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 Well, for starters... unlike
some writers,
I wasn't born with a pencil in my hand.
Yes, I went
through a phase of writing
two-page mysteries when I
was eight where characters had names like Mary Alice Higgenbotham
and the villain was occasionally a cat. But aside from that brief
attack of the writing bug, I didn't
really start writing until I was
in my early <cough>. (That's French for "older than I'm
admitting here".) Which just goes to show that you're never
too old to learn something new.
In my younger days, I was a
pretty normal girl. Boy crazy since kindergarten, I think I had my
first "boyfriend" in fourth grade. Dates back then consisted of meeting
at the roller rink (wheels had just been invented) and grabbing the
combs out of each other's back pockets. Très romantic, I know. I was also obsessed with
makeovers. There's just something magical about the idea of
reinventing yourself, isn't there?
Gimme a C!
By the time I hit junior high and high school, I was Cheerleader
Girl.
I played other sports along the way--volleyball, track, gymnastics,
diving--but only when I could fit it around cheering. I wasn't a bookaholic, but I was a sucker
for teen romances and the Cheerleaders series
(short-lived, but addicting).
College went by in a flash. I did a bit of cheering, rushed a
sorority, studied and hung out with friends. Before I knew it, I was graduating
and jumping into the world of grown-ups.
Writing came along a while after that. I did my time as a good
little Corporate girl, got married, got my MBA...
Wait, are you still with me? I heard some snoring there and
thought it might be you. (I know. It bored me too.
Which leads me to...)
Time for a little shake &
bake
Eventually,
I got sick of reading
business books and needed something to shake things up.
One quick trip to my local library, and I was hooked on fiction
again. I'd forgotten how much fun reading books without bar charts
could be!
Unfortunately, this did not bode well for my hubby when I declared
that I would much rather write fun books than have a "real" job. (Hello? Who wouldn't?) In
the end, I decided it was way more
entertaining to relive my teenage years by writing fiction that I
wish was based on my real life. Lucky for me, the hubster is very supportive and
sent me on my merry way to pursue the writing life.
Which brings us back to being Writer Girl. I started off being
a boy-crazy, cheerleading fanatic who loved makeovers and turned
into a happily wedded writer who writes about
boys, cheerleading and makeovers. Sometimes you have to go all the
way out and back to realize you had it all together at the
beginning. But it's the ride that makes it fun.
Q: What inspires you to write?
A: Honestly? Everything and nothing.
Sometimes I'll see a commercial that gives me an idea for a
character, sometimes I'll have a dream I actually remember that I think would make a fun story idea. Even
fortune cookies are fair game! I've learned to tune into
what's going on around me and pick up ideas in the oddest of places.
For me, that's part of the fun of writing.
Q: Were you really a cheerleader or are you just saying
that to be cool?
A: Does that mean you think cheerleaders are
cool? <g> The answer is: yep and nope. I cheered
from seventh grade through my senior year (and then cheered in
college too). Well, except for one season in high school when
I was too wrapped up in my first true love to practice like I should
have for tryouts. (In my defense, he was very cute. But still, no
excuse for dissing my passion, right?) Never fear...
I made up for
it the next season and never missed out
again. I was even a staffer at summer cheer camp.
Q: Were you a Rah-Rah?
A: Okay first, in case anyone isn't familiar with
the term Rah-Rah, let me explain. Real, die-hard cheerleaders understand
that cheering is
a sport that requires athletic ability, discipline and teamwork.
Rah-Rahs is a derogatory term (and we'll be having none of that,
right?) used
to describe people who only cheer because they think it's a status
symbol.
Now having explained that... What?!?! <Kay gets out the noodle whip>
I was real through and through. I'd always been an athlete, so I approached cheering
with that same competitive instinct. I was really lucky to
cheer with some terrific athletes who worked their butts off to be
competitive.
In fact, my high school cheer
teams were mostly filled with honor student, non-partying athletes,
so we broke pretty much every ridiculous, outdated cheerleader
stereotype on the planet.
(With great pride, I might add.) <g>
Q: What's your favorite color/food/vacation spot/hobby?
A: Okay, let's see... I'm a big fan of
purple and red. I love pizza and Krispy Kreme donuts (just the
regular glazed kind - yum). I'm a big fan of tropical
places with plenty of breezes. As for hobbies, I love tennis, yoga,
movies and reading, though I don't always have time for them when
life gets super busy (which is, you know, most days).
Q: Have you really been around the world?
A: Ha! Not really. My family was big into traveling though,
so we went on lots of trips to far
off lands like Greece and Hell, Michigan. (So not
kidding.) By the time I was 20, I'd been to Canada, Germany,
Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein (which is roughly the size of my
hometown), Greece, Italy and Turkey. (Word to the wise... Italian
pizzas are not like American ones.)
Q: What are your favorite YA books of all time?
A: Sheesh, that's a tough one.
My favorite book growing up was The Westing Game by Ellen
Raskin. I just bought a new
copy because I've moved so many times over the years that I don't
know what ever happened to mine. I'm a huge fan of series books
because I love watching characters grow and change over time.
Recent series books on my keeper shelf are:
● The Traveling Pants
books by Ann Brashares
● The Valerie Winslow (Schwerinborg)
books by Niki Burnham
● The Princess
Diaries books by Meg Cabot
● The Secrets of My
Hollywood Life books by Jen Calonita
● The Gallagher Girls
books by Ally Carter
Which, I'll admit, makes it look like I only read authors whose last
names start with B or C. But I promise there's no conspiracy
here. I'm all about equal opportunity for the alphabet.
To prove it, here's my favorite series of all time:
● The Harry Potter
books by J.K. Rowling (love that Harry!)
Wanna learn more about Kay? Check out her MySpace
page:
www.myspace.com/authorkaycassidy
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