Interview with Kim

Kim is another of the obscure young adult writers. I've met her on line in this interesting collection of writers.

. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?

Right now I’m a YA author. Both of my books are YA. My third book NO GODDESSES ALLOWED is a lighter YA.

2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

When I started writing EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA, I saw a fourteen-year-old girl struggling with her Latina heritage. At the time I was a bilingual teacher and searching for my own Mexican roots. It just seemed like a good match.

3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?

I’d love to write a historical romance that is kind of steamy. But not over the top. My favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. Love, love her writing.

I have to say gory, over the top violent books are not my cup of tea. Same with overly graphic sexual books that don’t leave anything to the imagination.

4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?

Anything by Isabel Allende. Also love Diana Gabaldon. Plus YA paranormals, fantasies, and multicultural books

5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,

I’m a former bilingual teacher and currently homeschooling my son. I’ve been writing since I can remember. Wrote for all my school newspapers and even was a journalism/communication major.

6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
So far my favorite character has to be Stephanie in CROSSED OUT. I had the same ‘tude as a teen. But not her ability though the women in my family are sensitive to the whole paranormal. Yes, some of my relatives have reported seeing a ghost or two.

7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Concha, Lupe’s mother, is a big villain in EARRINGS. I wanted her to be tormented at her decision to leave Lupe when she was a child but still be willing to hand her over to her lover, Malvado in order to both gain immortality and be with him.

8. What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the sequel to CROSSED OUT. I hope to have the first draft done by December. I’m thinking I’m going to have to have a writing fest in the next couple months to achieve that goal.

9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?

CROSSED OUT is my latest book. The idea came from my husband who asked what if it was the job of someone to make all those crosses you see on the side of the road. From there I used a personal experience I had from my murdered sister. The rest is history.

10. Tell me about your latest book and how it came about. Enclose the opening of the book around 400 words.

I couldn’t deal with Mom and her holier-than-thou attitude about decorating crosses. If she had any clue why I needed to do this, maybe she’d back off. I pushed my hair aside and looked down at the wooden beams. My box of paints and Sharpie pens lay close to my side. I had to get the design just right. Roses, or something plainer? It didn’t help that it was so cold in the garage.

Why was it so hard to help the dead go to the other side? It’d be a whole lot easier if they told me what they wanted on their crosses. Dead girl comes, asks for help, and tells me she’s into pink roses. Yes, that would make my job a lot easier.
But one thing I’ve learned is, life isn’t easy. Cliché, but true.

Figures, this was how I’d spend my time on a Saturday – sitting cross-legged on the floor in our garage, worrying about finishing a cross for some dead girl. In a few hours, Mom would drag me to Mrs. Swanson’s house for a sleepover. I didn’t really have time to decorate a cross.

And each time I tried to sketch, thoughts of the meeting drove any thought of the design out of my mind. I mean, how could I even think of helping others – albeit dead ones – when my own life was such a disaster?

I didn’t want to go. But Mom was using the whole sleepover as a way to get me to be around Hillary, whom she thought would be such a good example for me. But I couldn’t tell my mother the truth – I hated Hillary. Yes, we’d once been close, but it wasn’t as if we were BFF anymore. No, Hillary made sure of that when I’d been stupid enough to trust her with my secret. A secret that was better left hidden. No one believed the dead could talk to you.

According to my last counselor, the only way that could happen is through serious Steven Spielberg special effects..