Lucy A. McLaren

Lucy: Hello Katelynsam! Thanks so much for joining us at Introverted Indies. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your writing. So, to get things started, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Katelynsam: Thanks for having me! I’m happy to be here. I’m Katelynsam, a fantasy author, and I love writing stories that let my readers escape into other worlds and live adventures that stay with them long after the last page. Growing up, I stayed up far too late reading novels by Cassandra Clare and Roshani Chokshi, and within these late hours, I wished I could write stories that would keep my readers up late at night as well. I’ve been writing ever since I was a child and struggled to get published for years before my debut novel, The Fated was published last year. 

L: That’s great, Katelynsam! So, I’d love to know more about The Fated first, though I’ll come back to your other points too. What can you tell us about the book? 😊

K: The Fated is about a luxurious ocean liner that appears at the docks to carry a few lucky passengers to paradise. Yet when people onboard begin disappearing, one woman soon discovers their destination might not be paradise after all. While the plot centers around the mystery behind the ship, the story blends the genres of fantasy, paranormal, and dystopia to make a suspenseful and atmospheric read for fans of The Night Circus, Titanic, and The Midnight Library. It also ends up asking some deeper questions about the importance of happiness, dreams, and identity. 

L: Colour me intrigued! That sounds like a fantastic book. You mentioned it’s for fans of The Night Circus, Titanic, and The Midnight Library. To what extent would you say they (or other books/media) influenced and inspired your story? 

K: Thank you and great question! I would actually say that the setting for The Fated was inspired more by my experiences reading and watching the novels and film adaptations of The Great Gatsby and Rebecca. I’ve always been drawn to the 1920s-1930s. The dazzling outfits. The jazz music. The glamorous atmosphere with nostalgic and dark undercurrents. I loved the idea of setting my story in a place that, by all appearances, seems luxurious and flawless on the surface but has a hidden side that isn’t nearly as polished. I think those types of settings in both novels and media often make such fascinating stories because they speak to a common human experience: if something looks a little too dazzling or too perfect, it probably is too good to be true. 

L: Yes, I totally get that draw towards the hidden darkness in stories; I find it fascinating in both settings and characters. You mentioned that The Fated was your debut book release. Can you tell me some more about your journey to publication—what was the path you took and how did you find it? 

K: The Fated’s journey to publication was definitely a voyage full of ups and downs itself. Back in 2020, I originally tried to publish The Fated traditionally through a literary agent, first as a young adult novel, and then as an adult fantasy through a different team of literary agents. Overall, the editors from the big publishing houses that we submitted to had flattering things to say but ultimately rejected it, primarily because they couldn’t quite pinpoint which genre to market it as. It contains elements of fantasy and paranormal, yes. But also a core mystery, along with glimmers of dystopia and a greater question of unfulfilled dreams and their relation to our identities. Ultimately, I was told that I should shelve it. But I believed in my story enough to give it a second chance by publishing it on my own, and I am so glad I did. 

The Fated has now sold internationally in over 7 countries, was nominated as a semi-finalist for the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) 2025 by book bloggers from around the world, and is becoming an audiobook. I am so thrilled to see it taking on a life of its own when for so long I wasn’t sure it would ever reach readers. 

L: That certainly does sound like a very up and down journey. I’m sorry the traditional route didn’t work out for The Fated, but it sounds as though self-publishing has really been a positive experience for you and your book. Sometimes the traditional route is so rigid in terms of what they’re looking for, and if your book doesn’t fit those rigid ideas then it’s never going to be taken on. But it’s clearly a book that has been embraced by readers which is awesome. What are your future publishing plans? Are you working on anything at the moment? 

K: Yes, looking back, I learned a lot on my publishing journey, and I think it ultimately strengthened my determination, which is definitely a positive thing. I am currently in the process of finding an audiobook narrator for The Fated, and I hope to release the audiobook later this year. I am also currently working on a new fantasy novel that I am excited to share sometime next year, which can be described as Spirited Away meets One Day in a romantic and cinematic love story between a human and an immortal in a Wishing Market that transports people to another world where their wishes can become reality. But every granted wish demands a price—and sometimes the cost is too steep.

L: An audiobook, how exciting! That’s on my bucket list as a writer. How is the process going so far? (I will come back to your new fantasy novel, because I’d love to hear more about that!)

K: This is my first time doing an audiobook, so the whole process is very new to me right now. I am searching for a narrator through Audible, but then once it’s published, I plan to go wide, so that it can be available to listeners on other platforms, such as on Spotify. I had fun drafting a pronunciation guide and character list to submit to prospective narrators as well as a sample script for them to read for their auditions. The Fated has received a lot of auditions so far, and I am loving hearing different interpretations of my characters’ voices. Listening to the auditions has brought the book to life again in a new way, so I’m excited to share it with listeners once I’ve chosen the right narrator and the audiobook is complete. 

L: I can imagine it’s a really special experience to hear narrators interpret your characters and story! I’ve recently discovered the joy of audiobooks and it’s wonderful how the right narrator can bring a story to life. I hope you enjoy the process! 😊

Now, going back to the new fantasy novel you’ve been working on. You mentioned it’s a mix of Spirited Away and One Day, which sounds quite different in tone to The Fated. How is the writing process going with it so far? 

K: Yes, I plan to! During the publishing process for my debut novel, I kept reminding myself to enjoy both the struggles and successes throughout because I would never be able to experience those “firsts” again. I plan to carry the same mindset into my debut audiobook process. 

You’re right. This novel has a different tone, but that was one of the reasons why I had so much fun writing it. While I believe I have a consistent writing style, I like to explore different settings, aesthetics, and character dynamics, so that every story I write hopefully feels fresh to the reader. This upcoming novel has more fantastical and whimsical elements than The Fated, but the stakes are still high and the Wishing Market hides dangers of its own. This project carries a stronger romantic storyline as well, while still containing deep themes. Right now, I am working on another round of revisions before I submit it to my editor for a full developmental edit. The word count keeps increasing, though, because the more time I spend in this new world, the more it expands and the more feisty and unpredictable the characters become. Seriously, this novel contains the strangest cast of characters I’ve ever written, which includes winged immortals, a minotaur-like antagonist, water dragons, and even a sassy panda! 

L: Haha, that does sound like a strange cast of characters, but I bet that comes with a real sense of freedom in terms of how you can write them (compared to boring old humans). Who would you say has been your favourite character of the cast to write? 

K: Definitely! Animal characters are so refreshing because I find they can be both more honest and funny since they don’t have to conform to human behaviors or motivations to resonate with readers. At the same time, I think they can also reveal a vulnerable side to human characters that they might not show to anyone else. With that being said, my favorite characters to write were the main leads. One is a young human man, who searches the Wishing Market for the wish that will grant him true happiness. The other is a winged immortal princess, who only wants to escape the Wishing Market and return to her home. Together, they just might be able to get what they both want–that is, if their growing feelings for each other or other beings in the Wishing Market don’t get in the way. 

L: Ahh, that’s so true about animal characters. I have animal companions in my dark fantasy series and I know exactly what you mean! So much fun. Is the book a dual-POV then, switching between the young man and the immortal princess? Is multi-POV your preferred way of storytelling? 

K: Oh, how cool! I do always love a good animal companion. Now I’m intrigued and will need to check out your dark fantasy series! 

Yes, my new novel is dual-POV between the lost human man and the jaded immortal princess. I actually don’t usually prefer dual-POV, but from the start, I knew this novel would revolve around both of their stories equally. What surprised me, though, was the length! I initially thought it would be a novella until I wrote about 80 pages and realized there was so much more to keep exploring. This is the second time that’s happened to me. My novella The Phoenix & The Neverending Winter, which I published last year, was originally meant to be a short story but the world and characters kept expanding! I think my imagination’s tendency to get a bit carried away in unexpected ways is a good problem to have, but it still always makes me laugh in delighted surprise. Just like when characters take on a life of their own and begin refusing to do things I’ve plotted.

L: Ahh, aren’t our brains amazing? Like they’ll just keep expanding on ideas we have in the background. I always think stories end up being the length they need to be (and the amount of POVs they need to be!). And it sounds like that’s the case for your new book. 

Thank you so much for sharing everything, Katelynsam, this has been a really interesting chat. To wrap up, what’s the number one piece of advice you’d give someone setting out on their author journey?

K: I love that idea! Yes, stories often take shape in the drafting process in ways we could never predict at the beginning, but I also think that’s one of the most fun and adventurous parts about writing. Discovery of the self and discovery of the story, you might say. 

Thank you so much for your questions, Lucy, and I’ve loved talking with you as well! My advice would be to encourage anyone with a dream to stay true to it, while also letting it be adaptable to whatever circumstances they face. If I had insisted on becoming published through traditional means, The Fated would have been shelved and likely would never have reached readers, let alone been adapted into an audiobook. However, by deciding to take the exhilarating (and terrifying) leap to publish my novels myself (along with all the business aspects that come with it), I was able to make my dream come true in an unexpected but just as rewarding way. People often say “trust the process”, but there are often many different processes that can lead to the same dream, so I would encourage anyone to try out a different process if the one you are on is consistently not leading to the results you want. 

L: Thank you! That’s excellent advice. It’s been wonderful chatting with you.

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Check out her website and books here: https://linktr.ee/katelynsamauthor