Taking The Plunge

The cover of local yoga instructor-turned author Kate Smith’s debut novel Brine features a mermaid suspended in a crystal blue sea, bending backwards looking up at the sun’s rays shining down through the water. But this isn’t your typical mermaid tale. It’s grounded in the powerful reality of “what if?” Smith will be reading from and signing copies of Brine from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26 at Barnes and Noble in West Ashley.
Brine is a fantastical story of longing, love, and the call of the ocean. For Smith, who was born in Charleston but lived most of her life along California’s rocky coast, it’s something she can relate to. She now lives back in the Charleston area with her boat captain husband and their two water-loving, brown dogs. She is the founder and owner of Gaea Yoga Center in Mt. Pleasant.
According to Smith, practicing yoga actually was helpful in the writing process. “If I can sit in meditation for 30 minutes to an hour, I can certainly muster up the conviction to sit down at the computer and focus on my creative project,” she says. “It’s all just a matter of discipline. And I think discipline sounds really annoying and boring, but discipline is important. It’s important to hold ourselves accountable and not just keep hiding behind excuses.”
Smith says in her profession excuses abound in terms of not practicing mediation or yoga daily. “Believe me, I have thought of and/or used most of them. But eventually, you just say ‘Enough!’ You bust yourself and cut out the excuses and just get to work on what you know you want to accomplish,” she says.
Accomplishing writing a novel is something Smith has wanted to do for some time. She began writing Brine in August of 2006 while working at a small Surf Shop in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a small beach town just north of San Diego. A decade later, she has completed her book.
When asked if owning a successful business or completing her first novel is more rewarding, Smith says they both feel equally rewarding because the rewards are so unique. “The book feels like completion. Crossing the finish line on an ultra marathon. And I will always hold that sense of accomplishment in my heart. Whereas the studio feels like a daily jog by comparison. But I love the daily “jog” because it builds endurance and strength,” she says. “I feel the studio in smaller doses of rewards these days. But I love that.”
Even though the first novel took a decade to come to fruition, Smith says she would love to write another one. “In
my head and heart there is a prequel and a sequel to my novel,” says Smith. “Many people who’ve read the book have said they turned the last page ‘wanting more.’ I’ve had a multitude of requests for a sequel. Which is terrific because I know the sequel is out there. I just need to tap into the creative wellspring again and download what’s happening to our characters/friends.”
Kate Smith will sign copies of her debut novel Brine on Friday, Aug. 26 from 6-8 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, located at 1812 Rittenberg Blvd. For more information, visit www.brinebook.com.