Interview with Kailin Gow, author of Loving Summer

So guys, today I've got an interview with Kailin Gow, the author of Loving Summer, and the Frost series, and probably a lot of books that you've heard of. Anyways, I'm excited. :)As you probably (maybe) remember, I participated in the blog tour for Loving Summer, (this actually still a part of the blog tour) and I reviewed the book. You can read my review here.




Tell us a little bit about yourself, Miss Kailin.
Now where do I start? How about this?  Once upon a time, there was this little girl who had a dream that one day she would be able to share the stories that she heard forming out of her head, and the visions she would see so clearly of knights and ladies, as well as kingdoms where fairy tales would come alive. So she told these stories to her "audience" - Mr. Care Bear (yikes I had one of these), a Barbie with her hair nearly completely pulled out, and her petite dog name Michelle, a fitting name for a french poodle.  As she grew into a teenager, she eventually learned to write down these stories in a spiral notebook. Hand-written and completely unstructured writing. Stories about school, friendships, pimples, zits, rebellion, poetry, music, clothes, hair, John Hughes, movies, dancing, and boys. Little did she know, these stories would be some of the ones she would go back to in order to refresh her memories of what it was like be 13, 14, or even 17. 

Fast Forward to present day.  This little girl grew to become a woman and a wife and mother with a lot of experiences and stories to tell.  If you haven't guessed, this woman is... my sister.  No, just kidding.  It's me. 

When did you decide you wanted to be an author, and why?When I was about 7 years old and was reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.  S.E. Hinton was only 15 when she wrote The Outsiders, and that inspired me to want to become one someday.    What inspires you to write the most?
I'm driven by the passion for communicating a story. Most of my series begin with either a very strong vision I have in my head of a character itching for their story to be told (as in the Frost Series...it started with a vision of a character so clear in my mind with a strong voice that can't wait to get out) or it stems from a personal experience either through living the experience myself or through someone I know (Saving You Saving Me was inspired by one of my roommate's romantic experience with an older guy who was much more worldly than she was, while I had worked as a peer adviser to young women on women's issues before during college). 

What inspired me to write the most is the sense that I write books not just to provide some kind of entertainment, but hopefully, to either get people to think, be inspired, or to get some kind of positive message from the books so they can use it as a resource to help them when they need or want it.  Believe it or not, the absolute motivation for me to write and do the things that I do, is that I do care about people.  For instance, the Saving You Saving Me Project.  It's a project that is intended to help teens and young adults with issues like bullying, suicide, body image, abuse, and more.  It takes a lot of time and expense putting together a community site for something like Saving You Saving Me.  If it was for promoting the book, there are other ways that are more effective and less time-consuming than putting together a large community long-term project like the Saving You Saving Me Project lol!  It's almost crazy that I'm doing this project on top of writing books and other commitments that I have.  I've been known to be driven by this need to be doing something good... volunteering to build houses in Mexico for instance, which I did one summer, and going to Thailand to help bring toys and medical supplies to orphanages, which I did another summer.     I've noticed that many authors have 'book playlists' or 'writing jams'. Do you?
Yes, I have playlists for every book series.  Loving Summer's playlist is here:  http://pl.st/p/23275304459

Do you get writer's block? If you do, what helps you get rid of it?
Yes, um, you know, um, what was I saying?  Oh yeah, I do get blocked sometimes.  It happens, and that's because I had too much going on in my mind and I couldn't concentrate, etc.  So to help me push through that block, I take a break from writing and don't even think about it, and go do something else.  This clears the head and helps the creativity flow.  At other times, I find that when I push myself to write within a certain time period (i.e. a tight deadline), I have no time for a block and no opportunity for a block to happen.  The ideas flow nonstop when I'm under pressure, too.  You have to experiment with your own work style to find what works best for you.  Some people thrive on pressure (like me) while other people need total relaxation to feel the flow.
 

If you could use one word to describe yourself, what would it be?
HAPPY.   Happiness is a choice, and I choose to be happy.  There's a personal story here which I hope to share in a few months, but let's just say I've been given a second chance in life, and I'm happy to be alive.

Do you have a favorite character that you've written, or do you love them all equally?
You totally get me!  I can't choose or that would be like choosing one child over another lol!  I love them all, and I see them all with all their personalities, their past, present, and future.  Even the villains have some redeeming humanistic quality in them. 

What is one way that your similar to your character, Summer?
I grew up in Southern California and I did spend summers with a family consisting of two brothers and a sister. 

What is one way that your different?
I'm not tall or willowy like Summer ha ha. 

If only one of your books ever got published, which one would you want it to be?
Currently my books are published by theEDGEbooks.com, an imprint of Sparklesoup Inc, a mid-size publisher, but if you mean being published by a Big 6 Publisher, I probably might consider it, but it would be something new. 

Do you have a favorite author/book?
C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Favorite color?
I wear black a lot, but in general, my favorite color is red for boldness, life, and female strength.

What's the worst criticism you've ever received as an author?
I've been called the c-word, had racist statements made, and had false accusations made in reviews just because someone didn't like my book or that they were a fan of an author they thought whose books competed against mine.  The truth is, there are plenty of readers out there and there is no need for authors or fans of authors to do this.  When most of our goals is to get more people to read, we shouldn't be bashing authors and their work purely on a personal basis.  So, yes, the worst criticism is from people who seem to take the book and the whole business about reading, too seriously and personally.   I think in those circumstances, a criticism that attacks an author personally, reflects badly on the critic instead of the person they're attacking. 

What's the best compliment that you've received as an author?
That my books helped them with their personal life.

Are there more books in your future?
Definitely!  I can't stop because writing stories is like breathing for me.  It's my passion, and I'm doing this because I absolutely love it.

And last, but not least, what is the one thing that you want all of your readers, (and future readers) to know about you?
That I'd love to hear from them, especially if they love a particular series or character.  I really do listen and it can help me decide on future books or plotlines, too. 

Thank you for having me! 

So, guys, do you have any questions for Kailin? Post them here, maybe we can get some answers. I can't believe that somebody would say things that awful about someone, can you? Thank you for coming, Kailin!