Author Interview: Brigid Kemmerer

Hello everyone!!! Today we're joined by Brigid Kemmerer, author of STORM, SPARK and SPIRIT (May 2013)!

 

*crazy fangirling*

 

Despite having the craziest schedule known to man, Brigid was nice enough to stop by for a quick Q&A.  So, without further ado...

 

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Twook It! (Tweet your book) Describe SPARK in 140 characters or less. Go!

Take four hot brothers who control the elements. Add one powerful girl. Mix well, and stand back.  

 

What was the hardest part of writing SPARK? What was the easiest? 

The hardest part was letting go of Gabriel. There's a lot of emotion packed into those pages, and I felt really connected to the character. No part of writing is easy (except maybe pressing "send" on the email to send it to my editor), but the most fun part was researching the firefighting stuff.   

What are you currently working on?

I'm finishing Spirit at the moment, and I also have a secret project in the works that has more of a fantasy slant... 

 

What song best represents your life at the moment?

Like a G6.

No, I'm kidding! But I keep listening to that song over and over again while writing Spirit.  

 

What is your writing process like? Do you go into a story knowing what will happen? or does the story develop as you go along?

I tend to go into a story with a scenario to open with (some kind of conflict), and a general idea of what the major plot of the book will be, so I have a target to write toward. Nothing specific, and I might not know the outcome, but a general idea of the major conflict. Then I just wing it. (The final version of Spark is NOTHING like the outline I provided to my editor.)

 

Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently with your stories?

If I could, I'd still be tweaking. I don't think writers ever want to stop tweaking. In Spark, I would have added a few paragraphs so Gabriel would have an opportunity to apologize to Quinn. You'll understand that if you've read the book. 

What inspires you to write?

Watching YouTube videos of amateur choreography to pop music. I'm not kidding, not even a little bit. If I'm looking for inspiration, I'll Google YouTube videos of So You Think You Can Dance. 

 

What books have influenced you? Your writing?

The first YA novels I remember falling in love with were the ones by Christopher Pike that came out in the early 90's. They were full of action and adventure and drama, and they treated teens like young adults, without shying away from truly horrible events. (There's one where a guy uncovers that cheerleaders are running a cocaine ring. A big deal in a YA novel in 1991.) I really appreciated that.  

 

If you could go back in time, is there anything about the writing and publishing process you would change? Anything you would do differently?

Ha! Yes, but nothing I'll admit to. *smiles sweetly* 

If you could have dinner/drinks with any fictional character who would it be?

The Merrick brothers! I mean, come on.  

Speaking of Merrick brothers, can you tell Gabriel I said "Heeyyy"?

I did. He said it back.  He looked interested.   *Kristin faints*

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A MASSIVE Thank You (and hugs) to Brigid for taking the time to participate in our author interview!! I love her to pieces and I totally owe her some baked goods!!

If you haven't already done so, don't forget to enter HERE to win a copy of SPARK!
(Courtesy of Kensington Books)