Lauren Kate (Awesome Women)

I have the great pleasure today of having LAUREN KATE on my blog! How awesome is that? Here's her official bio:

Lauren Kate grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York. She is the author of Fallen, Torment, the forthcoming Passion, and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in Laurel Canyon with her husband and hopes to work in a restaurant kitchen and learn how to surf. She is currently at work on the final book in the Fallen series, Rapture.

And if you'd like to find out more about Lauren, check out her website... her twitter... or her Facebook account. Over to you, Lauren...

Did you have a role model growing up?

I took ballet for twenty years, starting at the age of four. My ballet teacher was this incredibly beautiful, kind, and elegant woman—as a kid, she seemed like a princess to me. I worshipped her, not just for her talent at ballet, but for the way she ran the whole school. She knew everyone’s names, she always had a smile and a joke to share, she gave a whole generation of girls from my town a really healthy relationship to our bodies, which is not something most ballet teachers would ever consider a priority. I wish still lived near enough to take her classes now.

Who do you look up to now?

I’m very taken by Joan Didion’ s writing and sense of humor. When I was newly out of college, broke, and living in New York, I went to see her speak at an outdoor arena in Central Park about being a young writer in New York. She had a whole arena of girls just like me eating out of the palm of her hand. It started to thunderstorm and we all just sat there in the rain, getting soaked, because no one wanted to stop listening to her tales. That’s storytelling at its best.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

See above. I wanted to be a ballerina until I was about fifteen, when I kept hearing the same thing after many auditions: I didn’t have the right feet. I still danced recreationally through college, but during my high school and college years, I focused more and more on writing. I majored in it in college, worked at publishing house, and even got a masters degree in fiction. It’s been “what I wanted to be” for a long time.

Now that I am officially a full time writer, I’ m already planning my next career. When I grow up next time, I want to be a chef!

Who is your favourite fictional character? And why?

Matilda is long-time favorite of mine. I’ m a sucker for stories about an exceptional little girl who is misunderstood and underestimated by a cruel world. I think most girls can relate and aspire to that. I also love Lyra Bellaqua.


Thank you so much Lauren for taking part in this feature! It was really wonderful to read your answers to these questions.

If anyone else would like more information about this feature or would like to take part, please see this page.