November Artist of the Month – Kate O'Hearn

Our November ‘Artist of the Month’ is author Kate O’Hearn.

About Kate O’Hearn

Kate O’Hearn never expected to be an author. It wasn’t on her list of dreams or ambitions when she was young. Being a film producer or veterinarian were top of the list along with fashion designer and explorer. But due to being badly bullied at school (for being Canadian in a New York City school) she used writing as her coping mechanism – creating short stories to help her escape the bad situation.

Later in her life, when work stresses became too much, once again she fell back into writing short stories to deal with whatever was troubling her – usually turning the stress or antagonist into a creature to be defeated in a story.

It was only later, when working for Calvin Klein, but being dreadfully unhappy, that she realized writing had always been her go-to friend, a way of dealing with life. That friend soon became her passion.

It took a bit of time, but finally in 2005, she gave up her job and dedicated herself to her writing full time. Her first book, Shadow of the Dragon, found a home at Hodder Children’s and she’s been writing ever since – proving that sometimes, you don’t find a career, it finds you!

What a visit from Kate entails

Kate is happy to work with audiences of all sizes from 15 through to 300! Her school sessions are always interactive and filled with fun and laughter. Most times, she comes in the elaborate costume of one of the characters from one of her books. Never one to follow the strict rules of talking and then Q & A, Kate loves questions throughout and often asks as many questions of the attendees as she is asked.

You can read more about Kate and her school visits here

Testimonials from previous visits.

“Kate O’Hearn is no ordinary author. She has visited our school on several occasions for book and reading events. She brings such enthusiasm and energy when she visits our school. She passes on her passion for story writing onto the students she meets, and some have been fortunate to meet her more than once. She brings her books to life when she talks about them and sometimes dons the costume of one of the characters in the story, which the students love and really kindles their interest in her books. Kate O’Hearn is a great ambassador for her craft, and we can’t thank her enough. We look forward to her next visit!”
Helenswood School

“We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Kate to our academy on World Book Day. It was a fantastic day enjoyed by students and staff alike. Kate hosted three engaging and inspirational writing workshops for 30 lucky year 7 students and shared her knowledge of writing and the publishing process. It was wonderful to read what students achieved in their hour with Kate and to see their imaginations come alive, no doubt thanks to Kate’s fun personality and the fact that she partook in the staff World Book Day efforts by dressing up as an Olympian from her fantastic Pegasus series! Thank you Kate- we can’t wait to have you back!”
St. Leonards Academy

Interview with Kate O’Hearn

Where do you get your ideas from?

I wish I could give a straightforward answer. But for me, it never works that way. I might see something odd, or hear something out of place, and that one tiny spark can ignite an explosion of ideas. Music and a wonderful lyric can especially trigger an idea within me.

Also, I have always loved mythology and that played a lot into my writing as well. The stories from the past are always so rich and magical. But I don’t just want to do a retelling of the myths – I like bringing them into our modern world. I always think it’s kind of funny to perhaps see a Valkyrie with a mobile phone. Or Pegasus flying up 5th Avenue in New York.

How do you keep track of the fantasy worlds you have created as you work through series?

I’m not sure how it all works. But for me, I think if I’ve spent six or more months on a book, a lot of it gets thoroughly embedded in my mind. Generally, I have an absolutely terrible memory. If I hadn’t kept a diary from the age of twelve, I wouldn’t remember most of my childhood!

That said, I do tend to remember my stories – which could be because I am in love with them all. Failing that, occasionally, I do have to go through an earlier book in the series for a few of the details – and that can prompt other ideas and spark my memory.

What is your favourite myth/legend?

That is a tough question. It’s like asking which is your favourite child… Though I hate to sound cliché based on what I’ve already written, I think Pegasus holds my heart the most. Though he didn’t really have many stories in the myths, look at what an icon he is. There is imagery of him everywhere. For me, I think it’s because he embodies absolute freedom.

My next favourite, if I could claim to having favourites would be the mermaid mythology. Again, embodying absolute freedom. Another thing I find fascinating about mermaid mythology is that every culture in the world has a mermaid myth. That is tantalizing and makes me wonder how could so many different people from all these different places tell the same story of an aquatic person?

You are passionate about many causes, how do you feel literature can make the world a better place?

I personally believe that a well told story can stick with a person their whole life. I do have my own favourites from my childhood and the messages in those books carried on into my adult life. For example, Black Beauty and treatment of horses – I have lobbied to end carriage horses in New York City as it is too dangerous for them and for better treatment of horses all around. I think that is because of the impact of Black Beauty on the young me.

So if a child reads something that touches them emotionally, perhaps when they grow up, those emotions will remain and they will work to make this a better world. That is my hope, anyway.

My two biggest causes are the protection of the environment - seas and oceans especially and all animals, including cetaceans. That is why they always play big parts in my books. If I could reach just one or two young readers and if they grew up to do something for animals with ideas I might have inspired, then my life would be complete.

What can a school expect from a visit with you?

First and foremost, I would say fun. I love to laugh with the students and engage with them, making it a lively event filled with chat and debate. I ask as many questions of students as they ask of me. We talk about our love of books, and writing. I do tell the story of me being bullied at school and how I found writing short stories as a way of dealing with it – I invite the students to try it too.

I also bring 8-9 students up to the front with me, and then using one of my books, take them through the process of publishing. From the first person who is a writer, through to the agent, senior editor, junior editor, copy editor and so on. This always causes loads of laughter as I use examples from my real experience and if I bring a boy up, they may be called Veronique (after my real agent – or Anne after one of my editors).

If it is an author visit with writing exercises, I take the student’s through a fun version of the ‘Story Arc’ and ‘Heroes Journey’ so that they can see how all stories, be it for books, television or film, follow a few simple rules. Then if they are doing some writing, we discuss the genre they will be working in, and I try to get them to write in third person, using dialog to move the story along.

What also adds to the enjoyment of it is when I ask the teachers to join in the writing as well. They are often surprised by this – and that puts them on the same level with the students. Then I get them to read their work aloud before asking the students to do the same.

I hope to instil in them a passion for books by making it an event that is unforgettable and always in good humour.

What is your favourite thing about visiting schools?

If it is an author talk, then I love asking the students questions about what they like, and don’t like. The answers are always different and unusual. No matter how many school events I do, the wonder of young students is they will always surprise me.

If it’s a writing workshop, I love hearing the stories the student’s write, based on the agreed genres. There is such a deep well of talent out there just waiting to be tapped.

It’s always the unexpected that keeps these author events fresh and so very enjoyable for me.

How do most pupils react to your costumes?

I have found that I get a better reaction and more engagement from the students when I am in costume, than when I’m not. I find it disarms them and lets them know that this isn’t going to be a dry, boring event.

I am always asked what I’m dressed as, and when I explain I’m a character from one of my books, that also gives us a point of discussion.

Given a choice, I would always choose to go in costume as it somehow makes the event that much more magical, even when it’s a full writing workshop.

In fact, when I start each new book, I immediately consider which character I am going to make a costume of for my author events!

What is the impact of a good author visit?

To me, a good author event is priceless. It generates interest in books, reading and some cases, writing which is critical these days when student’s attention is so focused on their devices.

And to hear that students have been talking about my events days and in some cases, weeks later is so gratifying.

It is the engagement with students that truly matters. Letting the students see and experience an event with authors shows them that there are all kinds of careers out there and can broaden their minds exponentially.

What advice would you give to a member of staff wanting to book an author or poet visit for their school to ensure they get the maximum out of it?

I think of the events I do, the ones where both the staff and I know in advance what is going to happen is so much better than not. So at all possible, establish what is going to be discussed and especially, what the teacher/school is looking to gain from the event and what to focus on. Some schools want writing workshops, while others would prefer a talk discussing books. The more clarity prior to the event, the better the event will be for everyone.

Also, I would encourage the attending teachers to get actively involved. If there is a lull in the Q & A, perhaps start things off with a question or two. Especially for the 14+ students that have reached the age of embarrassment and shyness. From this author’s point of view, teachers can be lifesavers when there is a shy crowd reluctant to get things started.

One of your books was recently turned into a play. Have you seen the caterpillar and the blackbird performed yet?

I have seen several performances and each time, it is a wonder to me. They say writing is a solitary profession and to the outsider it is. But for writers we’re spending time with our characters, so we don’t feel it. That said, spending so much time with characters, we see and know them one way. But with the show, seeing how the director and actors interpret my words is just so gratifying. With the colours, sounds and costumes, it’s easy to forget that I actually wrote it. It’s just amazing and to hear laughter where I had hoped it would be is just, well, perfect!

You recently had a lovely visit in some schools in India for us. Can you share some highlights from the trip with us?

Highlights? The whole trip was magical. I visited three different international schools in two cities and they were each so different but they shared one thing – students from all over the world. They were all engaged in the events and where I was doing writing workshops, it was a constant and pleasant surprise to hear their stories told from the perspective of their cultures.

In these schools, I was also thrilled to see the teachers so engaged. They did join in with the writing exercises and read their work aloud. It put them on level ground with the students and everyone thoroughly enjoyed that – which you could tell from the laughter.

Literacy was highly encouraged in the schools and so our discussions could be more in depth on the meaning of the story and what the author was looking to achieve.

I am just so grateful for the opportunity. I was there at the end of the monsoons, so everything on the properties was alive! This was my first trip to India and the students knew it and were more than happy to share with me their experiences of living there.

One point that gave me a boost and hope for the future was the size of the school libraries and how involved the students were with them. I wish more schools, especially here in the UK, would do all they could to keep their libraries going. It is a limitless resource that is being lost.

What has been your proudest achievement so far?

Just being an author has been a wonderful achievement and having students come up and say how much they love my books means so much to me.

But one of my most memorable achievements just came from my visit to India. I was in Hyderabad doing an international school. We were doing writing workshops, and they were in groups of eighty students, with four students at each table. At one table, I saw two students not writing and looking very sad and lost. I asked them both what was wrong, but the teacher told me they were new to the school and didn’t speak English. One student was French the other Japanese. Having lived in France, I was able to explain to the student what was happening. Her face just beamed and when I told her she could write in French she got right to work.

Sadly, I don’t speak Japanese fluently, but I knew a few words and spoke to the other student. He too really brightened up.

It may not seem much, but seeing their smiles meant the absolute world to me and remembering my French after not speaking it for almost twenty years was an achievement that I was quite proud of.

Do you believe everyone has a story within them?

Absolutely. Just being alive it is a story of itself. And hearing some of the story starts in my writing workshops never ceases to amaze me. Considering the students are given the genre and setting to work within and then set free, in just 10-15 minutes, students wrote some absolutely stunning stories. There is just so much talent out there. If it could be nurtured and encouraged, there is no telling what can be achieved!

How would you encourage a reluctant reader to engage?

To be honest, I’m not sure. Over the course of my career, I have received loads of letters from parents that said their child was a reluctant reader until they read my books, and now they love all kinds of books. Each of those letters means so much to me. But I don’t really know what it is about my books that does that. Perhaps it’s just having a love of writing and storytelling that carries through to the reader.

During my school visits I always ask, ‘who doesn’t like to read’ and when students raise their hands, I ask why. And they generally say, “It’s boring.”

But when I start to read one of my books aloud, I find those same students are enrapt. So maybe, for reluctant readers, if there was a story time in school, perhaps in the library, where a teacher reads from books just for pleasure – it might encourage the reluctant reader to start.

What were your favourite books growing up?

I read and loved so many books. I adored Green Smoke by Rosemary Manning and it really was the first book that I chose for myself. I still have my copy. It’s falling apart and pages now coming out, but I can’t get rid of it. Then there was Black Beauty and then the Black Stallion, Watership Down… basically any books with animals in them. When I was a bit older, my favourite was and probably still is, To Kill a Mockingbird. I love Harper Lee’s writing style and am envious of her talent.

You have a great array of costumes to support your school visits – does that mean Halloween is easy in your household?

It really is. But I never wear a costume from my school visits. As I studied fashion at school, I learned how to sew and create. But I discovered early that I hate the fashion industry and find regular clothing boring. But I love making costumes. So any excuse and I’ll make one – the more extravagant, the better! Even now, I have to make a new costume that I’m excited about because near Christmas, I am part of a charity group of Victorian singers and we wear Victorian Carolling costumes. This year, we are also doing a Frost Festival Evening, where we dress in whites and ice blues and with fun-fur capes. So I’m making that outfit right now.

How do you get over writer’s block?

Sometimes, but thankfully, not too often I might hit a wall. When it does and I’ve just reached a dead end, I use my favourite key on the keyboard – the ‘delete’ button. Then I just delete back to the point where I was still excited about the story. Then I start again from that point and go in a completely different direction, far away from what had blocked me up. Perhaps I might introduce a new character that can change the dynamic or introduce a new danger. Because my favourite scenes are when I’ve put my main characters in danger!

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m trying something completely new for me – and I find that both exhilarating and nerve wracking. Nothing based on mythology and there isn’t a single human being in this book. It’s about woodland animals and their lives and the dangers they face. From mice to cougars and bears. They’re all in there!

Quick Fire

Would you rather be able to fly or turn invisible?

100% fly! Most of my books have main characters that fly. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a child. But not fly like Superman, I would prefer to have wings. Which I’m sure would be a pain in the neck when it came to sitting down or get in a car. But still, I would love to have the wings!

Sunshine or snow?

Both at the same time! To me there is nothing prettier than the sun shining on freshly fallen snow, turning it to sparkling diamonds!

Board games or computer games?

Board games all the way.

Would you rather explore the sea or space?

100% sea. To swim with whales in the wild is a dream for me.

Favourite colour?

Purple.

If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?

Extend marine protection zones with no bottom trawlers allowed anywhere ever again and a big limit on commercial fishing.