Welcome to Author Interview Thursday hosted by the Never Too Old for YA and NA Books group on Goodreads. September is our Indie Author Interview month and we're very excited to share it with you!
Today we welcome Kendra C. Highley!
Matt
Archer: Monster Hunter (Matt Archer Book 1)
Sidelined (Entangled Ember, 2013)
Welcome Kendra! Take it away!
How long does it take you to
write a book from start to finish? I’ve gotten
faster the more I write, so I can
usually finish a rough draft in about 3-4 months. After that, it goes through at least another 3 months
of editing before it’s ready to
go.
How are you able to balance
other aspects of your life with your writing? It can
be hard between the family, the day job and, oh…sleep. Luckily, my kids are at
an age where they prefer to do their own thing in the evenings, leaving me a
bit of time to write, but I do the bulk of my work on the weekends. My family
has been really supportive in helping me make sure my calendar is clear on Saturday and Sunday
afternoons.
What was the hardest thing about
writing a book? For me, it’s outlining. I’m a
pantser by nature—I like to let the story unfold organically. But that doesn’t
always work when you’re under a deadline, so I’m trying to get better about
outlining the plot in advance.
How many books have you written
so far? Do you have a favorite? I’ve written a
dozen books, but the first five are staying safely in a drawer somewhere (those
early manuscripts are awful). So far I’ve published six, and have plans for two
more to come out in the next 12 months or so. My favorite so far is the last
book in my Matt Archer series, Matt
Archer: Redemption. It was great to see the story arc come to completion in
a satisfying way.
Where do you write? Pretty much anywhere, but I have a
home office where I keep my (overflowing) bookcase, my comfy chair and my
Tinker Bell collection.
When deciding on how to
publish, what directed you to the route you took? When I started, I queried the first Matt Archer book and was signed by an agent.
Unfortunately, while the editors like the style and the story, they were
reluctant to publish a “boy YA” book. It wasn’t middle grade enough (like Percy
Jackson), so they didn’t think it would have a good market. After some soul
searching, I realized I truly believed in this book, so I parted ways with my
agent and went out on my own. It’s
been a great experience. Last
year, I decided to branch out into
contemporary YA with a romantic bent. My first traditionally published novel, Sidelined, was released through
Entangled Ember last fall. So far, this hybrid approach has worked well.
What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing? I enjoy spending time with my family, especially watching Marvel movies or taking vacations. I read a bunch, bake cookies, take care of our crazy cats and am always planning our next vacation.
What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing? Write for you. Write what you love. Then if you decide you want to publish, start working on craft. Read books on writing (my favorites are Self Editing for Fiction Writers and Save the Cat) and read as many books in your chosen genre as you can. Learn what you like and what you don’t. From there, your unique style will start to shine through.
What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing? I enjoy spending time with my family, especially watching Marvel movies or taking vacations. I read a bunch, bake cookies, take care of our crazy cats and am always planning our next vacation.
What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing? Write for you. Write what you love. Then if you decide you want to publish, start working on craft. Read books on writing (my favorites are Self Editing for Fiction Writers and Save the Cat) and read as many books in your chosen genre as you can. Learn what you like and what you don’t. From there, your unique style will start to shine through.
What is your favorite book?
favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write? Just one favorite? Wow, that’s
hard. When I was a teen, probably Jackaroo
by Cynthia Voigt. I remember reading it over and over again when I was 13. It
was the first fantasy novel I’d read with a strong female lead. I also love Jane Austen, Laini Taylor,
Rae Carson and Laurie Halse Anderson. One of my favorite Indie authors is Becca
Andre. Her work is more adult than YA, but she has a super unique Urban Fantasy
series based on alchemy. And if you like strong female leads in fantasy,
Lindsay Buroker’s Emperor’s Edge is
great.
Do you have any go to people
when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing,
beta reading and such? Absolutely. I have a pretty
involved process for editing. Early drafts go to my long-time crit partners. Then
it goes to the editor. Then finally to beta readers. Funny enough, one of my
go-to beta readers is my husband. He’s been hugely supportive of my writing and
has a good eye for detail.
Are you working on anything
now? Yes! I have a new YA series starting in October. The
first book, Unstrung, is a near
future dystopian loosely based on Pinocchio.
The main character, Lexa, is a 17 year old thief who finds herself in danger
after accidentally stealing the plans for genetically-engineered super humans.
The story revolves around corporate power (and greed) and what it means to be
human. I’m currently working on a prequel novella and the second novel in the
series.
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Kendra. Great having you here!
Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most important job. She believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.
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