ABOUT KRISTI
Who are you?
Hi! I'm Kristi, a nerdy girl living just outside of Toronto with my husband. My day job is as a nurse, but my passion is creativity...any form of creativity. Photography, drawing, painting, and of course...writing. I've been fortunate enough to live many of my dreams, and writing books for you all is one of them!
What inspired you to be a writer?
I have an active imagination, and always come up with little stories in my head. Ever since I was a kid, I would write them down. Either little concepts, lines of dialogue, characters...When One Direction was at the height of the career, I discovered Wattpad and fanfiction, and couldn't stop. I wrote more than 10 fanfictions and flash fictions, and eventually tried my hand at original characters and publishing.
Do you have any tattoos? Any book related ones?
9! I have a watercolor book on my right leg, and a small dragon on my left ankle.
Do you have any bucket list items?
Seeing my books on the shelf definitely ticked off a major one! But I still have so much I want to do! Go to Africa, have one of my books made into a movie or TV series, hit a besteller list...
Hi! I'm Kristi, a nerdy girl living just outside of Toronto with my husband. My day job is as a nurse, but my passion is creativity...any form of creativity. Photography, drawing, painting, and of course...writing. I've been fortunate enough to live many of my dreams, and writing books for you all is one of them!
What inspired you to be a writer?
I have an active imagination, and always come up with little stories in my head. Ever since I was a kid, I would write them down. Either little concepts, lines of dialogue, characters...When One Direction was at the height of the career, I discovered Wattpad and fanfiction, and couldn't stop. I wrote more than 10 fanfictions and flash fictions, and eventually tried my hand at original characters and publishing.
Do you have any tattoos? Any book related ones?
9! I have a watercolor book on my right leg, and a small dragon on my left ankle.
Do you have any bucket list items?
Seeing my books on the shelf definitely ticked off a major one! But I still have so much I want to do! Go to Africa, have one of my books made into a movie or TV series, hit a besteller list...
ABOUT OUR VENGEFUL SOULS
Where did you get the inspiration for this book?
A meme! During the pandemic when we were all trapped in our houses with nothing to do but doom scroll on our phones, I came across a meme insinuating a history between the sea witch and sea king. I couldn't get the concept out of my head, had nothing else to do, so decided to try writing fantasy for the first time. It was of the Disney version, so of course I had to base the book off the original Hans Christian Anderson tale, and the rest is history.
Do you have a favorite part of the story?
The epilogue. It was originally the very first part I wrote, because it was so clear in my mind. During the publishing process, there was talk of possibly removing it, but I knew it had to stay.
Will there be a sequel?
Right now, I don't have any intention on a sequel, but maybe one day. Never say never!
A meme! During the pandemic when we were all trapped in our houses with nothing to do but doom scroll on our phones, I came across a meme insinuating a history between the sea witch and sea king. I couldn't get the concept out of my head, had nothing else to do, so decided to try writing fantasy for the first time. It was of the Disney version, so of course I had to base the book off the original Hans Christian Anderson tale, and the rest is history.
Do you have a favorite part of the story?
The epilogue. It was originally the very first part I wrote, because it was so clear in my mind. During the publishing process, there was talk of possibly removing it, but I knew it had to stay.
Will there be a sequel?
Right now, I don't have any intention on a sequel, but maybe one day. Never say never!
ABOUT HOW TO GET OVER YOUR (BEST FRIEND'S) EX
Are you team Braelyn or team Hannah?
While I understand Brae's reasons for doing what she does, I have to admit I'm team Hannah. Much of her is modelled after myself.
What was the inspiration for the story?
It started with the title. I come up with a lot of my material as I drive to and from work, and on the way home one day the title just popped into my head. From there, I spent a few weeks building a story around that concept, then dove into writing.
Are any of the characters based of people you who or real life?
Apart from Hannah having a lot of similarities to myself, that is it. Braelyn is a compilation of all the 'queen bee' stereotypes, whereas Seth is the 'nice guy' we all hope to find.
While I understand Brae's reasons for doing what she does, I have to admit I'm team Hannah. Much of her is modelled after myself.
What was the inspiration for the story?
It started with the title. I come up with a lot of my material as I drive to and from work, and on the way home one day the title just popped into my head. From there, I spent a few weeks building a story around that concept, then dove into writing.
Are any of the characters based of people you who or real life?
Apart from Hannah having a lot of similarities to myself, that is it. Braelyn is a compilation of all the 'queen bee' stereotypes, whereas Seth is the 'nice guy' we all hope to find.
ABOUT WRITING, LIFE, & ALL THAT STUFF
What does your writing routine look like?
It depends...most of the time, I sit on my bed from 6pm-7pm and write a chapter. I always write full chapters during sessions, because it keeps the scene and emotions smooth. The next session, to get myself back into the scene, I re-read the previous and continue from there.
Do you listen to music when you write?
No! I need complete silence to put myself in the scene.
How do you stay focused?
It's tough. I pick up my phone more often than I should while writing. The biggest thing is a few distractions are fine, and not to beat yourself up for getting off track a bit.
What is your drafting process?
I don't start writing until I have several key scenes mapped out in my head, and a clear picture of the characters. Then I start with a general outline, broken down by chapter. This allows me to get a sense of the flow, beats, and make sure I don't write myself into a corner from which there is no escape! This allows lets me track my progress as I work through each chapter.
What's your favorite part of writing? What's your least favorite part?
My favorite part is actually revision. I used to HATE it, but after working with my editor, I learned what to look for and how to make revision work, and now it's my favorite part. My least favorite is drafting. Writing the first draft of a new project feels like torture, like I'm not doing it right, and it's a complete mess. But then I remember, that's what revision is for!
Any tips for aspiring writers?
Just write! It doesn't have to be good at the start. You learn as you write, as you read, and over time you improve. You can edit a bad draft, but can't do much about a blank page, so just write! And don't rush things. Never submit a first draft for publication, use beta readers and critique partners, and be patient!
What has been your favorite writing moment?
On Our Vengeful Souls release day my husband took me to our local Indigo store to see the book on shelves and sign a few copies. Afterwards, as I was rewarding myself with new book purchases, I saw a reader pick up OVS, read the back cover, and choose to buy it. It was easily my favorite moment so far!
Do you have any goals you still want to achieve?
Hit a best seller list, have a TV show or movie made out of one of my books, see someone reading one of my books out in the wild...so many things!
It depends...most of the time, I sit on my bed from 6pm-7pm and write a chapter. I always write full chapters during sessions, because it keeps the scene and emotions smooth. The next session, to get myself back into the scene, I re-read the previous and continue from there.
Do you listen to music when you write?
No! I need complete silence to put myself in the scene.
How do you stay focused?
It's tough. I pick up my phone more often than I should while writing. The biggest thing is a few distractions are fine, and not to beat yourself up for getting off track a bit.
What is your drafting process?
I don't start writing until I have several key scenes mapped out in my head, and a clear picture of the characters. Then I start with a general outline, broken down by chapter. This allows me to get a sense of the flow, beats, and make sure I don't write myself into a corner from which there is no escape! This allows lets me track my progress as I work through each chapter.
What's your favorite part of writing? What's your least favorite part?
My favorite part is actually revision. I used to HATE it, but after working with my editor, I learned what to look for and how to make revision work, and now it's my favorite part. My least favorite is drafting. Writing the first draft of a new project feels like torture, like I'm not doing it right, and it's a complete mess. But then I remember, that's what revision is for!
Any tips for aspiring writers?
Just write! It doesn't have to be good at the start. You learn as you write, as you read, and over time you improve. You can edit a bad draft, but can't do much about a blank page, so just write! And don't rush things. Never submit a first draft for publication, use beta readers and critique partners, and be patient!
What has been your favorite writing moment?
On Our Vengeful Souls release day my husband took me to our local Indigo store to see the book on shelves and sign a few copies. Afterwards, as I was rewarding myself with new book purchases, I saw a reader pick up OVS, read the back cover, and choose to buy it. It was easily my favorite moment so far!
Do you have any goals you still want to achieve?
Hit a best seller list, have a TV show or movie made out of one of my books, see someone reading one of my books out in the wild...so many things!
