Welcome to author Kristen. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill out 27 Questions so readers can better get to know you and your work!1. What got you started writing to begin with? I had no idea authors had to actually sit down and make up things until, in my college years, I read Youngblood Hawke by Herman Wouk. Poor Youngblood died of something like tuberculosis while working night and day to finish his masterpiece, but never mind that. I wanted to try this fascinating thing. 2. What was the first thing you wrote? A quite awful story about infertility. The notebook where that thing is scribbled is good and lost. And no, I’ve never suffered from infertility. 3. What inspires you? Other great novels. Even People Magazine profiles, even though I hardly read them anymore. But they gave me a sense of where people come from and the odds they face while chasing their dream, or finding themselves trapped in caves or whatever. 4. Do you “people watch” for your writing? Oh, my yes! And I wish I could eavesdrop, too, but I have really bad hearing. 5. Who are you favorite authors? I love Tom Wolfe, Diana Gabaldon, Herman Wouk. 6. What is your favorite book? My current favorite is I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe. It can be explicit in parts (and I wonder if the political rants at the end are a new addition) but Wolfe is a master at showing what people want, at how they think and feel. 7. What genre do you most like to read? I like good old literary novels. 8. What genre do you write? Is this reflective of what you read? I write literary stories, so yes, I guess that reflects my own reading. 9. What genre do you have a difficult time with that you wish you could write? I won’t read much fantasy or paranormal (except for Gabaldon’s time travel series), but oddly enough, I think I’ve got one fantasy story in me. 10. What kind of research do you do or have you done for your story? The research was the fun part! I interviewed a physical therapist, an ER doctor, a boat owner. I read master theses and tracked down a guy who runs a website on bomb shelters. I visited the real “Boxford” multiple times, burrowing into local history shelves, walking its streets. I rode Greyhound buses from Provo to the East Coast, although in the book, the characters ride in the opposite direction. 11. Do you have any writing rituals like eating chocolate or lighting incense? I sit in my special chair, kind of an IKEA bent-wood thing with its own hassock. I sip Diet Dr. Pepper. I set a timer and hope for the best. And sometimes, I look up at the sign on my office wall that says “Resist Paralyzing Perfectionism.” 12. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind? Nope. I need quiet. I shouldn’t even talk to myself. 13. Introduce us to your current book. The Boxford Stories is a collection of short stories chronicling the Runyons and the Feldsteds, two Mormon families in 1970s Maryland. Far from their Western American roots, they cling to each other like exiles clutching a precious box of topsoil from the old country. In The Boxford Stories you will meet Ada Runyon who always turns to Ruthalin Feldsted when she needs an ear—sharing her deepest confidences, her everyday musings, and her bits of horrified gossip. Yet Ada dies inside whenever Ruthalin’s country-cousin manners poke out in public. Latham Runyon, a history professor, and Erval Feldsted, a hospital engineer, bond every Sunday night over gooey desserts and vigorous religious discussion, a game their children call Stump the Rabbi. Underneath their balding heads and graying temples, each man desperately seeks a sign that God would choose him as a buddy. The Feldsted and Runyon children, running breathlessly through each other’s houses and backyards, have long considered each other substitute cousins. However, Ginni Runyon plots to change herself from the girl next door to the girl Marc Feldsted can’t live without. And when Boxford’s Mormons mix with the rest of the town, everybody could use a field guide to the other species. 14. How long did it take you to write it? Decades! I started it when I was pregnant with my second child. She’ll be 30 this fall. I originally intended it as a novel, but my notes grew and grew until I knew that, if I ever finished this book at all, I’d be a nobody with a big fat manuscript. I got the bright idea to divide it up into stories, send them out for publication, then later collect them into a book. You can read four out of the seven stories in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and Irreantum. And I’ve still got material for more stories. 15. Which character(s) of yours do you most relate to? Ginni Runyon embodies a lot of my teenage self. Her mother, Ada, draws from my adult self. 16. Who is your favorite character in this story? I really like Erval Feldsted. He’s a bit of a hothead. He’s also out of his depth, living in a time and place far from his Utah boyhood. He just wants credit for being a good guy instead of a Mormon oddity. 17. Which character is the best role model for readers? April Feldsted, Ginni’s best friend. Ginni’s a flighty one. She cares more about covering up her pasty white legs and attracting the attention of April’s brother, but April is the person who can talk some sense into Ginni. 18. How did you decide on your cover? I wanted something that depicted a typical Sunday evening, with the two families gathered for dessert. By the way, the model for the man in the lawn chair is my husband, and artist’s children portrayed the boy and girl chasing each other on the lawn. But you’re supposed to see it as young Marc and Ginni. 19. What do you hope people discover while reading your story? That Mormon fiction is worth their money. 20. Have you written anything else? Tell us about it/them. I’ve written essays and news features. I’ve written about my drop-dead gorgeous cat, about my daughter’s echoing belches, about my interrupt-the-meeting loud stomach on Fast Sunday. I write a blog on my website, http://kristencarsonauthor.com/, where I talk about books I’ve read, books I’ve given up on, and meals I’ve cooked (and the failures). Stop on by, especially if you love chocolate or flour tortillas as much as I do. 21. Do you experience writers block, how do you deal with it? Oh, boy yes!. When writer’s block hits, the problem is often that I’ve gotten off the subject. I have to trace back to the last place I liked and re-start from there. Lately, I’ve found that writer’s block is a symptom of structural problems. Here’s a quote I picked up from Screen Plays by David S. Cohen: “How do you know when a scene isn’t working? “You can’t write it. You can’t write it. “So what do you do? “Figure out why you can’t write it. Go to the basics, sort of like the acting basics. What does each character want? Are they going to get it? If there’s no drama, why not?” Another book I find useful is The Dramatic Writer’s Companion by Will Dunne. It’s full of exercises on character and structure, and includes a marvelous trouble-shooting chapter. 22. What do you not like about writing? I hate it that I work so slowly. I’ve really got to pick up the pace. Again, I think it comes down to structuring a story well, and being willing to write a rotten first draft. Did I mention that sign on my office wall?: “Resist Paralyzing Perfectionism.” 23. Are you working on anything now? Yes, I’m writing a novella about a good-hearted farmer and his wife, whose dangerously innocent world view threatens their family. 24. How do you market your work? I follow the fantastically helpful suggestions of Tim Grahl, whose webinars and courses help writers spend their marketing time more effectively. Other bloggers with good advice include Jane Friedman and Joanna Penn. 25. What would you say to readers? I hope they love the Runyons and the Feldsteds as much as I do. I hope they want more! 26. What would you say to writers aspiring or otherwise? Set aside time for your craft; find a writer’s group either in your community or online; submit your work and listen to their critiques. Your ultimate goal is to provide a great experience for readers, so be willing to change what doesn’t work. 27. Where can one purchase your book(s)? I sell on Amazon. Social Media Website: http://kristencarsonauthor.com/ Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kcarsonauthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcarsonauthor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristencarsonauthor?skip_nax_wizard=true&ref_type=bookmark
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