An Interview with Kathryn Daniels
I was born and raised in Northern California – where I still live today. I received my bachelor’s degree in criminology from UC Irvine, then went on to pursue my MFA in creative writing from Arcadia University in 2021. I’ve had a short story published in For Page and Screen magazine, but A Single Season is my first novel! When I’m not writing, I’m probably reading, watching sports – or Jeopardy – or traveling for concerts. If you want to follow along my writing journey, check out my website kadwriter.com, or follow me on social media @kadwriter12.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
In the earliest drafts of the book, I had the ‘Single Season’ part of the title ready to go. That part came easy because I loved the implications how, for both Steve and Mason, a single season was all it took to change everything for them – both professionally and personally. Also, since I had sort of envisioned this book as the start of a series (and I still do!) I wanted a title that implied this book’s position in the series – a single, one, the first book. There’s also the baseball term and slight pun in it that I loved. The second part of the title, ‘A Nashville Notes Novel,’ came about during developmental edits. Originally, while I was querying this story, the title was Notes and Diamonds: A Single Season, referencing the team as well as where most of the story took place – on the baseball diamond. But I realized that it could be a little misleading to people who weren’t quite as familiar with baseball, not to mention the fact that just saying ‘notes’ without further explanation could also be confusing. So, I got rid of that part of the title and made it clearer that ‘A Single Season’ belonged in a series about the team.
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
It was so surreal! I’d had the idea of what I wanted the cover of this story to look like for a while but actually seeing that idea brought to life – and all the amazing variations that were prepared – had me totally blown away. It also made it really sink in that this was really happening. It was just speculation or a someday sort of thing anymore, this book was really going to be published. And that reality really hit home once I was holding my first proof copy. Getting to hold the book, getting to see my words formally printed, made it feel like all of the hard work had paid off and I was one step closer to getting to share this story.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I genuinely think I started writing just to clear space in my brain because I had so many stories and ideas running around that I needed to get them out somehow. And, for the longest time, those stories and ideas were just for me – ten years ago, the thought of anyone but me reading my attempts at writing was absolutely terrifying. But the more I wrote, the more I fell in love with it, until I decided that I wanted to face that fear if it meant getting to keep doing this thing that I loved.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
In my bio, I mentioned that my bachelor’s degree was in criminology and, for the longest time, I had envisioned myself going into some sort of law enforcement career track. It didn’t quite turn out that way: My first job was working security at a shopping mall, and I’m currently working as a parking enforcement officer (fancy term for a meter maid basically). Someday I might write a nonfiction book about my job because there are plenty of stories to tell, but I think right now I’ll stick to fiction. Something that readers wouldn’t know, or maybe guess, about me – aside from my job – is that I’m a bit of a concert-aholic. I’ve seen my favorite band, Straight No Chaser, over twenty times and love traveling to new places to go to concerts!
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
The sense of accomplishment that came from knowing my book would be published is hard to describe – there’s something affirming about not only getting to see your book in print, but also in seeing people reading it and enjoying it. I also love the feeling that I’m bringing a new story out into the world – one that may not be so common, but also one that people can relate to and find themselves in some of the characters. Knowing that I’ve contributed even a little microscopic part of the current literary landscape is so meaningful.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Those who follow me on Instagram might have noticed that most of my posts about the book usually have two songs attached: Centerfield by John Fogerty and Nashville Without You by Tim McGraw. A few other songs that make the list are: Tennessee Orange by Megan Moroney, Just in Case by Morgan Wallen (for those of you who’ve read the book, this is specifically for Chapter 6), Swing by Trace Atkins, and At the End of a Bar by Chris Young and Mitchell Tenpenny.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
I hope readers come away enjoying the soft and subtle development of Steve and Mason’s relationship, because I feel like the kind of sweet slow-burn romance in this story isn’t something you see too often, so I really hope readers enjoy the progression of how these characters grow and come together. I also hope that, for those readers who may not be big baseball fans, they are able to appreciate the love of the game that these characters have and maybe find themselves wanting to get more into the sport as well. I don’t want to say I have a perfect reader in mind, because I like to think that there is something for everyone in the story and that anyone can – and maybe should – pick up A Single Season and enjoy it. But, if there is a reader out there who loves second chance romances and occasionally has a baseball game on the TV to relax to, this is probably the perfect book for them.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
Too many to count! I always have at least two ideas of projects at any given time. But I am diligently working on polishing the next Nashville Notes book and really want to bring the next chapter of Steve and Mason’s story to readers when I can. I also have a literary fiction novella that I’m occasionally querying with the hopes of getting that published as well! As for the other projects…hopefully someday you’ll get to read them!
How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
Working with Atmosphere was really great. I appreciated the constant communication as I moved through the publication process and how each step was explained to me and I knew what to expect moving forward. I also loved the fact that, through the editing process – whether it was developmental or proofreading – I retained final creative control and could keep deciding how I wanted my story to be told. I think that’s something that is important to a lot of authors, so it was great – especially for my debut novel – to have that.
I would tell other authors who wanted to publish their stories – especially those who have been slogging through the traditional process and feel like they aren’t getting anywhere – that sometimes, you just need to take the chance. It may feel like a big risk, but if you are confident in your story and what you want to do as an author, then it’s risk that you should take because you never know what might come of it.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.