Enjoy...
How did writing Broken compare to the other things that you have written?
In many ways! But I’ll just give you a few.
First, I felt Broken, before I wrote it. I tried story after story, but nothing fit the dark, aching, sweeping romance of what I was feeling. When I finished Broken and looked back, I was shocked by the story I’d managed to write.
Second, it’s the first book I plotted as completely as I did. With the layers, and amount of character heartache I created, it was really necessary, too!
Third, I loved it so much, I horded it for a while, just my alpha readers and me for the first few chapters.
Where did you find the inspiration for Broken?
Well, I mentioned earlier that I felt it. And I mean that—it was a deep, gnawing, bittersweet ache for weeks. I finally called my alpha Lexie, sat my butt in the kitchen window, and we started tossing ideas around. I needed to write something epic and dark and romantic and haunting.
I had started a fairytale rewrite, and while it was fun, it wasn’t the IT book for me. Plus, I wouldn’t even try one with so many on the market already. Then, I suggested rewriting a Gothic horror, and the pieces started falling into place. Frankenstein, combined with the theology I added in, gave me the recipe for the highest amount of heartache. When Lexie said she would cry, I knew I had to write it!
What was your favourite thing about writing a YA book?
It’s hard to choose just one thing! The YA market has such a diverse range of topics, the possibilities of who, what, when, where are almost limitless.
Having written adult romance, I’ve found I really resonate with the romances in YA—it’s all so fresh and new and intense—as well as the tension and pacing. Everything is heightened. Plus, this house has been Kid Central for years. I’m immersed in YA voices, concerns, accomplishments and disappointments.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
*shifty eyes* That’s a secret that I am not allowed to divulge at this time. What I will say is it’s rife with heartache, and treachery, with a hint of fringe science.
What kind of research did you have to do whilst writing Broken?
Well, Google and I really had a thing going. We were seeing each other on a daily basis for a while... *snort*
I did some reading, poured over research guides and Cliff’s Notes, and sat up late nights watching monster movie marathons. But mostly, I picked the tropes from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that I wanted to use, and then set about trying to twist poor Emma and Alex until they broke.
Are there any downsides to being a novelist?
Writing is not a job for the faint of heart. For me, at least, writing a novel like Broken is a lot like ripping out part of my soul and spreading it through the pages, and then putting it on the altar of Public Opinion to be judged. Very scary!
In all honesty, rejections (and bad reviews) SUCK. But you can’t let them suck the joy out of your writing.
Writing can have a real affect on your life. The sleepless nights are rough—my brain has a hard time shutting up at night. I can get very compulsive when I’m dialed into a story, too. The outside world becomes a shadowy, foreign thing in comparison to the fictional world in my head. Eventually, my husband will give my The Look, and The Sigh, and I know it’s time to try to fit more real life into my writing life.
And in a very real sense, it can be bad on my Rheumatoid Arthritis.
What do you do when you're not writing?
I’m a crafter and a Kitchen Commando. I quilt, weave baskets, bead jewelry, sew everything from teddy bears to book totes to Renaissance Faire garb. There’s lots of fun to be had in the kitchen, too, as long as you avoid the sharp edges and hot things. Trust me. I learned those lessons the hard way. I might be a commando, but I’m also a klutz.
If you could invite five fictional characters to a dinner party, who would they be and why?
Oh, definitely Hermione Granger! Brilliant, loving, and dedicated. They are traits that I prize most highly in my family and friends. Second would be Mackie Doyle, of The Replacement. Here again, he’s a dedicated guy, doing the right thing even when it’s hard and potentially deadly. I would have to have Gandalf, of course—I loved his character through the entire Middle Earth series. Dunn Hatani, and Thorn of C.J. Cherryh’s The Cuckoo’s Egg, because Dunn is a cat-like alien who raised Thorn, a clone of the man who almost killed him. The discipline it must’ve taken a warrior like that! It’s still my favorite sci-fi book.
What are your plans for the next five years?
As far as writing goes, I plan to write and deal the best I can with what the world throws at me during that time. I certainly plan on going back to a story that I started last year and loved, I think it’s feelings are hurt by having been set aside so long. And I might play with another concept that sunk it’s teeth in and won’t let go. I would love to attend some conferences and meet lots of readers and authors, too. There are other things going on behind the scenes too. Good stuff. Good times.
Is there any advice you were given, or would love to have been given, when you first started writing?
1. Get over yourself. My writing has changed a lot since I started, streamlined and tight now, since I learned the story has to be beautiful but every single sentence doesn’t have to be pretty. I was trying too damn hard. (not given) 2. Don’t fall in love with your words. You will have to edit, and kill your darlings. (given) 3. Maybe the most important piece. Let your characters speak. (given)
Is there anything you would like to say to your fans and readers?
When I have them? You bet! A huge, heartfelt, teary-eyed THANK YOU. It’s a blessing to have people so interested in Broken already. (A bit scary too. Broken was MINE for so long, it gives me a trembly feeling knowing it’s going out into the world.)
Thank you for the brilliant answers! :D
You cn check out the Strange Chemistry website to find out more
about Broken. I am very much looking forward to reading it!
As always if you have any Questions or something to say, you know what to do! lol
As I said above, thats it for my current crop of interviews, but I'll be scrabeling away behing the scenes to bring you some more in the next few weeks, *finger crossed*
See you next post,
Kaylie :0)
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C'mon, write your thoughts down! :-)