What do you get when you bring two bestselling, award-winning authors, who also happen to sisters-in-law, together to cowrite a high-stakes fantasy rom-com? A whole lot of creative fun! We are so lucky to have authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber answer a few questions about their writing lives, as well as about their recently completed Twin Crowns trilogy.
Burning Crowns, the newly released series finale by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber, is one of the book choices in our May 2024 To Bee Read Book Box.
Learn more about our To Bee Read Book Box Subscription here!
Q&A with Authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
How do you balance your work and your personal life?
Cat: As a full-time writer, sometimes it can be hard to switch off (or switch on!). I try to write during the weekdays and take the weekends off. Having said that, when you write a series with your best friend and sister-in-law, sometimes your work and personal life can blend into one—and that can be a lot of fun!
Katie: I love being a full-time writer, but I do struggle to balance my time between writing and being a mom. I write a lot at night and when my young children are at school. Luckily, writing Twin Crowns is always a joy and something I look forward to doing.
What is your writing process like?
Cat: Coffee, coffee, coffee—I write mainly in the afternoon and evenings!
Katie: I write wherever I can, whenever I can! But ideally, I would spend a few focused hours at the British Library (one of my favorite places to write!) and then have some time with my kids, and then after dinner and the kids are asleep, get a few more hours in. I love listening to music to get me in the right mood for a book—and I need a LOT of snacks.
What was the book that got you into reading/writing?
Cat: I fell in love with The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis when I was about 8 years old.
Katie: I am a huge fan of Madeline L’Engle, and A Wrinkle in Time remains one of my all time favorite books. More recently, Laini Taylor really inspired me! I will never forget the feeling of reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone—it had a huge impact on me as a reader and a writer.
(We love Laini Taylor's DoSaB here at LitJoy, too! Check out our Special Edition Box Set!)
If your book was made into a movie, which celebrities would you cast as the characters?
Cat: The million-dollar question! I’d love Judi Dench to play Banba. And we think Zendaya would make an amazing Rose, Wren… and also Ortha and Oonagh! I think Austin Butler would make a good Alarik.
Katie: I love thinking about this! Regé-Jean Page is 100% Marino in my mind. As for everyone else…I would love a mix of newcomers and more well-known performers.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what kind?
Cat: I rarely listen to music, but when I do, it’s usually something like Hozier or Lana Del Ray!
Katie: I frequently listen to music while I write—I usually have playlists for each book to get me in the mood. But I prefer music without words so I listen to a lot of classical and epic soundtracks.
What’s your favorite piece of feedback you’ve received from a reader?
Cat: A reader once told us she cried happy tears because she was so touched by the sisterhood bond between Wren and Rose. That was a special one because I think that’s the most important part of the trilogy for us.
Katie: I love when we hear that our books help get readers out of reading slumps! And of course, it is always so nice to hear from sisters, and I love knowing which characters readers are crushing on!
Questions about Twin Crowns trilogy by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
How did you guys work together on a dual writing project like this?
Cat: Since I live in Ireland and Katie lives in London, we have to do most of our writing remotely. We usually begin with a marathon 5-hour zoom call, where we plan out all the chapters and beats in the story. Then I write Wren’s chapters and Katie writes Rose's. We swap back and forth so we can read over and edit each other’s work as we go along.
Katie: We had to figure out a system that worked! Luckily Cat is very organized so she made sure we always had a plan. And it was so fun reading each other’s chapters too—even though I knew what was happening because we’d outlined it together, I still always giggled when I realised it was going to be a kissing chapter or something else exciting!
What strengths do either author have that they used to their advantage (is one of you better at humor, romance, setting, world building)?
Cat: Katie is great at everything, but I’d say she’s particularly good at situational humour. She has a knack for envisioning hilarious situations that we can throw our characters into. Her suggestions always make me laugh—once I even spat out my coffee! She’s also brilliant at landscape and setting, and food (I tend to forget to feed people in my chapters).
Katie: Cat is one of my favorite authors, which is why I was so excited to do a collaborative project with her! She’s an incredible writer and is so funny, especially when it comes to witty banter between characters (I could have never written Wren’s POV, I’m just not witty enough!). And Cat does ALL of our fighting and battle scenes because I always forget what character is where and what they are holding, etc. I think we are both strong when it comes to romance—and we had so much fun doing the world building together, it really was all a joint project!
Are there more dual author projects in your future?
Cat: For now, we are so happy with how the trilogy turned out, but we love this world so much, we might decide to divide and conquer!
Katie: It is bittersweet to see the trilogy come to an end, and for now we don’t have any collaborative projects planned, but who knows?
Which character is the most like yourselves, and which character did you have the most fun writing?
Cat: I’m probably most like Wren, but I think I have the most fun writing Alarik!
Katie: I love writing Shen! And Ansel (he is so ridiculous!) and Marino—he always is such a scene stealer. As far as who I am most like…I think I have elements of both Wren and Rose.
About the Authors
Catherine grew up in Galway in the west of Ireland by the sea. She is the author of the Blood for Blood YA trilogy and the middle grade Storm Keeper trilogy. She currently lives in Ireland with her husband, Jack, and their dog, Cali.
Katherine is from Southern California and spent much of her childhood in the Palm Springs desert. She is the author of Only Love Can Break Your Heart and The Revelry. For younger readers, she cowrites the Sam Wu Is Not Afraid and Dragon Realm series with her husband, Kevin Tsang. She is currently based in London with her husband and young daughters.
A huge thank you to Authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber for taking the time to allow us into their writing world! We've loved bringing the Twin Crowns trilogy to life in our TBR special editions, and can't wait to see what Cat and Katie come out with next, whether separately or together!
