Kate is a mom, wife, sister, and
daughter to a pack of crazy people. She's always been a little on the weird
side and loves to tell everyone that 'normal is boring'. You'll notice this in
her work. She started seeing ghosts when she was a small child and now openly
converses with them, despite how it makes her look in public. She has devoted
her life to the exploration of the paranormal...on the side. Kate is also a
mental health advocate and survivor. She has been guiding and mentoring others
through empathic counseling and energy healing since 1999, sharing her mental
wellness resources with anyone who needs it IRL and online. While the majority
of her current work is horror-related, watch for future non-fiction projects
that cover the reality of growing up with mental illness diagnoses, survival,
what comes after therapy, and help for sensitive children.
https://katedejonge.com/
https://godless.com/products/kate-dejonge
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Kate-DeJonge/e/B09C8ZSJT2/
USA: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09C8ZSJT2
Where is your favorite place to write? Read?
I live in a teeny tiny townhouse,
so my living room couch is my office. My favourite place to write is in the
gothic library, in the house I’ll own when I win the lottery. (haha!) I
usually only get time to read when I go to bed, so that’s where I curl up with
my Kindle. When the weather warms up, I love to sit in my backyard reading
physical books. Park me out there with a glass of wine and some tunes, and I
won’t nag you to do chores for hours!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Anything that started with an A. Honestly, I was a weird
kid. I still have a memory book my mom started when I went to kindergarten, and
I wrote my aspirations in it every year. First it was author, then astronaut,
then archaeologist. My first grade teacher kept a story I wrote and told me it
was going to be worth money some day! I still love writing stories (I mean,
obvs), but haven’t made it to the “worth money” stage yet. Interesting point: I
majored in Physical Anthro/Archaeology in university, which is where my
fascination with death grew beyond my pre-existing obsession.
What is one thing you need when you sit down to write?
A full bottle of Vyvanse. Unfortunately,
I had to stop taking ADHD meds which has seriously impacted my ability to
write. I guess I need music that my brain already has memorized to block out
potential stimulus without being so interesting that I pay more attention to it
than my keyboard.
What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring
author?
I am a pantser, which
should be obvious if you’ve read through my previous answers. My advice to
aspiring authors is DO NOT BE A PANTSER unless you have a lot of willpower and
self-confidence! Watch videos, learn how to plot and plan, break your goals
down into little chunks that are manageable. Unless you are brimming with
self-confidence and willpower, in which case, MAKE A VIDEO FOR THE REST OF US
TO TEACH US HOW TO BE MORE LIKE YOU!
🖋 The Tough Questions from Readers
From BOH reader Heather L.
Chili – beans or no beans?
BEAAAAANS! If there are no
beans, it’s just meaty pasta sauce.
DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel?
Ok. I’ve got a DC tattoo
that was unintentional and I prefer Marvel movies but my husband is a Superman
freak so… um…?? The tattoo: I was 35, drunk, on a girl’s trip to Ottawa and got
coerced into getting a tattoo with them. I thought “hey, I’ll get a small thing
to start a Halloween sleeve. How about a bat?” Next morning: I’ve got the
freaking bat signal on the inside of my wrist, and it’s big.
You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you?
I think I could make a
small posse to help me with this one. My husband is always talking about how
much fun a heist would be, so he’d be in like Flynn. My friend Jennifer moved
away to New Brunswick a few years ago, but we made a pact before she left and I
believe she’d stick to it. I’d fly out there to help her dig the hole! And
although we haven’t met in person yet, I think Ali Sweet would probably be down
for a night of corpse hiding!
Next project (what are you currently working on)?
If I can get my brain back online,
I have a new supernatural thriller novel ¾
complete, and the sequel to Soup partially written.
Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on?
If you’re going to keep the
lights on, what’s the point? Lights out, volume up!
Cats or dogs?
Both! Who choses one or the
other? I will cuddle any animal that lets me near it. I have 2 cats and a dog,
but I’d have goats and chickens too, if I was allowed. And a turtle. And a
ducky friend for the chickens.
What inspired you to start writing?
The demons in my brain
wouldn’t shut up until I started writing down my thoughts!
How old were you when you wrote your first story?
Probably 4 years old. I know I was
writing stories in kindergarten. I’m a Gemini, the gift of gab came
early for me. My novella “Helen’s Story” is an expanded version of a story I
wrote when I was 12, based on a recurring nightmare I was having.
Who is your current favorite author?
I tend to find an author
and binge them. Right now I’m on Mark Edwards and Jeff Strand. Edwards is a UK
cozy mystery/thriller writer who incorporates supernatural elements, and Strand
is just fluffing funny. I love horror comedies~!
From BOH reader Derek T.
Do you read or write anything that's not horror?
I write comedy, new age non-fiction and philosophy. This girl ain’t
no one trick pony!
How do you feel about pants?
Pants are optional.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
YES! Cash me outside, how
bow da?
Do you eat supper or dinner?
Ugh, that S word is the
equivalent of “moist” to me!! IT’S DINNER!!
Your favorite thing on French fries?
Gooey melty cheese curds and gravy. Proud Canadian, eh?
From BOH reader Shannon E.
What’s something you want to learn/ get better at?
ASL, origami, paying attention. I learned violin and piano
as a kid, but a monkey got up on the roof with a bucket and the moon was full
that night so I skipped a grade and what? ADHD brain, we’ve covered this. I
want to learn it all, but my brain no go.
Is there anything you don't eat?
I know this is controversial, but
I will not eat Ranch dressing. or Ranch flavoured anything. And yes
there is a “u” in flavoured, because I am Canadian.
What's something about you that no one else knows?
I’d tell you, but then I’d
have to kill you. I keel you!
What’s something that bugs you?
Besides ignorant people? I have
Misophonia, so certain sounds trigger panic attacks. It’s a neurological
disorder and there is no cure/treatment for it yet, because science is just
catching up and figuring out what mechanism failure causes the problem. This
means I cannot go to restaurants, theatres, house parties, etc. I had to stop
working in offices because there were so many triggers. It sucks.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you can remember that’s
happened to you?
Giving birth. Not one
freaking person or book mentioned the fact that you poop when you push.
MORTIFIED!
If your life were a movie who would play you?
Hmmm. I think I’m most like Kristen Wiig, if you throw some
Peri Gilpin sass on top of the klutiziness, and blend in some Kristen Schaal
dorkiness.
What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now?
My husband and I have
talked a lot about this, and we have a plan. There’s an RV sales lot just
around the corner. We’re going to break in, steal some keys, gas ‘er up at the
Husky station across the road, go through the McDonald’s drive through at the
same interaction for our last Happy Meals, then take it home to stock up with
the supplies I’ve been gathering over the past few years. I’d spend a few
minutes convincing my twentysomethings children that we need to bug out, then
order them into the RV after they roll their eyes at me. We’d head north to
crown land where I’d forage for food until we could start to grow crops. I
estimate I could survive one week on this plan.
What were you like as a child?
I was shy, timid, very anxious. I
still am, in person. The internets is a great mask!
https://katedejonge.com/
