Today, I have the great pleasure of interviewing the author of Black Sheep - Kia Zi Shiru. I've been a big fan for a very long time, both of the story and the author, so this is a real pleasure for me.
When you started writing BS did you know it was going to be an epic or did it grow as it went along?
Black
Sheep started out as a three part to begin with. I don’t know why I chose 60
chapters when I decided to write Black Sheep but I did know I’d have three
story arcs anyway. Some things have changed their place in the story and some
have been omitted fully, but in the end the three parts seem to work best for
Black Sheep.
I've got to ask you this although it's cheesy, but it gives me the opportunity of putting pics in the post and you know how much I like the visuals. If BS were to be made into a movie, which I sincerely hope it one day will, who would be your dream cast? For the sake of eye candy you don't have to choose actors/resses
I
know people keep asking me this question and I have no clue. Honestly no clue.
Sure, the guys playing Vic and Jack should have long hair and Adam should have
weirdly brightly coloured hair. But overall, I don’t really know any actors
that would fit the age range and have the right looks. Maybe I should watch
more movies ;)
Were any of the characters based on people you know?
Yes
and no. Some character elements I’ve used you can see in people I know but at
the same time, they aren’t those people. All the characters are their own
person, I didn’t copy someone over.
During the course of writing the series, including the research you did for them was there anything you learned, about your characters, the process of writing, yourself, that really surprised or shocked you?
I
guess that at the start of writing Black Sheep I didn’t yet fully understand
the cruelty of the world. As I was doing research and reading about people’s
experiences more than once it shocked me how cruel people can be. I might have
grown up pretty protected but more than once I cried during research. And then
of course during writing. There are scenes that still make me tear up or that I
have a hard time reading because they are so gruesome, most of those are in the
second book that just came out.
A lot of writers, me included, speak of having the characters 'live' inside them while they're writing them. Characters 'talk' and lead us down unexpected routes in the story. If this is the case, which character shouted the loudest and what did they have to say.
Vic
and Adam. They were both very vocal about how and what I should write. There
are a lot of scenes that I wrote down but never used in the books for various
reasons. But Vic and Adam were the two characters who I had the most ease
writing because they felt so real and natural to me. And boy could they yell,
they still try to get me to write more but I’m really done with the trilogy.
Is there anything you've taken from the experience of writing BS that will stay with you over time, anything that has affected you deeply or changed you in some way?
Maybe
something that didn’t occur to me at the time that I started writing was that
it can get better. No matter what happens it can really get better. It doesn’t
always, but my life has really changed during writing Black Sheep and at the
same time it gave me a lot of courage to write Black Sheep. Black Sheep is not
just a story that I made up but some of the things that I wrote about were
things that have in one form or another haunted me for years. Black Sheep was my
way of dealing with that.
Are there any moments in BS that you associate with something in your own life, in that reading back over them makes you remember something about what was going on in your life when you wrote them.
One
thing I remember is that I did quite a few of the rewrites of Letting go of the
Past while I was drunk. I can still read chapter 5 (the Jack flashback chapter)
and it still surprises me because I barely remember writing or rewriting it.
Ahh well, it is still one of my favourite chapters maybe largely because I
can’t remember much of it apart from the pure emotion in it.
Five years is a long time to have been writing a story. Will you miss writing BS and if so what will you miss most.
I
think I’ll miss the comfort and the characters most. These characters have been
with me for the past years and they were a big part of me while I was trying to
find my own footing in the world. On the other hand, I don’t know if I’ll ever
be as involved with any other characters as I was with these guys. Five years
is a long time to basically live your characters in certain ways. I knew all
their mannerisms that I could write about.
I’ll
probably miss that comfort most. On the other hand writing new things is really
fun and exciting.
What was the most rewarding thing about your experience of writing and publishing?
Fans.
People who talk to me about their experiences and how my stories or books have
influenced them or touched them in certain ways. That is one of the most
magical things I’ve experienced since I started writing. I love how people seem
to connect almost on the same level with the characters as I did while writing
them.
Publishing
brought me something else even. I’ve found a lot of people who like to write or
read within the same genres as I do and I really savour all those new
connections I made
What's next?
That is the big question, isn’t it? What is next. More guys,
slightly older this time, early to mid 20s. Vampires too, of all different
types. Werewolves. Seers. Predictions. Sexy times. A lot of stuff will be going
on during the rest of the year. I’ve got 2 series that I’ll be starting to
publish in 2013 and I’m looking forward to showing a bit more diversity in my
writing.
Thank you so much for these questions Nephy!
Excerpt 3
“So, here we are again.” Dr West sits down next to the bed. “Not talking again, I’ve been told.”
I
stare
away
from
him,
silently
confirming
his
statement.
Memories
of
the
last
time
I
was
here
have
started
haunting
me
and
even
though
I
have
only
been
here
for
a
week
it
seems
like
the
time
between
then
and
now
has
never
happened, or at
best has been a dream.
“They called me as soon as my holiday ended. They figured I knew how to deal with you. But I’m not so sure about it, Victor. You need to start talking. Everybody is getting really worried. Don’t start hiding inside your head again.”
I
know
he
is
staring
at
me,
he
is
good
at
that,
sitting
still
as
a
rock
and
just
analysing
my
every
move.
My
every
blink
and
breath
will
be
studied
and
he
will
write
about
it
and
talk
to
me
about
it
and
he
will
analyse
my
reaction
to
his
first
conclusions
and
everything
will
start
over
again.
Until
I
start
talking
of
course.
“Victor. Victor, look at me. Come on.” Dr West moves his chair so he is sitting at the foot of the bed.
I
shake
my
head,
trying
to
hide
my
face
in
my
hair,
but
without
my
hands
there
is
not
much
I
can
do
when
it
comes
to
hiding.
I
sigh
and
close
my
eyes,
not
looking
at
him,
not
working
with
him.
It’s
not
like
it
worked
that
well
last
time,
I’m
back
for
the
same
damn
reason,
aren’t
I?
“Your sis told me that your boyfriend moved into your house. How is that, living with him?”
I
still.
What?
When
did
that
happen?
How
come
Jack
moved?
Is
it
because
of
me?
“You didn’t know?”
See,
there,
he
did
it.
Reading
my
moves,
analysing
what
I
do.
Being
all
psych
with
me
even
if
I
don’t
talk.
But
this
time
he
won’t
be
able
to
get
me
to
break.
They
won’t
keep
me
here
forever,
they
have
to
let
me
go
at
some
point.
Where can you purchase this awesome book, and the first in the series?
For Sales Links and more information visit Kia in chaos http://www.5timeschaos.com/
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