I want to thank and welcome wonderful and prolific middle
grade and young adult author, Kai Strand for sharing her personal experiences
on writing a book series and showcasing her YA fantasy/speculative series Super Villain Academy series with us on
my blog today. So let’s get this interview with Kai rolling…KAPOW!
Where did you
get your idea and inspiration to write
Super Villain Academy series, Kai?
The
inspiration started with the first book only. It was early on November 1st.
I was sitting down to start my NaNoWriMo novel (write a novel in one month –
nuts!). For the first time I’d outlined so I could be more prepared for fast
drafting. Well…yeah. When I sat down I was struck with the thought, “Who trains
the bad guys?” and Super Villain Academy was born. It turned into a series when
the ending refused to change from a set up of a second book. So I decided I’d
call the series Super Villain Academy and changed the name of the first book,
King of Bad.
It’s amazing
where authors get their ideas! How many books are you planning to write in this
young adult fantasy/speculative fiction series?
There
are three in the series. Polar Opposites is the second. Super Bad (releasing
May 6th) is the final book.
Looking forward
to it! What sets Super Villain Academy
apart from other series in the same genre?
So
many of the super hero/villain books are set in a middle grade setting, but
these are definitely written for young adult readers. I like to call them
PG-13. Also, my supers are born with their powers, not made into supers with a
shot of gamma radiation. They discover them at different times in their lives,
so some kids have been going to SVA (and other academies) since they were as
young as twelve and others don’t join until they are sixteen or older.
You seem to have
books for every age group, Kai! How long did it take for you to start and
finish each book from Super Villain
Academy?
King
of Bad took the longest. Turns out when you write an entire novel in one month,
it can be pretty messy! It took me five years to clean it up and get it under
contract. Though, I wasn’t working on it exclusively. I don’t write only one
book at a time. The other books took less than a year each to get them written,
revised, and through the publishing channel.
Wow, I admire
your stamina. What are some of your favorite book series, Kai?
·
Cassandra
Clare’s Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series
·
Maggie
Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls
·
Jonathan
Stroud’s Bartimaeus series
·
I’m
really enjoying Brigid Kremmerer’s Elementals series. Close to teens with
superpowers like my SVA series, without the super hero/villain aspect.
Great picks! Do
you have any advice for other writers striving to write a series?
One
of the benefits to writing a series is you really get to know your characters.
Truly understanding them like that allows you to write them into and out of
some crazy situations. It was very hard for me to finish the last book in the
series because I loved writing those teenagers so much!
On
the flipside, writing a series can feel limiting when you want to branch out.
As I mentioned, I don’t write one book at a time, but even so, at the beginning
of last year, I found myself plotting out the year’s writing projects and there
wasn’t one new world or main character I was going to be attacking and I said
to myself, “Whose idea was it to write series, anyway?” So be sure to throw a
standalone into the mix now and again to keep yourself sane.
LOL! I’ll
remember that sage advice. What’s next for Kai Strand the author?
Ha
ha. A standalone. Currently titled EVERYTHING. YA romance. I loved writing Save
the Lemmings (MG contemporary) and Finding Thor (YA romantic suspense). And
because I don’t like to do the same thing twice, I’ve decided to change the way
I write this newest one and really take some time with it. I don’t know what I
expect to get out of a slower pace, but I suspect it will be different.
You certainly
are an author of many talents, Kai, and I really admire that about you. Okay,
here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series—IF you could time
travel into Earth’s past, WHO would you love to meet, and WHY?
I
would become Mozart’s scribe. Oh my gosh, how much I would love to watch him
compose. His mind must have been a marvel and I have always wanted to know how
he got all of the layered, complicated music out of his head and onto paper.
Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m taller than him – doesn’t happen often for me, so
YAY!
Thanks for having me, Sharon!
You’re very welcome, Kai! And congrats
on completing your awesome series! Bravo!
Super
Villain Academy Books:
King of Bad (Super Villain
Academy Bk 1)- Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules. He wears his
bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; until he learns he has superpowers
and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being
bad. Is Jeff bad enough for SVA?
Polar
Opposites
(Super Villain Academy Bk 2) - Heroes and villains are balanced. After Oceanus
is kidnapped, Jeff learns the supers are so balanced, they no longer care to
get involved. Ironically Jeff’s superpowers are spiraling out of control. Will
they find Oci before he looses it completely, and will they find her alive?
Super
Bad
(Super Villain Academy Bk3) - The world is in chaos. Violence and thievery
reign. And with the supers still balanced, it’s only getting worse. Without
good versus evil, the supers care less and less. In order to restore purpose,
the world needs its super heroes and its super villains, but the one who
balanced them in the first place is missing.
About
the Author:
When her children were young and the
electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and
they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the
ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s
author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from
their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade
readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all
ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.
