| Interview with Kim Baccellia |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out
of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
Since the day I was in the fifth grade. I loved making up stories and it didn’t hurt that my teachers raved
about them, too. One of my funniest experiences was writing a horoscope column in middle school.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
After many years of teaching, I decided to enroll in a creative writing class held at the local university. I was
hooked. I took some more classes and started sending out poetry to journals and magazines. Then I sent
out some of my essays. When one of my essays was published in a national magazine I was very excited!
My principal at the time made copies for all the staff of my school. I wanted more!
I quit my teaching job and wrote full-time. After a year, I finished EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA. It took another
year to complete revisions. I sent my novel out and kept getting rejections. Later, the rejections became
more encouraging. One editor even called and gave me some suggestions to tighten my story. Then after
numerous rejections, I got an e-mail offering me a contract. I did my homework on the publisher and then
accepted.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA is a fast-paced fantasy featuring a young Latina who discovers ancient traditions
in her family history that propel her to a magical civilization, where she struggles against evil forces that
threaten her family, her heart, and her life.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Oh, this is hard! There’s been so many! I named Lupe’s grandmother after my own great-grandmother,
Cipriana Acuna. She was a real inspiration to me, especially when I was searching into my own Mexican
roots.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Well, I come from a large family of nine kids. My mom has just remarried, so I now have two more sisters and
a great step-dad!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Ohmigosh. Hands down it’s chocolate. Dark chocolate. Peppermint patties. Starbucks peppermint-mocha
soy lattes. But Godiva dark chocolate is my all time fav.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I get up and check my e-mail and website. Then I write. My muse is a morning chick.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
I love to collect dolls. I have the original Princess Di porcelain doll and the newspaper announcement of her
tragic death.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Red. It’s vibrant, hot, and passionate.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
SpongeBob Squarepants. I love his optimism.
I would say I’m more like Maya in Maya and Miguel. I have a tendency to be impulsive at times and I have a
gift of gab. I talk as fast as her, too.
I’d love to be like Anya, the super Latina chick with spider powers.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
I’d love to go back to medieval times, though I don’t think that was a great time for women. The 1700’s would
be fun. The pirates, glamour, and excess of some of those French kings would be fun to experience, as
long as I wasn’t a peasant, that is.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I always listen to the music that helps me get into the head of my character. For my latest novel, I’m listening
to Christian rock, 80’s pop, and current hits. When writing EARRINGS, I listened to Shakira, Santana, and
other bandas. I also listened to this one CD of jungle sounds to get a better feel of being in the rain forest.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you
saw at the theater?
I love anything paranormal. GHOST WHISPERER, MEDIUM, SUPERNATURAL, HEROES, LOST, just to
name a few.
My favorite series of all time has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was into this show when others dismissed
it.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be true to yourself. Don’t let others dictate what you need to do.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
My latest YA paranormal. I’ll give you a tidbit of this story.
Helping the dead to the other side sure sucks sometimes.
I’m almost done and plan on sending it out this coming January. I already have some publishers and editors
expressing interest.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you! It’s been fun!
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out
of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
Since the day I was in the fifth grade. I loved making up stories and it didn’t hurt that my teachers raved
about them, too. One of my funniest experiences was writing a horoscope column in middle school.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
After many years of teaching, I decided to enroll in a creative writing class held at the local university. I was
hooked. I took some more classes and started sending out poetry to journals and magazines. Then I sent
out some of my essays. When one of my essays was published in a national magazine I was very excited!
My principal at the time made copies for all the staff of my school. I wanted more!
I quit my teaching job and wrote full-time. After a year, I finished EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA. It took another
year to complete revisions. I sent my novel out and kept getting rejections. Later, the rejections became
more encouraging. One editor even called and gave me some suggestions to tighten my story. Then after
numerous rejections, I got an e-mail offering me a contract. I did my homework on the publisher and then
accepted.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA is a fast-paced fantasy featuring a young Latina who discovers ancient traditions
in her family history that propel her to a magical civilization, where she struggles against evil forces that
threaten her family, her heart, and her life.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Oh, this is hard! There’s been so many! I named Lupe’s grandmother after my own great-grandmother,
Cipriana Acuna. She was a real inspiration to me, especially when I was searching into my own Mexican
roots.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Well, I come from a large family of nine kids. My mom has just remarried, so I now have two more sisters and
a great step-dad!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Ohmigosh. Hands down it’s chocolate. Dark chocolate. Peppermint patties. Starbucks peppermint-mocha
soy lattes. But Godiva dark chocolate is my all time fav.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I get up and check my e-mail and website. Then I write. My muse is a morning chick.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
I love to collect dolls. I have the original Princess Di porcelain doll and the newspaper announcement of her
tragic death.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Red. It’s vibrant, hot, and passionate.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
SpongeBob Squarepants. I love his optimism.
I would say I’m more like Maya in Maya and Miguel. I have a tendency to be impulsive at times and I have a
gift of gab. I talk as fast as her, too.
I’d love to be like Anya, the super Latina chick with spider powers.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
I’d love to go back to medieval times, though I don’t think that was a great time for women. The 1700’s would
be fun. The pirates, glamour, and excess of some of those French kings would be fun to experience, as
long as I wasn’t a peasant, that is.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I always listen to the music that helps me get into the head of my character. For my latest novel, I’m listening
to Christian rock, 80’s pop, and current hits. When writing EARRINGS, I listened to Shakira, Santana, and
other bandas. I also listened to this one CD of jungle sounds to get a better feel of being in the rain forest.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you
saw at the theater?
I love anything paranormal. GHOST WHISPERER, MEDIUM, SUPERNATURAL, HEROES, LOST, just to
name a few.
My favorite series of all time has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was into this show when others dismissed
it.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be true to yourself. Don’t let others dictate what you need to do.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
My latest YA paranormal. I’ll give you a tidbit of this story.
Helping the dead to the other side sure sucks sometimes.
I’m almost done and plan on sending it out this coming January. I already have some publishers and editors
expressing interest.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you! It’s been fun!
