What You’ll Find Here
The Blue Hours is a collection of journal entries about writing my first novel, literary and historical research, Scottish folklore, Edinburgh, books that inspire me, and the everyday process of building a literary life.
Why The Blue Hours?
The blue hour has always been the time of day I’ve loved the most. It’s a space almost stolen from time, when night changes to dawn and day gives way to twilight. It’s a liminal space, a magic space, a place of transition where two things exist at once.
Writing a novel is very like a blue hour. An idea, not fully formed, that slowly (so slowly) becomes something whole and complete. I work well in these blue hours and grey spaces, teasing out details and helping the story become what it is meant to be.
Blue hours, whether physical or metaphysical, are magical spaces of becoming. Not the shoot-from-the-tip-of-a-finger magic, but the methodical, realistic, hard work of creating, the kind of magic that needs intention and focus. The characters in my novel use this kind of magic (though they don’t know that just yet) to shape the world around them. They tap into the chaotic realm of possibility and, once they suspend their disbelief just enough, create an entirely new world. At their hearts, they are healers and sinners, crafters and madwomen, rebels and witches. They, like me, thrive in the blue hours.
Welcome!
Hi! I’m Kate, a writer, researcher, and former university lecturer who has finally decided to write the novel that refuses to leave me alone. The Blue Hours is where I’m documenting that process, not because I have everything figured out ( far from it!) but because every manuscript teaches something no formal education could.
About Me
I tried very hard not to be a writer. I pursued other paths, told myself I had other plans, and that I had exactly what I wanted lecturing at the university level. But, as it turns out, getting what you thought you wanted might not be the thing that actually makes you happy.
So, I did the risky thing and finally turned my attention to what I have always loved: stories.
Now, I’m a writer, researcher, and recovering academic. I hold a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, which allowed me to live in England and Scotland for four beautiful years. Though currently back on the East Coast of the US, the UK will always find its way into my writing.
When I’m not writing, you’ll find me on the floor with my cats, sniffing old books in my local library (if you know, you know), or daydreaming about Edinburgh over a strong shot of espresso.
Thank you for spending a little time here. I hope you’ll return often as I continue writing, researching, revising, and finding my way through the blue hours.
Contact
You can occasionally find me on TikTok at @kateovershares, where I share glimpses of my writing life and research.
