Friday, February 21, 2014

Amazing Cheese with Dyslexia

I have a treat for you today! It's not very often I HAVE to interview someone. In fact, I can say this makes a first. Today I'd like to introduce you to my wonderful author friend, Kate Scott and her amazing new book, Counting to D. If you haven't met Kate yet, REMEDY that NOW!!!!

Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren. Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway. Counting to D is her first novel. When Kate isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family. Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and sciency things and is a licensed professional engineer.

And now, let the interview commence! 

Counting to D is amazing and so realistically grounded, I wonder how much of it is based on real life. Kate, when and how was it discovered you dealt with dyslexia?

Kate: The academic aspect of Counting to D is based upon my own experience. Like Sam, I was diagnosed with dyslexia in elementary school and underwent extensive private tutoring to gain an understanding of basic phonics. Also, like Sam, I am naturally gifted in math and have a sharp oral memory. That being said, this book is still a work of fiction. I did not have a high school boyfriend as adorable as Nate. I wasn’t forced to move away from all my friends as a teen. And thankfully, my parents are nothing like Sam’s.

Has that complicated your writing process, and how have you overcome?

Kate: Probably. I’ve always been dyslexic, so I really don’t know what other writers do and don’t have to deal with. For me, making up stories has always been easy. Writing those stories down, though—not so much. My spelling has improved a lot over the years, but it’s still not good! I probably misspell about ten percent of all the words I write. Usually, I can correct my mistakes quickly with spellcheck. But I do get that nasty “no spelling suggestions” message far more than I would like. It can be tedious at times, constantly having to stop and figure out not only what to write, but also how to write it.

I can imagine how frustrating that must be. What inspired you to write Counting to D?

Kate: I've known I wanted to write a book with a dyslexic main character for years. Dyslexia is a complicated condition that is often misunderstood. I've never been happy with the way it’s normally addressed in fiction, and I decided the best way to remedy that would be to write a dyslexic story myself.

And I applaud you for it. What scene did you struggle with writing most? Which was easiest?

Kate: I probably “struggled” the most with the opening, just because openings are so important. Figuring out where and how to start the story was a bit of a challenge. I didn’t write the scene that ultimately became the first page until about my fourth draft.

As for the easiest scene to write? Probably the flashbacks to Sam’s diagnosis and her educational experience in elementary school. Those scenes are by far the most autobiographical. Like Sam, I spent a lot of time writing in rice as a little kid.

I hear you about those opening pages. They're an art unto themselves. 

Samantha has a difficult time fitting in socially because of her dyslexia. Did you struggle with the same thing?

Kate: Thankfully, no. I was never super popular, but that’s because I was a big, fat nerd, not because I couldn’t read. While my high school friends didn’t call themselves the Brain Trust, they were VERY COMPETITIVE about academics. As many of them had known me since elementary school, my dyslexia was never a secret. Most of them found my inability to read fascinating. One of them even wrote a research paper about the condition and used me as a test subject.

Oh my. *hiding testing material* Next question: I ADORE the dynamic between Samantha and Nate. (Can I just get that out there?) They’re geeks cut from the same rind. Because I’m obsessed with cheese, what cheese do you feel is your own geek-worthy soul mate?

Kate: Hmm, I feel like I don’t know enough about cheese to properly answer this question.

My favorite cheesy dish is bacon-wrapped stuffed dates. You stuff dates with goat cheese, wrap them in bacon, and bake to deliciousness. It’s the greatest appetizer in the world! I think that goat cheese center might be my geek-worthy cheese soul mate.

Mmm... Goat cheese. Oh, sorry, I'm interrupting. 

Kate: Normally, I don’t like goat cheese. It’s too bitter. But combined with the sweetness of the dates and the saltiness of the bacon, it’s perfect. I’m not an average author, or an average engineer, or an average anything else. But in the right setting, I’ve figured out how to make my life work. And when mixed with the right ingredients, goat cheese can be amazing.

Thank you so much for the interview, Kate. 

You can read my review of her wonderful book HERE.

The kids at Sam's school never knew if they should make fun of her for being too smart or too dumb. That's what it means to be dyslexic: smart, and illiterate. Sam is sick of it. So when her mom gets a job in a faraway city, Sam decides not to tell anyone about her little illiteracy problem. Without her paradox of a reputation, she falls in with a new group of highly competitive friends who call themselves the Brain Trust. When she meets Nate, her charming valedictorian lab partner, she declares her new reality perfect. But in order to keep it that way, she has to keep her learning disability a secret. The books are stacked against her and so are the lies. Sam's got to get the grades, get the guy, and get it straight--without being able to read.

Today I'm hanging out with the fabulous Andrea at Virtual Writers Inc, chatting about my AMAZING secondary characters, the themes and motivations behind MOONLESS. Stop in and say "hello?"

Oh, and would you like to know what my superhero costume looks like? Check it out HERE.

Have you dealt with learning challenges or disabilities? How have you overcome? 

41 comments:

  1. I undertook some dyslexic awareness training last week as part of my job. I have a lot more understanding of the challenges dyslexia can bring. Congratulations on the book, Kate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congrats, Kate! It's great learning more about you and what inspired you to write Counting to D. My cousin has dyslexia, and he's always had trouble with spelling most of all. He thought he put spelling tests behind him, though, until he joined the police academy, where they have a spelling test every week!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on the book Kate!! And thank you for bringing us an increased awareness of dyslexia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My son struggles with dyslexia (which might be an eye problem, but we're in the wait-and-see period), and I'm mostly fascinated by how easily he can read some quite complex words while the words he uses daily are more challenging.

    I'm sure a dyslexic main character will help a lot of people, and I'm also impressed Kate tackled it head-on to write a novel rather than letting it stop her!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This story sounds amazing. Everyone wants to hide their issues. Some are just harder to hide than others.

    It will be good to get that inside perspective of what it's like to have dyslexia. Looking forward to the read.

    Leanne Ross ( readfaced.wordpress.com & @LeanneRossRF )

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful interview! I think the opening chapter is the toughest to write too. Your book sounds amazing, Kate. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bacon and cheese, is doesn't get any better than that! :) This sounds like a great story and I'm glad you interviewed Kate. I don't think I have dyslexia, but I missspell stuff all the time. I wouldn't be surprised it there are a few typos in this comment alone. Thanks for sharing this with us, Crystal!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I enjoyed your interview very much, Crystal. I am always happy to learn how people overcome their challenges and succeed. As a teacher I have seen many kiddos overcome unbelievable things, and those were the best times in my career. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good luck with your book, Kate! It sounds like it goes a long way toward teaching us what it's like to walk a mile in a dyslexic's shoes. (So to speak.) I wish you much success with it.

    Thanks, Crystal. Good interview, ladies.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Big congratulations to Kate. I'm headed to visit her website now. I grew up with dyslexia as well, and I'm always fascinated to talk with others who experienced the same trials. All I know, is the instructors that had patience and worked with me were angels in my eyes. It brings me to tears still how much I appreciate the work they put in to help me overcome my struggles. This book is now on my goodreads shelf. Can't wait to read it! Good luck Kate =-) Thanks for a great post, Crystal.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations on the book, Kate!

    My husband had dyslexia (or as he calls it "lexdysia" :) back in the days before there was help for kids who had "reading problems." I'm so glad there much more awareness now and the ability to help kids who are struggling.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm always glad to see writing about misunderstood disorders like dyslexia. Congrats and best wishes, Kate.

    Hmm, a date wrapped in cheese and bacon? He's have to be a pretty liberal date. Smiles.

    Fun post, ladies.
    xoRobyn

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for introducing us to Kate, and she's from the Pacific NW too. How cool is that? My brother struggled with dyslexia, but is amazingly successful today. It is interesting he also has a writer's heart but he is a terrible speller. I'm adding Kate's book to my reading list.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I loved reading from a young age so it's unimaginable for me the thought of having serious trouble reading. Congrats on the book and sharing a personal struggle with others.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I really enjoyed this interview. Counting to D sounds like a book we should all read.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you Crystal, and all of Crystal's friends, for your support and well wishes. It's great to meet you all.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This looks like a wonderful book. It's such an inspiring interview too. Dyslexia is a tough one. Thank you for raising awareness about this very important topic. Stories are important, and I'm glad you take the time and extra effort to write down yours, Kate.

    MJ, A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    Writing Tips
    Effectively Human
    Lots of Crochet Stitches

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey Crystal and Kate,

    Now this does inspire and the book is testimony to overcoming the odds. A testimony of triumph and determination. Kudos to Kate. This is a topic that needs further awareness.

    Gary

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great interview! I can't imagine what it must be like to live with dyslexia. I think it's fantastic how Kate wants to increase awareness of it through her writing. Conditions of all kinds like that are always so misunderstood! (It's why I like to include diabetic characters in some of my own projects...)

    ReplyDelete
  20. The book sounds fascinating and I have added it to my wishlist on Amazon, I really want to read this. I don't have a learning disability myself, but my daughter has pretty severe ADD. I heard complaints from her teachers starting in Kindergarten, but it was her 4th grade teacher that finally clued in as to why she was different. All through school, it was just shocking over and over again as I would see her medicine wear off before my eyes and see her physically unable to focus long enough to complete any kind of homework. She got awesome scores on her standardized tests and her ACT, but she says she just can't do college, it's too much of a struggle. And despite her intelligence, high school was a terrible struggle, because she could never remember assignments or complete them or remember to bring them back in.
    And I think, how awful it must be to live like that, but this is my daughter's world every day.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, may have a few people in mind to read this book. I feel a gift or two coming on (after discussions with their parents) :) Great interview. Good fo you Kate. X

    shahwharton.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yay for Kate and her book. I enjoyed it a lot. It was great reading about Kate's background and how she's like and unlike the character.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sounds like a "must read" for me. I have a recently released book written from a different perspective. My book, DYSLEXIA: A TEACHER'S JOURNEY, Memoir, (www.amazon.com) is written by a nondyslexic. I write from the standpoint of a teacher who has been an advocate for persons with dyslexia for many years. I have seen the lack of understanding, neglect, and even abuse of dyslexic students in which I portray in a sad but sometimes amusing way in my book. For a person with dyslexia, life can be a painful journey but, oh, what creativity and potential is there to be untapped.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh yes, this is a must read. My husband is dyslexic and one of my daughters has a touch of it. For not being a good reader, she has AMAZING comprehension though. Dyslexia is such a paradox! That picture of cheese has my mouth watering, too.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I was in my 40's before I knew I had a mild case of dyslexia along with another learning disability. For the first time things came together in my head just knowing I was not dumb. I knew certain things were a struggle for me but somehow without someone helping me I learned to learn a different way. You book sound great, and I will look for it for my Kindle. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  26. How very fascinating. They say that if you don't find the story you want out there, you have to write it yourself. So, of course a dyslexic should write a story about dyslexia. I can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This book has been on my list since I first heard of it! I bet a lot of teens will be a ble to relate. I have always struggled with math and truly understanding what is happening with all those numbers!

    So great to learn more about Kate! Spelling is a tough one for me too! Wishing her the best of luck. :)
    Jess

    So fun to learn more about

    ReplyDelete
  28. Congrats to Kate! Thanks for the wonderful interview. Sounds like a great book! :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lovely to read about Kate and her journey to publication! Goats cheese.. yum! Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  30. This sounds like a great book, and I'm so impressed you can write with dyslexia. I can barely spell as it is, I can't imagine overcoming that challenge. Very inspirational.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Counting to D sounds wonderful... as does the bacon-wrapped stuffed dates. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow. Sounds like a really deep book. I guess in a way if you push a child they will rise to the occasion.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I'm in awe. To think of the challenges she must overcome each day. But, most importantly, her story is an inspiration to every dyslexic child.

    ReplyDelete
  34. What a fantastic interview. And I love that title!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. When I used to teach high school English, I also taught two classes called Class Within a Class. It was an integrated class of "regular" students and other students with learning disabilities. Sure, we all had our challenges, but it was worth keeping kids who needed extra help and some accommodations in a normal class setting outside their special E.D. tutoring.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Great interview! Congrats Kate on the book! This sounds so great and I'm amazed with your ability to write with dyslexia. :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thanks for the info on reviewing a book! I'm horrible about leaving a review, but you have inspired me to be better!

    I choose #2 as the lie! :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Congrats on your book Kate!! Your own experience with dyslexia is such an inspiration to all those out there who struggle with it. Just look at what you have accomplished! Enjoyed reading the interview!

    ReplyDelete

Hit me with your cheese!