Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books discussion
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Anomaly
Author Interview of the Month
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APRIL Interview with K.C. King
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Great interview - really interesting answers :)
I finally just got to read this. Excellent :)
1.When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I first decided to give writing a try at the beginning of last year. I wanted to write a story for myself, and so I did, never intending to publish it. I only learned about the indie world in about June when my husband read an indie book on his Kindle, so I looked into it and decided to give it a go. I put out my debut novel, Anomaly, about four months later.
2.How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book! Anomaly was my first ever attempt at writing and so I took a lot of time nutting out what I wanted the rules of the fantasy elements to be. By the time I finished it in August, it had taken me around six months to write. Fledgling and Legacy (books two and three of the Tri-Realms Saga) were much easier because I knew what I wanted to write, and so I wrote each of them in about two months.
3. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
Well for me, writing is my work now. My background is corporate governance. I worked extremely hard and reached the pinnacle of my career before I'd even hit 30. Then, I burnt out! Taking time off to tick a few things off the bucket list made me stumble into writing, and it is the best decision I ever made. I love being a slave to my imagination instead of regulators and financial services boards.
4. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My interesting writing quirk is that I usually have no idea what I'm going to write until my fingers hit the keyboard! It can also be a dangerous quirk. :)
5. How do books get published?
Good question! Here in Australia you have to query agents first (and there aren't a whole lot of them). The sad thing about the process is that often times, agents make their decision without even seeing the manuscript, so chances of success are really miniscule. That's why self publishing is such a great avenue. Anomaly would just be a file on my computer if I hadn't made the decision to self publish.
6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Ideas for my books come from multiple sources. I'm inspired by music a lot. Certain scenes in my books are entirely inspired by particular songs I may have heard, but I'm also inspired by other things. For example, Sebastian and Alaik were first inspired by a fantastic match between tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
7. When did you write your first book and how old were you?
Not including the stories I wrote as a kid, my first book was Anomaly.
8. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
When I'm not writing, I love to go to the beach, catch up with friends, laugh until my stomach hurts, and see tons of movies with my hubby. That last one's an addiction!
9. What does your family think of your writing?
At first I didn't tell anyone I was writing because I didn't know if I'd actually be able to do it or finish. But when I did, my family and friends thought it was cool. They love getting shout outs in the acknowledgements. :)
10. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your
books?
How addictive writing can be. My characters become a part of everything and I'm reminded of them constantly.
11. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
I'm writing my fourth book right now and I have to say it's probably my favourite. My working title is Oracle and it will be out in May 2012.
12. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so,
what are they?
Write often, and stay true to your own style. There are so many rules when it comes to writing, but I think being a little different is great. We encourage diversity in all other aspects of our world, why not language, too?
13. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do! Usually it's to tell me how much they enjoyed the books. I think they're wonderful for taking the time to drop me a line, so I usually try to thank them in turn.
14. Do you like to create books for adults?
Absolutely. Books are a great way to escape, and that's what I always try to provide.
15. What do you think makes a good story?
Something unique with unexpected twists and turns. It's probably why I like The Hunger Games so much.
16. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up
A lawyer. I loved John Grisham novels and Ally McBeal.
17. Google is a life-saver! I haven't had to go to a library in so long!
18. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for
getting their material published
My advice would be: Do make good contacts because they can get you everywhere; do work on refining your skills because you're only going to get better; do learn from constructive criticism, and DON'T listen to those who would simply tear you down. You can do it!
19. How old were you when you decided to become a writer? If it was later in
life what gave you the final push?
Like I said earlier, I only decided to write last year and it was my bucket list that gave me the final push!
20. What do you consider invaluable resources for an aspiring writer?
Writing bodies and writing blogs are definitely helpful. I've also found that having a few great people to read your work and be honest with you is invaluable.