Interview - Kate Welshman

Kate's back again to tell us about Posse! Remember you are required to comment on each Kate Welshman-related post this week to be in the running to win a copy of this fantastic debut effort.

How much did editing change your initial draft of Posse?
Editing didn’t change the original plot or the characters much at all. It did smooth some of the rough edges. Some of the sexual references had to be removed to make the book acceptable to the market.

You are a mum, a barrister and a published YA author - when do you have time to write?
Sometimes I’m not as busy at work as you might think. When one of my cases settles, I get a few days off. Also, the courts are closed for a fair chunk of the year. When a day or more opens up, I either do administrative work or write. I also write at night when my kids are asleep and at the weekend. If you want to write, you can always find the time.

What motivated you to use field hockey as Amy's sporting talent?
I played hockey at school and I was really, really bad at it. I was scared of the stick. I was scared of the ball. I was scared of Amazonian hockey players like Amy. I think hockey’s a tough, hard sport. It’s confrontational and easy to get hurt. You have to be strong and brave to be good at it, and in that sense it suited Amy’s character.

How much of Amy's mother and grandmother were based on actual cases you've witnessed in family court?
Unfortunately our adversarial legal system encourages parents to engage in what I call ‘the race to the bottom’, where they assassinate each other’s characters in an attempt to secure more time with their children. The fact of the matter is that people who behave badly prevail. There is no incentive to behave well. Brain washing by the custodial parent is very common and in many cases children end up having no relationship at all with the non-custodial parent.
Amy’s mother and grandmother are based on loosely on people I have come across in Family Court litigation, but they are vastly toned down from their real-life counterparts. I couldn’t have made them as odious as the real thing.

You have crafted some beautifully rounded teen girls within the Posse. Who were you most like as a teenager?
I wasn’t like any of the girls, although obviously Amy and I share a way of interpreting the world. Amy has much more integrity than I did. I was bored and naughty. I liked primary school but I didn’t enjoy high school. I saw it as a waste of my time and I only had a handful of friends (who I’m pleased to say I’ve kept). By the end of school I was quite withdrawn and preferred to spend time with my horses and horsy friends. In fact, I’m still like that.

Was Jo the one responsible for Amy's broken jaw years previous?
I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. That’s a good idea, actually.
(Adele-I love that she liked this idea lol)

What are you working on at the moment?
I have written two more manuscripts since ‘Posse’ and they are with my agent. One is a pony book. The other is a young adult book about a young religious man who is manipulated by a pretty girl he’s trying to seduce/evangelise. I would like to have a crack at an Aussie ‘Twilight’. Don’t worry, it won’t involve vampires - maybe demons of a different kind. It will be romantic, though. I like the idea of falling for someone who you know is bad for you. I have done it myself.

Thanks to Kate again for revealing her thoughts about the writing process and Posse itself. She will return on Friday for the guest blog portion of the Author's Spotlight.