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..

Interview -Christine Marciniak

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


I write YA fiction.



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


I think the genre choose me. Either that or I never really grew up. The story ideas I have all seem to lend themselves quite well to that genre, so I suppose it's where I'll stay for awhile.


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


Historical fiction is a big favorite of mine, and I could see trying one of those. I don't see myself writing a mystery. I'm not sure I'd be able to plant enough clues throughout to make it all work.


4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?


Young adult, of course, since that's my chosen genre. I also read historical and contemporary fiction - I am more partial to humorous stories than to ones full of pathos.


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


Is it cliche to say I don't really remember a time I wasn't writing. I definitely still have stories I started in fourth grade. And from middle school on I almost always had at least one story going. As for some biographical info. I was an English major in college - no real surprise there, and spent 10 years working as an editor for trade travel publications before quitting to be a full-time Mom to my two kids.


6. Which of your characters is your favorite?


I think my favorite character is Ali from REALITY ALI, a yet to be published story. She's spunky and fun and manages to figure out who she is and who she wants to be, despite the complication of having famous parents and people who think they know all about her.



7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?


There aren't villains in the sense of the sinister man twirling his long mustache and rubbing his hands together while chortling with evil glee (yeah, and I'm not sure how he could twirl his mustache while rubbing his hand together) but there are people who work to make the main character's life difficult. They are created more or less organically as a result of the story. Though maybe I should work on one of those mustache-twirling ones.


8. What are you working on now?


Currently I'm revising a time-travel story called EMILY'S SONG about a high school senior who finds herself back at the start of the Civil War. She suddenly wishes she'd paid a whole lot more attention in history class.



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


My latest release (debut novel) is WHEN MIKE KISSED EMMA and it actually started as the subplot of a different story. A friend suggested I pull it out and make it it's own story, which I did. Several complete rewrites later and it was published last August.


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


WHEN MIKE KISSED EMMA is a story about when...(wait for it)... Mike kissed Emma. You see, they weren't supposed to be together. Emma had a boyfriend - and she was quite content. And Mike, well, Mike simply wasn't her type. Her boyfriend wrote her poetry. Mike was a loner who rode a motorcycle. But then Mike gets cast opposite her in the school play, and as she gets to know Mike better she begins to doubt her initial assumptions. And then Mike kisses her - and suddenly nothing is certain anymore.

(Opening of book)

I walked right into him. I didn’t even see him standing there until I bounced off his chest. Books went flying. Pencils and pens clattered across the black and white floor tiles. And I would have landed on the floor too, if he hadn’t grabbed my arms and steadied me. I looked up to thank him, and saw the most gorgeous blue eyes. Really blue. I’d never seen anyone with eyes that blue. But then I saw who those eyes belonged to.

Biker Mike.

I took a step back, and disengaged myself from his hands. He wasn’t your typical St. Stephen’s student. He looked more like a public school student with his long hair, untucked shirt and sleeves rolled up to show off his tattoo and the leather jacket he wore whenever he didn’t have to be strictly in uniform. No one I knew had become friends with him since he transferred here this year. He came and went every day, on his beat-up old motorcycle. He could be a drug dealer or in a gang, for all I knew. It wouldn’t do to be getting too close to him.

“You should watch where you’re going,” he said, sounding more amused than annoyed.

“Sorry,” I bent down to pick up my scattered belongings. The love poem that Trevor had passed to me this afternoon was sticking out of my notebook. I shoved it back in before anyone else could see it.

Biker Mike bent down to help me. He gathered my pens and handed them to me.

There was a French Lit book on the floor in front of me – not mine – must belong to him. I handed it over, and he passed me my Trig book.

“Well, thanks,” I said as I stood back up again.

“No problem. I hope you didn’t miss your bus.”

“Oh,” That was sweet. “I wasn’t rushing to get the bus. I’m on my way to auditions.” I tapped a nearby poster. It was one Caitlyn had made with lots of glitter and a picture of nun doing an Uncle Sam imitation: I want you to try out for the Sound of Music.

“You’re the school play type, huh?” He asked. He leaned against a nearby locker and looked at me through narrowed eyes.