- Where did you grow up? Did your childhood have any impact on your writing?
My childhood was filled with writing! I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, and have been writing basically since I learned how. One of my earliest memories is writing a series called Care Cats that was like “Care Bears” meets Cam Jansen Mysteries. My school library laminated and “published” some of them in first or second grade, putting them in their student works section. I knew then and there that I wanted to publish real books one day—it just took a little longer than I expected!
2. Tell us about the first story you ever wrote, published or not?
Whoops. Already did! So instead I’ll go with the first novel I remember writing. It was a sci-fi inspired by “Sailor Moon” and some Christopher Pike books, about the princess of a dying kingdom in the last days on Mars. I don’t remember a ton about it, but at the end, she and the love interest made it to a ship to evacuate to their neighboring planet. A “friend” had been hiding on the ship and killed the guy, taking his place for the escape. His name was Adam, my final line revealed her middle name was Eve, and in seventh grade, I thought I was the Best Author Ever.
3. What are you currently working on?
My debut novel, “Taking Flight,” is written as a standalone, but I’ve actually got a full trilogy planned out. Book two is written but in need of some pretty deep revisions I’m plodding through, and I’ve got a novella idea flitting around in my head that I’m itching to write in the same world.
4. What is your favorite character you have ever created and why?
That’s like asking me to choose a favorite child! I’m awfully partial to Tami, a character that’ll come into play in my next book. She’s an artist and a wandering spirit, and I can’t say a whole lot for spoiler reasons. I created her decades ago for an online RPG, though, and we kind of grew into adulthood together, so coming back to her is like meeting up with an old friend.
5. Do you have to write/draw in order or do your ideas just come to you and you put them in order later?
The ideas come randomly, but I have to write them in order. I usually have a scene toward the end of the book that comes to be fairly early, and it becomes both a catalyst and an encouragement to keep going; I want so badly to write it that I force myself through the awkward first draft, the tough parts I haven’t quite figured out yet, just so I can get to it!
6. What was your path like until you found writing?
I took over a decade off writing in my early adulthood because of how life just got busy and complicated. I immigrated from Canada to the US a couple years after graduation, got married, and we started our family together. I worked for an ice cream company for years, then took time as a stay-at-home mom, allowing me flexibility and time with the kids, particularly our middle son who has a bit of an alphabet soup of special needs. Once all three were in school full time, I started subbing as a one-on-one aide for special needs students, eventually got hired on as a library clerk … then Covid shut the world down and I went back to stay at home momming. That’s when I finally decided to make writing a part of my life again instead of something I always wanted to do but never found or made the time for.
7. How is your relationship with your publishing company? If you are self-published, what tasks do you have to do to get your project completed?
Ahhhh, self-publishing. Honestly? I expected it to be a lot more work and daunting than it actually was. I mean, it’s still a lot of work—writing, editing, marketing, figuring out covers, more marketing, formatting, more marketing… But I have a lot of professional experience in communications-based roles, and an amazing community, so a lot of the technical things just fell into place.
8. Tell us about your covers.
I’m awful at covers. Seriously. I don’t have a visual mind; I’ve recently learned it’s called aphantasia, and basically I’ve spent my life wondering what on earth people mean when they say “close your eyes and picture yourself…” So I reached out to two different cover artists, one to create a cover with a person on it, the other to create a more typographical cover. They both got a very random collection of vague ideas and things that were important to the story, some copy and paste snippets from the book, and a Pinterest board of book covers I like. God bless them, they both came up with incredible covers! I was drawn to the glow and mystery of the one I chose.
9. What inspires you to create?
A driving, burning need in my brain that constantly comes up with “what if” scenarios and spins stories about every random person I see. I’m never not coming up with a story of one kind or another. Writing books is just a lot healthier than the anxiety-driven stories my brain tries to come up with.
10. How do you get reviews?
That’s an excellent question. Right now, with my first book on preorder and a single review on Goodreads, uhhhh… ARCs, wishes, and prayers?
11. What is harder: writing, drawing, editing, or marketing?
Marketing is so, so hard for me. I’m an introvert, I don’t like to intrude, I struggle with self-esteem, and I get burned out peopling, even on social media. I would love to one day reach a point where I can hire someone to do my marketing, and I even know who I’d hire … but that’s a lot of books and money away from happening.
12. If you could publish every book/comic/art idea you’ve ever had, how many would you have out right now?
Oh my word. Well, I’ve written seven novels so far, had another three that I co-wrote with friends in high school by passing around a notebook all year long, so that’s ten just in ones that have actually made it to paper. I can think of another six that I remember or am actively building in my brain, and I’m sure there are dozens that have disappeared over the years.
13. Have you ever considered co-writing a series with another creator?
Not in any serious way. I’ve co-written for fun with friends before, but I am horrible at writing on a schedule so I’d be worried about keeping up with the commitment of co-writing to publish.
14. What do you do to relax?
My favorite is listening to an audiobook while trail hiking, or really any kind of outdoor walking. I also read, play video games (mostly RPGs and cozy sims), and love going to the movies or the theater when I get the chance.
15. If you could tell your 14-year-old self one thing, what would it be?
It gets better. Just keep working hard and being yourself, the rest will come.
16. What advice would you have for this upcoming generation?
Oddly enough, the same advice: just keep working head and being yourself, the rest will come. I tell my kids all the time that growing up is really difficult, and you’re going to make a lot of mistakes, so embrace that. It’s all right to experiment and explore, to be yourself and do what makes you happy, as long as you accept that anything you choose is going to take work to make it happen.
17. Have you ever read a book/series that changed your outlook on life?
I’m going to bring up Christopher Pike again and probably super age myself, but he was big in my teenage years so it is what it is. I stumbled onto Sati by Christopher Pike when I was around 12 or 13. It’s not an amazing book by any stretch, but it’s take on religion and divinity spooled my imagination and got me learning a lot about different religions and cultures around the world at a formative age, and I think it helped me become a much more open-minded person on the whole.
18. Do you have a classic piece of literature or a classic author you are fond of?
Nope. The only book I ever liked that I read for school was “The Lord of the Flies,” and the education system led me to avoid classics like the plague. I try one now and then, thinking surely I should Be An Adult and Read Classic Books, and I always hate them.
19. Any type of music that gets your writing juices flowing?
Almost all music can get my imagination going, but when I’m actually working on something, I avoid anything with lyrics. My writing playlists are primarily video game soundtracks, and for editing I put on lo-fi tracks.
21. Dog or cat person?
Dogs to hang out with, cats to take care of and have in the family.
22. What do you want to eat right now?
I want a pizza and breadsticks SO BAD right now.
23. If you could be in any movie that has already been made, which one would it be?
You probably hear “Harry Potter” all the time, but hear me out. Stick me into Philosopher’s Stone as a parent of one of the Muggle-born kids. I want to live in modern Europe with present-day technology and a sprinkle of magic, like the ability to teleport around and have some magical conveniences for cleaning and whatnot. But it’s got to be early enough in the series that none of the Doom and Evil is popping off yet, I want it to be cozy.
Side note – It will forever be Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to me. I don’t care that I moved to the States, I refuse to switch. We actually own copies of both versions, book and movie. I even ordered the Canadian versions of the last three books, released after I moved, so I could have the complete set.
24. What is your favorite holiday or time of year?
I love spring, that early to middle of spring range where the bugs aren’t out yet but the weather is nice enough to be outside all the time, when everything is just starting to green up and bud and come back to life.
25. Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you so much for the opportunity!
BIO:
Kelly grew up writing stories. Raised in Edmonton, Alberta, her parents taught her early how powerful stories could be, and her favorite childhood pastimes were wandering the shelves of the local library and curling up on the couch with a good book. Honestly, that’s still true today!
Kelly lives in the suburbs of St Louis, Missouri, with her husband. Together they’re raising three imaginative and courageous boys. Between the concerts, scout meetings, and home life, she surrounds herself with stories, both as an author and as an editor helping other authors achieve their dreams.
LINKS/URLS:
My website: http://www.kellyscriven.com
Taking Flight universal book link: http://www.books2read.com/takingflightks