Words with An Author | K.P. Gazelle

   Today's Words With an Author features K.P Gazelle, author of The Color of Happiness. Let's hear what she had to say! 

   1. Where did you come up with the ideas for your book? Who/ what is your inspiration?

     Different events and people inspired different parts of the book.  The element of grounded friendships was inspired from my personal life.  I have the BEST friends!

   2. Are any of your characters based on people you actually know, if so which ones?

     The character of Tiffany – Faith’s best friend – is inspired from my best friends. 

   3. Who is your favorite character from any book and why?

      I tend to like strong female protagonists.  So if a book has one, she’ll probably become one of my favorites.

   4. How long did the writing process take for your book?

       Hmm . . . I’m not exactly sure.  I worked on the book very intermittently. 

   5. Who are some of your favorite authors?

      So many!  In terms of young adult authors, I really enjoy Sarah Dessen, John Green, Elizabeth Scott, Rainbow Rowell, etc.

   6.  How did you come up with the title and cover of your book? Did they morph as you wrote the book, or were they constant?

     A decision about the title was made after the book was completed.  It’s inspired by Faith’s love for fashion.  The cover was taken care of by the designer.  

   7. What would your advice be to someone who's aspiring to be a writer?

     To keep reading and to keep writing. 

   8. Finally, just to wrap things up, what's your favorite color and why?

My favorite colors seem to change LOL.  Some of my favorites include: black, white, red, green, and turquoise.  Because they’re all so pretty!

Words With an Author | Kim Cormack

Today's Words With an Author features Kim Cormack, author of the Children of Ankh series! 

   1. How did you get into writing? When did you first start writing?

   I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. Most of the time it was songs, or poetry and it progressed to children’s books, and then to this series. I started writing the children’s books because of a dream and I changed genres the same way.

   2. Where did you come up with the idea for The Children of Ankh series? Who/ what is your inspiration?

    “Sweet Sleep” was inspired by a nightmare. The nightmare began at the front door that wasn’t closed, swaying in the evening breeze and I woke up after the creepy song.” After that first nightmare the series sort of evolved by itself. I’ve always been fascinated by ancient symbolism. This series is about the journey of life, and what comes after. It’s about standing back up each time you fall. This series had a great deal of violence, but it serves a far greater purpose. It’s about the evolution of a soul.

   3. Are any of your characters based on people you actually know, if so which ones? 

    Some of the relationships in this series mirror ones I’ve had in the past. I’d say there’s a little bit of my essence in some of the main female characters.

   The friendships are quite close to my own, minus the murder and violence, of course. In real life my friends and I only plot our murder sprees over a glass of red wine and in jest. Nobody has ever gone through with it, that I’m aware of… I’ve never been contacted to hide a body.

   4. Have you written anything before The Children of Ankh series?

    I used to write children’s books. That answer will be totally hilarious once you’ve read the series.

   5. If you had to pick only five books from your bookshelf you could keep, what would they be? 

   I’m going to go full geek and full series on my book choices. How can you pick just one from these series?

   The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring… J.R.R Tolkien is amazing.

   The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe By C.S. Lewis

   The full Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

   Those books would keep me busy for a while.

   6. Who is your favorite character from any book and why?

   I’m off in my own little world with my characters; they’re like real in my heart. I’ve fallen in love with them. For me it’s a toss-up between Kayn and Lexy in the Children of Ankh series.

   7. How long did the writing process take for The Children of Ankh series? From conception of the story to final publication?

   The first book in the series took around three years to complete and find a publisher. “Enlightenment,” is coming out this month. “Enlightenment,” being book two in the series. I have a side series beginning in a few months. It revolves around Lexy’s character. Book three in The Children of Ankh series is scheduled to be released before the end of this year. 

   8. Who are some of your favorite authors?

   J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S Lewis. J.K. Rowling, and Stephen King.

   9. What actors/ actresses could you see playing the characters of your book?

   I think mine would have to be all unknown actors.

   10. How did you come up with the title and cover of The Children of Ankh series? Did they morph as you wrote the book, or were they constant?

   Oh, I have so many things planned for this series. I originally queried six books. Everything has changed now. I have a side series starting, and could probably carry on with the Children of Ankh series for quite a long time.

   11.  Are you planning to write any other books?

    I have a couple of books in the works that aren’t related to this series.  Sometimes, I need a change of scenery in my brain. I’ve got a lot planned for this year, but if I get motivated to finish them, I may find the time to release, “Bring out your Dead.” The other one is called, “The Repopulation Project.”

   12. What would your advice be to someone who's aspiring to be a writer?

   I’d say keep writing, but keep living your life because that’s where your material is going to come from. It’s a long road, but it’s worth it.

   13. Finally, just to wrap things up, what's your favorite color and why?

   Yellow, makes me feel peaceful. It’s always had a calming effect on me. I have no idea why that is...

Words With an Author | Laxmi Hariharan

Today I've had the opportunity to interview Laxmi Hariharan, author of The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer!

1. How did you get into writing? When did you first start writing?

I’ve been writing since I was five. So I always knew this was natural for me, to write a book. Interestingly it was always writing a book – not make a movie or become a photographer, though I am heavily influenced by the moving image. So I tend to write in a very cinematic fashion.

2. Where did you come up with the ideas for your books? Who/ what is your inspiration?

With my first book The Destiny of Shaitan… it was born because I was living on my own in Hong Kong – a very futuristic, confused city that set the tone. Living in an unknown city forces you out to make friends and seek out people you wouldn’t have normally. And Hong Kong was very much the place where many misfits, who didn’t belong anywhere else in the world, landed up. A series of strange such encountered inspired the characters in the novel. With, The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer… Ruby emerged full blown on the scene. She was someone born of the rage and helplessness I felt about being a girl growing up in Bombay. About having to rebel against society almost every day to assert my individuality. And not least of all that dreaded commute to work by local train, where I had to fight through the crowds, and definitely be felt up by almost every other man crossing my path. I was helpless, Rub is not.

 3. Are any of your characters based on people you actually know, if so which ones?

No character is based on a single person I have met. But yes like many authors I suffer from over attentive disorder. I pick up details in my environment subconsciously. So gestures, styles of dressings, eccentric mannerisms, interesting life-stories… I borrow from it all. Many of my characters are an amalgamation of the interesting dimensions I come across in other people. Sometimes it's something some says, a random remark can spark off a new trait in a character.

4. If you had to pick only five books from your bookshelf you could keep, what would they be?

I am going to pick four:

The Ground Beneath Her Feet: Salman Rushdie. Lyrical, poetic, beautiful and complicated. This book is like an ideal woman. Mysterious yet seductive.

Fire & Ice: The Game of Thrones series. I simply admire GRR Martin’s audacity in the world he created and how he can simply kill of his characters once they have served their purpose… or do any of these characters even have a purpose. Does one have to have a purpose in fiction or in real life for that matter?

Angelfall by Susan Ee: You are probably surprised by this. But I pick this as a reminder that for an author you never know which storyline or character is going to catch the reader’s fancy. That there is a thin knife edge between obscurity and being discovered. I see this as a symbol of hope for myself. To keep me going in the dark mornings when I force myself to go out into the world to play a part that is more and more alien to me (i.e. my day job) but which I need to inhabit in order to keep my writing going.

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth: Poetic, lyrical, simple yet complex. A canvas of explosive energy simmering under the surface just waiting to be unleashed. It captures London beautifully

5. Who is your favorite character from any book and why?

Would I be too egoistical if I picked Ruby Iyer? She is a real person for me. I am fascinated by the confusion inside her. That she feels everything so intensely. That she often does the stuff she really doesn’t want to do, all the time knowing she shouldn’t do it… But she does it anyway. At other times she manages to follow her instincts, and pays the price for it too.

6. How long did the writing process take for each of your books?

My first novel took my nine years, my second nine months, and since on an average I complete a book a year. I don’t necessarily publish all of them.  I realize I prefer to write quickly, while the energy is still new and flowing. With Ruby Iyer, it’s a compulsion. I wrote the prequel novella, The Ruby Iyer Diaries as well as The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer in nine months. Right now I am writing the Second Life of Ruby Iyer, the sequel as well as Vikram’s story as a novella. Vikram is another character who fascinates me. An Oxford educated cop who gave it all up to join the police force. How intriguing.

7. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Salman Rushdie and GRR Martin

8. What actors/ actresses could you see playing the characters of your book?

This is a tough one. For Ruby Iyer it has to be a complete unknown. Someone who is fresh, fragile yet tough. Akshara Haasan has always been a potential consideration for me for Ruby. She seems to have that Fuck You attitude that is so important for Ruby. For Vikram Roy … I haven’t found the actor yet. I need an Indian actor, who is young on the outside but an old soul inside. Who is well built without being macho. Who is brooding yet vulnerable? No haven’t found him yet.

9. How did you come up with the title and cover of each of your books? Did they morph as you wrote the book, or were they constant?

The best titles are the ones which manifest organically. With Ruby that’s the way it has been… As I write at some point the themes and strands I am weaving with become clear. And the title is something which gives you an instant feel for the emotion of the book. With the cover for the Many Lives of Ruby Iyer… I kept looking till I found this picture that my friend Pooja Vir had shot of her younger sister, with the Bombay skyline in the backdrop. So it was so authentic… shot in an iconic area of Bombay which was very important. And capturing that flush of adolescence, when you want to say Fuck You to the world, for really all you can think is about yourself and your inner turmoil. As soon as I saw the picture I knew I wanted it for the cover for Ruby.

10. Are you planning to write any other books?

Right now it’s the Second Life of Ruby Iyer and Vikram’s novella.

11. What would your advice be to someone who's aspiring to be a writer?

I think you just have to keep doing it. Wake up in the morning and write. At the end of the day ask yourself how much you have written. At the end of the week, the month, the year… ask yourself did you persevere? There’s no short cut. You just have to continuously do it… stick to your red thread… if indeed writing is the red thread to your life.

12. Finally, just to wrap things up, what's your favorite color and why?

 Purple – It’s regal, intense, deep, and mysterious yet has the power to draw you in. It has many shades to it depending on which angle you look at it from.

Words With an Author | Iain Reading

Hey Fantabulous Readers!

Today we're joined with Iain Reading, author of the Kitty Hawk series!

1. How did you get into writing? When did you first start writing?

I first started writing about two years ago, just after I first came up with the idea for the Kitty Hawk series of books.  The idea was so appealing to me and I so much wanted to see how those adventures turned out that it just sort of pushed me into actually sitting down and writing them.

2. Where did you come up with the idea for Kitty Hawk? Who/ what is your inspiration?

I think the initial idea just came out of nowhere when I was lying in bed one day.  It kind of occurred to me that "wouldn't it be cool if there was a book about a female pilot whose name was Kitty Hawk?"  And because I've always been interested in things like Amelia Earhart and De Havilland Beaver Seaplanes and Humpback Whales and what not, the idea just sort of took on a life of its own, like it was writing the story for itself.  However, all these thoughts were quickly followed by being absolutely convinced that someone must have thought of the idea already.  I've had other ideas before and always found out that someone had thought of them already.  So I was so sure of it that I didn't even bother Googling it until the next day.  When I did, however, I discovered that apparently no one HAD thought of it already.  And the race was on to do something about it before someone else did.

3. Are any of your characters based on people you actually know, if so which ones?

I think there are bits of a lot of people I know (myself included) in many of the characters in my books.  Sometimes they are even based on people who I happen across in day-to-day life.  Just off the top of my head, for example: the helpful crew of the Alaska Fjordlines in book number one are real people; the cemetery maintenance worker at the Key West cemetery in book two was real, as was Roger the US National Park Ranger at Fort Jefferson / Dry Tortugas; Erik the defender of Icelandic nature in book three is based on a simple picture of a red-haired student at the University of Reykjavik that I saw online (including the blue paper airplane he was throwing at the camera, which became a hobby of one of the other characters in the book - Albert); and so on.  Inspiration comes from everywhere, it seems.

4. Have you written anything before Kitty Hawk?

I once wrote a very terrible book, long ago, about love and loss.  I basically wrote it for the sake of simply finding out where the story was going.  It wasn't a planned-out book so once I started it I was curious to see where it would end.  But it's really very terrible.  Seriously.

5. If you had to pick only five books from your bookshelf you could keep, what would they be?

Contact by Carl Sagan

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black

It by Stephen King

A Night To Remember by Walter Lord

6. Who is your favorite character from any book and why?

I think Kitty Hawk herself is definitely my favorite character from any of my own books.  She is really inspiring to me.  She does so much and is so brave and clever and resourceful.  I definitely am living vicariously through her.

7. How long did the writing process take for Kitty Hawk? From conception of the story to final publication?

The first step was thinking about the story for a few months, just mulling it over in my head, and struggling to try and find a voice for her in the book.  Once I found that voice the writing went incredibly quickly and I had finished the book in a matter of weeks.  Following that was the editting and whatever else, which took another couple months.  All told it was probably about six months from start to finish.

8. Who are some of your favorite authors?

As previously mentioned, Carl Sagan, Paul Theroux, but to that list I would add another couple of writers whose books I would immediately buy if they came out with something new: Mark Kurlansky (Salt: A World History; Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World) and Thomas Hager (The Demon Under The Microscope; The Alchemy Of Air).  And finally, to this list I would add my newest absolutely favorite author Francesca Lia Block (The Elementals; The Hanged Man; Weetzie Bat).

9. What actors/ actresses could you see playing the characters of your book?

Strangely enough, I sometimes imagine that some of the characters in my books as certain famous actors or actresses.  For some reason the characters just seem to fit with the look somehow.  I am sometimes asked who I would like to have play Kitty Hawk herself if there was a movie made of the books, and I always answer that if that ever happened that there is surely some unknown actress out there somewhere who would be perfect for the role.  That said, however, if I had to pick a known actress I would probably have to say that Claire Danes from her older film Romeo and Juliet would probably be a pretty good fit.

10. How did you come up with the title and cover of Kitty Hawk? Did they morph as you wrote the book, or were they constant?

One of my writing processes is to actually create the cover of the book almost before I actually finish writing the book itself.  It helps to inspire me, somehow.  So for each of the four (soon to be five) Kitty Hawk books I have commissioned cover art during the writing process itself.  I choose elements from the book that I want to have included, and work with an artist to bring those elements together.

11. Are you planning to write any other books?

Just recently I finished the fifth book in the Kitty Hawk series, which should be out as soon as I sort of get my life together a bit.  I also just finished a book about the wars and genocide in Bosnia that has a bit of a fantastical spin to it.  And I am just started on a new book series for middle-grade which involves dragons (more to follow on that).  Once all THAT is done, I will do a second book in the Wizards of Waterfire series.  And then back to Kitty Hawk again for book number six.  So....  lots of things planned.  Where will I find the time?

12. What would your advice be to someone who's aspiring to be a writer?

My best advice would be simply to write the book that you are able to write, and not kill yourself and frustrate yourself and depress yourself trying to write something that you are incapable of writing.  Personally, there are many amazing books I would love to write, but I know that I simply can't do it.  I guess it basically boils down to being the writer you ARE, instead of trying to be someone or something else.

13. Finally, just to wrap things up, what's your favorite color and why?

I think my favorite color fluctuates over time, from Caribbean Blue to Royal Purple to Basic Black.  It depends on my mood, I suppose, like some kind of psychological mood ring.