Tenners- Kristen Walker

The release date for A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL is Feb 4th.

1. What has been the most exciting part of getting published?
Getting that first phone call from my agent and signing my contract with Razorbill are moments I’ll never forget. Plus, I’m finally not an embarrassment to my kids!
Aw I'm sure you never were Kristen!

2. How long did it take you to get published?
It took the better part of ten years. But I had some babies in there as well, which soaked up a good amount of time. When I started, I knew very little about writing and nothing at all about publishing. I had a lot to learn before my work was good enough to sell, and that took a while.

3. Were you faced with rejection at first? How did you handle it?
Well, yes, at first. And at second. And at 203rd.

I’ve had hundreds of rejections. Some were easy to handle, and some really stung. If a rejection contained suggestions for improvement, I used it to work on my manuscript. If not, I generally pouted for a little while, and then stuck the rejection in a file and pushed onward.

4. Where did you get your ideas for this book?
I woke up from a dream with the original idea. That sounds cliché, but it’s true. I just wish I’d woken up with the whole book written and sitting on my bedside table. That would’ve been so much easier.
Sleep writing, sounds nice :)

5. What do you think or hope readers will gain from your novel?
I hope they get some laughs -- a little break from the real drama of being a teen today.
That would be oh so nice :)

6. When writing do you outline or just begin?
I just begin. Sometimes partway through I’ll sketch out a plot, but these tend to stink so I end up abandoning them.
Maybe you should have a chat with High School teachers :) Thats how I prefer to write but they think we should have big long outlines before we write a word!!!

7. What authors inspire you?
I get something from just about every author whose work I read. But when I think of inspirations, Anna Quindlen jumps to mind right away. She writes for the adult market, but I’ve always felt drawn to her work and to her personality on the written page.

8. Complete this: While writing this book I learned...
Patience. Stamina. And the awareness of my addiction to Starbursts. (Which I have absolutely no intention of giving up, so don’t even bother with the intervention. Unless you’re serving Starbursts there.)
Pink starbursts?? :)

9. Complete this: You should buy my novel because...
It’s low-cost and funny. Just like my fashion sense.

You all should check out A Match Made in High School :) I know I'm getting my own copy!