Interview with Karen Day

http://www.klday.com/

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote my first short story in fourth grade, and my teacher liked it so much that she had me stand in front of the class and read it out loud. I loved the assignment and knew I wanted to be a writer from that point on.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

Like most writers, it’s been a long road. I got my first rejection at age 10. I wrote my first novel at age 16. But I didn’t sign my first contract until I was 45 years old! For years I wrote and rewrote and sent in stories and novels and continued to be rejected. But I kept writing because I loved it and there was nothing else I wanted to do. Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release.

If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Many kids, librarians and reviewers say that the biggest strength in the writing is this: I know how to write with a truly authentic kid voice. My characters feel "real."

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I take a lot of stories from my past and twist them, turn them and make them into something new. Also, a teacher I had in graduate school taught me to write, even though he was teaching a literature class. Through reading and analyzing Romantic Poetry he taught me to make every word count.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have a husband and three kids, ages 13, 11, 8. Now for some fun facts.

What’s your greatest comfort food?

Peanut butter. I eat it every morning, with a banana and loads of coffee.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Turn on my computer, make coffee and check my e-mails. All at 5:30 am! Then I write.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

I don’t own very many pairs of shoes.

Everyone asks the question about "if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?" so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Brown. It’s a flat kind of color. Most people don’t notice it. If I’m brown, then I can mold into the background and I just observe people. Which is one of my favorite things to do.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world ("Beam me up, Scotty!"), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I’d go hang out with the writer Jane Austen who lived in England in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Her novel, Emma, is one of my most favorite books. I’d like to thank her for all she’s done and let her know that her novels are still read, all these years later.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I love folk music. I listen to my favorite group, Girlyman, practically every day. I can’t listen to music and write at the same time. But I like to drive and listen to music. It seems to free up my brain somehow and I always do really good thinking while listening and driving!

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I don’t watch too much TV but I love movies. I like older movies such as "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Fargo." I like movies about teens, such as "Blue Car" and "Thirteen." I saw "Milk" several weeks ago and liked that, too, although I left the theater wishing the writer/director had gone a deeper into Milk’s person/psychology.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Try all sorts of activities, even if your friends aren’t involved. How else will you find what your passion is? And finding a passion, by the way, is the secret to being a fulfilled person. At least I think so!

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m working on a middle grade novel called Wingman, about a 12-year-old girl who spends her summers at a cottage in Maine. It’s her most favorite place in the world. But just as she arrives for the summer, she finds out that the most popular boy in her class has just moved there. So the story is about their summer together. It’s a story about friendship, love and loss. Which is pretty much what all of my books are about!

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thank you, and keep up the good work!