Who are your top five favorite authors or influences, and why?
I would have to say my top literary influence is Stephen King. Not only does he write excellent character driven stories, but my mom is also a huge fan. I grew up in a house that had multiple bookshelves filled with his novels. Once I got to high school and she thought I could handle the material she started to give me his works to read. Hands down he is the top influence.
The next would be J.K. Rowling. I am the product of my generation and I am one of the many who was uninterested in books before Harry Potter. I also didn’t have a proper prescription for my eye glasses until about the time that the books were released, so her novels were the first that I enjoyed and that didn’t give me headaches. I’ve read every book that she has put out; her work after the H.P. series has been just as good, if not better.
Ian McEwan is another large influence for me. I love his stories and the way pinpoints certain moments to really have them stand out in the narrative.
My passion for writing started at a young age with poetry. So I can’t overlook my appreciation for the classic and modern American poets. Whitman was a big influence on me, it took me a while to come around to his style, but now I love it.
I would have to say that in recent years the stoic philosophers have also have a profound influence on me. There is an excellent book by William Irvine called A Guide to the Good Life that summarizes their philosophies well. After learning more about stoicism I think my writing and my characters started to take better shape in terms of their own belief systems and philosophies of life. This gave me another dimension to add to my characters.
What type of writing fuel do you prefer, and what – if anything – do you feel this contributes to your creative process?
When I wrote my first two novels, which have yet to be published, I was in an unhealthy place in my life and in my writing. I would eat candy bars and sour gummies and drink a liter of cola and stay up and write all night. And the work I produced was impacted by that unhealthy mindset and diet. When I wrote Nailbiters, I would sit down for a good writing session after a long run or a strenuous workout and then a refreshing shower. I came into the writing fresh and clean and a little sore. I think moving forward my fuel for writing will continue to rely on this routine of being well hydrated and having had some quiet time on a run to reflect on what needs to be written.
What inspired you to write Nailbiters?
Nailbiters has been in the works for three years. The initial idea came from a very detailed dream that I had about three years ago about an alien invasion. I usually dream when I sleep but this dream was particularly detailed and stuck out in my memory so when I woke up I jotted down everything I could remember and Nailbiters was born. About two months later I had another very specific dream that yielded that characters that became Gael and Don. I started to work on the story, then put it away to work on other stories. I played with it a bit then put it down.
About 10 months ago I finally realized that I knew how the story would end, where the characters would go, and what the overall message would be. The moment when I was inspired to finish the book came from a place of misplaced trust in a system that I thought was working. And out of that came the tumultuous world that Dora experienced.
Pirates or ninjas, and why?
I feel like I am legally required to select Pirates since I currently live in Tampa Bay. The annual Gasparilla festival is one of a kind.
Give us one piece of sage advice on writing, relationships, or life in general.
You can overthink it, you can stand in your own way, and you have the power to stop those two things from happening.
If you were a cocktail, what would you be called, and what’s the recipe?
I don’t like being boxed into one item, so I would be a flight of selected beverages that matches my personality and the fact that I like having a balance in my life:
- Strawberry Margarita
- Water
- Bourbon and Coke
- Water
- Diet Coke with Cherry
- Water
If you were to pen a screenplay for the next summer blockbuster, what would it be about – and who would you want to see in the starring role?
You mean other than Nailbiters?? Clearly Nailbiters needs to be made into a movie. But if we put my ego aside then I would have to follow the formula that seems to keep winning:
Robots, romance, explosions and funny one-liners.
Actually I wouldn’t pen a screenplay. I think I would get frustrated and just jump right back into writing a novel. I would outsource the task to convert that novel into a screenplay to one of my talented friends.
If you were to write an open letter to a famous author (living or dead), who would it be, and what would it say?
It would be to J.K. Rowling (not Stephen King, I don’t want to inspire another Misery).
I would send her an invitation to a luncheon where we could have a conversation about books, characters, success and feminism in the 21st century. Then we would obviously become pen-pals.
Where can we find you on a typical Friday night, and what kind of trouble are you getting into there?
Oh boy, well after a solid workout I usually make dinner and if I don’t have a DVD rented from the local library then I’ll watch Dateline or Shark Tank. Then I go to bed early to get ready for a long run on Saturday morning (no less than a 10K).
What are you currently working on, and why does it kick ass?
Now that Nailbiters is complete I’m spending a lot of time and energy trying to get it out to the public so my writing energy is focused on finishing up some short stories that I am putting into a collection. I am planning to release that in early 2016. It is going to be totally awesome because these stories are much lighter and the characters are very quirky and fun to write. Also, you get four awesome stories in one book, that’s just a great deal!
Do you have any talismans, charms, superstitions or music that inspires or helps you to write, and what’s the story behind them?
I absolutely need music to help me write. I usually cultivate a playlist for each story that helps me to get into the mental space of the characters and the world that they are experiencing. I developed a very specific playlist for Nailbiters that I originally titled “Creepy Music” that helped me to get into the alien invasion mindset.
What’s your exercise or sport of choice when getting out from behind the desk?
I am a runner. I completed one half marathon earlier this year and I plan to complete another before the end of the year. I also mix up my routine with resistance training for definition. While I am waiting for Nailbiters to become the next bestseller I actually write freelance articles for a health and fitness website.
Connect with M.K. on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website at NailBitersNovel.com.