7 QUESTIONS WITH KRISTEN
Author
of the Month :: MARLEY GIBSON
How long and how hard did you work before you got published?
I’ve always “dabbled” with writing, including trying to write a teen romance when I was fifteen years old. But in 2001, after years of working in the dot.com world and traveling and planning events to the point where I was a major stress ball, I decided to downshift my career, take a stress relief class and either go to cooking school or write that novel I’d always talked about. I looked into cooking school and realized it would cost about $35K, I’d be on my feet for 12-14 hours a day, and I could plan on gaining at least fifty pounds. Ummm...no. Writing didn’t cost that! So, I took some cooking classes here and there and sat down to finally write my first novel. Seven years later, I have fifteen manuscripts under my belt, two published books, one additional book turned into my editor, and two more in the contract.
What do you like best about the writer's life?
I love creating characters, their back stories, their details and all the things that make them tick. I love how the characters come to life for me as 3-D people with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I also love my writing friends. They’re my touchstone, my support, my inspiration.
Have you always written young adult? How did you come to that genre?
No...I started out writing chick lit, as well as romance. I switched to YA in 2005 when a set of characters in my head—you know how it is!—wouldn’t stop talking to me. I do still write with a bit of a chick lit voice and I love to have romances in my YAs, so nothing is lost.
Who or what inspires you?
Quite frankly, my agent, Deidre Knight, inspires me. Not only does she believe in me and my writing, but she’s a super woman. She’s one of the best literary agents out there and she’s also the owner of her agency. She’s a wife, a mom, and a fellow writer and she just gets everything done. Anyone who wants to do something, yet comes up with excuses as to why they can’t find the time...well, they need to meet Deidre.
What are you reading right now?
I have three books on my bedside table: Suzanne Brockmann’s HOT TARGET, Stephanie Meyer’s ECLIPSE, and Karen Foley’s FLYBOY.
What advice would you offer to the unpublished writer?
It’s pretty simple: if you want to be a writer, don’t just talk about writing...do it. You can’t call yourself a writer if you don’t actually write.
What would people be most surprised to learn about you?
Wow! Don’t know how to answer that one. Maybe that I’m a lot older than I look and act? But a lady never tells her true age...right? :)
Learn more about MARLEY GIBSON by visiting...
http://www.marleygibson.com
