Author Kate Ormand!

About the author

Kate Ormand is YA author of DARK DAYS and THE WANDERERS. She lives in the UK with her family, her partner, and a cocker spaniel called Freddie. She graduated from university with a first class degree in Fine Art Painting. It was during this course that Kate discovered her love of reading YA books, prompting her to try a new creative angle and experiment with writing. Kate is also a member of an online group of published writers and illustrators called Author Allsorts. And she writes children’s picture books under the name Kate Louise. Kate is represented by Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors Ltd. You can see more about Kate and her writing by visiting her website (www.kateormand.wordpress.com) or on Twitter (@kateormand). 

Kate Ormand - DARK DAYS (out now) THE WANDERERS (Fall 2015) with Skyhorse Publishing/Sky Pony Press.
Website: www.kateormand.wordpress.com | Twitter: @kateormand | Facebook: Kate Ormand, YA Author

Kate Louise - THE UPSIDE-DOWN FISH (3 Feb 2015) PIERRE THE FRENCH BULLDOG RECYCLES (3 March 2015) TOUGH COOKIE (Nov 2015) with Skyhorse Publishing/Sky Pony Press.
Website: www.katelouiseauthor.wordpress.com | Twitter: @katelouisebooks

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Interview

1.     What got you into writing?

Reading YA fiction made me want to write it. I’ve always been drawn to creativity and it was something I was really eager to explore after discovering a love for the genre. 

2.     Where did the idea come from for your recent book?

I remember picturing the clock, and the cyborg army marching on the sector. I don’t know exactly what triggered the thought, but it stuck and I knew I had to write it. I’m putting it down to a love of dystopian novels and action films.

3.     Who inspires you?

The authors who inspired me to write in the first place were J.K. Rowling, for getting me back into reading with the Harry Potter series, Maggie Stiefvater, whose books led me to discover YA, and Suzanne Collins for The Hunger Games, which introduced me to a genre I fell in love with.

4.     How do you get past writers block?

With tea! I power through and write something even if I know I’ll delete it the next day. At least it’s something that will spark something better tomorrow.

5.     Are you working on anything else at the moment?

I’m really enjoying working on The Wanderers. It’s a YA novel, about a sixteen-year-old horse shifter traveling with a shapeshifter circus, set for release in September 2015. I also have three children’s picture books coming out in 2015 to look forward to. And I’m playing with a couple Top Secret projects. ;)

6. If your book got turned into a movie who would you cast?

I love this question! Ellen Page as Sia, and Douglas Booth as Mace. Evanna Lynch as Lilly, and Alexander Ludwig as Pax.

About the books

The future world has been divided into sectors–each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors’ thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what’s coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future.

Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for her, but she is determined to make the most of her final days. Sia refuses to mourn her short life, instead promising herself that she’ll stay strong, despite being suffocated by her depressed mother and her frightened best friend. Just when Sia feels more alone than ever, she meets Mace, a mysterious boy. There is something that draws Sia to him, despite his dangerousness, and together, they join a group of rebels and embark on an epic journey to destroy the new world and its machines, and to put an end to the slaughter of innocent people.

| Waterstones | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes and Noble

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Upside-down Fish lives in a big tank at a pet store filled with lots of other fish. The other fish in the tank swim the right way up, though, and they don’t understand why Upside-down Fish is so different. This makes him very lonely. One day, a child comes into the store and chooses Upside-down Fish as a pet. He is anxious that he won’t be accepted in his new tank, but much to his surprise, the new fish are friendly! They love that he is different and want to know what it’s like to have the sky below and the ground above. Upside-down Fish realizes that it’s okay to be different—it’s what makes him so special.

Kate Louise and Laura Matine’s The Upside-Down Fish is about being yourself and finding happiness with people who accept you for who you are. Inspired by the author’s own upside-down fish, this is a book for any child who feels a little different and needs that extra boost of confidence that he or she is unique.

| Waterstones | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes and Noble |

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Like most dogs, Pierre, a French bulldog, loves the excitement of digging things up. He hoards his treasures in a hole in the backyard and then makes space for more. One day Pierre tosses some old stuff into the trash can, but he forgets to recycle. Now, instead of being transformed into new things, that plastic bottle and newspaper will sit in a landfill forever! Well, not if Pierre has anything to do with it. He chases the garbage truck through town, but will he catch it in time, or will those treasures be trash forever?

From author Kate Louise comes Pierre the French Bulldog Recycles — a quirky and fun lesson about the importance of recycling. Bethany Straker’s expressive illustrations make this adorable pup come to life on every page and are sure to get kids thinking about the importance of saving the environment one small piece of trash at a time.
 Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes and Noble

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