Interview with Kirsten McKenzie
Welcome Kirsten, I hope I spelled your name right, tell us about your latest novel or project:
My second horror novel - Doctor Perry, comes out on the 26th April. Set in a retirement home, you don’t want Doctor Perry treating you...
What got you started writing?
A slow day at work! I was working in the family antique store - Antique Alley, and on a slow day, I started thinking about the stories behind the antiques in the shop, how at one point, everything in the shop had been loved.
What challenges did you face when you first started writing?
Naivety. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Do you ever get the opportunity to travel for your writing? Either to market or to research.
Yes. I’ve been to Florence to research my half written literary novel ‘The Ruination of Art’, and I’ve been to India to do research for the third instalment in my timeslip series
Who in your life is your greatest cheerleader or support in your writing?
My family, a handful of close friends, and a number of readers who have become great friends.
What is it like writing in New Zealand that would be different if you lived anywhere else?
I can sit outside to write during most of the year without freezing to death in subzero temperatures. Coffee is more available than any other beverage and wine is cheap...
Where do you get your ideas? Is there anything about New Zealand that has inspired you to write?
New Zealand’s landscape inspires me, the thousands of different shades of green as you drive through the countryside. The mostly empty beaches allow you to imagine a time long gone.
Why do you think readers are fascinated by books written about New Zealand?
I’m not sure. Some authors claim they are, but of the research I’ve read, it still seems that books set in America are more likely to hit the Best Seller charts.
Who is your favourite New Zealand author and why?
I have two - Lynley Dodds for her marvellous books which I read and reread and reread to my daughters. And Elaine Blick, my godmother, who is in her 70s, and still churning out beautiful novels.
What advice would you give for other writers in New Zealand?
Find your tribe - a small group of authors in a similar place in their careers to yours, and support each other, champion each other, do events together, grow together. And don’t complain or be critical of the success of others in public, ever.
Do you get to network or meet up with other New Zealand authors?
Yes. Through the NZ Book Festival, and through another group I belong to - the Kiwi Book Feast.
What was the first thing you did after your first book was published?
We drank champagne, and I hosted a full on book launch at Antique Alley, where it all began.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle the good and the bad ones?
Yes I read them, but only periodically. I once had a review of my first novel which called my protagonist a Bubblehead. That criticism actually really helped me develop her in the second book. She really was a bubblehead, and I had that character flaw, the story started flowing better. Of the reviews that are awful, I remind myself that even Dickens and JK Rowling and George RR Martin and Stephen King have all had one star reviews, and they kept writing (I assume Dickens had his work criticised when he was alive to read the reviews!)
It seems like everything has Easter Eggs (surprise reference to your other work) do you have any Easter Eggs in your books?
Oh yes I do… I’ve borrowed the names of Charles Dickens characters, and have used them for minor characters throughout all my books. I’ll leave you to figure out who and where...
How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have any secrets to productivity?
‘Fifteen Postcards’ took me 18 months, ‘The Last Letter’ took 12 months, ‘Painted’ took 8 months, and I thought, that’s it, that’s the fastest I can write, but ‘Doctor Perry’ took 11 months, when I expected to only take 8 months. I’ve learnt that I can’t write properly during school holidays - it is my least productive time. As to the secrets of productivity? Write somewhere without internet access.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I normally write at the dining room table, and I can’t write if the table or the kitchen is messy. So I have to tidy up before I write. I prefer a clean work surface with only my notebook and diary next to me.
What is your best experience meeting a fan?
At the last NZ Book Festival in November 2017, people came especially to the festival to buy a copy of ‘Painted’. I was completely honoured by that.
If any of your books was to be made into a film, which one would you pick and who would you have play the main characters?
I believe ‘Painted’ is the book most likely to be adapted, especially as enquiries have already been made from abroad so we’ll see how that goes! As for the actors, hmm, let me think!
Anita - Natalie Portman
Alan - Steve Coogan
Callaghan - Christian Bale
Yvonne - Viola Davis
Scott - Ian Somerhalder
Leo Kubin - John Waters
George Kubin - Sean Bean
Farmer - Ciaran Hinds
How important do you think marketing is for authors today?
It is essential. If you don’t understand how to market, or don’t have a marketing budget, best you learn, and start putting aside those pennies for your marketing.
Do you have any book you have written that won’t ever see the light of day and why?
No.
Many authors have a word or a phrase they automatically use too often. Do you have one?
She sighed. He sighed. She nodded. He nodded. They both nodded and sighed. Lots of nodding and sighing.
What quirk or trope of your genre do you like or dislike?
And in the middle of it all, they fell in love. No one has time for that in the middle of a horror novel!
Often writers get to approach some serious subjects. Which serious subject are you most proud to have written about or was the hardest to write about?
In ‘Painted’, Anita is recovering from being raped (which is only referred to historically. There was no need to include the actual scene - that would be gratuitous and unnecessary). I was sexually assaulted walking home from work one sunny afternoon. Traumatic and unforgettable. Always, always call the police, because the next girl after you may be raped, or worse. Never ever stay silent.
Thank you for sharing some of your story with us.
