Saturday 28 May 2011

Interview: Kristi Cook

Today, I am joined by Kristi Cook, author of the teen novel Haven. (My review can be found here.) I had the pleasure of asking Kristi some interview questions and I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did!

Could you describe Haven in seven words for us?

Oh man....seven words?! Okay, here goes....romantic paranormal fun at boarding school for psychics. How's that?!

When you are writing, do you have time for reading? Or do you find involvement in other books distracting from your own work?

I always make time for reading--always! But when I'm writing like crazy under a tight deadline, I definitely read less, and usually stay away from stuff that's "similar" to what I'm writing, so I read more realistic YA fiction then, or even historical romance.

Quick - the zombie apocalypse has started! What are the top five things you need to take with you as you run for shelter?

Damn those zombies! 1) my kids 2) my pets 3) my laptop 4) my flash drive 5) my Kindle (This is assuming my husband can "take" himself--and I'll put him in charge of bring food and water!)

Are your characters based on any real people that you know?

Not really--they're more based on people that I'd *like* to know!

What kind of scene is easiest for you to write? Hardest?

The easiest is any scene with a lot of dialogue--two (or more) characters having a conversation, and even more fun if it's a scene with some romantic tension! I like to write dialogue--my books would be nothing but talking, if I had my way. The hardest for me to write is action-type scenes. I guess I just have a hard time describing action, and I worry that I'll bog down the scene with too many details trying to desribe the action I "see" unfolding in my head.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

King crab dumplings at my favorite sushi restaurant, Haru. Not sure how healthy that would be, but still...

Do you have a particular routine you go through when writing?

Not really--though I do need to be in certain places in order to write--either my home office, or my dining room (where I set up my computer during the winter months when it's too cold in my office!). I'm not one of those people who can drag my laptop around with me and write wherever the muse strikes, though I wish I was! Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I don't, depending on my mood or how focused I am.

Thanks so much, Kristi! It was wonderful to have the chance to learn a little more about you and I can't wait to see what you write next.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter 

5 comments:

  1. Okay, this is an amazing interview so kudos to both of you! I absolutely loved reading this and am now that much more excited to read "Haven."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, thanks! I'm glad you liked it :) I hope the book is just as enjoyable (I'm sure it will be).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great interview!

    I'm exactly the same as Kristi when it comes to writing. If I could, I'd write millions of pages with just dialogue! I'm writing a short story for my Writer's Craft course and I noticed that I write a lot of dialogue. But I fix it while editing!

    I wasn't sure about Haven before but I definitely want to read it now!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, what a fun interview!

    I haven't read Haven yet, but I've heard a lot of people like it. That's interesting that scenes with dialogue are easiest for her, rather than the other way around. I'd always be worried my characters would be too similar to people I know, but I'm sure they would come into their own eventually. Haha, and king crab dumplings sound delicious :D

    Oh, and thanks for the book recommendation! I'll definitely try out If I Stay, and I've heard amazing things about that one!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Honey - Really? I'm the opposite. I always put in way too much description that I need to take out in editing. You're taking Writer's Craft? I want to take that in grade 12! Do you like it? I've heard that it's fun, just a lot of work.

    Tessa - Yeah, when I was younger, I used to that a lot :) Sometimes I'd like write specific quirks in there of people that I knew before realizing that I was writing more of a journal than a story. No problem! I hope you enjoy it :)

    ReplyDelete