Aspiring Author Thursday: Introducing Kadie Kinney

Today I'm excited to introduce, Kadie! She's so awesome. Her blog is so fun too. She writes about three different loves in her life. Interior Design, Gaming and of course, Writing! Head over and check it out. She has some amazing posts on how she decorates things. Everything she has done is SO gorgeous! Anyway, on to the interview! :)

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I think I’ve known on some level ever since I learned HOW to write that I wanted to contribute to the field someday. I used to write short stories all the time, and I started so many “novels” that ended up being five pages before my hand cramped up and I called it quits (pre-computer days…yes, I’m old enough to remember pre-computer days). But as for how long I’ve actually thought it was an attainable dream, I’d say it started three years ago when I began my first MS. It was something I started for fun, and it slowly turned into a passion. And now I don’t feel right if I don’t have something being worked on, whether it’s writing, editing, or revising.

Ha! Five pages before you hand cramped up. That's so funny! :) Now you can bust out 50 pages before your hand cramps up! ;)

Do you have a writing schedule, or do you just sit down whenever you get a spare moment?

I don’t have a strict schedule, no. I usually write after my little girl goes to bed at 7, so that’s worked well for me. But whenever I write, I have to be in the zone. I can’t force myself to do it if I’m distracted by other things (like designing my daughter’s big girl room, which I am currently working on. It’s all –consuming right now). However, I do try to carry a notebook with me wherever I go in case I have an idea or am struck with inspiration. That way I don’t lose those precious thoughts.

Oh how I love your designing talents... And notebooks are the best. I have so many lying around the house my hubby gets so annoyed! lol

Could you tell us a little about yourself? Random facts? Hidden talents?

You know those TV’s that hang down sporadically throughout Wal-Mart , cycling through their latest ad or whatever? I’m always afraid they’re going to fall on my head when I walk under them. I avoid them at all costs.

How’s that for random? Lol.

LOL! Laughing so hard right now!

As for hidden talents, I can touch my tongue to my nose. It’s in my genes. Oh and I can pop every finger twice (except my thumbs) and do so chronically. It’s an addiction really. I should probably stop. The odds of getting arthritis are against me enough as someone who’s typing constantly. Oh well. Oh there I go, popping one again. Shoot!

He he. I like popping my toes. Is that weird? Probably.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing you couldn't live without? (Besides your family and a laptop of course.)

One thing? ONE thing? Can it be an inclusive category, like “toiletries”? I seriously don’t know what I’d do without my toothbrush and Chapstick. Seriously. Thanks though, for including the laptop. That’s vital.

Seriously. What would we do without a computer?  Hopefully I'll never get stranded on an island. Oh wait. I don't ever go anywhere! lol

What is one book you could read over and over and over?

Okay, okay, I’m going to have to say it; the Twilight books. I KNOW!!! How generic am I? But here’s why: I met my husband when I was 16. We started dating so young and I remember feeling SO many of the same things that Bella felt in those books; from the breathless rapture in the first book, to the fear of abandonment and loss in the second and third books, and eventually the total trust and oneness in the fourth book.

Oh am I cheesy or what?

But honestly, they’re an easy read (I can get through one in a day if I don’t have much going on) they’re entertaining, and they bring me back to when I first met MY Jacob. (I have a theory that he might really be a Werewolf too for example; he’s one-quarter Cherokee Indian, he’s always like 110 degrees, and his name’s Jacob. Hello??)

Other than that, I HAVE read Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice COUNTLESS times and could do so again and again.

I love the Twilight books too. Probably always will.

What book are you dying to read this year?

Blackveil by Kristen Britain. I LOVE the Green Rider series and am dying to get my hands on that one. I know it’s been out for awhile, but I’m waiting for paperback. Not because I’m a cheapskate, but because all the other ones I own are paperback and I can’t have the first three soft cover and the last one this huge hardcover. How would that look on my bookcase? *Shudders*

So I might be somewhat of a crazy perfectionist. Sue me.

Yay! Someone like me! I'm a hardcover freak though. I won't buy paperback. Is that so wrong? I have a problem. I can't help it. The hardcovers are so shiny and pretty. I heart them. Nothing's wrong with paperbacks though. I just have my preference. And there is no way I'd buy a hardcover if the rest of the series was in paperback. We can be crazy perfectionists together. ;)

What genre do you write and why?

Well I’m not sure yet. I have one MS that’s Adult Fantasy, and one that’s YA Contemporary. I enjoyed them both. I have another idea for a YA Fantasy, so I guess fantasy is probably what I’m drawn too the most. I love YA though, because it’s such a self-centered, emotion-driven time of most people’s lives. Think back to when you were a teenager; EVERYTHING was newsworthy, or exciting, or dramatic. In no other period of life could one stray sentence in the hallway cause hysteria by lunchtime like it would in a building full of teenagers.

LOVE this! Especially the last sentence! Awesome.

Do you have any writing rituals? Music, silence, eating, etc.

Music, but the type differs. For my first book it was the Avatar soundtrack Pandora station. I got epic musical scores from Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, etc. which was great; as long as the songs didn’t have words, I was fine. But for my most recent MS, it was the Adele and Band of Horses Pandora stations, words didn’t bother me, but they had to be melodic and meaningful.

Music is the best. And I love Pirates music. And Jack Sparrow, but that could be a whole other post.

Where do you come up with your ideas? Dreams, while driving, etc?

I always have what I call “Movie Dreams” which are the type of dreams that last ALL night long and they’re epic and full of adventure. So I get a lot of ideas from those. My first MS was a combination of a dream I had, with an idea my husband had for a video game. It was nice though, because right when I woke up, I knew the characters; their names, what they looked like, EVERYTHING. They were never a question in my mind. That made it really easy to dive in and start world-building.

I really wish I could remember my dreams. I forget a few minutes after I wake up. Every. Time. Drives me crazy.

Any advice for other aspiring authors?

I’ll get back to you on that, when I don’t feel so lost myself. Seriously though, my advice is to just keep writing. I thought I’d write my first MS and never have another idea for a book again. Ever. But then one came, so I wrote it down as quickly as I could. And now I have another idea, that’s outlined and just waiting for me to get started. And none of them have anything to do with the other, which is great fun for me. That would be the other part of my advice; have fun. I’m not published or even agented yet, so I’m enjoying this time where I can write for myself and on my own timeline.

Great advice. Have fun and write for yourself.


Random Writing Question: If you could send your current MC into any other book or story, what would it be and why?

I would send my MC, Sistine, into Pride and Prejudice. She’s so sassy, independent, and outspoken I think it would absolutely KILL her to witness the reserve and propriety that these women based their lives on. And I think it’d be really funny to hear a conversation between her and Lizzy, who was outspoken for her time, but still tame, compared to Sistine the spitfire.

Ha! Your MC sounds awesome! Thank you so much for doing this Kadie. It was so fun to learn more about you. :)