Meet guest author, K.M. Rice! First she completed the challenge and gave us Rainbow Worm, now she talks about her journey to becoming an author!
Where
are you from?
Felton, California – a
small town in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.
What
inspired you to write your first book?
Given that I was in
Kindergarten, I’m not sure other than I loved books and wanted to make one, so
I wrote and illustrated a story called “The Haunted House.” Fast forward two
decades and I had a dream about wandering into a haunted house and helping the
spirits there… that became my inspiration for my first published novel, Darkling.
Do
you write full-time or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with
your family/work life?
I am blessed to have
the support of my family and as such, am able to write full-time and earn a
modest income. Balancing writing with a social life can be tricky because I
tend to hole up with my characters until their story is told. Thankfully, I
have wonderful friends who know to knock on my door anyway!
What
jobs have you held that influence your stories?
Being a nanny for years
and a care-taker of the elderly has given me a lot of insight into the
beginning and end of life – two extremes that often have similarities. I hate
self-aware children in books, because that’s just not realistic. I’ve noticed
that I often write stories wherein an elderly woman is a sort of helper/guide.
Children and old people often know the most about living. Children are full of
wonder at the sun and clouds and acorns, while the elderly can sift through all
of their experience and focus on the important things in life, like good food,
births, and happy memories.
What fulfilling work experience you have!
Do you have a specific writing style?
What fulfilling work experience you have!
Do you have a specific writing style?
I often write in a
different style to give myself the challenge of learning. That said, I do have
patterns. All of my stories contain a touch of whimsy and brave young women. I
will not say “strong female characters,” because I feel the inference there is
that females are inherently weak, so the ones that stand out must be quantified
with “strong,” which is entirely not true.
How did you come up with the title?
How did you come up with the title?
Keats! In his poem “Ode
to A Nightingale” there is a line that reads “Darkling, I listen…” as he describes listening to a
nightingale in the coming dusk. The word is used to describe events that occur
in the night or under the cover of darkness, which made it perfect for my
story.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t believe in
writing for the sake of delivering a specific message or theme. If one emerges
as you go, then that’s great. Otherwise, the writing often comes off as
preachy. I definitely see strong themes of sibling love in Darkling, along with grief, for every character in the book has
lost a loved one and is dealing with it in a unique way. Mostly, however, it is
about maintaining hope and the ability to love even in the face of pending
loss.
How much of the book is realistic?
How much of the book is realistic?
Given that it’s a paranormal
fantasy, “realistic” is a relative term! However, I do try to keep my
characters as grounded in the elements of their worlds as possible. The
emotions of Darkling are probably the
most compelling and realistic aspects of the story.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Friends and family are
always trying to trace my characters back to people I know, but thus far, that
isn’t possible. Everyone important to me, however, is certainly present in my
books, for they have all taught me different aspects of what it is to be human.
What books have most influenced your life most?
What books have most influenced your life most?
The works of Tolkien
have been a large influence on my life, for Middle-earth is a place I love to
escape. I certainly share the Professor’s love for environmentalism and that
comes through in my work. The books that have most influenced me as a writer,
however, are probably Treasure Island,
The Three Musketeers, His Dark Materials, The Hunger Games, and Little
Women.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Louisa May Alcott
reached me across over nearly 150 years of time with Jo March. Little Women has
had a huge impact on my heroines and identity as a writer, for reading about Jo
taught me a great deal about myself.
In terms of the present
day, my screenwriting Professor Barnaby Dallas and screenwriting mentor Joe
Mallozzi, both wonderful writers in their own right, were stalwart educators
and supporters as I studied my craft. What I learned of story and structure
from them and screenwriting has helped me a great deal with my fiction. Nick
Taylor, my thesis advisor and fiction professor, was also a great help in graduate
school, for he always encouraged my unconventional stories.
What book are you reading now?
What book are you reading now?
Tom Barry’s Guerilla Days in Ireland and War Horse because of reasons ;)
The Guerilla Days in Ireland sounds very interesting! I'll have to check that out.
The Guerilla Days in Ireland sounds very interesting! I'll have to check that out.
Are
there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games and Christopher Paolini’s works certainly draw
me in, even if they are polar opposites!
What are your current projects?
What are your current projects?
Right now I’m working
on an adult trilogy tentatively titled Afterworld. The books have a strong
Irish influence and the first novel blends a contemporary setting with a
Victorian mystery.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Santa Clause.
Do you see writing as a career?
Do you see writing as a career?
Yes, I certainly hope
so, though at the moment, my focus is on building a readership by telling the
best stories that I can.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No, but if I had to… as
an e-book, I could, and you would never know. Mwuahaha!
Very true!
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Very true!
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I wrote and illustrated
my first book for fun in kindergarten. When the teacher asked me to show it to
the principal, I thought I'd done something horribly wrong until the principal
smiled with her red-painted lips and pressed a sticker to the cover, telling me
how much she enjoyed my story about a haunted house. Though it took me some
time to realize that writing was my preferred form of expression, I have had a
drive to tell stories my whole life.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Writing about the
mundane and the here and now has always been a challenge for me. It is so much
more fun to create your own worlds and rules! However, I adore basking in the
beauty of our flaws and the little, mundane oddities that make us individuals and
human beings, as well as our grander aspirations.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Louisa May Alcott has,
as I already mentioned, played a large role in the shaping of my voice. I feel
like she and Jo March are kindred of mine, and the truth and honesty with which
she wrote in the 1860s is gripping. The sad part, of course, is that even
nearly 150 years later, some women are still just as trapped and
“unconventional” as Jo.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I haven’t yet, but I certainly
would love to travel and meet readers!
Who designed the covers?
Who designed the covers?
My sister is a very
talented photographer. I showed her covers with a similar idea to what I wanted
mine to look like, then we went out and shot it! We worked on the photo editing
together and are still very pleased with the end product. If you want to see
more of her work, please check out: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraRicePhotography
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Exploring Willow’s
grief over her sister’s death. My sister is my other half, and having to
imagine what it would be like to lose her was gutting and visceral.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I didn’t realized I’d
written so much about grief until it was finished, but even then, it is not a
dark message. You get to a point in your life where you have said so very many
goodbyes and wonder if it’s all worth it. Like Willow, we all must go through
the journey of questioning our pain and suffering, emerging stronger and
brighter with the courage to love as much as we can, no matter how many
goodbyes lie in our futures.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write! Spend less time
talking about writing (unless it’s discussing a plot) and more time doing it. I
can’t tell you how many people I have met who say they’re a writer then when I
ask them more about their work, they reveal, “well, I haven’t written it yet, but I have this great
idea in my head.” Writers write. It doesn’t matter if you never show it to
anyone or throw it out, or publish it, just write so that you will learn. Hand
in hand with that is reading. The more you expose yourself to styles and ideas
and structures, the more you will absorb them and incorporate them into your
own work.
Excellent advice.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Excellent advice.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I want to thank each
and every one of my readers. You gave my book your time, which is the most
precious thing you have.
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
I worked on Darkling over a period of 20 days, but
only wrote on 15 of those days. Needless to say, I was writing like a madwoman!
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! That is incredible. Good for you!
What do you think about e-publishing versus technical publishing?
While there are
certainly pros and cons to both, I do enjoy the simplicity of e-publishing. I
am my own boss and can deliver my book almost instantaneously to my readers.
The downside, of course, is that all the publicity also falls to me, and there
is only so much I can do on my own. As such, I am always open to new
opportunities. The world of print has been going through some massive changes
in the past ten years, and I am excited to see what new opportunities arise
because of it.
Do you have an agent or publisher? How did you go about finding one?
At this time, I am not
represented by anyone.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
In the mountains where
I am now! Though I would love to visit New Zealand.
Good choice!
If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Like most people, I
would love to fly. Though mostly, I would want an Alfred. Life would be pretty
cool with an Alfred (preferably Michael Caine) to watch over you.
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