When I was writing
THE MORAL
COMPASS, the first novel in the
Shaking the Tree
trilogy, I went in search of a suitable image for the cover. Unfortunately, I
couldn't find any pictures of women in 1850s costume that even came close to
what I wanted.
So, using my knowledge of history of costume, pattern making and garment
construction, I made a costume, found a model and photographed the image I had
in my head.
Most people would probably leave it there. However, I was writing a trilogy, so
I had to make more costumes for the different periods in which my books were
set. A bustle dress for the 1870s and a leg-O-mutton sleeve ensemble with a huge
hat for the 1890s came next.
This process has sparked an obsession. I love everything about making costumes;
from the research, sourcing the fabric and trims, drafting the pattern,
construction of the garment, making the accessories, and the hours of hand
finishing these garments require. And the cherry on the cake is photographing
the completed outfits so the images will make good book covers. So far, I've
made garments representing the Regency period (c.1815), early Victorian (1840s),
mid-Victorian (1850s), mid-late Victorian (1870s), late Victorian (1890s) and
pre WW1 (c.1912).
Of course, I have made more costumes than I will ever be able to use on my own
book covers, so I've made many of the images available on Shutterstock so other
writers and cover designers can use them too. I've seen some of the images pop
up on covers over the past few months and I always get a kick when I see them.
It feels good to be providing a service to other writers.
I have plans for more, but the main issue is fitting everything I want to
achieve into the time I have available, oh, yes, and finding somewhere to store
all the costumes.
An overwhelming urge to create led Kathy to pursue qualifications in both
fashion design and applied design to fabric which were followed by a twenty year
career in the fashion and applied arts industries and a crafting habit Martha
Stewart would be proud of.
Kathy then discovered a love of teaching and
began passing on the skills she'd accumulated over the yearsโdesign,
pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery
to name a few.
Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had
the chops to write a manuscript. Kathyโs first novel, Peak Hill, which was
developed from that manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New
Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.
Her second novel,
Throwing Light was published in February 2017 and her third novel, The Moral
Compass in late 2017.
Kathy now squeezes full time study for an advanced
diploma in creative writing around writing the sequel to The Moral Compass,
teaching sewing and being a wife and mother.
Shaking the
Tree
Florence struggled for breath as she stared in the face of a ghost. "Jack?"
Twenty years after being forced apart Jack and Florence have been offered a
second chance at love. But can they find their way back to each other through
all the misunderstandings, guilt and pain?
And what of their daughter, Viola? Her plan to become a doctor is based on
the belief she has inherited her gift for medicine from Emile, the man she
believed was her father. How will she reconcile her future with the discovery
that she is Jack's child?
A Pivotal Right is the second book in the Shaking the Tree series set
in colonial New Zealand. It continues the story of Jack and Florence begun in
The Moral Compass.
Romance Historical
[Sweet Pea Publishing, On Sale: August 15, 2018,
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780473449698 / ]
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