Blog Tour: Author Interview – Kristin Ward

It’s Day 7 of the Ultimate Blog Tour and as promised here is my very first author interview with the lovely Kristin Ward.

If you haven’t yet check out my review of her debut novel After The Green Withered or search on Twitter for #UltimateBlogTours for all the other posts from the other blogs participating!
In the banner you can see who else is posting today! You should definitely check them as they’re all lovely people with amazing blogs!

But enough talking, let’s get to know Kristin a little bit better!

 

QUESTIONS:

 

So, to start, would you maybe tell us a little bit about yourself? What do you do when you’re not writing? Any other cool hobbies?

 

As a mother of three boys, four if you count my husband – which you absolutely should, my days revolve around family, work, and, if I’m lucky, writing. If you read my blog, you’ll find numerous posts providing insight into my life in a world of boys. But it should be noted that, at heart, I have the brain/humor equivalent of a 12-year-old boy, so things are truly as they should be!

When I’m not busy tending to family, our animal menagerie, work, or the often avoided laundry, you can find me pursuing my other interests. Obviously, I carve out as much time as possible to write – this is assuming I can park myself in my writing chair without a barrage of interruptions! I enjoy being outside and love to go on moderate hikes when the weather is nice. Being a total movie nut, I also love spending an evening with my boys watching everything from Marvel movies to The Princess Bride. We quote the latter frequently. I do grab my knitting from time to time, but haven’t been as diligent since I started focusing on publishing.

 

That sounds lovely! Having people to throw your favourite quotes at is always appreciated. Speaking of quotes …

What are the books that influenced you the most or which characters do you think you’ve become a little like?

 

As a teenager, I read and fell in love with The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. This book hooked me and was a catalyst for my passion for poetry (I memorized the Robert Frost poem that Ponyboy recites). The fact that the author was a teenager herself when she wrote the book was eye-opening.

In the realm of dystopian fiction, The Giver by Lois Lowry was the book that launched my love of the genre. Her story introduced a society that strove to smother human nature. The characterization was phenomenal and as I read, I felt a strong connection to Jonas. I also really enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games. I find myself gravitating to books that have powerful themes and this is evident in my own work.

 

I haven’t read The Giver yet, but you make me wanna pick it up.

But now let’s go a little off topic. One of my all-time favourite questions: What superpower/magical ability would you have based on your personality? (Not what you’d like to have … mine would probably be manipulating water with a focus on ice or manipulating shadows/darkness)

 

I already have a superpower! I believe writers are the true magicians, weaving words into worlds that never existed before the pen hit the page.

But, if I had to choose another power it would need to be tied to my unicorn status (an honorary title my coworkers gave me years ago and still use today). The unicorn ability, which I was bequeathed, relates to being able to find or produce things with seemingly incredible ease (I really don’t do anything that incredible but don’t tell them that!). With that in mind, I would love to have unicorn power on steroids so I could finish the many tasks I leave undone and be able to write a book in record time.

 

Oh my! Such a cool, unique answer. That Unicorn power sounds amazing and now I want that too! Would certainly be very useful! But you’re right! Authors already have magic inside them, and they use that in the best way possible. Creating wonderful (or scary) worlds for us readers to get lost in.

Now that we know you a bit better … would you mind giving a short synopsis for your book?

 

My book is a dystopian fiction based in a world ravaged by drought where water, the most valuable resource on the planet, is the global currency. Following a prologue which provides an essential backstory for the world I created, readers are introduced to a young woman, Enora, who is on the cusp of graduating high school and entering adulthood – this transition is tainted with frustration and worry over where she will end up as options are limited. Everything in her society is rigidly controlled – from water credits to borders – by an entity (the Drought Mitigation Corporation or DMC) who took control of water resources early on in the crisis and now have absolute control of every aspect of her community. When she enters a role within this entity, Enora discovers starting secrets that make her question who she is and what she stands for.

Numerous readers have told me that the book is a truly frightening vision because they could see it coming to fruition in real life. As the author, the story is a wake-up call. An important idea is that the choices we make, environmentally, have consequences. We may not see them in our lifetime, but what we do can and will affect the future. In the end, if the people in Enora’s world had made different choices long before she was born, then her life and the events that shape the story, would have been a much different tale to tell.

 

Your book has a huge focus on the environment and the changes the world went through to get to the point where water is the currency. (Really loved that btw!) 🙂 What inspired you to write about this?

 

The idea for this book began with a graduate course I was wrote in environmental education. I spent a great deal of time researching various elements of earth’s history to the present and, within that, an idea took root. I wondered what the world would look like if there was a massive drought and water became the global currency. Admittedly, this seedling of an idea germinated for a about a year as I taught graduate courses while working full-time with a family of five. But, eventually, I came back to this concept and began to write.

The initial part of my writing process started with the course I wrote and continued with additional research I conducted before crafting the prologue. It is this launch into the story that is an essential piece to understanding the world my main character inherited and all that happens as her story unfolds in books one and two. The final push to finish the book came with the myriad of issues that are going on environmentally today. When I read a stunning article about Cape Town’s water crisis, I knew I needed to get my book published so I buckled down and finished the first draft, finally publishing in May of 2018, five years after the idea was born.

 

I really liked the intro to After the Green Withered. It was so interesting to see how the world got to that state and it worked very well imo. Sounds like you put a lot of work and research into writing this book.
What did you struggle most with while writing?

 

Honestly, time is my worst enemy. Working full-time means that my writing stints are limited to evenings and weekends. With a family of boys, this means those times are whittled down even further. If I could write full-time (this is my dream), then I would be able to move much more quickly through the writing process!

 

Can you describe Enora with a few words? 

 

Enora is a strong, female character whose sense of purpose and perception of the rights and wrongs of her society lead her on a journey she never expected to experience. You see her wrestle with startling realities she unearths and, in the sequel, grow as a young woman in ways she could never have predicted.

(I was unreasonably excited at her having a similar name to me … that never happens) LOL…It’s about time a character embodies such an awesome name!

I really loved reading from her perspective. I talked about that a bit more in my review if you’re interested

 

Do you plan to write more post-apocalyptic/ dystopian books or do you want to venture outside of that genre? Anything you can tell us about future projects?

 

While I have many stories churning in my brain, my current work in progress is due out this year. Rise of Gaia is a YA scifi-fantasy crossover with an environmental theme. Here’s a quick blurb to give you a sense of the story:

Beneath rock and soil, trees and oceans, she lies.

Under concrete jungles and poisoned rivers, she slumbers.  

She is Mother Earth.

And mankind has turned its back on its mother.

The visions begin on Terran’s seventeenth birthday. Horrifying images pummel her brain, while a voice commands her to see beyond the world she thought she knew and into the heart of it.  Gaia has awakened, brought to consciousness by the greed of a species that has tainted every aspect of her being in a tide of indifference. With this awareness, comes rage. Gaia calls upon her children to unleash her fury, wreaking vengeance on humanity.

Terran will emerge in a world on the brink of collapse, to face a being whose wrath is beyond imagining.  

 

While we’re talking about future projects … any writing tips for aspiring authors? And can you tell us more about your writing process? (Do you have any writing rituals? Do you listen to music?)

 

Walt Disney said it best, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”

The publishing industry has changed over the years and writers are now in a position to self-publish their work instead of going through a traditional publishing house. This has perks and drawbacks.  It is a very competitive industry and self-published authors are responsible for doing all of their own marketing. This is challenging for new authors, like myself, who are trying to break into the business and develop a readership. One major upside is that I have complete creative control of my work. While I have an editor, his suggestions (they are amazing by the way) are there to guide me and not change my vision. Additionally, authors who query could be waiting months or years to be picked up. This is not something that I wanted to experience. I have stories to tell and want those works in the hands of readers, not sitting in a stack of amazing novels waiting to see the light.  

However, self-publishing is not an easy feat. There is a huge marketing aspect to gaining a readership and I find this part of my journey to be the most challenging. I am an unknown author and struggle to get my book into the hands of readers due to the sheer volume of books on the indie and traditional market. And yet, I persevere and suggest that anyone who has dreamed of authorship should go for it! If you have a book within your heart, share it with the world. There may be someone out there who is just waiting for you to publish it!

As for my writing habits, first and foremost is my writing chair. I love parking myself in the cushy recliner that used to be my grandmother’s chair. In the winter, the wood stove pumps out heat next to me and in the summer, I open the windows to warm breezes. While my house is never quiet (boys, dogs, chickens, guinea pigs, you get the idea), I prefer to have as much peace as possible. Music and loud boy-noises can be incredibly derailing!

You’re absolutely right. If you need to tell a story and you should.
And I hope we can help with this Blog Tour to get your novels a little more visibility.

What is your favourite and your least favourite part about writing?

 

My least favorite aspect goes back to time. I never have enough time to write! I need an additional superpower directly related to this time issue…

My favorite parts of my writing journey are many and varied. Pressing the submit button on Amazon was an incredible moment. Prior to that, I had talked about writing and publishing a book for years. To actually take that step and put it into the hands of readers was momentous and I did a little happy dance when it officially went live.

Another big moment for me was winning the 2018 Best Indie Book Award in the young adult category took me by complete surprise. While I had entered the competition with the hope of winning, I didn’t honestly consider my debut novel as a true contender. Receiving the congratulatory email from Best Indie Book Award was a defining moment. I felt that recognition validated, not only my story concept, but also my writing craft.

But the experiences that surpass these big achievements, are the reviews readers compose that reflect the connection they have to the characters and story. It is the words they write which are truly profound.

 

I can’t imagine the feeling of finally seeing your book go out into the world. Must be incredible!

Are there any authors that inspired you?

 

I gain much of my inspiration from reading. There are so many wonderful voices out there, spinning stories that introduce me to characters and places I grow to love. I can’t help being motivated by the creativity in others. With a rather eclectic taste in books, there isn’t an individual author who is most inspiring to me. Rather, I find that each author is part of what makes me love to read and write. Someday, I hope my work serves as an inspiration. In fact, my ultimate goal is to have written someone’s favorite book.

 

Was writing a book always your dream or did you want to become something else before?

 

I’ve been writing since middle school. My seventh grade English teacher was my conduit to the world of poetry and narratives. It was in her class that I truly began to appreciate the written word and writing craft. One assignment was the true catalyst to any internal belief I had regarding an inherent writing ability. We had read the short story, The Interlopers by Saki, and I had composed an essay based upon the theme of the narrative. The feedback I received compared my writing to the author of the story and that was it!

My teacher had engendered a positive self-fulfilling prophecy and I ran with it. From that point on, I truly began to think deeply about my writing. However, at this point in my journey being an author is a passion rather than a career. I sincerely hope that one day I’m able to spend my days writing!

 

Oh, it’s amazing that you had such a lively and encouraging teacher! I had a similar situation myself. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll try the huge step in writing a book myself one day. For now, it’s only unfinished beginnings and (very short) short stories.

But back to the interview and my last question: what are three books you think your readers would enjoy too?

 

I have an incredibly varied taste in books and am a classic re-reader of those works that pull me in and don’t want to let go. One of my favorite books, which I re-read every few years, is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. If you love a sprawling saga set hundreds of years ago, then check that one out! As for dystopian, I really love The Giver, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Hunger Games. One new release that I’m excited to delve into is The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Being a fan of Game of Thrones, I’m excited to jump into this story!

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Thank you for taking the time to answer (and you to read) all of my questions! I’m sorry if this interview was too long … I got a little excited ^^

If you wanna see more of Kristin Ward visit her on her corner of the internet!!

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