Cate Cameron grew up in the city but moved to the country in her mid-twenties and isn’t looking back. Most of her writing deals with people living and loving in small towns or right out in the sticks—when there aren’t entertainment options on every corner, other people get a lot more interesting!
She likes to write stories about real people struggling with real issues. YA, NA, or contemporary romance, her books are connected by their emphasis on subtle humor and characters who are trying to do the right thing, even when it would be a lot easier to do something wrong.
Connect with the Author:
What is your favourite part about being a Canadian author?
Cate Cameron: Hmmm – I think the flexibility, really. It’s pretty hard to ignore the huge US market, but by living so close to them I feel like we know them pretty well – I can write a convincing American character or setting if I want to. But I can also write Canadian characters and settings when that works better for the story I want to tell. Best of both worlds!What do you think Canadian authors can exclusively bring to the table?
Cate Cameron: I think there’s a certain unique perspective to Canadian authors – a lot of our greats seem to have really internalized the Canadian multicultural tradition and used it to enrich their writing. Obviously we have some great writers from the First Nations and great writers who were born in other countries, but I think all Canadian authors benefit from seeing how things are done in other cultures and using that knowledge to help us better understand our characters.
What is your favourite “Canadian tradition”?
Cate Cameron: Well, skipping the esoteric “multiculturalism” answer, I’d say… hmmm… maybe emptying the cities and heading for Cottage Country every summer weekend? I love all the cottage rituals—and I love that each cottage has their own, so there’s no point in me trying to summarize them here!
How do you think your life as a Canadian overlaps with your writing? Do we see any of this in The Corrigan Falls Raiders Series?
Cate Cameron: Definitely the hockey obsession comes from setting the story in Canada! I grew up in London, Ontario, which has an OHL team but is big enough that the team is just one of many entertainment options. Then I moved to a small town that has an OHL team and not much else and was amazed by the level of obsession. And of course parents are obsessed with their own kids’ teams, there are lots of adults who still play, etc. So, definitely, the Canadian cliché of being hockey-crazy? I think it’s totally reflected in my own experiences, and I reflect that in the novels.
Describe CENTRE ICE in 10 words or less.
Cate Cameron: City girl falls for small town hockey star. (hah! 8!)
Which of the couples from Corrigan Falls has been your favourite to write so far? Why?
Cate Cameron: I think probably Claudia and Chris, mostly because Claudia is so much like me, and Chris is so much like who I should have gone out with in high school. The serious girl and the goofy guy? It did great things for Claudia and I think it would have done great things for me. Especially if the goofy guy was hot!
How did you determine which of the guys plays which position? Did it relate to the plot of the story and their relationship?
Cate Cameron: It relates a little bit, at least according to the clichés associated with the positions. I definitely wanted Tyler to be the star and have lots of pressure on him, and of course there are lots of star players who aren’t centers, but it seemed like the most obvious position – wingers and defensemen have a buddy to take the pressure off, but there’s only one center!
I thought Chris Winslow was a good defenseman because he’s content to sort of sit back and react instead of being proactive. Of course lots of defensemen are go-getters, but… whatever. It seemed to fit.
And then Toby as a winger? I think I liked the idea of a balance between Toby and Natalie – when they’d played together, they’d been mirror images of the same position.
What is the scariest thing you’ve seen happen on ice?
Cate Cameron: I’m pretty terrified any time a player is hit into the boards and doesn’t get up right away. In terms of more specific, but less genuinely frightening things—I was living in Vancouver when they made their Cup run in ’94 (damn, I feel old!) and Kirk McLean did a great job in net but he was a fairly aggressive goalie, often leaving the crease to play the puck. And every time he did it, I panicked. Get back in net! Get back there, Kirk! The net is EMPTY!!!
Where do you think your main characters would want to live if they lived in present day Canada?
Cate Cameron: I actually think they’re pretty happy living in Corrigan Falls. They’re looking forward to getting drafted and going to whatever big city wants them, but they enjoy small town celebrity, too. So… some anonymous small town in Southern Ontario where hockey players are treated like gods? That’s where they’d want to live.
(Jamie's Note: So basically my home town? Sign me up for THAT.)
Will there be more from the Corrigan Falls Raiders?
Cate Cameron: I’m honestly not sure. I think there are at least two good stories still to be told (Dawn deserves some love, and so does Oliver) but timing becomes an issue. It’s hard to get the books written and published before reader interest wears off…
CENTER ICE
Author: Cate Cameron
Series: The Corrigan Falls Raiders #1
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
Summary:
The hometown hockey hero won’t know what hit him…
Karen Webber is in small-town hell. After her mother’s death, she moved to Corrigan Falls to live with strangers—her dad and his perfect, shiny new family—and there doesn’t seem to be room for a city girl with a chip on her shoulder. The only person who makes her feel like a real human being is Tyler MacDonald.
But Karen isn’t interested in starting something with a player. And that’s all she keeps hearing about Tyler.
Corrigan Falls is a hockey town, and Tyler’s the star player. But the viselike pressure from his father and his agent are sending him dangerously close to the edge. All people see is hockey—except Karen. Now they’ve managed to find something in each other that they both desperately need. And for the first time, Tyler is playing for keeps…
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PLAYING DEFENSE
Author: Cate Cameron
Series: The Corrigan Falls Raiders #2
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Publication Date: March 14, 2016
Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Claudia Waring has never kissed a boy. Never been popular. Never been to a hockey game. All that’s about to change. Assigned to tutor Chris Winslow, a prank-loving, gorgeous hockey player, Claudia’s perfectly planned life immediately veers off course. And she kind of likes it. But as fun as Chris is, she knows she'll never fit in his world.After his latest prank lands him in hot water, Chris has to get serious about school or lose hockey. Not an easy thing for someone as carefree as the defenseman. The biggest problem, though, is how much he wants to help his cute, buttoned-up tutor loosen up a little. But while confidence has never been a problem for him, around Claudia, Chris is all nerves. Why would a girl as smart as her ever fall for a jock like him?
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WINGING IT
Author: Cate Cameron
Series: The Corrigan Falls Raiders #3
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Publication Date: May 16, 2016
Summary:
Natalie West and Toby Cooper were best friends growing up, on and off the ice. But when Toby’s hockey career took off, their friendship was left behind. Now Natalie has a crazy plan to land her crush—Toby’s biggest rival—and she needs Toby’s help to pull it off. When Nat asks Toby to be her fake boyfriend, he can’t say no. Not when it means getting his best friend back. But Natalie is all grown up now, and spending time with her—even when it’s just playing hockey together—stirs up a lot of feelings, old and new. Suddenly pretending to be interested in her isn’t hard at all…if only she wanted him and not his enemy.
Hockey tore them apart. Can it put them back together?
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My ice hockey enabler!!!! Cate, I will read your Corrigan Falls stories whenever you get round to writing them. In fact, sign me up for anything swoony from you!
ReplyDeleteI feel like a very sad Canadian because I don't think I've ever read a book about hockey (except biographies maybe). I think I need to read these books right away.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE CATE! I've read her Corrigan Falls books and they're all so good!
ReplyDelete