|
|
A Conversation With Julie Kenner
by Claire E. White
Although she was born in Mountainview, California, nationally bestselling
author Julie Kenner
is a Texas girl at heart. She grew up in Austin, Texas,
and graduated from the University of Texas and from Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas.
After law school, she took a position as a briefing attorney on
the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, then took a job with a large law firm in Los
Angeles. After working at a smaller firm that specialized in First Amendment and
Entertainment law, and working as a production executive
at a production company, she and her husband moved back to Austin, where
she practiced general business litigation.
A voracious reader, Julie describes herself as a hopeless romantic. And after she met
her husband, she decided that she should be writing the kinds of stories that she
loved to read. Her novel, Nobody Does it Better, was released in February, 2000. She's been writing non-stop ever since, with over 20 books
published since then. For five years, Julie juggled her writing with her law practice and
for 2 ½ of those years with the duties of being a new mother. In 2004,
she gave up the practice of law to write full time. A USA Today and Waldenbooks
bestselling author, Julie is also a former RITA finalist, and
the winner of Romantic Times' Reviewer's Choice Award for Best
Contemporary Paranormal of 2001.
Her two latest books are Carpe Demon:
The Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Berkley) and
The Givenchy Code, published by Simon and Schuster's
new chick-lit imprint, Downtown Press. Carpe Demon
is a hilarious urban fantasy about a soccer mom whose demon-hunting past
erupts in the middle of her first cocktail party for her politically-minded husband.
The movie rights have already been optioned by Warner Brothers and Harry Potter
director Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures, in a multi-book deal.
The Givenchy Code is a harder-edged chick-lit thriller, set in the world of
online gaming and
the wilds of Manhattan, with a fashion-loving math geek as the heroine. Both books
are climbing bestseller lists and getting rave reviews. There are already sequels in the
works for both books.
Julie now lives and writes in Georgetown, Texas, with her husband, daughter and a variety
of cats. When she's not writing, you might find her
playing with her daughter, hanging out with her husband, or
blogging. In this exclusive interview, Julie
talks about her transition from high-powered attorney to bestselling
author and how motherhood has affected her writing. She also
shares her thoughts on what does and what doesn't belong in an author blog.
What did you like to read when you were growing up?
Anything and everything I could get my hands on. Some favorites: Nancy Drew,
Wrinkle in Time series, stuff by E.L. Konigsburg (like From the Mixed Up Files of
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and
Me, Elizabeth), Agatha Christie, Paula Danziger, the Half-Magic author's books,
Paul Zindel, Stephen King, Sidney Sheldon, Judy Blume, Greek Mythology, Shakespeare,
and anything else that happened to be laying around the house! Plus, I burned through
my library card!
What was the first thing you ever wrote? What reaction did it receive?
A "novel" called Kitty Claus when I was very little. The limited edition of 1 sold
out immediately! After that, I honestly don't remember. I've always written, and for
the most part have had a good response. I published some poetry when I was in junior
high and high school, and wrote newspaper articles for the school paper since junior high.
What did you enjoy most about the practice of law?
Arguing a position, and using existing case law to back up that position, or to extrapolate
a new argument.
What led up to the publication of your first novel?
Well, it's a pretty long and convoluted story, starting with me being too chicken to try
to pursue a writing career (not to mention, not having a clue how one did that!) and
ending up in law school. After that, I worked on a Federal Appellate Court as a briefing
attorney (and wrote a play in my spare time), then worked as an associate attorney in Los
Angeles and wrote screenplays as a creative outlet with a partner. Once I moved away
from Los Angeles, though, dual-writing was no longer geographically desirable, so I
decided I wanted to turn back to my first love, novels. I'd always wanted to write
novels, but I'd never managed to finish one.
Then came the catalyst: I was working at a law office in Orange County, and one of the
other attorneys was reading a romance novel in the break room, she lent it to me, and I
was hooked. I've always been a huge happily-ever-after fan, and the books were perfect
for me. Not long after that, I learned about the category novels published by Harlequin
and Silhouette. Being pragmatic, I decided that a category would be a good place to start,
because surely it would be easier to write fewer pages while holding down a day job.
(In point of fact, it's not always easier; it totally depends on the individual book.
But my learning curve hadn't taken off yet.)
I wrote a book aimed for Harlequin Temptation (with an underwater archeologist and a
documentary film maker as hero and heroine) and it was soundly rejected. But editor
Brenda Chin wrote a nice note about liking my voice. So I tried again, and when I had
a first chapter, I submitted it to a contest. It won first place, and that same editor
requested the full manuscript. I submitted it, and it sold in the summer of 1999.
It was published in 2000 as Nobody Does It Better, a Temptation.
About the same time, I'd been working on a full length novel, and I'd gone through
the same process. It had also placed first in a contest and the editor had requested
the full. Since I didn't have the full, I sent the first 7 chapters. That book
(The Cat's Fancy) sold on proposal a few weeks later.
Obviously, I'm a big fan of using contests to get your work in front of editors. But you
have to be smart about the process. Enter contests where an editor you're targeting is a
final judge. And enter smaller contests, if you can. Less competition, more chance
your entry will end up on the editor's desk.
Before you left the law last year to write full-time, how did you balance your work,
your
family life and your writing? Rumor has it that you have some time management secrets.
I wouldn't call them secrets so much as guidelines. The bottom line is that I knew how
many pages I had to get done each night, and I was relentless in making sure that they
got done. (You don't have to work on a nightly schedule. Having a weekly page count
is probably a much saner way to go!) That's still how I work: I plot out how much
time I have, how much time it will take me to write and revise a book, and that's how
I schedule my time and "book" future writing commitments.
I'm actually cutting back a bit now. I want to spend more time with my family. Before,
when I was working full time, my husband was in graduate school, which meant there was
no guilt associated with working late into the night, since he was studying.
After our daughter was born, I had writing time while she slept (as babies do a lot!).
But now that she's older, I've trimmed back on my work day (9-3:30, and then after she
and my husband -- who gets up before the crack of dawn for work -- are asleep).
Essentially, time management is all about priorities. I have an
article
on my website
that addresses the time management concerns associated with writing multiple books. You
can find it under the "Articles" link from my home page, http://www.juliekenner.com.
I'd like to talk about Carpe Demon. How did this book come into being? Are
you a Buffy
fan, by chance?
Interestingly, I am a Buffy fan, but I didn't consciously note the connection until I'd
plotted out the book and completed the proposal chapters (I can be a little dense and
tunnel-visioned sometimes!). Also, for the record, I'm only familiar with Buffy,
The High School Years. I tried to watch after she went to college and didn't care
for a number of things about the storyline. People I trust have told me that it
got better and that I'd really enjoy watching through to the end, but so far I haven't,
though I do plan to. The length of each episode is the perfect length for riding the
exercise bike!
The book actually came into being because I was trying to come up with an idea for a
paranormal romance series to pitch to one of my editors. I was also trying to think
of a chick lit idea, but I was more interested in writing mommy lit (which at the time
really didn't have a name).
At any rate, I was brainstorming with my critique partner (the incredibly talented
Kathleen O'Reilly) and one thing led to another, and suddenly I had this idea for
a paranormal mommy lit: A demon-hunting soccer mom.
After that, I sat down to write a "TV Guide blurb" (which is how I start all my books;
if I can't do that, there's not enough meat to the story) and Kate was born. If you're
curious, here's what I wrote on that first sit-down (which ended up in the synopsis,
essentially verbatim):
Kate Connor is your average, everyday mom with two kids, a husband, and one very big
secret ... she used to be a Demon Hunter. Now retired, she's more interested in the
domestic than the demonic. So when she catches sight of a demon in Wal-Mart, she
tells herself it's some other Hunter's problem. But when that demon attacks her
in her kitchen, retirement is no longer an option.
Now Kate has to kick a little demon butt, figure out why the creatures are trying to
take her out and take over her home town, and at the same time care for her 2 year
old, deal with a hormonal 14 year-old, and try to keep her past a secret from her
daughter and her husband.
She's a little out of practice, but hey ... if she can juggle two kids and an impromptu
dinner party, ridding the town of demons should be a piece of cake. Like the saying goes,
Carpe Demon ... and Kate intends to do just that.
The heroine of Carpe Demon is Kate Connor, a full-time mom who is retired from
demon-hunting, until she's called back into action. What was the greatest challenge
in writing Kate? How much of Julie Kenner is there in Kate?
|
"From a more authorial standpoint, I think the Catholic
Church has been the subject of a lot of bashing in books and the media lately, and
although the book has nothing overt in it religion-wise, at the same time I consciously
tried to show the Church in a good light (though not blindingly so; there are definitely
some chinks in the system and the bureaucracy.)"
|
I absolutely love Kate, and, honestly, she wasn't much of a challenge at all to write.
I think I channeled her!
How much of me is there? Well, my sense of humor is there, as is my fierce passion
for my kiddo. And there are other bits and pieces in there, too, of course. It's
hard to create a character and not give him or her pieces of yourself. But Kate
really is her own woman. She's in much better shape than I am and certainly had a
more ... colorful childhood! Rather than being a reflection of me, I think of Kate
more as someone I'd really like to have as a friend.
The Catholic Church plays a large role in Kate's life. What went into your decision
to include Kate's faith in the story?
Well, I knew that I wanted Kate to have been part of an organization, and it just made
sense to me that the Church would have that kind of ancient system. That part felt
almost organic.
Having been raised by the Church, and having spent her life fighting on the good side,
it also made sense that she'd continue to participate in the Church, volunteering, going
to mass, etc.
Those are the character reasons. From a more authorial standpoint, I think the Catholic
Church has been the subject of a lot of bashing in books and the media lately, and
although the book has nothing overt in it religion-wise, at the same time I consciously
tried to show the Church in a good light (though not blindingly so; there are definitely
some chinks in the system and the bureaucracy.) The priest who essentially raised Kate
cares for her deeply, and she him. Her faith is important to her. The history of the
Church (and of Forza Scura within the Church) is long and rich. All those things add
color and depth to the story (or, at least, I hope they do!)
Let's talk about The Givenchy Code. I recently read an article debating whether
The Givenchy Code is a parody or an homage to The Da Vinci Code. What are your
thoughts on the subject?
Well, I know the article you're talking about and it's a little confusing because
there's another book out there with the same title, that explicitly states that it
is a parody of The Da Vinci Code. In fact, I think the full title of that book is
The Givenchy Code: An Homage and Parody. In a press release that was issued on
behalf of the author of that book, mine was also mentioned and I think someone simply
made the assumption that mine's a parody, too. But it's not!
Mine is not a parody or an homage or anything vis a vis The Da Vinci Code. It's chick
lit suspense, and while there is humor in the story, it comes from the voice of the
heroine who is narrating her journey through this terrifying maze! Like The Da Vinci Code,
the characters in my story solve a series of codes, one leading to the other until we
reach the ultimate climax, but that's where the similarities end.
The title, of course, was perfect because the heroine is a math and history student who
is fascinated with codes and ciphers. She has to interpret a series of clues to stay
alive! She's also very much a New York girl, and her favorite designer in the entire
world is Givenchy. My original title was Rules of the Game (boring!) and when my
critique partner thought of The Givenchy Code, we jumped all over it! (The next
two in the series are The Manolo Matrix and The Prada Paradox). Had Dan Brown's
book never existed, though, I would still have jumped all over the title. It
fits the book to a "T".
The heroine of the story is Melanie "Mel" Prescott, a math whiz with an obsession
for all things Givenchy. How did you create Mel? Were there any characteristics you were
particularly trying to avoid with her?
I try not to analyze too closely how characters are created. I guess I’m afraid that if
I look too closely, that whatever magic makes them come alive will fade. That being said,
though, I did know that I wanted Mel to be a strong character – someone who had aced the
game in cyberspace and had the brains to do it in real life, too. I wanted her to
be someone who was used to taking care of herself. She’s also in her mid-twenties
and living in Manhattan, so that means that probably she’s either a wannabe fashionista
(too broke to buy everything) or doing the opposite and buying clothes in thrift stores.
I liked the idea of a pretty, blonde fashionista also being absolutely brilliant.
And I liked how that would (at least at first) confound Stryker. I love Givenchy and
the whole story about Audrey Hepburn and how she wore Givenchy’s designs. So the
combination was perfect.
Mel and a handsome ex-Marine named Matthew Stryker are forced to play the online assassin
game PSW (Play. Survive. Win) in the real world, with Mel assigned the unenviable role
of Target. Are you interested in online role playing games yourself? Do you play?
I’m interested in that I find the existence and the logistics of online gaming fascinating,
but it’s not something that I do myself. Not so much because I’m not interested, but I
simply don’t have the time. That's the joy of writing novels, though. You can do so
many things that you don't do -- or don't have time to do -- in real life. I've had
characters flying bi-planes, creating bombs, running bookstores, being superheroes,
being cats, and so much more. It's fabulous!
Mel longs to work at the NSA as a cryptologist but, terrified of rejection,
she's not following her dream. Why is the theme of "follow your dream" important to you?
I think it’s a theme that should be important to everyone, actually. After all,
life is
short. At the very least, you should love what you’re doing!
Can you give us a sneak peek into the next books in both of these series?
Sure! In The Manolo Matrix, Mel’s roommate, Jenn, is drawn into the game,
and discovers
that she’s been assigned to protect a near-suicidal FBI agent. It's just
as action-filled as Givenchy, but even though the underlying game is the same,
the story is not, so readers definitely won't be bored or know what's coming.
In California Demon: The Further Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, Kate
faces some ghosts from her past while fighting a band of demons who have
infiltrated Allie’s high school. It has the same humor as Carpe Demon and
we learn a
lot more about Kate and her family.
What are your thoughts on love scenes in novels? Do you find love scenes more
or less difficult to write than other types of scenes? Are there any things
that you specifically try to avoid?
I think it entirely depends on the novels. So long as a love scene is organic
to the story and the characters, I’m comfortable including it. My romance novels all
include love scenes of varying degrees of intensity depending on the nature of the
story and the characters. It all depends on the nature of the stories and the
characters themselves. I don’t consciously try to avoid anything, but there are
probably things that I wouldn’t be inclined to put in a book in the first place.
Let's talk about the day to day creative process. Take us through a typical writing
day for you.
Well, let's see. My daughter is 3, so she attends day care during my writing time.
Unfortunately, that's a necessity for me because I really couldn't keep up with my
writing commitments otherwise. Or, if I did, then it would be because I'd parked my
child in front of Kim Possible for days on end.
So, the day usually starts with me mainlining coffee as I try to wake up while my
daughter gets her television fix (the aforementioned Kim Possible). We usually
play a little in the morning or read a book or something, and then after much
wailing and gnashing of teeth about getting dressed (from both of us) we get
her off to school.
Then I come back and settle into my office, which consists of two desks that form an "L,"
one with my computer and the other (ostensibly) a work table. It, however, is piled high
with paper (at the moment it has the manuscript of a friend's book, one of those
alphabetical filing things shoved full of paper, an accordion file with receipts,
a stack of filing, and a pile of miscellaneous and unanswered mail). My color printer
sits on two filing cabinets and my laser jet on a little table. I have a dry erase
board above my computer with pending projects, money that's coming in (yay!),
and contracts that are coming in.
Then I procrastinate by answering emails and surfing the web until I realize that
the large, heavy object hanging over my head is labeled "deadline" and I really have
to get cranking. I try desperately to get through the pages that I need to get
through without becoming distracted by email or surfing the net. Usually I fail.
(If I'm really under pressure of a deadline, I take the laptop without the wireless
card and go write elsewhere.)
After that, time permitting, I'll do other business-related, but non-writing stuff.
Like mailing promo packages or answering fan mail or working on any new proposals
I might have going. I try not to do too much house stuff during the day (laundry,
etc.) because I figure this is my job. (And, frankly, I don't like housework, so
this is a really fine excuse!). I will do fun house stuff with no guilt, though.
The human mind's ability to rationalize really is an amazing thing.
If I'm not in a deadline crunch, I usually get my daughter around 3:30 and we'll do
errands or go feed the ducks in the park or walk around the square in Georgetown.
My husband usually gets home before six, so we have an early dinner and then hang out.
Sometimes we play games (Candyland and Hi-Ho Cherry-O are current favorites), sometimes
we have movie night (Fridays), sometimes we play basketball or blow bubbles or play
superheroes until the munchkin's bedtime.
After she's down, I hang out with my husband until he goes to bed (early, since he works
at an elementary school). And then I usually stay up a bit longer to write, or play on
the computer or update my webpage or whatever. (If I'm on a tight deadline, the "whatever"
is more pages.) I'm a night person, so that feels natural. Unfortunately, I'm a night
person, so when morning rolls around again, it usually requires some major effort
to get me up.
And then the alarm clock (or the child) wakes me up and we start over! Pretty
standard fare!
We know about your aversion to thongs from your blog entry entitled
"Is Thong Underwear
an Invention of the Devil?"; what are some of your current beauty product
and fashion favorites?
|
"I don't feel comfortable blogging about how my
current manuscript is going or how I'm developing a plot or a character; that simply
doesn't work for me. Mundane life stuff? Sure. That I can handle! I'm still
not sure if I'm contributing, but considering the length and breadth of cyberspace,
I don't suppose it matters so much. Plus, I do like the feedback I get from folks who
visit the blog."
|
Oh, man! See, now my mystique has to be all shot to heck (as if I had any mystique to
begin with!). Because I don’t really pay a lot of attention to beauty products and
fashion stuff. I buy clothes because they fit, they’re made well, and I like the way
they look, and I’m just as happy if I buy them at Nordstrom’s as if I find them in a
second-hand shop. (I have a lot of treasures from Goodwill!) I have a few favorites
(some Givenchy scarves and jewelry, Prada purses -- purchased on eBay! -- a leather
jacket I bought in Paris) but for the most part my wardrobe is eclectic. As for
beauty products, I wear very little make-up. I always read about cool products
in magazines, plan to buy stuff, and then end up buying the same old same old at HEB or
going on a splurge at Sephora and buying whatever the saleslady tells me I need. The
only thing I’m consistent on is Clinique Stay Neutral powder. That stuff I swear by!
Ever since Bridget Jones' Diary came out, chick lit has really been on a roll. But
it seems to be changing over time. How do you see the genre changing in the future?
Oh, how I wish I knew! What a coup that would be, scooping the changing tides of the
market! But seriously, I think the trend is toward more suspense and more paranormal.
Oh, wait! I’ve already done those. Seriously, though (no, really), I don’t know how
the market will change other than that it will. But I think that’s true across the board
in all forms of fiction, of which women’s fiction is simply a small slice. The market
changes, as it has to, in order to keep the readership engaged. Without that growth,
you’d reach a saturation point in books of a certain type, and have nowhere to go
from there.
How did you and your husband meet? What's your idea of the perfect romantic
weekend?
Well, the first time we met, I don’t remember him. I was living in Los Angeles in
an apartment next door to two friends from high school who were roommates. One of my
friends, Steve, had a Super Bowl party in my apartment since I had a big television,
and he didn’t. Not being interested in football, I went shopping. I bought a table,
and all the guys helped carry it in. Don (now my husband) was the only guy who didn’t
help carry it in (he’d thrown out his back), but even then, I don’t remember him.
Next Steve and I went to see the opening of Jurassic Park, and we went with one of
Steve’s friends and his roommate (who turned out to be my husband). That was in June.
Don and I hit it off, and I later invited him to a July 4 pool party I was having.
We went on our first "date" after that, and got married that October!
As for a romantic weekend, a nice dinner, a beach, a bed and breakfast, and a bottle of
wine!
How has being a mother affected your writing?
Lots of ways, I’m sure. Certainly from a logistical point of view, being a mom has meant
that I can’t just plunk myself down in front of my desk and write any time that I want to.
That’s both good and bad. Good, in that it requires me to be more disciplined and plan
my time better. Bad, in that it requires me to be more disciplined and plan my time
better. From a thematic standpoint, I think being a mom has affected my writing as well,
though probably in more subtle ways. I certainly think that Kate in Carpe Demon is
a more
realistic mom than I could have written before I had a daughter (and quite a few of Timmy’s
traits come straight from my daughter!).
Bottom line for me is that being a mom and being a writer are my two favorite things.
And since I write full-time now, I have a lot more time to do mom-things; certainly more
time than when I was practicing law full time. So that’s definitely a plus!
What's your advice to someone who is hoping to make writing a second career?
Be persistent and patient!
How did you get started blogging? What do you like about blogging?
I have a love/hate relationship with blogging. I got started because I ran across
www.blogger.com, and my webpage is my favorite form of procrastination. So I
thought I'd see what went in to creating a blog. I soon realized, though, that I wasn't
really up to or interested in keeping an online journal. If I was going to be at the
computer, I wanted to be working on a book, not a blog entry. And there are so many
talented bloggers out there that I didn't really feel like I was contributing anything
to the noise in cyberspace. So I reformatted my blog to make it simply the News
and Announcements page on my website. That worked for a while, but then I would have
the urge every once in awhile to post something leaning toward blogginess and utterly
unrelated to news or announcements.
So more recently, I've gone back to posting blog
entries, life tidbits and the like. I'm also trying to focus a lot on books that I've
read or am reading and mommy stuff. I don't feel comfortable blogging about how my
current manuscript is going or how I'm developing a plot or a character; that simply
doesn't work for me. Mundane life stuff? Sure. That I can handle! I'm still
not sure if I'm contributing, but considering the length and breadth of cyberspace,
I don't suppose it matters so much. Plus, I do like the feedback I get from folks who
visit the blog. That's always lots of fun. (I also realized that I'd like to have a
blog without the related work, and I created one at
www.SlayYourDemons.com dedicated
to guest bloggers coming in to gripe about their personal demons. That one's a lot of
fun, too! And I participate in a group blog called Out of the Blogosphere. Also
fun because there's no pressure to be the sole focus of the blogging attention!)
What do you wish someone had told you before you published your first book? What's
the best advice you ever received?
What I wish I'd known before I published? That's easy! That things move at a snail's
pace ... except when they move really fast! Of course, that's a lot like litigation,
so it was an easy enough adjustment! As for the best advice: don't follow trends.
Write what you want to write and don't try to write to the market.
| |
**You can read our review of The Givenchy Code
here.
**You can read our review of Carpe Demon
here.
You can read an excerpt of Carpe Demon
here.
|
