Author Interview: Kristi Strong
Can you tell us a little bit about your books?
I
have one stand-alone series (all the books tie together, but can be
read individually or out of order) which are NA but older YA appropriate
(I suggest 16 up) and 1 YA contemporary. The overwhelming theme that is
found in my books is to challenge destiny, pushing against what society
thinks you should become because of your family or your past and really
striving to create the future, and the world, that you want.
In
the Land of Kaldalangra series, you are introduced to Rhea, a woman
from Virginia who is kidnapped and taken to the realm of Kaldalangra, a
place where lost objects from our world tend to turn up. This land is
ruled by a King who hates everything and everyone who doesn't give him
pleasure, and is filled with mysteries, secrets, and people who are not
who they seem to be.
Finding
Keepers tells the story of 16-year-old Alyssa Doe, a girl who entered
the foster care system at age ten, when her mother dropped her off at
school and then never came back. She is now placed with her newest
"keeper", and can't help but wonder when the ball is going to drop,
because why on earth would a twenty-five year old want to adopt a
teenager? She doesn't know that her newest guardian has her own secrets,
and her own reasons for taking in a girl who has all but given up on
her future.
Do you remember the title of the first story you wrote?
I
believe it was "The Magic Vegetable Garden". It was about, wait for it,
a vegetable garden that was magic. I wrote it in 4th grade and it was
all about a vegetable garden that came alive at night.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I
usually only get to write during my lunch break and on the rare day off
when the kiddo is in preschool, so I usually jot down plot ideas,
dialogue lines, and sentences of books in a notebook whenever
inspiration strikes, then feverishly get it down in type when I have the
rare chance. When that happens, it's typically with me in jeans and my
JMU sweater, hair in a pony tail, snacks and drinks on my desk, and some
inspirational music in the background.
Where do you find inspiration?
I
like to think about the "whats" and "whys" of people. What is their
deeper story, why do they act the way they do? Finding Keepers was
supposed to just be a one paragraph backstory for a NA novel that I was
working on which quickly took on a life of its own and turned into the
YA novel. When I starting writing The Lady of Steinbrekka, the
characters had completely different roles, but when I started looking
into "why" they might be motivated to do what they were doing, the story
took a different direction. People are so rarely showing all of who
they are to the world, and I love the deeper stories!
What have you learned about publishing that you didn’t know about when you first started writing?
That
it's just as much about you as an author as it is about the books,
especially if you are self-publishing. My first year, I didn't treat it
as a professional. I enjoyed my books but never imagined it would turn
into a career, or that others outside of my family would read them. Then
The Lady of Steinbrekka was picked up by a high school to be used
during a book competition, and suddenly I had a school district
purchasing copies of my book and featuring it! I went from having my
grandpa telling me he liked my book, to teenagers I had never met
emailing me to ask if I could come speak with their class and purchasing
the rest of the series. I'm going on year 4 of being self-published
now, and finally working on branding "me", instead of only focusing on
my books, something I wish I had realized much earlier.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
My
other creative outlet is to crochet, and I love to make all sorts of
things, from blankets and hats to stuffed animals or the roses that I
brought to Utopya2015. I also have a full-time job and a family, so
between work, laundry, dinner, playtime, bedtime, etc. there's quite a
bit going on!
Can you tell us about your future projects?
Right
now I'm working on the NA/Adult companion novel to Finding Keepers.
It's actually the original book which started Alyssa's story, except it
is now almost completely different than the first concept. It has turned
from a story of falling to pieces and being strong despite being alone,
to a story about falling to pieces and trusting the people who love you
to help put you back together. Alyssa, Caleb, and Brianna are back and
better than ever.
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