Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm a recently divorced mother of three in my early 30s. I work for a software company so I'm a bit of a nerd. In my free time I love to read, write and play with my kids. I enjoy encouraging them to find their creative sides. We like to go on adventures. We hike, camp, visit museums, take ferrys and road trips.
When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. One of my fondest childhood memories is of my mother in her rocking chair outside my bedroom door, reading aloud to my brothers and me. Her soft voice and the magical words would lull me off to dream land. In elementary school, I went through most the books in the library. I still remember the excitement of getting to move to the main library where the "big kid" books were. In elementary and middle school, I often stayed up late, straining my eyes to read by the light of my alarm clock. When I reached high school, I many times used the excuse of "a big report due tomorrow" to stay up and finish a book. I even recall a few times when I'd glance at my clock and realize in horror that I'd read the whole night away and I had to be up for school in a few short hours.
What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite genre was discovered while working on the critical care unit at a hospital. I worked the evening shift and it often got really boring. One night on break I went down to the hospital gift shop and found the newly released Silent Treatment by Michael Palmer. The book enthralled me and I was amused at the irony of finding such a terrifying medical thriller in the hospital gift shop. I would happily pick up anything by David Baldacci. Recently I've also discovered I enjoy the works of Tom Clancy. I tried to read them before and couldn't get into them. I guess I just needed to be in a different place in life to enjoy them.
What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
Fiction lets you be anyone, imagine anything. It's a wonderful escape from reality. I love how I can picture the world as it unfolds in the book. I also like how if something is scary or offensive I can just skip a paragraph or two.
Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
I hate it when characters don't grow. In my opinion, you can only get away with that on The Simpsons, not with books. If ten books later, your character is still the same ditsy girl she was in book one, I'm going to lose interest. I also get frustrated with inconsistency. If I remember that back in book two Janie Jones was Irish, she certainly shouldn't show up as an African-American in book seven.
Do you write fiction yourself?
I would say I dabble. I love to write and you can find some shorts I've written on my blog. I have a novel in progress. Someday I may become more serious about it, but for now it's an enjoyable hobby that's bringing me in contact with some really wonderful people.
What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
There are advantages and disadvantages to both, in my opinion. I love my Kindle. I love the instant gratification. Finish a book and find yourself anxious for the next part in the series? Have it delivered in moments to your e-reader, cell phone, laptop, etc. It's great. Before I had one, I used to make middle of the night runs to Barnes and Noble to feed my cravings! I also love that e-books make it so much easier for otherwise unknown authors to throw their stuff out there. I also travel frequently and love the convenience and lighter bags.
On the other side, I love real books. I enjoy looking on my shelf, seeing a series I enjoy and walking over to pull it off the shelf, maybe thumb through to my favorite scene and reread it. I buy my kids "real" books all the time so that they have books to collect, read, share and love.
My biggest argument for real books was the ease with which they could be loaned. I suppose this is a disadvantage financially to an author. However, if a friend loaned me a book that I enjoyed, it would usually inspire me to go find more books by that author, where I may have NEVER picked up that author's work otherwise. The new advantage e-readers have with Amazon's new lending program is I don't have to worry about whether or not I'll be getting my book back!
What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
I've read three Mike Wells books: Lust, Money & Murder, Wild Child and Wild Child 2. While I absolutely adored both the Wild Child books, I think I have to say Lust, Money & Murder is my favorite book so far. It was intriguing and kept me guessing. The characters were authentic with believable thoughts and feelings.
Thanks very much for your interview, KK!
Thank you very much, Mike, for the opportunity to share my thoughts.
I can be reached via twitter at @k_karie or e-writer@kksierra.com. I ponder, get introspective, rant and write at
http://kksierra.blogspot.com
