Interview with co-authors Kate Hyers & J.C. Smith

Tell us a little about yourself.

K: I’m Kate—communications whiz, film buff, card game enthusiast, former politico, and

newsie. As a kid, I dreamed of being a published author living off the coast of Maine, which (as of summer 2025) is exactly where and what I’ll be. I met Jessica during a Dungeons & Dragons campaign in Pennsylvania where we were both living at the time. We’ve been writing together ever since.

J: I’m J.C. or Jess or Jessica or Jessie-Bessie (though only my aunt is allowed to call me

that). You can pretty much boil me down into three things: Spotify playlists, Lord of the

Rings, and badass leather jackets. My day job is crisis counseling for high schoolers, but at night I create or watch things that inspire me (Kate and I try to meet weekly to watch films).

What type of material do you usually write?

K: Our main focus is fantasy, which makes sense given the whole D&D thing. Individually, I’m a huge mystery fan—especially locked room mysteries. At some point I’d love to write one, maybe drawing on my background in politics as a backdrop.

J: Like Kate said, we’re really invested in fantasy. For me, this fascination also stems from a deep, everlasting love for LOTR and all those video games I played when I was a kid. I love the freedom to create, not be pigeonholed by something concrete or mundane like gravity. That said, I’ve also dabbled in a bit of horror. I like a bit of darkness with some magic.

What does your writing and revision process look like?

K: As coauthors, our process is both much simpler and much more complicated than a

typical writer’s. It’s a gift to be able to bounce ideas back and forth and pitch in when the

other person needs an assist. Google Docs has been a lifesaver!

J: Communication, communication, communication. There’ve been days where we're calling five, six, seven times to parse through difficult sections. Since there are two of us, though, I’ve had to turn Kate The Pantser into more of a planner. Organizing the plot beforehand helps us stay on task—and gives me an excuse to play in Excel!

What is the hardest part about writing, in your opinion?

K: I’m a Soft Girl. I’m still learning how to take criticism graciously. Having someone tell me that a certain sentence doesn’t work doesn’t actually translate to “You’re a terrible writer, what are you doing with your life, give up and go home.” Being in a writer partnership has been extraordinarily helpful in that regard.

J: Anxiety. The brain is beautiful and creative and emotionally soul-crushing all at once. You can be doing really well, then a bout of imposter syndrome hits and you question everything you’ve ever written. Overcoming that is hard, but what helps me is reading a book. Either I start to generate new ideas, or I get competitive and jump back into writing.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

K: I think the part that gives me the most joy and satisfaction is crafting beautiful sentences. I love the challenge of writing something in a way that hasn’t been expressed before (J: And she’s so incredibly talented at it!!).

J: Oh, this is a tough one—but if I had to pick the thing I get the most joy out of it’d be

crafting characters. I adore creating individuals from the ground up and getting to delve into their thoughts, feelings, reactions. I’m notorious in our D&D group for making characters with elaborate backstories and obscure details that never see the light of day.

What advice do you have for new/debut authors?

K: Here’s something I wish I’d known before launching into this project. Write your pitch first! Condense the thing you want to write down into an intriguing sentence or two, then use that hook to build out your plot. Trust me, it’ll save you headaches down the line.

J: Patience is key! From one impatient lass to another: keep. going. Trust your gut and find someone who’s not interested in just selling your work, but passionate about it. A good clue is to look at their social media—it’ll show you how excited they are about authors they’ve already recruited.

Do you have any links or resources you’d like to share about writing or for your own materials?

K: We just launched our website this past week! https://hyerssmith.com/

J: Yeah! What Kate said!

Who is your personal favorite author? Or what is your favorite book?

K: This is like being asked who your favorite child is. I mean, I live in Maine so I have to give Stephen King a shoutout; I consumed way too many of his books way too young, which probably explains a thing or two about my personality. I reread Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None pretty much anytime I’m feeling sad. On the fantasy side, I love George R. R. Martin and Jacqueline Carey—give me anything both dark and sexy, and there’s a good chance I’ll dig it.

J: Is it too cliché to say Tolkien? LOTR is just so fundamental to my childhood. I have vivid

memories of galloping down the hall, a blanket tied around my neck as a cape, screaming “I am Eowyn’s daughter—with me, Rohirrim!” (I was embarrassingly not as young as you’d think I was.) Fantasy is my home. Throw in heaps of angst and morally gray characters, and be prepared to see Obsessed Jess.

Kate Hyers studied television, film, and writing at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Her career in communications has spanned numerous fields, from journalism to politics to international retail, but the one consistent thread has been writing. Kate is an out-and-proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, and she’s been told she has major golden retriever energy.

Jessica Cornelius Smith, writing as J.C. Smith, received a master's degree in Applied Clinical Psychology from Penn State University. Her career in mental health involves advocating for children and adolescents from marginalized communities, with an emphasis on trauma. When not writing, Jess is either serenading her dogs with songs from Hamilton or cursing at her Playstation in Sindarin.

Don't miss out on Kate and J.C.'s debuting dark fantasy, The Courtesan's Eye, coming fall of 2025.