Good Morning, Booklovers!
Our guest today is Kat Kowalski, the main character from WHERE THE STORK FLIES, a time travel novel by Linda C. Wisniewski.
Welcome, Kat! Tell us a little about how you fit into this story.
Kat: Thank you for having me. I’d be happy to.
Our guest:
Kat, the main character in Where the Stork Flies, is a middle-aged librarian at loose ends after her husband ditched her and their daughter followed suit. When a lost time traveler appears in her Pennsylvania kitchen, she grasps at the chance to give her life meaning by helping the woman find her way home. But a mysterious stranger insists they are together for a purpose. Slipping through a portal to an 1825 Polish village, Kat meets her own ancestors and discovers how her own mistakes derailed her life.
Kat, the main character in Where the Stork Flies, is a middle-aged librarian at loose ends after her husband ditched her and their daughter followed suit. When a lost time traveler appears in her Pennsylvania kitchen, she grasps at the chance to give her life meaning by helping the woman find her way home. But a mysterious stranger insists they are together for a purpose. Slipping through a portal to an 1825 Polish village, Kat meets her own ancestors and discovers how her own mistakes derailed her life.
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Are you happy with the name your author chose for you? What would you have picked?
Kat: My parents named me Katherine, my mother called me Kathy, and my Polish grandma called me Kasia. When my mother left my dad and me, I changed my name to Kat. At the age of ten, it felt like a strong name to have. I’ve called myself Kat ever since, and I’m now in my early fifties, until Linda writes a sequel. Then I’ll be a few years older.
Ally: Any hobbies or pets?
Kat: I’m quite fond of New Age and feminist spirituality, but the way I dip in and out of them is more like a hobby. That’s a problem I have: not committing fully to anything, because I have what we in the 21st century call FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. I’m working on it. Oh, and I have a sweet little grey kitty named Selene. Sometimes I think she might be my spirit guide. Or animal spirit. Not sure what to call that. But as a librarian, I can find out. Chasing trails of interesting questions is also my hobby, and it gets me into trouble.
Ally: How many re-writes did you have to live through?
Kat: Oh, my goodness! I lost count. Linda started writing about me over ten years ago, and the first draft was all about Regina, my ancestor. I was just a secondary character, but then, after many writing workshops, classes, critique groups and rewrites, she finally got it. Where the Stork Flies is MY story. I was the character who needed to change. Boy, did I! It was tough, and sometimes I think it gave me vertigo. All the twists and turns she put me through, only to trash them. She did stick some of those parts into a separate file of “scenes taken out of the novel” but really, she can just trash those too. I’m glad she finally understood that the story she wanted to tell was all about me.
Ally: Who was your favorite supporting character?
Kat: Oh, that would be Jadwiga. Definitely. She was sometimes a pain in the neck, but she was so beautiful, so regal, so self-confident…and she was a big help to Regina and me when we got into trouble. I like the way she popped in and out of our story. Okay, maybe not. To tell the truth, I know she was supposed to steer us to find out things for ourselves, but I wish she could have just stayed around and IDK, told us what to do?
Ally: Name three of your favorite things (whether mentioned in the book or not).
Kat: Hmmm. Let’s see. Three of my favorite things. Soft ice cream like we got at the Tastee Freez when I was a teen in Amsterdam, NY. Nancy Drew books that helped me get through my mother’s abandoning us. I still want to be Nancy, with a roadster and a boyfriend named Ned. And number three: I love the ocean. Never got there in Where the Stork Flies, but I try to go to the Jersey Shore every summer, go for long walks on the beach, watch the sandpipers and gulls, take pictures of the sunset and breathe that fresh sea air.
Ally: It has been a pleasure meeting you, Kat. Please show us Where the Stork Flies and where to find it.
Ally: Are you happy with the name your author chose for you? What would you have picked?
Kat: My parents named me Katherine, my mother called me Kathy, and my Polish grandma called me Kasia. When my mother left my dad and me, I changed my name to Kat. At the age of ten, it felt like a strong name to have. I’ve called myself Kat ever since, and I’m now in my early fifties, until Linda writes a sequel. Then I’ll be a few years older.
Ally: Any hobbies or pets?
Kat: I’m quite fond of New Age and feminist spirituality, but the way I dip in and out of them is more like a hobby. That’s a problem I have: not committing fully to anything, because I have what we in the 21st century call FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. I’m working on it. Oh, and I have a sweet little grey kitty named Selene. Sometimes I think she might be my spirit guide. Or animal spirit. Not sure what to call that. But as a librarian, I can find out. Chasing trails of interesting questions is also my hobby, and it gets me into trouble.
Ally: How many re-writes did you have to live through?
Kat: Oh, my goodness! I lost count. Linda started writing about me over ten years ago, and the first draft was all about Regina, my ancestor. I was just a secondary character, but then, after many writing workshops, classes, critique groups and rewrites, she finally got it. Where the Stork Flies is MY story. I was the character who needed to change. Boy, did I! It was tough, and sometimes I think it gave me vertigo. All the twists and turns she put me through, only to trash them. She did stick some of those parts into a separate file of “scenes taken out of the novel” but really, she can just trash those too. I’m glad she finally understood that the story she wanted to tell was all about me.
Ally: Who was your favorite supporting character?
Kat: Oh, that would be Jadwiga. Definitely. She was sometimes a pain in the neck, but she was so beautiful, so regal, so self-confident…and she was a big help to Regina and me when we got into trouble. I like the way she popped in and out of our story. Okay, maybe not. To tell the truth, I know she was supposed to steer us to find out things for ourselves, but I wish she could have just stayed around and IDK, told us what to do?
Ally: Name three of your favorite things (whether mentioned in the book or not).
Kat: Hmmm. Let’s see. Three of my favorite things. Soft ice cream like we got at the Tastee Freez when I was a teen in Amsterdam, NY. Nancy Drew books that helped me get through my mother’s abandoning us. I still want to be Nancy, with a roadster and a boyfriend named Ned. And number three: I love the ocean. Never got there in Where the Stork Flies, but I try to go to the Jersey Shore every summer, go for long walks on the beach, watch the sandpipers and gulls, take pictures of the sunset and breathe that fresh sea air.
Ally: It has been a pleasure meeting you, Kat. Please show us Where the Stork Flies and where to find it.
Where the Stork Flies
Genre: Time Travel Novel
Rating: PG-13
A Pennsylvania librarian, a 19th century Polish peasant, and a wisecracking medieval queen join forces to fulfill a mission from the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. What could possibly go wrong?
Buy Links:
Bookshop.org https://bit.ly/3hUs3iq
Amazon https://amzn.to/3rMnCL7
Barnes and Noble https://bit.ly/3aNtNqW
QR Code https://bit.ly/3hUs3iq
About the Author:
Linda C. Wisniewski is a former librarian and journalist. Her work has been published widely in literary magazines and anthologies, and on her blog, www.lindawis.com. She is also the author of a memoir, Off Kilter: A Woman’s Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother and Her Polish Heritage. Linda lives with her husband in Bucks County, PA.
Author Contacts:
Website http://www.lindawis.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LindaWis46
Twitter https://twitter.com/Lindawis
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lindacwisniewski/
Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-wisniewski-1bba29242/
Linda C. Wisniewski is a former librarian and journalist. Her work has been published widely in literary magazines and anthologies, and on her blog, www.lindawis.com. She is also the author of a memoir, Off Kilter: A Woman’s Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother and Her Polish Heritage. Linda lives with her husband in Bucks County, PA.
Author Contacts:
Website http://www.lindawis.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LindaWis46
Twitter https://twitter.com/Lindawis
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lindacwisniewski/
Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-wisniewski-1bba29242/