Katie Mettner

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

My name is Katie Mettner and I live in Northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior. I write romance and romantic suspense but have also dabbled in paranormal romance and lesbian romance. I have three kids who aren't so little anymore. My daughter is a music education major in her junior year of college, my middle son is halfway through his nursing degree, and my youngest son graduates this year from high school. I used to spend a lot of time at their band and choir concerts, but since those things have been put on hold, I spend more time at home with them. My husband is a fifth-grade teacher for a local district and we've been married twenty-one years. In 2011 an old injury to my left leg gave me no choice but to have it amputated. That was when my life changed and doors opened that I was never expecting. I found a new career because of that event and strive to tell the stories I write with honesty and realism. When I'm not writing I love to bake, read, crochet and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. Fun Facts: When I found out my husband's birthday was the day after mine, I knew it was meant to be. My stomach is paralyzed and I am fed through a feeding tube in my intestines. I don't eat any food. I love tattoos. I have six and can't wait to safely go get more! I'm afraid to fly. I've done it, but I'm still terrified. I'm a living kidney donor. I'm afraid to cross bridges. I still do it, but again, I'm terrified. My favorite Facts of Life character was Natalie.

When and why did you start writing books?

I started writing books in 2011 after I had my leg amputated. I was a medical transcriptionist, but when I wasn't working, I had a lot of time on my hands since I couldn't walk yet. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had this character in my head for so many years that I decided I should finally write her story down. It was supposed to be one book. Sugar's Dance was almost 400 pages and when I finished it, I was satisfied. The readers were not and after Sugar's Dance came Sugar's Song, Sugar's Night, and Sugar's Faith. To say I was shocked by the response to that novel would be an understatement. Those were my first novels, and they were mistake-laden and word-heavy, but the reader never seems to notice. That is the kind of character Sugar is. You follow her anywhere because you know wherever she's going, it's to a place that will change someone else's life and make it better.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I've always loved to write. My fourth-grade teacher gave all of us a journal at the beginning of the year and every day we had journaling time. I loved it. I wrote short stories over the years but never had a lot of time to write between working, getting married, and having kids. Also, in the '80s when I was growing up, publishing was difficult. You either submitted a manuscript to a publisher or you had to use a 'vanity publisher.' There was no such thing as self-publishing back then. it was in 2011 after I had my leg amputated and I had a lot of time on my hands that I started writing Sugar's Dance as a full novel. I had no idea there was such a thing as indie publishing until I finished the novel and a friend said, "People need to read this. Seriously, you HAVE to find a way to get this out there for people to read." I found KDP Publishing and that was the beginning of this winding career of writing disabled romance.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

This one is never hard to answer. My favorite character is Sugar Walsh. Sugar is me. Sugar is you. Sugar is your mother, sister, aunt, cousin, or friend. She is the best of humanity. She is scarred but resilient. She is scared but willing. She is brave. She loves fiercely and she doesn't ask for anything in return. I have written 46 books since I wrote the Sugar Series when I first became a writer, but Sugar will always be my guiding light.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

Magnificent Love. There was a lot tied up in that story and it had to be told exactly right for readers to feel the emotion emanating from the pages. The grief, love, disbelief, and anger had to thrust toward them from every page. It was the book that was the most difficult to write emotionally but it was such a labor of love. I still think about that book and the implications of what happened between the pages. Unfortunately, because the hero is a funeral director, it doesn't get the attention it deserves. It's one of those hidden gems that people find, read, and love, long after it was published.

Who is your favourite author and book?

My favorite author is Lisa Regan and my favorite book is Finding Claire Fletcher. it was masterful and no one even realizes that this woman is the next big thing. She's an incredible writer.

What book are you reading right now?

Capturing Fate by Abbie Roads

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Many different things, and that's the honest answer. Usually, they just come to me. Sometimes it might be a name I hear that sets my mind down a path and suddenly I have to tell that story. it might be a specific disability that I read about or I meet someone with a disability who wants their story told, so I set out to do that. Sometimes the title comes to me and I write an entire book around it. That's what happened with Meatloaf and Mistletoe. The title alone makes people want to know what on earth I was thinking!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

In my spare time, I love to read, crochet, bake, take day trips to Lake Superior, and spend time with my family.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Yes! I always have something new in the works. I just started a romance that is a throwback to when the couple met the summer they turned fifteen. It has been challenging to write in the respect that it's a lot of back and forth memories, but also so much fun to write because they haven't seen each other in ten years and so much has happened that they want to share with each other!