Interview with Kimberly Griffiths Little + Giveaway

I had the honor of interviewing the fantastic Kimberly Griffiths Little, author of The Healing Spell. I'm really excited to have her on the blog today! In addition to being a talented writer, she's really quite funny too, so check it out! :)

What was the process for titling the book?

I take a few sheets of paper, a purple pen, a stash of chocolate, and some brainstorming with a dash of anxiety. Sometimes titles comes right away and sometimes I agonize over them. My middle son came up with a great title for my last book when he leaned over the computer as I was working one day and said, “You ought to call it THE LAST SNAKE RUNNER.” Eureka! That was it!

For THE HEALING SPELL, I wrote down a bunch of words and phrases from the story on a piece of paper, kept mixing them up and playing around until THE HEALING SPELL was born. The “Spell” itself which is located at the end of the book was written much later, after the book had been revised many times and I was still in the process of subbing it for publication. It was originally placed at the beginning of the manuscript when it sold to Scholastic, but my editor suggested we place The Recipe for a Healing Spell at the very end – and I think it’s perfect. Fits the emotional resolution so well.

At what moment in time did you really begin to feel that you were a writer?

Those moments of feeling like a real, working writer are fleeting and neurotic and don’t happen very often. Acquiring an agent, getting the phone call that an offer has been made for my book, signing the contracts, are all WONDERFUL, authorly moments. But they’re also done while juggling kiddos on my lap or sit in the midst of dishes and clutter so sometimes I feel like an imposter, too!

If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be?

Gosh, do I have to choose just one? Elizabeth Bennett because she’s so spunky and self-aware and confident. Harriet Welsh because of her quirkiness and we could run home after school and eat cake together.

If you could be a character in any one novel, what book would that be? Why?

I’d have to say Bella Swan because I am very curious to see what it’s like to kiss a stone cold vampire dude.

What are your secret talents or hobbies?

Belly dancing. I was a piano major and taught 20 students for many years. I make a mean chocolate chip cookie. I’ve always wanted to live in a castle. On my own island.

Giveaway:

If you would like to win a SIGNED hardcover copy of The Healing Spell, please just leave a comment below with your e-mail address. Unfortunately, this is open to US only, because I am sending the book out. I will draw the winner on January 3rd. Good luck!