Meet the Members

Katie Drake has been a member of the Writers’ League for about three years and is attending the 2015 Agents & Editors Conference in June. She lives about an hour from Austin—close enough to enjoy live music and Writers’ League of Texas events.

Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Katie Drake: I have two YA novels, Torrent and The Ragnarok Recurrence, and one short story called The Children of Muspell written in the Fantasy genre. A while back I started a YA Sci-fi project.
Scribe: What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
KD: V.C. Andrews authored the first YA books I read and I was instantly hooked. Some of her themes pop up in my writing. I’d add Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. Martin and Jaqueline Carey because I want to understand what kind of minds create stories so full of unexpected adventures. Roald Dahl could come, too. His books Boy and Going Solo were the first autobiographies I read. I like to support small breweries, so I think I would serve up some Blood and Honey from Revolver Brewery.
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
KD: I’m debating between two. One is a thick compilation of Shakespeare’s work currently sitting on my husband’s side of our library and filled with lovely words, characters to admire or despise and it will take me forever to get through it. The other is Eclipse because I can’t resist it and can read it over and over. It’s currently on my side of the library with the rest of the saga because, I admit, I am a Twihard—say what you like.

Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League?
KD: I learned to take my writing seriously. Writing takes time and effort and commitment to honing your skills. I’ve enjoyed meeting other authors and learning the ‘biz’—five years ago I would never have dreamed of sending work to an agent let alone pitching to one face to face. While learning more about the meaning of being creative, I found that a person cannot be said to have created until the product has been shared. I am ready to share.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
KD: I’m just about ready to begin queries for my YA Fantasy The Ragnarok Recurrence, the prequel to Torrent. I have fallen into V.C. Andrew’s practice of writing a story and then writing the prequel. It was a happy accident, but I think I’ll keep it up. I plan to work on The End Where I Begin, the Sci-Fi novel I’ve only half-finished. Does anyone else ever feel guilty about leaving their characters just hanging around, waiting?
I’m starting to make submissions to magazines, journals, and anthologies. There are more out there than I imagined. Having writing credits in my queries is important to me.
I would like to have an agent, but I am not afraid to self-publish. I just want to start getting my work out there for more eyes than just my writing group. Shout out to Novel Ideas!
I can see myself writing for the other passion in my life-Gifted Education.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
KD: First thing to come to mind is building my platform and with it comes social media. Follow me on Twitter: @KDrakeAuthor. I’d like to connect with more Texas authors. I made a Pinterest page to keep track of ‘all things writing’. The link is on my Twitter profile. I’ll be at the 2015 Agents and Editors Conference this summer. Come say hello. I’ll be the one with coffee in one hand and business cards in the other.