Bonnie Shimko, author of "Kat's Promise"

The fact that I've written anything at all astounds me. I certainly didn't end up being a writer on purpose.

When I was a teenager (in the sixties), I wanted to be a famous artist -- the mysterious, dramatic type hidden away in a loft in NYC. Problem was, I didn't have any talent. So I became a second-grade teacher in a tiny rural town in northeastern New York. After thirty-three years, I retired, thinking I'd spend the rest of my life doing not a whole lot. That goes flat fast. I tried passing the time by refinishing furniture. No fun at all. A friend and I went into "business" making and selling little girls' smocked dresses. She smocked and I sold. It was a hoot for me but not for her. Then my son (a college senior at the time) won a national writing competition sponsored by the Kennedy Center. I thought maybe I could write something.

My first novel, Letters in the Attic, was published when I was sixty.

My new young adult novel, Kat's Promise, has just been released by Harcourt. Here's the synopsis from their website:

Kat is just twelve years old when her mother dies. Suddenly an orphan, she has no choice but to move in with her bitter, wealthy aunt--the same aunt who Kat believes caused her mother's death. And that is just the beginning of Kat's awful eighth-grade year. The thing that keeps her going, even in her darkest moments, is the promise she made the day her mother died.

With an exceptional voice and haunting insight, Bonnie Shimko has written a story about uncovering dark family secrets, finding friends in the most unlikely places, and learning to let go. Kat is both wise beyond her years and frighteningly vulnerable--but above all, she is wholly unforgettable.

I've always been fascinated by coming-of-age stories, and like Kat, "I like sad and dark -- troubled characters with empty cupboards and empty souls."

When I was growing up, there was a stark orphanage building in my hometown. I couldn't stop thinking about the kids who were inside, and what went on behind those cold cement walls. From those imaginings, Kat was born.

Please visit Bonnie Shimko's website.