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"You see, I don't believe that libraries should be drab places where people sit in silence, and that's been the main reason for our policy of employing wild animals as librarians."--Monty Python


Sunday, May 20, 2012

DPL BookTalk Chats with Kristan Higgins

We're pleased to welcome Kristan Higgins
to DPL BookTalk!

Kristan is a bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA award.  She divides her time between home in Connecticut and summers on Cape Cod.  She's the mother of two lovely kids, the wife of a brave firefighter, and a devoted Ben & Jerry's fan. Previously a copywriter, Kristan began writing fiction when her children graced her life with simultaneous naps...so much more satisfying than folding laundry.  She holds a BA in English, which enables her to identify dangling participles and quote many great novels. 


DPL:  In your newest book, Somebody to Love, you revisit Gideon's Cove, which was the setting for Catch of the Day.  Do you think you'll revisit any other locations in future books?

KH:  Gideon’s Cove, Maine, was always special to me.  I loved the beauty and scruffiness of the town, as well as its remote location (nearly in Canada).  When I was seven, my dad took me out on a lobster boat in Perkin’s Cove, and I never forgot it (even named the hero’s boat after the boat we went on).  It was a real joy to go back to the town, especially through the eyes of a stranger in Somebody to Love and see my old friends again.

For now, I have no plans to go back to any town other than Hammondsport (though my fictionalized version is called Manningsport).  But you never know.

DPL:  Would you tell us a little about the new series you're working on? 

KH:  Sure!  It’ll be three books (maybe more, but we’ll start with three) based around Blue Heron Vineyard, family-run operation in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  The Holland family consists of a widowed dad and four grown kids: Prudence, Jack, Honor and Faith, and the series kicks off when Faith returns to town three years after being left at the altar.  At the moment, I have no idea what or whom the other books will be about.  Better get on that…

Setting is hugely important to me as a writer, and when visiting the area last fall, Terence and I fell in love with Hammondsport…as in, “Let’s check out some real estate while we’re up here!”  The town for the Blue Heron series is very closely based on that village.


DPL:  When did you realize you have an obsession with Derek Jeter?  :)

KH:  Early on, Patti, early on. Derek and I have been together since my daughter was a baby, and we have no plans to split up anytime soon.

DPL:  What did you like most about the library when you were a child?  Who was your favorite author?

KH:  The DPL was a magical place for me as a kid.  Back then, the children’s library was in the basement of the old building, which was often damp and chilly (or stuffy and hot, as I recall…not a lot of in-between).  Even though it was tiny, there always seemed to be a corner I hadn’t found. I loved the Thornton Burgess Mother West Wind series (Little Joe Otter was my favorite), as well as Bullfinch’s Greek Mythology.  Around the age of fourteen, I started sneaking romances into my mom’s bag of books, and the damage was done.

DPL:  What is a completely random fact about you that most people don't know?

KH:  Many years ago, I went to a ball game at Fenway. Of course, I wore something with the Yankees logo on it, and some guy made a disparaging comment, to which I responded, “Get a life, loser.” My boyfriend said, “You know that was Stephen King, right?”

DPL:  Name one book you think everyone should read.

KH:  The Odyssey.  It’s got everything.

DPL:  Favorite movie based on a book?

KH:  I’d have to say The Hunger Games!  It took everything great in the book and made it a little better.

DPL:  What is the proudest moment in your career?

KH:  I got a letter from a young woman named Tiffany a couple of years ago…she was in an abusive relationship for a long time and wrote, “Your books taught me what love should be and what I deserve, and I want you to know I’m not with him anymore.” If people ask me why I write romance, I generally quote that letter.

DPL:  What’s the funniest question you've had from a reader?

KH:  “How could you put a snake in a book?”

DPL:  And the most important question...when will there be a cat on one of your covers again??

KH:  I do love cats, especially my own Huck, but in my heart of hearts, there’s a wriggly little puppy.

DPL:  Thanks for talking with us, Kristan!

KH: You bet!

Kristan's website:  http://www.kristanhiggins.com/


--Patti

2 comments:

  1. Great interview Patti, and Kristan thanks for sharing your thoughts on writing and reading.

    Reader and library enthusiast

    ReplyDelete

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