Kimberly Derting's latest book, Desires of the Dead, was just released. It is a sequel to The Body Finder (I'm currently reading The Body Finder and LOVING it!). Here's a bit about it, if you haven't heard of it yet:
The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.
As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.
Now on with the interview! Welcome, Kimberly Derting to The O.W.L.!
I like to ask authors questions that my students always want to know the answer to, so they are from them.
1. Where did the idea for this series come from?
Oh boy, here we go….my husband loves this question! He will jokingly (I think!) say that he is “the wind beneath my wings” or even my “co-author” all because he was the one who first said: “What if there was a kid who could find dead bodies?” Of course, what he conveniently forgets is that his idea was for a middle-grade boy adventure. Oh, and that I’m the one who actually wrote the book!
2. Have you always written? When you were younger did you write a lot?
When I was really young, I used to write stories about winged horses that lived in these elaborate cities in the clouds. But it wasn’t until I took 7th grade journalism that I realized I wanted to be a writer.
And here we are, just a couple decades later.
3. How did you do in school? Was English your best subject?
Honestly, no. I was good at English, but I wasn’t really a great student in high school. I did best in classes that had real-world deadlines, like journalism and yearbook. Other than that, I was really good at writing notes to my friends…or what kids today call “texting.”
4. How long did it take you to write this book (or any book)? How much revision do you have to do?
Generally it takes me about 4 months to write a good solid first draft and get the stamp of approval from my agent. And then there are several months of revising with my editor (which involves a lot of back-and-forth) until it’s in good enough shape for readers. And thank goodness for agents and editors, that’s all I can say!
5. What are some of your favorite authors now and when you were younger?
When I was younger I read Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird), John Saul (who writes these really good ghost stories), Thomas Harris (the Hannibal Lector books), and anything by Stephen King.
Now, I love SO MANY authors: Melissa Marr, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, Cassandra Clare, Kelley Armstrong, Alyson Noel, Becca Fitzpatrick, Carrie Ryan…and probably a zillion others!!!
6. And this one is because it's The OWL - Whooooo is your inspiration when it comes to writing and why?
Stephen King was a huge inspiration for becoming a writer. When I was younger, I LOVED the way he would scare the heck out of me!
Thank you Kimberly for sharing your answers! Now for a few more goodies.
If you'd like to read a chapter in Desires of the Dead click HERE!
And here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.
And here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.
Good interview! I can't wait to read this book!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. I can't believe Kim writes a book in 4 months. How impressive. I'm a little over halfway into the book and it is so good!
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