When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? The moment I first learned that it was an actual job that I could have someday. I was probably about six or seven. I’ve always been reading and making up stories of my own.
Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
Sometimes. I listen to music and read some of what I wrote the day before. Sometimes I outline or mentally rehearse what’s going to happen in the scenes I’m about to write. And sometimes I just give myself a stern talking to about how I can’t procrastinate any longer. It depends on the day (and the book I’m working on).
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
My ideas just come to me. Sometimes I wish I could turn the “idea flow” off at will, because it gets distracting when I’m trying to focus on just one at a time. Character inspiration comes from all sorts of places—favorite books and movies, people I know, people I don’t know who catch my eye in a public place, dreams.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I like to read, garden, play video games, watch TV, and play the piano. I also spent way too much time playing around on the internet.
What books have most influenced your life?
Fiction-wise, books by Madeleine L’Engle, Robin McKinley, Elizabeth George Speare, Ann Rinaldi, Megan Whalen Turner, and Lois Lowry. A lot of fantasy, a lot of historical fiction, a lot of YA. Mostly older stuff from the 80s and 90s, I suppose, because that’s when I was growing up. I was particularly moved by The Giver, Ella Enchanted, The Blue Sword, A Wrinkle in Time, etc. I’ve also been deeply moved by more literary titles like The Poisonwood Bible and The Color Purple—those had a big impact on me personally.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kate Avery Ellison loves long walks, late night phone calls, and reading while it rains. She thinks ice cream cake is the perfect combination and she has a love/hate relationship with the sultry climate of her hometown, Atlanta. FROST, her third book, is a YA fantasy/dystopian tale of love, sacrifice, and suspense.
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About the Book
In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person might end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing weather and threat of monster attacks, or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and treachery just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest, a young man from beyond the Frost named Gabe, Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.She saves his life.
Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in serious trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel, and her village has nothing to do with them. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.
But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle her farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but each move she makes puts her in greater danger. Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?
Great interview. I was influenced by a lot of the same books when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover. I love that you give yourself a stern talking to. I need to give my self those daily but i always wait until tomorrow to do it. I love many of the same books as you. Thank you LaToya for this great interview.
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