TO CATCH A RIPPLE by K. Rosemont-a review
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 1, 2013
Helen Knight, 32, has fallen in love for the first time, but under the Seagrave curse love is forbidden. Robert Seagrave, a charming, elusive novelist, is bound to the spell which chains him to Lord Gabriel, the head of the family who dictates what the Seagraves can do, where they can live, who they can love. No one can leave the community and no outsider can enter.
To free the man she loves, Helen tries to break the spell and as she unearths secrets darker than the curse, she becomes the focus of Lord Gabriel’s wrath.
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REVIEW: TO CATCH A RIPPLE is a contemporary storyline that borders the genres of mystery, suspense, romance and thriller. When a family curse binds the Seagrave family to the patriarch and the surrounding Toronto area, accidents, illnesses, death and disappearances befall each member who refuses to acknowledge and follow Lord Gabriel’s demands.
TO CATCH A RIPPLE focuses on outsider Helen Knight and her attempts to break the Seagrave family curse. When Helen is pulled into the family web of deceit, destruction and betrayal her own haunted past drives her forward until the man in charge faces his own immortality.
To Catch a Ripple is a story about dysfunctional family dynamics where fear and intimidation keeps the family together in the face of threats and murderous rampages. This is not a story for everyone. Although there is a building romance, the premise focuses on breaking a curse that has brought sorrow and pain to every family member.
TO CATCH A RIPPLE is a storyline that crosses many genres including suspense, romance and thriller. The writing style is simple yet there is plenty of information and background to absorb. There is a building relationship between Rob Seagrave and Helen Knight-one forbidden by the family curse; Lord Gabriel is the archetype of pure evil, a monster who breeds fear into a family for his pleasure and control; he is an exaggeration of darkness and malevolence. The numerous secondary characters meander throughout the storyline hiding secrets, cowering in shadows and betraying family to one another-herein lies the conflict-those that are loyal to Lord Gabriel out of spite and those that are loyal out of fear and reprisal. K. Rosemont uses authorial instrusion using Helen Knight as her vehicle to question much of the story and the plot.
TO CATCH A RIPPLE is an interesting story where one family is controlled by a despicable family ruler. Fear of punishment holds the family together until one woman is willing to step outside of her comfort zone and confront their demons as well as her own-head on.
Copy supplied by the author.
Reviewed by Sandy
TRC: Hi K and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information. Please tell us something about yourself.
K: I’m based in Toronto, and have lived here my whole life. As my day job, I work as a high school supply teacher in a district north of the city. Travelling and cooking are my passions. I also like to read a variety of books from classics, to sci-fi, to history. I have a degree in history, and have also studied publishing and journalism. I’ve always been interested in stories and writing. I write a variety of styles, but fantasy is my favorite genre. It allows my imagination to go anywhere.
TRC: What or who influenced your foray into writing?
K: As a child I wrote fan fiction based on my favorite TV shows like “Little House on the Prairie.” It started as a wish to change stories I didn’t like. Soon, I was writing my own original fiction.
TRC: TO CATCH A RIPPLE (November 2013) is your debut urban fantasy novel. Would you please tell us something about the premise?
K: The story is about Helen Knight, who has never fallen in love in her thirty-two years. As a child she was abused by her stepfather, so she has a hard time trusting people. Then, she meets her roommate’s cousin, Robert Seagrave, who is an author. Helen is an aspiring writer, so they share a connection. However, as Helen and Rob’s friendship grows, she learns he’s harboring a dark secret. Rob, Vincent and their kin are part of an extended family, the Seagrave community, and they are under a curse which chains them to the patriarch, Lord Gabriel. Gabriel dictates everything the Seagraves can do, and if they disobey, he punishes them. Helen sets out to break the curse and in doing so she stands up to Gabriel, a man who is as abusive as her stepfather but many times more dangerous.
TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters of Robert, Helen and Lord Gabriel, which actors or models would best represent your ideal image?
K: I would cast Nicole Kidman as Helen, Ashton Kutcher as Robert and Greg Vaughan would be Lord Gabriel.
TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series or is this a stand alone novel?
K: To Catch a Ripple is a stand alone novel.
TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?
K: The best way to make a plot unpredictable is not to copy the books that have already been written. Follow your own voice. Tell your own story. The result will be authentic and believable.
TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?
K: I’d like to think I direct the characters, but often as I’m writing they take a life of their own and direct the plot. My final stories are half of what I had planned and half of what the characters decided to do.
TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?
K: The key to pulling a reader into a story is to make characters that are relatable. In other words, the characters have to be human, flawed, but still likeable. No matter how compelling the plot, if readers don’t care about the characters, they won’t care about the story.
Where a lot of writers go wrong is they identify too much with a character, creating an idealized version of themselves, gorgeous, brilliant, perfect. This kind of character is called a Mary Sue/Harry Stew. Readers can’t identify with perfect characters; they want to see characters grow throughout the story, and there is no growth if the character starts out perfect.
TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?
K: When I’m stuck on a story, I go on to other projects. Sometimes that works, but usually when I have writer’s block I can’t write anything. Developing outlines helps, but forcing my stories only leads to frustration. Writer’s block is caused by stress, and making myself write just stresses me out more. I hate to admit it, but I just have to let writer’s block pass, like a cold. I have to believe that my writing ability hasn’t gone away; it’s just taking a breather. It always comes back in full force.
TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular story and series?
K: This is a hard question to answer without giving away the plot, but let’s just say the curse was a particular challenge. I had to do something original and also make it believable to the characters.
TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friendsand family. With whom do you bounce ideas?
K: I bounce my ideas off of my sister. She’s a writer, too. We’ve been doing this since we were kids and have developed our own vocabulary. We call the middle of the plot which usually lags “the middle chunk,” and an ending that’s not quite happily ever after is a “bittersweet ending.”
TRC: On what are you currently working?
K: I’m working on a YA fantasy series called Infinity Blue. It’s about Astra Starlighter, a seventeen-year-old who discovers she’s a goddess, but where she lives magic is illegal. When she’s caught using her powers, she’s enrolled in a magic martial arts school where many students die in training. For her initiation, she has to kill Kronos, the most feared warrior in the universe. In order to stay alive, she has to ask the help of Sankaro, the leader of an international crime syndicate, the most dangerous man in the world. Astra finds herself in the center of a deadly plot and she has to use all her abilities just to stay alive.
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
I love to connect with readers. My facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/K.Rosemont
Twitter: @wernstberger
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4962838.K_Rosemont
Blog: http://krosemont.wordpress.com/
Website: http://krosemontauthor.weebly.com/
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food: Gyoza bibimbap
Favorite Dessert: Oreo Cheesecake
Favorite TV Show: Storage Wars
Last Movie You Saw: Catching Fire
Dark or Milk Chocolate: Milk
Secret Celebrity Crush: Bai Yong Jun (a Korean actor)
Last Vacation Destination: Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong
Pet Peeve: People who don’t flush (like, eww!)
TRC: Thank you K for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of To Catch A Ripple.
K: Thanks so much to you, Sandy, and The Reading Café.
