Tenners

Today Kimberly Derting is here for an interview. If you have a book coming out in 2010 (even if its your 10th) please email me! I would love to interview you!

1. What has been the most exciting part of getting published?
Since The Body Finder is my first book, almost everything is exciting…getting “the call” that it was going to be published, seeing my cover for the first time, holding my ARCs! But, for me (and probably most writers), the biggest thrill is knowing that my book is going to be in the hands of real life readers. And not just the readers in my head…

2. How long did it take you to get published?
That’s a trick question. Technically, I’ve been writing since I was about twenty (I even had an agent back in the day), so I could say for, like *ehem* forever. But it wasn’t that long for The Body Finder. I decided several years ago that I was going to get serious (really serious) about writing again, and everything happened pretty quickly after that. I wrote the last words of The Body Finder, found my agent, and had my first offer all within the span of about two and a half months. By publishing standards, that’s a whirlwind!

3. Were you faced with rejection at first? How did you handle it?
Definitely! Like I said, I had an agent when I was younger for a horror novel I’d written. But I didn’t give up. When that agent couldn’t sell it, I tried and tried again, only to be rejected over and over. And that horror novel, let’s just chalk it up to good practice. For writing and for rejections.

4. Where did you get your ideas for this book?
The idea for The Body Finder actually came from my husband, who’s always throwing around random ideas, and one day he just looked at me while we were driving and said: “What if there was this person who could find dead bodies?” Of course, in his head it was a middle grade boy, but by the time we got home I was practically racing through the front door to jot down notes. That was how my main character Violet (and her creepy ability) was born.

5. What do you think or hope readers will gain from your novel?
What I really want? For readers to have fun. I want them to have a hard time putting my book down, to be scared when the characters are scared, and to be caught up in the love story. Deep, no. But honest, yes.

6. When writing do you outline or just begin?
I’m not an outliner. Mostly I just open whatever document I’m working on and go for it. But even though I don’t have a true outline, I do have a very distinct idea where I’m headed with the story. I may have even written parts of it down (in not-too-many words) I just don’t always know exactly how I’m going to get there. That’s what revisions are for, to clean up my first draft mess.

7. What authors inspire you?
I have to say there are SO MANY authors who inspire me, but I definitely have some all-time faves! Books like To Kill A Mockingbird (which everyone says, but it’s true!), The Shining (which is the complete opposite of TKAM, but I’m a rabid Stephen King fan), The Kite Runner (because I cried), Night by Elie Weisel (because I was appalled) and The Golden Compass (because Philip Pulman created such an amazing world). I’m a really eclectic reader; I like a whole lot of everything…if you pushed me I could even spout off some great historical romances!!!

8. Complete this: While writing this book I learned...
…that a writer should be in love with their story! The Body Finder, for me, was a crazy obsession. I loved my characters, I loved Violet’s ability, I even loved the setting. I was positively giddy. That’s important after you’ve edited, read, and re-read it, like, 500 times…and hopefully you still love it!

9. Complete this: You should buy my novel because...
…I put my heart and soul into it. And I hope that comes through on the pages!