Karen Bao Interview and giveaway!
What inspired you to write The Dove Chronicles?
The moon is amazing! I thought it would be scientifically challenging to live up there. Also, it’s really important in world mythology (especially in China, where my family is from).
What is next for your writing career?
After the Dove Chronicles trilogy is complete, I will write a fantasy that’s been churning in my head for two years. It incorporates so much of the marine ecology I’ve been studying in college, and I can’t wait!
What's next for you in general?
Finishing my thesis on mollusks in Fiji, graduating from college, and trying to get into marine ecology grad school!
What made you start writing?
I always had the writing itch, but it really manifested itself when I was stressed about college admissions... :o
Did you grow up thinking that you wanted to write or what did you want to do?
Although I’d always loved books, I wanted to be a scientist or a musician -- I didn’t consider being a writer until I’d finished drafting DOVE ARISING! It just seemed like such a faraway dream at the time.
What books did you read growing up?
Lots of fantasy like HARRY POTTER and HIS DARK MATERIALS, as well as contemporary by An Na and other writers. I also spent a lot of time with picture books about the ocean -- I guess that’s sort of prophetic, looking back!
What are you reading right now?
I’m two-timing RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE by Rita Mae Brown and THE POWER OF HABIT by Charles Duhigg.
What author do you think is the most influential in our society right now?
It’s tough to measure that. But I can tell you that Malala Yousafzai, heroic campaigner for girls’ education and Nobel Prize winner, is hugely influential, and I wish even more people could know about her and look up to her.
Do you listen to music when you write?
I listen to music between writing sessions! For Dove Arising, it was a lot of Daft Punk and Muse. The full playlist is in the appendix to the paperback version.
Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Fiji! People are so kind, life is slower-paced, and it’s both beautiful and biodiverse. But I wasn’t vacationing there, really. I was collecting data for my senior thesis, sampling fish for my professor, and coming up with ideas for future stories.
Do you outline your writing or just go for it?
Outline! I learned that drafting without an outline leads to lots of edits later.
What kind of research went into this series?
So much epic science nerdiness! I took chemistry, biology, physics, and political science classes in college, talked to professors and my peers, scrolled through the NASA website, etc, etc. For some topics, like biological poisons, I actually read scientific papers to wrap my head around the concepts.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Read a lot, write a lot, and don’t forget to outside once in awhile.
What is your favorite pizza brand?
There’s a pizza shop called "Koronet"
near my school that makes slices longer than your forearm and wider than your face. It’s kind of awesome.
What character in your series changes the most, and is the most dynamic?
Callisto Chi. She starts off as a bully to the protagonist, Phaet, but she later changes -- or is forced to change.
Do your characters resemble anyone else?
Cygnus in DOVE ARISING is like one of my math/computer whiz friends! Everyone else is a mashup of multiple real-life individuals.
Rapid Fire Round!:
Mac or PC
Mac
Hotdog or Hamburger
I’m vegetarian, so...veggie burgers > veggie dogs.
Facebook or Twitter
Facebook
Books or Movies
Books!
Apple or Android
Apple
Young Adult or Adult Books
YA. Shouldn’t surprise anyone!
Pepperoni or Sausage Pizza
...mushrooms?
Earbuds or Headphones
Earbuds! Essential for working out.
Online or In-Store Shopping
In-store
Flip-phone or Touch Screen
TOUCH SCREEN YES.
Theater or Theatre
Theater.
You can find Karen Bao on Twitter @KarenJBao and her website is www.KarenBao.com, and you can buy Dove Arising on Amazon here, or Dove Exiled here!
Stay tuned to Derpy Reviews because on the 14th my interview with Austin Aslan the author of The Island at the End of the World goes up, the giveaway for that is down below!
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