Swoontini Interview: KIERSTEN WHITE

Hello swoonies!

Welcome back! Oh, how we love you guys. NO REALLY. Even those of you who mock Lo’s love for certain candy treats. And you know what? Speaking of sweet things (SMOOTH TRANSITION FTW) we have KIERSTEN WHITE here today! Yes, yes we do. You all know her from such things as Twitter, and her fabulous books, and SDCC, and of course her general cuteness. So settle in and join the weekly Wednesday slumber party…

Lo& C: Well, hello there, pretty! Oh how we miss your face!
Kiersten White: I miss YOUR faces! Especially Lo’s, even though I have to crane my neck at a 90 degree angle to look at it.

PARANORMALCY was an instant fave because, as a Buffy fan, I love the kick-a**, smart-mouth chick protagonist. But also: there was Reth. If David Bowie called you tomorrow and said that he would travel back in time to 1980 and film himself in the role of Reth, would you be on board with this plan?

KW: You know what’s funny, I never once pictured Reth as David Bowie. Then one day we were putting our children through the requisite we-were-children-of-the-eighties-and-therefore-must-subject-our-own-offspring-to-the-terrifying-wonder-that-is-Labyrinth. David Bowie showed up on screen and my daughter said, “Who’s that?” Without a pause my husband said, “Reth.” And…it kinda works. So actually, yeah. Younger David Bowie as Reth. I’m good with that. Though his pants might kick us down a ratings notch for disturbing content. [Lo says, “And maybe the hair, too.”]

You write really fast. As in, you once wrote a book in nine days. Are you a pretty polished-up-front writer, or do you then take longer to revise?
Yeah, that nine day thing was funny. Funnier when I wrote an even longer one in seven days last month. Honestly, I’m not sure how those ones happen. A friend and I were talking the other day and she said, “I get emo when I edit, and you go manic when you draft.” Of course not to make light of genuine mental illnesses, but I do sort of go into this obsessive, super focused and energized zone. And then after I’m finished I crash pretty hard. (Another friend diagnosed me with Book Post-Partum Depression. Apparently I’m a bundle of writing-related psychological maladies.)

I think as I’ve gone along I’ve gotten better at drafting very solidly structured novels. PARANORMALCY was written in three weeks, but went through several months of revisions, including cutting 10k words. MIND GAMES, my nine-day novel out early 2013, is rather shockingly intact. Structurally there were no significant changes, just tweaks throughout.

Contrast this, however, with my Fall 2013 book about a girl named Isadora that took me eighteen months and five false starts to finally complete. So, yeah. Sometimes it’s magic and FAST. Sometime’s it’s not. I think they all read about the same in the end, which is both maddening and comforting.

I have always felt like my very best work—the best lines, the best scenes—comes out in my first drafts, though.

Will it feel weird, do you think, to see ENDLESSLY on the shelves and know that it’s the last of that series? Would you ever consider writing a prequel novella or posting short drabbles?
It WILL feel weird. It already feels weird. I’ve written three novels post-Evie now, and it’s a strange and kind of melancholy feeling. When I wrote the last line in ENDLESSLY I sat there and cried. I was glad to be done—I had told her story exactly the way I wanted to—but I was also very sad to be leaving her behind as a narrative voice forever.

I’m very much a The Story Is DONE When It Is Done sort of person. I started it where it was supposed to start, and I ended it where it was supposed to end, and writing shorts within the world feels false to me somehow, almost like writing fanfiction of my own work, if that makes sense. (Which isn’t a slight against fanfic—I think fanfic is awesome. I just don’t want to write it about my own characters.)

*Lo looks at C* I think when she says that FanFiction is awesome, she means this and this and OH LOOK ESPECIALLY THIS. Aaaaanyway! Tell us about teenage Kiersten. What made her swoon & girl-cheer, and what books that are out now would she have loved?
Oh gosh. I can’t tell you how much I wish Teen Kiersten had had access to the YA shelves that exist now. I read mostly epic fantasy, and then I stopped reading anything but books I thought would make me more intelligent to have read. (Yes, seventeen-year-old Kiersten, you DID make it through Faulkner’s LIGHT IN AUGUST. BUT DID YOU UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Besides, you only read it because your older sister couldn’t make it through and you wanted to prove you were smarter than her.) (This did not actually prove it.)

Pretty much Teen Kiersten was a bundle of emotions too big for both her tiny frame and her lack of years. She wanted everything to mean more and be more serious and feel more than it did (or should have) at that age. She liked ALL OF THE BOYS, but ALL OF THE BOYS were kind of intimidated by her.

She would have loved swoony romantic comedies like Stephanie Perkins’ books, and I think she would have been all over darker stuff like Nova Ren Suma’s IMAGINARY GIRLS and AS King’s, PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. She would have bawled her eyes out over THE BOOK THIEF (oh who am I kidding, Adult Kiersten did that). Also she would have been a hardcore Nerdfighter.

And then when no one was looking she would have re-read TWILIGHT eleventy-billion times. (<–do we seriously need to link this??)

WEIRD BLIP IN THE MATRIX: Which author would you love to see re-write their own version of PARANORMALCY?
Oh gosh, what a question. You know, I would love to see what really uniquely voicey authors would do with it. Imagine a wry, droll Neil Gaiman take with perfectly succinct lines better than I can write in a whole book. Or a Laini Taylor treatment with description that makes magic feel real and real feel magic. Or a Holly Black rewrite with her particular flair for dark impossible choices.

Such a fun thing to think about, because I’ve always felt like the reason PARANORMALCY works is because it’s so heavy in my voice. I’d love to see how another author would tell the same story.

I saw this question on Lenore Appelhans’ site and thought it was brilliant: which book character would be Evie’s best friend? [This question was asked to a writer friend of mine about her MC, and the first character I thought to ask that about was Evie because I’d be so interested to see who she’d really click with out there in the fiction world.]
My editor once told me she daydreamed about Etienne St. Clair from ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS having a conversation with Lend. Which, ADORABLE, RIGHT? I heart my editor hardcore. But for Evie, Rachel Hawkins and I have joked that she would totally sit at the same lunch table as HEX HALL’s Sophie.

Cool as Katniss is, I think she’d kill Evie pretty quick. But probably feel bad about it. Bella would be super pissed when Evie bagged and tagged Edward. Harry would be like, “Yes, obviously supernatural creatures exist and I’m sorry but I don’t watch any television and don’t know who this Landon you’re going on about is. I’ve got to study for potions or something.”

Sophie is just right, I think. And bonus, Sophie comes with a pink-obsessed vampire best friend already, so she’d be totally prepped for Evie.

Super extra bonus for going TEAM ROOT on that answer!! *high fives*
Quickfires:

Buttered popcorn Jelly Bellys: yes or no?
Abominations. Pear are the only way to go.
(Lo is LOLLING right now because that is literally the one flavor SHE WILL NOT EAT.)

Favorite writing snack?
Dr Pepper and popcorn. Actual popcorn, not jelly bean imitations.

*Lo glares* It’s a good thing you’re so cute. Favorite outdoor activity?
Sitting on my balcony writing. Does that count? I also like reading at the beach. You can tell I’m very athletic.

Best Halloween costume you’ve ever seen:
This: [Kiersten’s sister and brother in law as Bellatrix and Voldemort, respectively]

Oh. My. GOSH THAT IS AMAZING! Your family officially wins Halloween.

Favorite thing anyone has ever said about one of your books:
My son, describing PARANORMALCY: “It’s a rectangle.” CAN’T SAY THAT ABOUT EVERY BOOK, NOW, CAN YOU…wait.

OH HEE! Best. Aw Kiersten, thanks for stopping by! WE LOVE YOU! We’ll see you in San Diego this summer, cutestuff!
MWAH!

OK, honestly. Just TRY to tell us that she is not one of the sweetest, best interviews ever. We love that girl, and although I’ve literally tried to put her in my pocket, SHE ALWAYS CRAWLS OUT! Send her some love in the comments because, yes you guessed it, we are giving away a copy of the Kiersten White book of your choice! We just love sharing books you guys, get used to it.

About the author: Kiersten White is the NYT Bestselling author of Paranormalcy.  She has one tall husband and two small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal.  This abundance of normal led her to a fascination with all things paranormal, including but not limited to vampires, faeries, and pop culture.

 

HIGH FIVES AND HEART KITES!
Lo &PQ