to the copyeditor, the style sheet serves as a communication tool, making life much easier for both of us.
Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?
From a craft standpoint, I learned that using multiple points of view (POV) can enhance a story by providing readers with a variety of perspectives on characters’ emotions, motivations, and internal conflicts. I also think that using multiple POV can increase tension and suspense, revealing information to the reader while keeping other characters in the dark.
From a personal growth perspective, A Proof of Love helped me reflect on the relationship between love and grief, and, as Katie says, “Neither grief nor love has respect for time—there are no sunsets, no last acts, no grand finales.”
A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”
Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.
Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.
Enjoy an Excerpt
She gazes at that old maple tree and makes us a promise. “One day . . . I’ll write about the special people in my life so you will know them, and they will never be forgotten.”
But Gram went to heaven before her one day came, and her stories, told in her own words, are lost forever.
Fifteen years later, I’ve learned that one day’s promise is not assured. Before it’s lost . . . So, I’m seizing that one day to write about the special people in my life, so that you will know them, and they will never be forgotten. This is A Proof of Love.
Kathleen Claire Blake, Memorial Day, 2024
About the Author: 
At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.
My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives.
My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.
After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)
Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.
Buy the book at Amazon.
Everyone wants to believe they can hold on to their anchor, the light of their North Star, and live their truth . . . Suzanna Jordan did too until she fell for a man with a movie-star presence and a dark alter ego. Losing hope of salvaging her life and gaining her freedom, an unlikely source serves up a platter of just desserts that even Suzanna’s treacherous abuser might not evade.
Merida Johns writes about the human experience—that often is messy—and how ordinary people tackle challenges, live through sorrow and betrayal, struggle with doubt, but despite this, gather the strength to act on their aspirations and achieve flourishing lives.
It’s the turbulent mid-1960s, and Luci, an eighteen-year-old Southern California girl, is on the quest for self-determination and new beginnings. Three powerful forces influence her values: the grit of her Irish great-grandmother, Lucinda McCormick; the philosophy of choice of her father, Sam; and the 1960s ideals of equity and altruism. But potent foes thwart Luci at every turn. Her budding romance with a handsome United States Air Force Academy cadet sets the stage for conflict and deception that last for two decades. When Luci discovers how her autonomy and love affair were hijacked, she struggles with anger and bitterness. But from a surprising source, she finds a forgiveness path that restores her well-being and hope and, in the end, faith in herself.
For three decades, I was a university professor who taught classes and wrote textbooks on “nerdy” subjects centering on computer systems in healthcare. 
