Interview with Katherine McIntyre of Poisoned Apple

Steampunk adventure, dark comedy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance are a few of the genres listed under Katherine McIntyre. And since she is our guest today lets ask her about her recent release, Poisoned Apple!

Lexi: What a great title for this little novella, Poisoned Apple. How did you come up with it and does it have anything to do with the fairytale-esque blurb?

So, I have to admit, the titles are always the hardest for me. I use weird placeholders, and this one was White Rose, because it was rewritten from an old manuscript I came up with years ago. However, while that title fit the old story, this one had a lot more edge to it, and a lot of changes. Poisoned Apple is loosely based on Snow White, hence the fairytale-esque blurb, but unlike fairytales, it's set in gritty reality. I always thought the struggles of Snow White in the fairy tale were interesting, but not really extrapolated on, as fairy tales tend to gloss over that sort of stuff. So, this was my chance to really get inside her head--how it would feel to go through all that she did and how it could shape her. 

Lexi: The back cover blurb makes this plot sound like it could fit in a whole novel. When you started writing Poisoned Apple did you know you wanted to test out a novella? Are you planning on continuing in this world?

I began writing Poisoned Apple as an attempt to rewrite an old novel, so yeah, I kind of wanted to go that direction originally. However, as I got to writing the story more, it ended up shorter, maybe a little because of how dark the book got. Neve goes through a lot of pain throughout the story, and since it's a lot of internal issues rather than external, I found that the brevity of a novella worked better. I had the intent to stretch the story out longer, but I stop when it feels right. If I hit that point where it feels like it should end, I listen to my gut rather than pushing things further. 

Lexi: I like the sound of the diner rats. You do write a fun variety of books. I am partial to steampunk, but what would you say is your favorite kind to work on?

My absolute favorite is urban fantasy. I enjoy romance in small doses, and I love me a good scifi or steampunk every once in awhile, but the stories I always gravitate towards the most are urban fantasy. It's kind of funny, because I'm not that huge into cities, but I kind of fall in love with them when I write them, and I'm definitely attracted to the darkness you can dabble with. It's so much more real to me. As for diner rats, I'm a vetted one, and continue to find the place a source of inspiration as well as comfort. That's one aspect of 'writing what you know' that manifests in a lot of my manuscripts. When I can write a diner scene, I do. 

Lexi: It will be fun to see what else the year has in store for you. Releasing Poisoned Apple was a great way to start off January. Did you do anything special for the release day?

On Poisoned Apple's release day I set up all the marketing, got everything in motion, and then went out with my husband to a museum since it was right after the holidays and we needed to unwind! We had an absolutely lovely time. I had done so much prep work up to that day that when it actually came out I wanted a break from everything--perfect way for me to celebrate.  

Lexi: Well stopping by for some wine and book talk is always a nice way to celebrate a new book. Thanks for being here today, Katherine! Congrats again!

Poisoned Apple

by Katherine McIntyre 

ebook, 88 pages

Published January 2nd 2015 by Decadent Publishing

ISBN139781613337837

Snow White’s a goth and Prince Charming’s a jerk.

On Neve’s eighteenth birthday, her stepmother kicks her out. A group of diner rats offer her refuge—including Brendan, who offers his couch for her to crash on. But the more time she spends with him, the more he confuses her. One second, he’s kissing her. The next he’s pushing her away.

Believing her life has reached rock bottom, Neve struggles to ditch her “damaged girl” label. But when she uncovers the truth about her life, she’s rocked to her very foundation. Will Neve be able to hold on to the good things coming her way, or will her bad luck poison everything? 

AMAZON | B&N

Author Bio: 

Katherine McIntyre is an author of steampunk adventure, dark comedy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance stories. She splits her time writing and working the day job, but as for creative pursuits, she's dabbled in a little bit of everything. A modern day Renaissance-woman, she's learned soapmaking, beer brewing, tea blending and most recently roasting coffee. The one constant from a very young age was her passion for reading and writing.