Roses & Rot by Kat Howard

We’re incredibly excited to be a part of the Roses & Rot blog tour today! We’ve got a fun interview with Kat Howard down below, but first… a little about the book!

Roses and Rot by Kat Howard
Published by Simon and Schuster on May 17th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, Fantasy, Fiction, General, Magical Realism
Pages: 320

Imogen and her sister Marin have escaped their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, be it art or love.

What would you sacrifice in the name of success? How much does an artist need to give up to create great art?

Imogen has grown up reading fairy tales about mothers who die and make way for cruel stepmothers. As a child, she used to lie in bed wishing that her life would become one of these tragic fairy tales because she couldn’t imagine how a stepmother could be worse than her mother now. As adults, Imogen and her sister Marin are accepted to an elite post-grad arts program—Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there’s more to the school than meets the eye. Imogen might be living in the fairy tale she’s dreamed about as a child, but it’s one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart’s desire.

Describe ROSES AND ROT in 5 words.

Gender flipped Tam Lin riff.

How did ROSES AND ROT come about, what was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story

I’ve loved the story of Tam Lin since reading Pamela Dean’s novel version. The thing that haunted me from that was the idea of the relationship between Faerie and Hell. Roses and Rot sidesteps that a bit, but deals with the idea of sacrifice that was at the heart of that – what would you give up for something that mattered to you?

What was the hardest scene for you to write in ROSES AND ROT and why?

I can’t be specific here, because it’s a hugely spoilery scene, but it comes very close to the end, and it seems like it’s possible that one of the characters might die. It hit a little too close to home for me.

Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of ROSES & ROT that is your favorite?

“You go into the woods to find your story. If you are brave, if you are fortunate, you walk out of them to find your life.”

What upcoming 2016 release (besides your own) are you most excited to read and fangirl over?

Victoria Schwab’s This Savage Song

Do you have any strange writing habits?

I write by hand.

What are you currently reading?

Joe Hill’s The Fireman. It’s great.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

To me, aspiring means you want to do something but you haven’t tried yet. Let yourself try. You might well suck at the beginning, and that’s fine. No one starts out perfect. But life’s too short not to try.

Tell us 3 random facts about you.

I have two tattoos, have lived in six states, and used to be a competitive fencer.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?

I’ll have a new novel out from Saga next year, and then a short fiction collection – A Cathedral of Myth and Bone – in early 2018.