Author Interview & Giveaway: Kathleen Peacock

I would like to welcome debut author, Kathleen Peacock, to the nest today. Kathleen's novel, Hemlock, hits the shelves tomorrow. It's one you don't want to miss! You can read my review of Hemlock here. Also, in addition to getting to read my interview with Kathleen, Reading Lark followers also have a chance to win a copy of Hemlock. I love the book so much - I knew I had to share it with our readers. The winner will have the choice of a hard copy or eBook. Due to shipping costs, the winner must be a US or CA resident.

Andrea @ Reading Lark: I love that you combine mystery and supernatural elements in Hemlock. What inspired the idea for this story?

Kathleen: I actually had one scene pop into my head several years ago. Kyle, Mac, and Jason were all present (though they were unnamed) and there were hints of the dynamic between Trackers and werewolves. All of the world building evolved out of that one scene. 

The haunting-type elements with Amy were actually an accident. I wrote one dream sequence on a whim and liked it so much that I thought she should get more page time.

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Which character is your favorite to write?

Kathleen: I really like writing Jason, but my favorite (at least in book one) is probably Trey or Amy. Amy’s fun to write because she’s this nightmare version of the Cheshire Cat—normal rules don’t apply to her, and that can be rather freeing. And there’s something about Trey that I just really love.  

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Why did you choose to create Hemlock instead of using a real place for the setting?

Kathleen: Honestly? Partly because I wanted a lot of flexibility but partly because I’m a Canadian who has never travelled beyond Maine. Parts of the second book take place in real areas, and I was so nervous that I read two guidebooks cover to cover, ordered every brochure I could from the state’s tourism website, and followed a bunch of tourism accounts on Twitter. If it hadn’t been for deadlines, I would have been tempted to hop a plane.

I have one friend who frequently visits the state and city in question. I’d send her these insane emails at 3AM asking whether or not it was okay to have a stucco building in a certain area and if ash trees made sense. I think I once asked her about the size of squirrels. She’s mentioned twice in the acknowledgements of book one. I’ll probably have to mention her three times in the acknowledgments for book two.

Andrea @ Reading Lark: What are three books that you are excited to read this Spring?

Kathleen: I can’t wait to read The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting. I loved the first two books in The Body Finder series—especially because the romance is between two best friends, something Kimberly writes so well. Though it comes out in June (so maybe not quite “Spring”), I’m absolutely DESPERATE to read This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers because her voice is so incredible and she practically has a degree in horror movies. Also, though not YA, I’m really curious about Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Artby Christopher Moore—both as someone who enjoys his books and as an art school grad.

Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your favorite bird?

Kathleen: I’ve been obsessed with crows/ravens since I was a teen. If I ever break down and get a tattoo, it will probably be a raven for a speech the bird makes in Peter S. Beagle’s A Fine and Private Place:

“Tell you something," the raven said. "I was flying over the Midwest once." He stopped abruptly, closed his eyes for a moment, opened them, and began again. "I was flying over the Midwest. Iowa or Illinois, or some place like that. And I saw this big damn seagull. Right in the middle of Iowa, a seagull. And he was flying around in big, wide circles, real sweeping circles, the way a seagull flies, flapping his wings just enough to keep on the updrafts. Every time he saw water he'd go flying down toward it, yelling, "I found it! I found it!" The poor sonofabitch was looking for the ocean. And every time he saw water, he thought that was the ocean. He didn't know anything about ponds or lakes or anything. All the water he ever saw was the ocean. He thought that was all the water there was.” – A Fine and Private Place by Peter S Beagle

About Kathleen

Kathleen spent most of her teen years writing short stories. She put her writing dreams on hold while attending college but rediscovered them when office life started leaving her with an allergy to cubicles.

Hemlock, her first novel, will be released on May 8th by Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4124788.Kathleen_Peacock

Twitter: @kathleenpeacock

Website: www.kathleenpeacock.com

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