K.C. Oliver: Interview

My guest today is K.C. Oliver, author of Pretty Pretty, a YA novel about Holly Gates and Quinn Hunter, eighteen-year-old best friends who land the job of a lifetime…they think.

MARY: Welcome, K.C. For those who might not know, would you please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your life in Canada?

K.C: I was born and raised in Manitoba; smack dab in the middle of Canada. With everything from prairies, to small mountains, to a desert, to northern tundra with polar bears, Manitoba has it all. I share lodgings with my hubby, my two children, a zany cat named, Xena, and an amazing betta named, Timbit (yup, I love Tim Hortons!). I could use a cup of Timmies right now…

MARY: Sounds like you have an interesting life! Probably full of "writing material!" The setting for Pretty Pretty is a spooky hotel in Hawaii. How did you get the idea for the book, and did you personally research the location?

K.C: Hi Mary, thanks a bunch for the invite. =D

The idea for the book bounced around in my mind for quite some time and it centered on a scene that is now the prologue for the book. The entire story was built around that prologue.

I wish I would have been able to personally research the location in Hawaii! Instead, I had to rely on books, the internet, e-mail and phone calls to gather all the information needed for Pretty Pretty.

MARY: I hear ya. What did we do before the Internet? When I read Pretty Pretty, I wondered if either Holly or Quinn are patterned after the author.

K.C: There is a little of me in both characters; both Quinn and Holly have my humour.

MARY: Speaking of humor, I couldn't help noticing your gargoyle muse. Does he have a name? And, when and how did he first appear?

K.C: My lil muse doesn’t have a name yet. I really should hold a contest to name him. He has been my little side-kick for as long as I can remember. Every time I write; there he is! I have always felt that my stories literally write themselves; like someone is whispering in my ear and I am just there for my typing skills. Though, I have to admit, the green slime on my keyboard is a lil much to put up with at times.

MARY: Green slime and all, another spine-tingling tale, Sleep, My Pretty, is in the works. Can you give us a preview? Will this be an encore for Holly and Quinn? If so, will the girls be older?

K.C: Sleep, My Pretty is another Quinn and Holly story that has been a long time coming. It has gone through some major rewrites. In this adventure, Quinn and Holly are caught in the sites of a serial killer. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time has never been so deadly. The girls will be the same age, as the story picks up right after they return home from Hawaii.

MARY: Sounds like another great thriller, K.C.! Have you always been interested in "things that go bump in the night," or did this writing passion grab you as an adult?

K.C: I have always been interested in spooky stories; first Nancy Drew, then R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. I also read adult fiction thrillers as well. I was destined to write the scary stuff.

MARY: Finally, is there anything funny you can share about yourself that your readers and fans might not know?

K.C: I love to dance! The radio is always going in my home and I have been known to break into dance, busting some really wacky moves. It cracks my kids up.

MARY: Thanks for visiting! K.C. Oliver's website is: http://kc-oliver.tripod.com/

Pretty Pretty is available through Amazon, Fictionwise E-books, all independent bookstores and her publisher, Quake.

K.C: Thanks for the great interview, Mary!