Today is Kingston Court’s BIRTH day! Author Shawna Romkey kicks off this momentous occasion with the first author interview in our ten-day blog tour. Below is an excerpt from her interview:
Today I have Holly Kammier, author of the newly released Kingston Court with me. Check out this new release!
Here are some questions I had for Holly…
Hi Shawna, thanks for having me on your blog.
1. Are you a reader? How many books a year do you read?
I am a huge fan of reading. Right now, being a single mom, promoting a new book, and content editing for other writers, I don’t get nearly enough time to read for pleasure. Not including work related manuscripts, I’d say I’m averaging about one to two books a month.
2. What is your favorite genre to read? To write?
My favorite genre is Memoir. When written well, and with honesty, you are getting the most intimate peek into another writer’s life. Wild by Cheryl Stayed is one of my absolute favorites. The movie doesn’t compare.
3. If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and what would say to them?
Would it be horrible to say Hitler before he came to power, so I could shoot him dead? That’s the honest truth.
4. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?
I’m going to assume this island has food and water. I would bring my family, music and books.
5. Paper or Plastic? (book or eReader)
Definitely books. I’m embarrassed to admit I still haven’t even tried an eReader. I’m so old school, it’s sad.
6. Plotter or Pantster?
I am a total Panster. It’s kind of the way I live most of my life. I make sure I have a strong foundation of characters and place and all the necessities, and from there I wait and see what happens.
7. What advice would you give someone who wanted to be a writer?
Write.
8. What are you reading now?
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I’m in an online book club based out of the UK and the other members highly recommended it. It’s a fun read.
9. What is the significance of the title of your book?
Kingston Court is the name of the neighborhood where the main characters reside. I chose it as a working title with every intention to change it to something more sophisticated. It just stuck though. It’s fun to say and easy to remember.
10. What inspires you?
My life experiences, as well as family and friends inspire me. I write what I know and I’m so grateful for all the quirky, bold, beautiful people in my life. I constantly find myself writing down things they say and do.
11. What is your writing schedule like?
I’m not disciplined enough for a real schedule. I do have rules though. I come up with a word count for each day and stick to it. If I haven’t been inspired to pull over the car on my way to Costco, or interrupt a conversation with a friend to write something in the middle of the day, I will stay up late after my kids are in bed and get it done.
12. What is your writing space like?
My writing space varies. I do most of my writing in bed or on the couch. If I’m out and about and become inspired however, I can write just about anywhere. One time I wrote a full chapter in the principal’s office while I was waiting for a parent/teacher conference at my son’s school.
13. Why did you write this particular story?
I write out of order without much of a plan, as such, I didn’t know why I wrote this story until it was finished. I wrote Kingston Court to remind myself I am strong, that my dreams and needs matter, and that it’s okay to follow a new path.
18. Do you re-read books? If so, what book have you read the most?
I can only think of one grown-up book I’ve read more than once, that was The Great Gatsby. I love so many of the lines in that book. One of my favorite quotes from Fitzgerald is “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” Wait. I just thought of another book. The Lover by Marguerite Duras. Like so many books, it meant different things to me at different times in my life. There’s probably others I have forgotten. They’re inside me though, shaping my writing and perspective in ways I am not aware.
19. What is the closest book to you right now?
Kingston Court. I’ve edited that manuscript to the bone and I’m sure there are still typos lurking in the ink somewhere. Still, I think I could recite entire pages in my sleep by now.
Thanks for stopping by today Holly! For those of you interested in finding out more about Holly, you can do so at www.hkammier.com. And for those of you interested in picking up Kingston Court, you can do so here! Amazon
Be sure to check out Shawna’s blog directly at http://www.shawnaromkey.com or click here.
Crazy about that neighborhood in SD!! What?!! So weird.
Copy cats!