C. K. Kelly Martin Interview :D

 Today has been a great day first because I bought C. K. Kelly Martin books called My Beating Teenage Heart and her other book called The Lighter Side of Life and Death. I finished reading her book called One Lonely Degree and all I have to say is that it was a page turner and absolutely awesome. On top of all of that I actually got to interview this extremely awesome author. If you have not read any of her books what are you waiting for because in my opinion these are books you must have. 

1. I see you write a lot of realistic YA contemporaries, have you ever thought of writing another genre such as dystopian, paranormal romance, or any other?

Yeah, I love the YA contemporary genre to bits! But My Beating Teenage Heart has a paranormal element to it (one of the main characters is dead) and Yesterday definitely has sci-fi elements. Just this month I released an adult book (Come See About Me) with a twenty-year-old main character who is still grieving the death of her boyfriend when she falls into a sexual relationship with someone else. Because of the age of the main character the novel falls into the “new adult” category and I would love to write another “new adult” book in the not too distant future. Sometime I’d really like to write an eerie ghost story too. So basically I want to write a ton more YA contemporary books AND keep trying new things too.

2. How is your writing process? Describe it a little.

The process seems very mysterious to me. I don’t have much of a tangible method. Instead it feels sort of like being a medium. Usually I’ll just start hearing a character’s voice in my head in moments of quiet – when I’m lying down to sleep or out walking by myself. It takes a while to get to know them and figure out what their story is, but when I know enough about them I start writing down rough plot notes. I end up with a couple of sentences about each chapter and once that’s finished, and I’ve done any research that I need to, I start writing the actual book. But everything is subject to change when I start writing and get to know the characters and their situation better so it can turn out very differently from the notes.

3. Is there going to be a continuation to One Lonely Degree because I would definitely read it if there was.

I’m so glad you want more! I originally intended One Lonely Degree it to be the first book in a trilogy so it feels unfinished to me. Unfortunately, the market has changed a lot in recent years making it tougher to get books that aren’t paranormal, dystopian or otherwise high-concept traditionally published. But I’d never say never because I would love the chance to revisit these characters!

4. What is one memorable book you would always love (or your favorite you have read so far)?

I hardly ever reread anything because there are always so many new cool books coming out. I just finished Courtney Summer’s riveting new zombie novels This is Not a Test and couldn’t put it down and some other YAs from the past six months I loved were Amplified by Tara Kelly and Bronxwood by Coe Booth. But I’ve noticed the one book I come back to time and time again is one I first read in 1989 about a twenty-one year old aspiring actor who moves to New York to become an actor and falls in love with his roommate Emma.

This is the review for Emma Who Saved My Life that I posted on Amazon in 2008.

“I was absolutely crazy about this book in the late 80's and early 90's and reread it recently to see if it was as good as I remembered. Everything I'd loved about it - Gil's love affair with NYC, his infatuation with Emma, an overall feeling of hopefulness and youth - was as fresh as ever. I'm sure I'll read this book in another five, ten, fifteen years and still feel the same way I did about it when I first read it in 1989.”

 5. I know Yesterday is coming out on September 2012 is there any more books that would also be released?

I don’t have anything else under contract yet (keep your fingers crossed for me!) but I have two more YA contemporaries completed that I would love to sell. I’m also working on something else that I can’t talk about just yet. Hopefully soon…

6. Who was your favorite character in One Lonely Degree, and did you like writing the book? (mine was Finn).

Mine was Finn too! She sort of feels like a version of me. I was a lot like her at sixteen right down to the being crazy for music and wanting to go live in London. Of course, I love Jersy too. And, yeah, I absolutely savoured writing that book. I didn’t want to leave the characters behind!

7. What is the genre of Yesterday, your new book that is coming out because I have read the synopsis a lot of times and I can’t figure it out?

This is a good question and I understand your confusion because it doesn’t exactly fit neatly within a single genre. I guess I would categorize it as a sci-fi thriller but with a realistic 1985 setting. I read The Kirkus review for it a couple of days ago and one of the things it said was, “A vivid infusion of 1980s culture gives this near-future dystopia an offbeat, Philip K. Dick aura” which thrilled me to death.

8. What grade would you give me as an interviewer? (haha, yea I know kind of random).

An A! Because it’s obvious you’ve done your homework. Plus, your questions have a nice conversational vibe to them. 

C. K. Kelly Martin New Book Coming Out on Sep. 2012 :D

Title: Yesterday
Author: C.K. Kelly Martin
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
For: Young Adults
Buy It: Amazon

THEN: The formation of the UNA, the high threat of eco-terrorism, the mammoth rates of unemployment and subsequent escape into a world of virtual reality are things any student can read about in their 21st century textbooks and part of the normal background noise to Freya Kallas's life. Until that world starts to crumble.

NOW: It's 1985. Freya Kallas has just moved across the world and into a new life. On the outside, she fits in at her new high school, but Freya feels nothing but removed. Her mother blames it on the grief over her father's death, but how does that explain the headaches and why do her memories feel so foggy? When Freya lays eyes on Garren Lowe, she can't get him out of her head. She's sure that she knows him, despite his insistence that they've never met. As Freya follows her instincts and pushes towards hidden truths, the two of them unveil a strange and dangerous world where their days may be numbered. Unsure who to trust, Freya and Garren go on the run from powerful forces determined to tear them apart and keep them from discovering the truth about their shared pasts (and futures), her visions, and the time and place they really came from.