Interview with K.L. Denman

www.kldenman.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 wish I could say there was a moment when the heavens parted, light shone down, a band started playing and I knew that my destiny was to be a writer. I’ve loved reading and writing for as long as I can remember and I guess there came a day when I thought maybe others would enjoy reading what I wrote. At that point, it was something I needed to fit into a busy schedule of raising children and working part time at an office job.

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

When I started to think in terms of trying to get my work published, my initial efforts toward submitting material were somewhat sporadic and I was crushed by rejections from publishers. Still, I couldn’t stop writing and decided I’d just have to get better. I took some creative writing courses and joined a writer’s critique group, both of which proved invaluable in terms of developing my craft and receiving feedback. It also helped a great deal to learn how to present my work professionally and to submit to appropriate publishers. I still got rejected after that, but I persisted and when I received a rejection from an editor that encouraged me to submit again, I did—and my first Young Adult novel, Battle of the Bands, became a book.

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?

I have two upcoming releases and they represent the extreme opposites of my work to date. Perfect Revenge, a story for the more reluctant readers among us (ages 10 to 14), is due out in April 2009. It’s a humorous tale narrated by a young teen, Lizzie, who thinks she’s “all that”. When Lizzie’s social world comes crashing down, she meets the new girl next door who offers to help by teaching her to use magick. Unfortunately, Lizzie isn’t the most attentive student and when she forgets about magick’s “Law of Three” (whatever you send out will come back to you three-fold), she’s in for worse trouble. Humungous zits on her normally perfect skin are just the beginning. If you enjoy a light, fast story, filled with laughs, this is it.

Me, Myself and Ike is due for release in Fall 2009, and this is a full length teen novel narrated by an older teen male. When Kit and his friend, Ike, watch a TV documentary about Ötzi, the “ice man”, whose mummified remains were discovered in the Italian Alps, they begin to speculate on what might be discovered 5,000 years from now with the body of a person from today. Their speculation escalates into action when Ike convinces Kit that his destiny is to become the next ice man. Together, they obtain the artifacts they deem accurate to portray our times and plan their journey to a nearby mountain. Kit manages to get tattoos similar to Ötzi’s, writes a manifesto, and tries to come to terms with making this sacrifice to future science. He grows ever more agitated about the situation and his family suspects that something is wrong, but before they can discover just how wrong, Kit and Ike set off on their journey. This is a story for all who wish to develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which our minds can fail us.

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

Life, with all the people and experiences I’ve encountered, is my inspiration. I can read a newspaper article and be inspired to write an entire story around it—this is what happened with Mirror Image. In my most recent book, Spiral, the main character is seriously injured in a work accident and when she finds it difficult to adjust to her new life as a paraplegic, she eases her depression by using cocaine. Something very similar happened to a young man I know of, but the way in which Spiral’s character turns her life around, through Equine Therapy, is drawn from my experiences with horses and how we can connect with them on a non-verbal level.

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

I have a large family, mostly scattered around British Columbia and Alberta. I think they’re all delighted that I’ve become a published author, but those closest to me, my husband, son, daughter, mother and siblings, still see me as the person they’ve always known. I wouldn’t want it to be any other way.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

I think I have more than just one! Sometimes it’s soup. Other times it’s nachos with salsa. And then of course, there’s chocolate.

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

Hmmm. It takes a while for me to wake up. Prior to that, I wash my face, get dressed, and go outside to feed our two horses and our cranky little old mule. Once that’s done, I eat breakfast and have coffee—that’s when I start to wake up.

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

You wouldn’t want to look in my attic—it’s a mess. I looked in my closet to see what might be surprising and found a small collection of straw hats which I like but rarely wear, a sewing machine which is used approximately once every 2 years, and a papier mache salmon my daughter made (years ago) for a school project. I have no idea why that salmon is there.

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?

I think this would vary depending on my state of mind so I’m going with plaid.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

This is a tough one! I’ve always liked the Road Runner because he’s happy, clever, and fast, but then there’s the Pink Panther who is too cool. And what about the X-Men with their crazy mutant super powers?

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I’m probably a cross between Marge Simpsons’ sister, Selma, and Wendy from Peter Pan. Selma because I often forget to shave my legs, especially during the winter, and Wendy because I like telling stories.

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 like to go back to the dawn of time and witness the beginning of the universe. That would answer a lot of really big questions and I’m certain it would be spectacular.

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

I listen to all sorts of music—rock, jazz, blues, classical, Celtic. Recently, I’ve listened to some hip-hop/ rap because I’m working on a story with a character who aspires to be an MC. I don’t listen to music while I’m writing because I have a tendency to sing along or get up and dance which is really counterproductive.

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 much TV but do enjoy House and some of the stand-up comedy shows. I’ve watched The Lord of the Rings movies quite a few times. I think the last movie I saw in the theater was Pirates of the Caribbean. There’s only one tiny movie theater in the small town near where I live, so most of the movies I see are on DVD.

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

I don’t like to give advice but I’ll share a favorite quote from Shakespeare: To thine own self be true. I also like the advice given by Joseph Campbell: Follow your bliss. That can be a hard road, but it’s worth it.

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

I’m currently writing a Young Adult book with two narrators. One narrator is a 14 year old girl who is addicted to playing World of Warcraft online, and the other is a 17 year old guy who loves to rap—until his girlfriend dumps him because of her changing values.

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