Kathryn Gauci

Kathryn and I have come to know one another through various writers’ groups on Facebook. I was immediately attracted to her work by her interest in Greece and by the beautiful images of textiles and historical fashion and artefacts that she posts almost daily. I love her eye for style and am intrigued by her subject matter. I was in Melbourne on and off for six weeks in 2017/18 but didn’t know her, then. What a shame – I would have loved to meet her.

Kathryn, please tell us about your path to writing… I was born in the UK and after graduating as a textile/carpet designer, worked in Vienna and Athens for a while as a designer before moving to Melbourne, Australia, where I ran my own textile design studio for many years before giving it up to write.

What first inspired you to write? After so many years as a designer, I felt I wanted a change of direction but I still wanted to do something creative. I’d thought about writing a book for about four years before actually doing it. A part of my work as a designer was to put trend directions out for customers. Much of that entailed transporting the clients into another world for the mood, designs and colours. This covered many periods and places. It could be anything from Classical Greece, the Renaissance, Art Deco, Modernism, to North African inspired looks, the spice bazaars of India and Islamic countries, to Scandinavian winters. All involved setting a mood. I loved this work and soon realised I could take it further as an author. It also meant I would still be able to utilise my love of history, art and travel.

What was your first piece of creative writing? How old were you? You are going to laugh but my first piece was a short story called Adventure in Spain. I was in the first year at secondary school, so about eleven years old. I still have it. Reading it now always makes me laugh, but it does show that even at that age, I had a desire for adventure and travel. My first serious piece was my novel, THE EMBROIDERER. That was published in 2014.

Which writers do you particularly admire? There’s too many to mention here, but I’ll try. Nikos Kazantzakis, Orhan Pamuk, Louis de Bernieres, Ivo Andric, Henry Miller, Giles Milton, Sebastian Faulks, Philip Kerr, Alan Furst, Vikram Seth, Khaled Hosseini, Peter Mayle, Ayse Kulin.

What do you love about writing? Immersing myself in another time and place. I also enjoy the solitude of writing and the research.

What do you hate about writing? The time it takes to come to fruition. I always wish I could write faster. I don’t particularly like the editing part either but it comes with the territory.

Describe your ‘portfolio’ of writing… THE EMBROIDERER, SERAPHINA’S SONG, THE CARPET WEAVER OF USAK, (all standalone books but part of The Asia Minor Trilogy), CONSPIRACY OF LIES, CODE NAME CAMILLE, a novella which was originally published as part of THE DARKEST HOUR ANTHOLOGY: WWII TALES OF RESISTANCE with nine other authors and which hit the USA TODAY Best Seller list in the first week of publication.

What is your proudest achievement? Being picked up by a Greek publisher with THE EMBROIDERER and having it translated into Greek. The other novels will also be out in Greek, in Greece, hopefully this year. I was also thrilled when THE DARKEST HOUR ANTHOLOGY hit the USA TODAY Best Seller charts.

What is your current project? A WWII novel set in Greece. The beginning is set in Cairo. I am half way through and it’s turning out to be more of a spy/thriller than just a Resistance novel.

Thank you for hosting me on your blog, Lynne. It’s been a pleasure to talk with you.

Kathryn’s links

THE EMBROIDERER

SERAPHINA’S SONG

THE CARPET WEAVER OF USAK

CONSPIRACY OF LIES

CODE NAME CAMILLE: A STORY OF TRUST, LOVE AND BETRAYAL

Website: www.kathryngauci.com

Blog: http://www.kathryngauci.com/blog/

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/KGauciAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9840358.Kathryn_Gauci

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00OPW68SM