Q&A: Kate Christensen, Co-Author of ‘The Sacred & The Divine’

We chat with author Kate Christensen about The Sacred & The Divine, which sees history, romance, and the occult come together in a mesmerising tale of sisterhood, fate, and the darkness lurking in our world.

Hi, Kate! When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

As a very small child, I discovered the magic of storytelling through my mother, who made bedtimes into flights of imaginary adventures. The instant I learned to read and write, the course of my life was set.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Little Engine That Could by Wally Piper
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Little Engine That Could by Wally Piper
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Your latest novel, The Sacred & The Divine, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Teenage girls discover their powers

What can readers expect?

The deep bonds among three sisters, a Fool’s Journey through the major arcana of the Tarot, a demon, a love triangle, healing, and spellcasting, all set in a Cape Cod village in 1848.

Where did the inspiration for The Sacred & The Divine  come from?

It came from being one of three sisters, both me and my co-writer, Melissa—and our mutual love of Tarot. We both had rough adolescences, and we loved the idea of three girls discovering and using their innate powers, occasionally losing control of them, and learning how to harness them.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

We loved creating all three sisters, all their differences and idiosyncrasies and abilities, as well as their relationships with one another. And we loved all the historical research—in order to create a fictional Massachusetts village in 1848, we did a tremendous amount of background work, from social attitudes to food to trains. It was so much fun.

You co-authored this book with Melissa Henderson. Can you tell us a bit about your process on working on it together?

We called it “the baby” and handed it back and forth. We had zoom meetings to strategize. We kept a lengthy shared document of ideas and plans and plot points. We wrote, rewrote, edited, and in the process, created a voice so seamless, we gave her a name: Philomena Stubbs.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Sometimes we hit a snag, and disagreed on how to move forward. We got through these knotholes by talking it through, hashing it out, until we both agreed, Not unlike the democratic process!

What’s next for you?

I have a literary novel coming out next June from HarperCollins called Good Company. And I just finished a first draft of the second installment of the detective series I’m writing under the pseudonym Sydney Graves—this new one is called Saguaro City. And I’m hoping to write more young adult fiction some day!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

Most recently,  I absolutely loved The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy and The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. And I’m looking forward to reading a stack of books, both fiction and nonfiction, about Berkeley, California in the 1960s—historical, political, and social research for my next literary novel.

Will you be picking up The Sacred & The Divine? Tell us in the comments below!