Author Interview: Carol and Adam Kunz (CA Kunz)

Hey Carol & Adam! Thanks for taking the time out to do this interview. So you are a mother and son writing duo, which is awesome! You just recently published your first YA fantasy novel, The Childe. Could you us a little about it?

Carol & Adam: The Childe is a coming of age story with a supernatural twist, involving our main character Cat Colvin. At the onset of the story, Cat is finally allowed by her parents to join her childhood friends at Astoria High School for their freshman year, instead of having to attend snobsville Madison Prep. Almost immediately she's thrust into conflict stemming from an extremely viscous and caustic teacher, a strange group of preppy Goths who take an instant dislike to her, and a popular trio called the Trifecta, who for some reason wants her to be their new BFF. All of this is further complicated by the fact, unbeknownst to her, that she's metamorphosing into the Childe.

Where did the idea for The Childe come from?

Adam: Back in my senior year of High School (almost 8 years ago), my AP English teacher, Mrs. Powers, had us brainstorm a list of ideas for future writing projects as a creative writing exercise. Two years ago, I was digging through a box labelled "OLD SCHOOL STUFF" that my mom had collected over the years. Inside I found the notebook containing those ideas from class. One of them really struck me as I perused the pages, and that idea eventually became the plot line for our series, The Childe. Since the idea was right up our alley in terms of favourite genre (to read/write), my mom was sold on it immediately. Obviously it has been fleshed out considerably, and has changed quite a bit from it's original version, but it was a great place to start from though.

The cover for The Childe is very eye catching. How much say did both you have in the designing of the cover? Who designed it?

Carol & Adam: Adam actually sketched out our idea of what we wanted the entire cover to look like. Going into it, we really wanted to showcase Cat's fiery red hair, and make it, and the moon the focal point of  the cover. A wonderful graphic designer, Lisa Surphlis, took that sketch and transformed the concept into the finished product you see today. We were ecstatic when we saw the final design, because it was exactly how both of us envisioned it.

How does it feel to have your book out there for the public to read and maybe critique?

Carol: Excited and a little nervous. Excited, because I want people to read an enjoy the world we have created in our novel. Nervous, because The Childe is our baby, and as a parent I have a hard time with people making critiques about my children. All in all though, the experience so far has been very positive, if not exhilarating at times. I realize that our novel is not everyones cup of tea, but I can only hope those who read it will at least have a good time doing so.

Adam: I would echo my mom's sentiments and also say that it's kind of like a roller coaster ride too at times. There are the highs and the lows, the sudden dips and corkscrews, the screams of joy and screams of fear... all of that. I might be weird, but I actually love book critiques (maybe more than I should.) No matter if they are "positive" or "negative," they all help us grow as authors. What one person likes about a novel, another person might dislike about it, and vice versa. I'm just grateful that I was able to fulfill a dream with my mom, and create a story that we both have a blast writing together!

Is there any other projects you are both working on at the minute?

Carol & Adam: We are currently wrapping up the 2nd book. We have a little tweaking to do, and then it's off to the first of three editors, who all review, edit and yes do the dreaded critiquing of the manuscript, before we send if off to be printed! We are also working on a side project with the wonderfully talented musician, Lee Wilson. He is helping us put together a companion soundtrack for our series. Volume one of the soundtrack spans the first two books in The Childe series, and will contain 11 full length songs. The songs have full lyrics and were inspired by the words of the novels. They span several genres from pop, rock, R&B, punk, classical and country. The Childe companion soundtrack will be available soon.

How does it feel to go on this whole journey together (writing, publishing and promoting your novel)?

Carol: Frankly, it was overwhelming for me. I did not realize the amount of work and time that was needed to produce our final product, and then the work to get it out to the masses. Luckily, I am blessed with a son who took the reins, and with the help of his good friend made the book into what it is today. If it had been left up to me, it would still be sitting in a loose leaf notebook with me frantically searching the Internet highway looking for help. The journey with my son has been extremely enjoyable, and a trip that I wouldn't hesitate to undertake again. It was hard at first to find a balance between his writing style and mine and blend it into our novel. We find it now far easier to bounce ideas off one another and understand each others nuances, to enable us to better write like one voice.

Adam: Again, I would like to echo my mom's sentiments, and add that this truly has been one of the best experiences of my life! I wouldn't have changed a thing about it! I know I am very lucky to have a mother like mine. She is a very positive person, and truly kept me motivated when times got rocky. There have been some truly rough patches, but we pressed on and have learned so much by doing so (and we're still learning). Every part of the process has been a lot of fun, from the actual writing, to the publishing , and especially the promotion. My mom and I love to talk and meet new people and that is just what this whole experience allows us to do.

You both like to read fantasy, supernatural books. What are some of your favourite fantasy books?

Carol: The very first fantasy book I remember reading was The Lion, The Witch and Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. As a young girl, my English grandfather would take me to W.H. Smith's, a bookstore in Birkenhead, England and buy me wonderful and exciting books. He was actually the one who bought me my first set of the Chronicles of Narnia, which I still have today, worn and torn from countless hours of re-reading. Growing up, I found myself haunting libraries, reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and of course Bram Stoker's Dracula just to name a few. Nowadays, you will find me reading authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kerrlalyn Sparks and Lindsay Sands.

Adam: When I was younger, I loved almost any book about things that go bump in the night. I was addicted to the Goosebumps series and the Fear Street series by R.L.Stein. I also really enjoyed lighter reads like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Now that I am a tad older, I tend to read more YA paranormal/fantasies. One of my all-time favourite reads though has to be Harry Potter (stereotypical... I know). My most recent favourite authors are Tamora Pierce, Cassandra Claire, Holly Black, Rachel Hawkins, and Suzanne Collins.

This question is for Carol. I am a believer in ghosts as I myself swear I have saw one. Some people may say it was my imagination, some say maybe I'm a little crazy he he, if I believe I saw a ghost BUT you also saw a ghost when you were 8 years old and this sparked your interest in supernatural. Do you believe in all things supernatural?

I believe you Megan. I too, had people who said it was my imagination and didn't believe me, but I know it happened. I have always been intrigued by the supernatural and things that can't be explained. Actually, there is a small town near where I live called Cassadaga, where you can find a gathering of psychics, mediums, spiritualists and healers. Years ago when we first moved to Florida, Cassadaga, was never really that crowded, even on the weekends. Now, it's almost always bustling with activity and it seems more people are becoming open to the idea of the paranormal and are visiting, seeking answers and comfort. Several residents have said the veil between our world and the next is thinning, and that more people will see and hear things that they have never experienced before. I believe this.

Adam, you work in a certain theme park in Orlando, Florida as a decor consultant. Has your job ever helped toward you getting some great story ideas?

All the time! I am constantly surrounded by creativity and it truly does help me write better. There will be days when I am dressing the haunted houses for the parks Halloween event, and I can't wait to get home and write because I have so many ideas that were sparked by just being in the space. Clearly, the haunted houses are much more gruesome and violent than what my mom and I write about, but that doesn't mean being surrounded by it doesn't help me (I mean we do write about the paranormal). It's pretty much like an author reading books in their genre, and then stumbling upon a great idea because of something they read inspired them.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Carol & Adam: If you have a story to tell, believe in it, and write it down. There will always be people who are critical of your work, listen, if it makes sense, learn from them. If you are rejected, do not become disheartened! It only takes one person to accept your work. Remember, there are people who have been rejected numerous times, but persevered, and are now read worldwide. Live your dream! Believe in your story and in yourself, you can make it happen!

Thanks to Adam and Carol for the awesome interview. Carol & Adam kindly send me a signed copy of The Childe to review, which I will be reviewing next month!

You can find Adam and Carol under their author name, CA Kunz, at the following places:

Find them on Goodreads @ http://bit.ly/majh5D

Find them on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/thechilde (book page) and www.facebook.com/cakunz11 (author page)

Find them on twitter @AuthorCAKunz

There blog/website is currently under construction at the moment but when it's up and running again you can find it here http://www.thechilde.com/

The Childe (Book One in The Childe Series) is available now at these locations:

Paperback Edition: Amazon.com The Childe
Paperback Edition: Amazon.co.uk The Childe
Kindle Edition (US): The Childe
Kindle Edition (UK): The Childe
Nook Edition: Barnes & Noble.com: The Childe
Paperback Edition: Barnes & Noble.com: The Childe