Waterford Today

Clarkston Community School District issued the following announcement.

As a language arts teacher at Clarkston High School, Katie French shares her love of the written word with students. Like most Clarkston educators, she is passionate about her 

chosen subject; however, unlike most of us, Katie is sharing her talents on a much broader stage. She is an Amazon best-selling author in Young Adult Sci-Fi and Fantasy whose 

book, The Breeders, was a semi-finalist in the 2014 Kindle Book Awards. We asked Katie a few questions about her writing career and hope her answers inspire you as much as 

they inspired us.

What prompted you to create these stories for young people?

I've wanted to be a writer since my 7th grade English class, and I've been a huge reader from a very young age, so the progression to telling my own stories seemed very natural. 

I've also always been a lover of Young Adult books. I never lost the excitement I get when reading a really wonderful story about humans learning how the world works for the first 

time. There's nothing like first love or first discovery, and young people usually still have their sense of wonder intact. I love that.

How do story ideas come to you?

Story ideas come from everywhere — a song lyric, a news story, something else I'm reading. The problem I have now is that I have too many story ideas. I also co-write so my co-

authors and I come up with ideas together. I love meshing two ideas into one and making that work. It creates a rich story that I couldn't come up with on my own.

How has your experience as a high school educator influenced the material you write?

As a high school teacher, I find that I'm able to write teenage dialog better than some since I'm immersed in it. Being around young people helps me stay connected and relevant to 

what they're into these days, though my stories often revolve around the supernatural, so I can always fudge things here and there. I do love the way language evolves and find it 

fun to play with the way different generations mold it into their own style.

How does being a YA writer make you a better teacher of young adults?

Since I teach language arts, I can show my students that I'm not only a teacher but someone who really loves the subject they teach. I've had a few students read my books which 

allows us to connect, but it's also great just to show them that it's possible to get your own stories out into the world. I've had lots of conversations over the years with budding 

authors which always warms my heart.

When do you write? Is it more of a creative outlet or something that requires a lot of self-discipline to do?When I first started two decades ago it was more a simple creative outlet, 

but now my books are a business so I do take it very seriously. It's still a creative process, and my brain lights up whenever I get a great idea or write an exciting scene, but a lot of 

it is discipline or I'd never finish a full novel. It's a lot like exercise: you don't want to do it beforehand, but afterward, you feel good that you have.

What's the most interesting, offbeat, or touching feedback you've ever received from a reader?

I definitely enjoy getting feedback from my fans or having them say they've read a book of mine more than once. That's a big compliment that they would give me that much of their 

precious time. Sometimes, if I'm feeling particularly brave, I'll go through my Amazon one-star reviews. Those can be very eye-opening. For the most part, however, my readers are 

wonderful. I've developed a few penpal relationships that I cherish with people all over the world, people I never would have met without my books.

Original source can be found here.