Kiersten White is the author of “Mind Games.” The following is a complete transcript of her interview with Cracking the Cover.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes! In one form or another. When I was younger I thought I’d write and illustrate children’s books. This dream ended when I realized they expect you to have actual artistic talent in order to be an illustrator. So picky! But books have always been my passion and I knew I wanted to be involved with their creation in one way or another.
Why do you write for young readers?
I think the stories for young readers are more compelling and immediate than books for adults. Those are the stories that I am the most interested in exploring–the ones that ask who am I? who will I be? what do I want to do with the future that is very quickly opening up in front of me?
Where did the idea for “Mind Games” come from?
It’s actually a concept I’ve been toying with, either in daydream or written form, for pretty much the last fifteen years. I’ve always loved the femme fatale, and the idea of things that society sees as weaknesses being turned into strengths. That’s where I got the idea for Fia’s unusual ability. We’re always being told to ignore our feelings, when I personally believe that our feelings and intuition can be very powerful things.
Fia is so angry. Was it hard to shape that anger? Did her frustrations with life make her an easier or harder character to write?
I’ll admit I wrote MIND GAMES during a particularly difficult chapter in my life. After the rather relentlessly cheerful voice of Evie, it was a nice change of pace to be able to write someone who was truly, deeply angry and not afraid to express it. I do think the story always needed Annie to balance her out and ground the narrative, though. A book from Fia’s point of view alone would be very difficult to read.
Things are happening from both Fia and Annie’s perspectives and at different points in history. Did you map things out in advance of writing?
Not really, no. I’d jot down what I knew needed to happen in the next few chapters, and take notes as I went along, but it wasn’t until the last sequence of chapters that I really mapped it out. For such an intricate book, the plotting was fairly effortless.
How many Mind Games books will there be?
Right now there is MIND GAMES and a direct sequel that will be out in about a year. I definitely have ideas for more books in that world setup, but nothing set in stone or contracted yet. We’ll see… If I do write more, most, if not all, will be from other points of view.
You’re known for your Paranormalcy Trilogy. Was it hard to shift gears to a new story/series?
It was actually really freeing and fun! I’ve never understood how authors can write book after book after book in the same world. I guess I just have a short attention span! I really appreciate my publisher, HarperTeen, for trusting me to write outside of my genre. I also have a mythology-based book coming out this fall, THE CHAOS OF STARS, and then two other books in 2014 that are in wildly different genres as well. I do try to always include a touch of humor (obviously some books are funnier than others…) and write strong female characters, so my books all have that in common, at least!
W
hat are you working on now?
Sleeping. I have four more books out in the next two years. I’m dealing with a lot of deadlines! But all of my contracted drafts are turned in, so hopefully next I will write something just for fun. I get morose when I’m not actively creating something.