Novel Kicks chats to Mark Kotting

 Mark Kotting’s novel, Teach Her was released by Legend Press in May. Mark had a chat with us about his novel, the simple way in which he deals with writer’s block and his favourite word. 

Can you tell us about your novel, Teach Her and how the idea came about?

Teach Her is inspired by a teacher who i had the pleasure of sharing a class room with, she was nuts and had strange discipline methods.

Is there a character from fiction that you’d like to meet?

Jonathan Living Seagull.

Have you ever got writers block and if so, how do you deal with it?

I turn the music up.

Who would you invite to a fantasy dinner party?

I’d have to practise my table manners before I could come up with  a list.

Do you plan much before beginning a novel?

No, if I know where I’m going, so will the reader.

Favourite word?

Any word which comes out of the hosts mouth, which isn’t some cliché. 

Is there an author you admire and is there a book that has impacted you?

Raymond Carver, Richard Ford, Carol Shields. The list is long. 

How long does it take you to write your first draft and do you edit as you go?

I write quickly but the edit is long. There’s a lot of sanding to be done.

What are your guilty TV pleasures?

MOTD

Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us a little about it?

Short Story collection. Inspired from my search for flesh from the London Streets.

If you weren’t a writer, is there another profession you’d like to try?

A carpenter, there good with their hands and have a nice pace about them. 

Five tips for new writers?

Write, re write, re write again, become a Magpie.

You can buy Teach Her in paperback and e-book. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.