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Indie author & illustrator Alicia “Kat” Dillman runs KatGirl Studio and indie publishing company Korat Publishing. Not one to let her learning disabilities get in the way, Kat defied the odds to achieve her goals. Her debut young adult novel Daemons in the Mist came out in May/June of 2011 and is already receiving high praise for its cast of believable characters and outstanding twisting plot.

Kat is a life long resident of the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives in Cherryland CA, with her fiance and their two rescue kitties Crash the Stampede & Princess Diyogee. Kat received a BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University and has spent the last few years working as a professional illustrator.

When not working she can be found performing in historical re-enactments, dancing, watching anime, or sewing cosplay.

Where did you go to school?

I went to the Academy of Art University.

What program do you use to make your art?

I use Corel Painter 12. You can find out more about how I make my art here

Who are your favorite artists?

Stephany, Waterhouse,

Do you do illustrator visits or speaking engagements?

Yes I do and I will even come to your school or event free of charge if you are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you aren’t located in this region I am also equipped to do Skype visits.

What are you currently working on?

You can always check my Works in Progress page for the latest updates on what I’m working on but here’s a short list: I’m working on production art for the interactive visual novel of Daemons in the Mist, a few client book covers and some private commission landscapes.

Where did you go to school?

I went to the Academy of Art University.

Do you really have dyslexia?

Yes I have all three forms of dyslexia and I’m an author. You can read more about working with dyslexia here.

About my writing process

Because of my background in musical theater I grew up seeing stories in a non-linear way since most plays are not rehearsed in chronological order. It’s probably due to this that I write non-linearly. Non-linear writing means I write what comes to mind at the time and then piece those bits together during the pre-editing process. It requires you to be able to track the whole stories in your head as a whole though, so if you’re not use to thinking of stories in this way I wouldn’t advise it.

I do research and outlines during the writing process as needed but mostly I just live in my stories and let it expand outward naturally. It’s a lot like walking through fog, you never know what will be waiting there in the next few steps but when it appears you just know that it was always meant to be there.

I used to use this whole 4 files system I worked out for my writing, but this summer moved everything over to Scrivener, which I love very, very much. Most days I want to hug it for making everything so much easier and streamlined.

Who are your favorite authors?

My favorite authors currently are Seanan McGuire, Cassandra Clare, Rick Riordan, JK Rowling, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater.

Do you do author visits or speaking engagements?

Yes I do and I will even come to your school or event free of charge if you are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you aren’t located in this region I am also equipped to do Skype visits.

What are you currently working on?

You can always check my Works in Progress page for the latest updates on what I’m working on but here’s a short list: I’m currently working on the sequel to Daemons in the Mist, The Storm Behind your Eyes and the outline for the last book in The Marked Ones Trilogy.