Phoebe Kitanidis Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Phoebe Kitanidis Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

Phoebe Kitanidis is a West Coast writer and a founder of OddRocket. She is the author of WHISPER and GLIMMER, published by Harper Collins. As a former contributor to Discovery Girls magazine, she wrote THE FAB GIRLS GUIDE TO FRIENDSHIP HARDSHIP, published by Discovery Girls Inc. Phoebe grew up in a variety of places, including Athens, Greece; the American Midwest; and the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives with her family in Seattle.

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Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

I always wanted it. But there was a defining moment when I let myself dare to believe that the dream could come true. Of course by believing that I started giving myself permission to do the things that would help it come true.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?

Because, as The Giver says to Jonas, everything is a story. We understand our own lives through the stories we tell about them. And, bonus: when you read about events in a story, your brain actually reacts in many ways as if you were living through those events. Reading stories is a way to sneak in a few extra lives.

In your new book, Glimmer can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it and why they should read your novel?

Read Glimmer if you’re interested in ghosts, love, amnesia, and creepy little towns where everything seems perfect… on the surface. Read Glimmer if you’re in the moods for a standalone story-fix. Read Glimmer if you’re looking for an “out of the box” paranormal—this is a truly weird little tale, and I’m the author saying that.

Can you tell us when you started Glimmer, how that came about?

I started Glimmer in 2010. I had always wanted to write about a bizarre, enchanted town like the places in Dark City, Pleasantville, Stepword Wives, and so many other movies and books I have enjoyed. The first image that came to me was of two people, a boy and a girl, waking up together with no memory of going to bed together. I knew that these two were the only sane people in their town. Trapped there, what kind of dangers would they be in? What kind of bond might each one form with The Only Other Real Person In The World? Then I started to ask myself, What kind of character would grow from this experience rather than simply being shattered by it?

What part of Marshall did you enjoy writing the most?

I liked writing Marshall’s memories. He’s pretty, ah, different in those from the character we see in the present.

If you could introduce Elyse to any character from another book, who would it be and why?

After growing up in Stepford Falls, Elyse could use a really intelligent and insightful female friend. Someone who’s comfortable in her own skin and who embraces her own uniqueness. Hermione Granger.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?

I’m outlining a time travel trilogy called Untimely. I’m also slowly working on a companion to Whisper, called Wail. And I’m self-publishing an adult novel called Be My Yoko Ono later this summer—I can’t wait to show off the cover, it’s stunning!

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

Brilliant question! If someone I’m not super close to asks, “What did you think of X (person place or thing)?” I will probably say, “I liked her/him/it.” or “I think he/she/it is pretty intriguing.” Even if I can’t stand X, I don’t want to gossip about it with someone I don’t know all that well. However, if it’s one of my best friends asking, it’s a different story. I can snark with the best of them.

What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?

Read for variety. The more different types of voices you read, the more your brain will get the message that it’s okay to be who you are. If you read, say, all 21st century American teen paranormals, you’re going to feel boxed in, limited. Instead, follow your curiosity and serve yourself a unique blend of books that no one else is reading. Personally, I love oral history, poetry, feminist and political blogs, self-help books, Regency romances, and business books. What do you read that no one else is reading?

Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?

My husband. And I don’t just call him; I relentlessly email, text, think loudly at him, drive to his office, and knock on his door until I get to him. Luckily (for him) I don’t often have bad days.

Who was your first boyfriend?

A darkly brooding type I dated briefly when I was sixteen. We’re still friends. In fact, I wrote my first novel while staying in his house. He’s not darkly brooding anymore, now he starts companies.

What is the one, single food that you would never give up?

Fish. Especially sashimi. (Some of you are grossed out right now. I can tell. I can feel it through the internet. Pretend I said chocolate. Chocolate’s good too.)

Where can readers stalk you?

Twitter (phoebekitanidis)
Website (www.phoebekitanidis.com)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phoebe-Kitanidis/238441929113?ref=hl)

When Marshall King and Elyse Alton suddenly wake up tangled in each other's arms with zero memory of how they got there or even who they are, it's the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, Marshall and Elyse make a pact to work together to find the answers that could restore their missing memories. As they piece together clues about their lives, they discover that they're in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls. Everyone seems happy there, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town's perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall's mom, not the hidden violence in Elyse's family, not even the day-to-day anguish of being a high schooler.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marshall and Elyse fall into an intense relationship founded on their mutual quest for truth. But the secrets they're trying to uncover could be the death of this budding love affair—and of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

Phoebe Kitanidis’ Glimmer is the compelling story of two people waking up together with no recollection of who they are whatsoever. It is not a bad hangover--Marshall and Elyse have no idea who they are and why they are naked together in bed. From the very beginning, the book already paints a gripping tale and readers are immediately hooked to see what becomes of the two. With such an intriguing premise, Glimmer is bound to deliver heart-stopping thrills and jaw-dropping revelations.

As Marshall and Elyse go through some tough and weird predicaments to rediscover who they are, they find themselves meeting weird people along the way. Characters are well developed and with alternative points of views between the two young characters, it provides readers with insights and deep emotions they go through.

It is evident that Phoebe has ironed out all the wrinkles in this thought-provoking story she has created. The details she splatters on each page will bring the events of the story to life. She touches on the theme that how can one define themselves if they have no memory of who they are. This is something most of us take for granted. Glimmer delivers excellent writing with a story that will leave readers thinking about what exactly defines us as individuals.

You can purchase Glimmer at the following Retailers: