Interview with Kim Harrington

Kim Harrington lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. When not writing, she's most likely reading, watching one of her favorite TV shows, or fantasizing about her next vacation. She has no psychic powers and is cool with that. Her debut young adult novel, Clarity, is coming out March 1, 2011 (TODAY!) from Scholastic.

If you were an item on a Mexican restaurant, what would you would be and why?

Enchilada because I'm cheesy.

Do you remember where you were/what you were doing the first time you heard Clare’s voice?

I don’t remember, but I imagine I was sitting in my living room since that’s where I usually brainstorm. 

What type of research did you have to do for this book?

I visited a few psychics. That was fun! I got help from a security camera expert for one scene. And I researched what kinds of police programs a 17-year-old could be involved in. I didn’t need to research Cape Cod since I’ve spent so much time there, but of course I made a few trips for inspiration. :) 

What are the last five songs played on your I-pod?

Okay, this is going to be a whole lot of random…

Interpol – “Pace Is The Trick”

Buffalo Tom – “I’m Allowed”

BLK JKS – “Lakeside”

Explosions in the Sky – “Your Hand In Mine”

Cypress Hill – “How I Could Just Kill a Man”

Tell us a funny story.

The secret in my author photo is pretty funny: http://kimharrington.blogspot.com/2011/01/secrets-of-author-photo.html

If you could be a character in any novel you’ve ever read (that’s not your own), who would you be and why?

I can’t think of any. My favorite books pretty much torture their characters. Their lives have too much conflict for my taste. I like my fiction exciting and my real life drama-free.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

I’d say DORK DIARIES, but I think that already exists.

If you could have any special power, which one would you choose and what would you do with it?

I would want to teleport because I’m so impatient. Long car rides, plane rides…I want to just get there! Teleportation would rock.

What’s the journey of a book for you? (How does it start, how do ideas develop, writing process, edits.)

Idea development actually differs from book to book. With Clarity, the characters came to me first. I developed them, then came up with a plot. With my standalone that’s coming in 2012, the plot came first and I developed the characters second.  My writing process, however, seems to be the same for each book. While writing the first draft, I work steadily day after day. I’m not a burst writer. I could never write 6000 words in a day. I also go back and edit what I wrote the previous day before I start writing new words. It gets me back into the right voice.

How did you get interested in writing YA?

Mainly from reading it. Some good advice is to write the book you’d like to read, so it came from that.

Describe Clarity in six words.

Murder mystery, beach town, hot guys.

Which character is the most fun and the least fun to write?

Clare is the most fun to write because she’s funny and snarky. Hmm…least fun…that one’s hard. Maybe a side character, Phil, because I pity him.

Which of your characters will be the biggest surprise to readers?

[redacted for spoilage]  ;) I loved Mdm. Maslov, but that's because I adored her.

What’s one thing you want people to know about your book if it’s all they ever get to know?

Holy crap, this is the hardest question ever. Maybe I should make something up… IF YOU READ THIS BOOK, A GENIE WILL GIVE YOU THREE WISHES.

Someone said Clarity, “I'm grateful to have finally found a story to fill the Private-Detective-shaped void left in my heart after VERONICA MARS was canceled.” I agree with it. But as a VERONICA MARS fan yourself, what is your response?

As a Veronica Mars fan, it’s a HUGE compliment. Anytime someone compares the two, my heart smiles. (Hearts can smile. Really.) 

And FTW….The world is about to be destroyed by evil green alien penguins. You are the only one who can save it and you have at your disposal: a broken oil lamp, duct tape, a wooden spoon, a bike horn and a pair of sneakers. What would you do? 

First, ask Danielle if she’s on crack. Then, find out she’s serious, put on the sneakers and run.

Thanks Kim! And I may be on crack. The tests are still out. (kidding!)

I love Kim. Check out my review of Clarity right here and it comes out today everywhere---so go buy it!! You won't regret it. 

Kim's launch party is Saturday--and I'm going. So, I'm going to give you a chance to win a signed and personalized copy of Clarity. All you have to do is fill out this form. And, if you want to tweet about this contest or share it on your blog or facebook or something...that would be lovely. It's not required. 

This is open internationally and ends at midnight on Friday, March 4.

ALSO, part of the joy of a launch party is asking the authors questions. So, if you have any questions you want Kim to answer, leave it in the comment and I'll ask some on Saturday and share them in the recap. Make sure they're good!