| Interview with K.C. Oliver |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My
name is Jen, and I will be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time
out of your writing schedule—which I am 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?
I have been writing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago that I really
thought about making a go of it as a career. My next goal—to be a full-time author with no other day job.
Now that would be sweet.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I was real lucky when I came across Echelon Press, who at the time, was looking to begin a brand new
young adult line. Pretty Pretty was one of the first young adult books at Echelon Press. Now, Echelon has
many great young adult authors!
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 be?
Pretty Pretty is a young adult thriller about two best friends who think they have landed summer jobs of a
lifetime at a hotel in Hawaii. But, they soon discover that dark secrets haunt the hotel, and as they begin to
uncover the truth, someone or something will stop at nothing to make sure that the only place the friends
will be taking any secrets…is to their graves!
If I could tell you only one thing to convince you to buy the book it would be this:
After reading Pretty Pretty…you will want to sleep with the lights on…
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
From the moment I first read a Nancy Drew mystery, I was hooked on mysteries. Then my niece, Tara,
introduced me to the R.L. Stine, Fear Street series, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to write
stories that combined the mystery of Carolyn Keene books and the spookiness of R.L. Stine stories. And
the rest, as they say, is history.
Let’s hear about your family, who I am sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My family loves that I am a published author! It gives them bragging rights. My family consists of my
husband, Mick; my 14 year old son, Joshua; and my 10 year old daughter, Kara. Oh, and I can’t forget my
very own wacky feline, Xena, who is the inspiration behind Buttons, the crazy cat in Pretty Pretty.
Then, there is my mom, RuthAnn, who is so proud of me that she will stop people on the street and sell
them my book. LOL. She has sold tons of books with the line, “My daughter is a famous author!”
Apparently it’s a great icebreaker.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Ice Cream! Yum!!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Open my eyes;
Groan;
Hit the snooze button.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Trust me…you don’t wanna go looking into my closet/attic/basement. I don’t even venture into them…it’s
too scary….
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?
Either black or red, because both colors can inspire a sense of eeriness; and I live for spookiness!
What is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I love the characters of the show 6teen. I watch the show with my kids. It busts me up.
I have to say Nikki is most like me (minus all the piercings). She has sharp wit like me.
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 really like the here and now. I love today’s young adults with their sense of humor and fun attitudes. They
make great characters for my stories. But, if you still wanted to beam me somewhere, I live in Canada and
our winters are long and cold, so beaming me somewhere sunny and hot would be great!!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artist? Do you listen to music while
you write?
I listen to the same music that my kids do.
Some of my fave artists are Nickelback, Inxs, Pink, Gwen Stefani, James Blunt and many others; all the
latest hits on the radio.
I definitely listen to music when I write; it puts me in a creative mood.
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 the CSI series (all of them). And I am compelled to watch Survivor and Amazing Race, though the
people on them usually make me crazy!
I wish I had time to watch movies over and over. But, if I did, I would watch movies like Aliens, the
Terminator movies, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter movies, etc. I love action movies.
The last movie I saw in the theater was Poseidon. It was really good!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
When I autograph my books, I always put in the phrase: “Always dare to dream.” That phrase comes
directly from the heart, and I gladly pass that piece of advice on to all teen readers. If you can dream it,
you can do it!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I am presently working on the second book in the Quinn and Holly series, called Sleep, My Pretty. Yup, the
word Pretty seems to be popping up in the titles of this series…maybe it’s a trend.
In Sleep, My Pretty, Quinn and Holly find themselves literally in the clutches of a nightmare that has found
a way to bridge into reality, and if Quinn and Holly can’t find a way to escape, they will be trapped inside
the nightmare forever.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Be sure to visit my website for all the latest news! kc-oliver.tripod.com
name is Jen, and I will be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time
out of your writing schedule—which I am 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?
I have been writing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago that I really
thought about making a go of it as a career. My next goal—to be a full-time author with no other day job.
Now that would be sweet.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I was real lucky when I came across Echelon Press, who at the time, was looking to begin a brand new
young adult line. Pretty Pretty was one of the first young adult books at Echelon Press. Now, Echelon has
many great young adult authors!
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 be?
Pretty Pretty is a young adult thriller about two best friends who think they have landed summer jobs of a
lifetime at a hotel in Hawaii. But, they soon discover that dark secrets haunt the hotel, and as they begin to
uncover the truth, someone or something will stop at nothing to make sure that the only place the friends
will be taking any secrets…is to their graves!
If I could tell you only one thing to convince you to buy the book it would be this:
After reading Pretty Pretty…you will want to sleep with the lights on…
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
From the moment I first read a Nancy Drew mystery, I was hooked on mysteries. Then my niece, Tara,
introduced me to the R.L. Stine, Fear Street series, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to write
stories that combined the mystery of Carolyn Keene books and the spookiness of R.L. Stine stories. And
the rest, as they say, is history.
Let’s hear about your family, who I am sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My family loves that I am a published author! It gives them bragging rights. My family consists of my
husband, Mick; my 14 year old son, Joshua; and my 10 year old daughter, Kara. Oh, and I can’t forget my
very own wacky feline, Xena, who is the inspiration behind Buttons, the crazy cat in Pretty Pretty.
Then, there is my mom, RuthAnn, who is so proud of me that she will stop people on the street and sell
them my book. LOL. She has sold tons of books with the line, “My daughter is a famous author!”
Apparently it’s a great icebreaker.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Ice Cream! Yum!!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Open my eyes;
Groan;
Hit the snooze button.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Trust me…you don’t wanna go looking into my closet/attic/basement. I don’t even venture into them…it’s
too scary….
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?
Either black or red, because both colors can inspire a sense of eeriness; and I live for spookiness!
What is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I love the characters of the show 6teen. I watch the show with my kids. It busts me up.
I have to say Nikki is most like me (minus all the piercings). She has sharp wit like me.
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 really like the here and now. I love today’s young adults with their sense of humor and fun attitudes. They
make great characters for my stories. But, if you still wanted to beam me somewhere, I live in Canada and
our winters are long and cold, so beaming me somewhere sunny and hot would be great!!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artist? Do you listen to music while
you write?
I listen to the same music that my kids do.
Some of my fave artists are Nickelback, Inxs, Pink, Gwen Stefani, James Blunt and many others; all the
latest hits on the radio.
I definitely listen to music when I write; it puts me in a creative mood.
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 the CSI series (all of them). And I am compelled to watch Survivor and Amazing Race, though the
people on them usually make me crazy!
I wish I had time to watch movies over and over. But, if I did, I would watch movies like Aliens, the
Terminator movies, War of the Worlds, Harry Potter movies, etc. I love action movies.
The last movie I saw in the theater was Poseidon. It was really good!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
When I autograph my books, I always put in the phrase: “Always dare to dream.” That phrase comes
directly from the heart, and I gladly pass that piece of advice on to all teen readers. If you can dream it,
you can do it!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I am presently working on the second book in the Quinn and Holly series, called Sleep, My Pretty. Yup, the
word Pretty seems to be popping up in the titles of this series…maybe it’s a trend.
In Sleep, My Pretty, Quinn and Holly find themselves literally in the clutches of a nightmare that has found
a way to bridge into reality, and if Quinn and Holly can’t find a way to escape, they will be trapped inside
the nightmare forever.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Be sure to visit my website for all the latest news! kc-oliver.tripod.com
| Visit Ms. Oliver's Website |