Fragmented
Kate Battrick is February's guest author in The Book Room
Welcome to The Book Room!
Come on in and take a seat as we talk about our books and our journeys to get them written, published, and seen in the world.
The connection and support shown to me as a fledgling author from the writing community have been phenomenal, so I thought I’d return some love to authors with newly published books or books that are already out there that would like a bit of love, and invite them to write a guest blog here in The Book Room.
If you are a regular reader of Platinum Magazine, you will likely know Kate Battrick as the fashion editor there. She is also a writer of short stories here on Substack, and a novelist. Her book, Fragmented was published by The Conrad Press in October 2025.
Let’s hand over to Kate to tell us about Fragmented and her writing journey.
What is your book about, and what themes do you cover?
The story follows the lives of three women in their midlife.
They discover a dead body by chance, and their initial concealment of it sets off a chain of events which impacts their lives.
The three main themes are divorce, disappearance and deception. Interwoven into the book is music, the reality of modern-day county lines crime and friendships.
Where did the idea for your book come from?
I am an author who loves a dead body as a pivotal point to direct the behaviour of characters or the narrative of the book. It is my favourite ‘situationship’ and yet it is not to dwell on the macabre nor for a psychological twist. When I was a young journalist in training, I attended coroners’ inquests amongst other things, and it was surprisingly mundane. Most deaths are attributable, but there is a very small percentage which have no known conclusion. I have a fascination with those and like to make up back stories, hence Fragemented. In this book, I wanted the death not to be centre stage but a means to change lives.
What were your childhood/early experiences of books and writing
I remember struggling to read aged 5. I went to a primary school in Wales and we learnt both Welsh and English. It took me ages to read a book about the red lorry and the pot falling off! Welsh is a phonetic language but English isn’t. Once I’d grasped it I became an avid reader and a member of the Puffin Club!
My first real literary foray was via a Bunty annual, which did an edited version of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park with drawings. The story captivated me and I began reading Austen aged 10 and never looked back. Before then I think Enid Blyton, Richmal Compton, Arthur Ransome and Noel Streatfield were my go-to authors.
I remember writing a story aged 8 about a dog. On my way to school I would see a Highland Terrier who would often walk with me and I remember writing a story about him. At aged 13 I put on my first play, A String of Pearls, a farce. I played the Lady, my sister was the maid and another fellow (female) drama student the butler. It got some laughs!
Tell us about your writing process and anything you have learnt along the way?
Until I completed Fragmented life got in the way. Covid provided me space to write. I even took myself off to Lanzarote for a week to break the back of it. I’ve always written, I have three unfinished books I started from 1998 until 2019. If I hadn’t finished Fragmented it would be four.
I was working full time and never managed to set aside the time properly to be creative. To sit and write. The ability to set aside and commit to writing is at the core of any writing process. Without the time, without the dedication there is no process. I keep my targets minimal to avoid being overwhelmed with failure. My advice would be only set aside an hour and only expect 200 to 300 words initially, even if you have outlined the story arc and have rough chapters. Don’t put yourself under any pressure. Saying that, as a journalist, I love a deadline to concentrate the mind!
A writing course is useful to. I did one years ago at evening classes at Bristol University - look at higher education options as often much cheaper. I really learnt about the story arc and developed a reverence for the beginning, middle and end. The three acts. But don’t get stuck on which order you want to write them in.
What was the hardest part?
I found completing it the hardest part – the last 10,000 to 15, 000 words when you need to push on to complete. Then it is the editing, and then the proofreading, but that is a job to farm out to a professional.
How was the journey to publication?
Tough. Initially, I had interest from two different agents and then they went cold. I started the process again and one telephone call from an agent being quite shirty with me made me rethink, and I decided to find an independent publisher. My book is contemporary, and I was determined it needed to be now, not in two years. The upside is the publishing by a publisher, the distribution and the printers. One day, maybe the royalties! The downside is the funding for the publishing, paying for books and then given it’s a small publishing company, no real proactive marketing. But despite the fact I’ve chosen this route for Fragmented when I get a 5-star review or when someone messages me on social media saying how much they enjoyed it, that makes it all worth it.
How about marketing – any top tips?
Yes, you need a budget and a good publicist. The problem with self, hybrid or indie publishing is the lack of pre-publicity. You need to have 100 proof copies to send for review and you need to know or have someone (a PR person) who has a relationship with them to get them to review.
The reason for this is that reviews are done months in advance, so they need to coincide with your publishing date. Of course, Substack, social media like Instagram and Tik Tok all can be part of the mix, but real volumes come from visibility. Encourage people to write reviews too.
What would you say to someone starting on their writing journey?
Go for it! Don’t put doubt or worry in the mix. Be bold. Have a mindset which allows you to flourish and don’t think about the outcome. Write the book. Then you can deal with everything else, but first get your manuscript finished.
Where can we buy your book and follow you?
Follow Kate on Substack and Social Media:
X – katebattrick
Bluesky – katebattrick
Instagram – katebattrick
Thanks Kate! That was really interesting. We wish you every success with Fragmented.
If you have a book coming out soon or would like to request a spotlight, please get in touch. I have a couple of spaces at the end of this year and am taking bookings for publications in 2027.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back next week with more Ripe Pickings as we take a peek at gentle living for the home and garden in this late winter/early spring season.
Cheers for now,
