Meet Katherine Smits

We were lucky to catch up with Katherine Smits recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katherine, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

The great news about creativity is that as humans, we’re all born creative. However, it’s important to nurture the imagination and originality we were born with. For me, it’s a matter of looking at the world in my own unique way and allowing myself to see things upside down or sideways, even if that’s not how anyone else sees them. Letting go of worrying about what other people think is probably the best way to start getting in touch with our own originality.

Of course, creativity is like a muscle; we need to exercise it, make it grow, and strengthen it. That means taking every opportunity to use it. In addition to writing, I dance, cook, and take pictures. It doesn’t matter if I’m any good at these things or not. (I’m better at some than others!) What matters is that I enjoy them, and they express my personality.

An important way that I nurture my creativity is by reading. I read almost every fiction genre, nonfiction, news, and lots of blogs. Fiction, especially, encourages creativity because it exercises the imagination.

Creativity gives imagination substance and turns it into reality.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m an author of five published paranormal romances. My books are contemporary, set in small towns in Florida.

My debut novel, Water Dreams, is about a young woman who is so terrified of water that she cannot even look at the ocean, but who lives in the coastal town of Tarpon Springs. Then she meets a merman who thinks she holds the secret to his people’s greatest problem. He is tasked with convincing her that his kind are real, and that she should let them study her. Things get worse from there!

Currently, I’m working on another paranormal romance and a cozy paranormal mystery. The romance is set in Cassadaga, Florida, a Spiritualist community. The mystery takes place in a fictional port town on the Withlacoochee River in central Florida.

All my books have paranormal elements and involve water, either the Gulf of Mexico, oceans, rivers or springs. There’s something mystical about water that seems to pair well with stories that are outside the normal realm.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Although I always wanted to write, my first career was as a clinical social worker. I have a Bachelor’s of Arts in psychology and sociology and a Master’s in Social Work. This background has given me insight into people and many of the problems they struggle with, which helps in developing realistic and relatable characters.

I also love puzzles and games which I think helps with creating interesting situations and plot twists.

Third, I read a lot. That’s a requirement for good writing.

My advice for folks just starting out in writing is to read, practice, and find other writers who will support and mentor you.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge I and most other other authors face right now is finding the ideal readers who will love our books! Every year millions of books are published, and it’s incredibly hard to get discovered.

My primary strategy for trying to overcome the lack of visibility for my books is to pay it forward. That is, I publish a monthly newsletter featuring books I love written by other authors. It’s much easier to market someone else’s books than my own, and since everyone is facing the same challenges, I hope that helping someone else will eventually come around to help me as well. If it doesn’t, at least I feel good about promoting work that I know others will enjoy.

Besides book recommendations, my newsletter subscribers also receive exclusive free stories, puzzles, games, recipes and contests with prizes. Whether they buy my books or not, I want my subscribers to enjoy and look forward to the newsletters.

If anyone reading this would like to sign up, here’s a link: https://bookhip.com/HBBMTVP

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katherineeddingersmits.weebly.com/
• Instagram: kathyeddingersmits
• Facebook: Katherine Eddinger Smits
• Linkedin: Katherine Smits
• Twitter: @katherinesmits
• Youtube: @katherinesmits
• Other: Blog: Katherine Smits Word Siren
  https://katherinesmits.wordpress.com/

  Newsletter sign-up Landing Page: https://bookhip.com/HBBMTVP

Image Credits

Cover artist Dawné Dominique