Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a journalist and author, but really I’m just a native New Yorker trying to survive in the concrete jungle. Usually you can catch me on the subway armed with a pen in my hand, easing-dropping on people’s conversations. There are tons interesting stories out there and I sure as hell don’t want to miss them! Growing up in a city known for insomnia gives me a plenty of inspiration.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Craig’s List Chronicles: byte-size tales is my latest book.
The idea first came after I placed a fake ‘Missed Connections’ ad on Craigslist. It was late at night, I was bored, and my fingers were itchy to write something. What came out was an insane ship-crossing story that took place on the Brooklyn bound F-train. A mullet, golden ballet slippers and Harry Potter set the stage. I hit publish, went to bed and thought nothing of it. To my shock, the next day hundreds of emails were sitting in my inbox from people claiming to have seen me! When I met my husband on Craigslist ten years later, I knew I had a book worth writing.
Books are birthed in the strangest places. I like to say Craig’s List Chronicles: byte-size tales was conceived online and delivered during rush hour at the Brooklyn Smith Street subway station.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing day starts when everyone is returning from work. Does this count as unusual? I’m usually at my desk by five p.m. and don’t stop writing until nine in the evening. Afterwards, I pretend I’m a Spaniard and eat a light dinner close 10 p.m. I’ve tried writing earlier in the day but it doesn’t fit. I figure, I’ve been a night owl my whole life, there’s no need to fix what ain’t broken.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Elmore Lenord, Roz Chast, Carl Hiaasen, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Wolfe, T.C. Boyle, Helen Fielding, and Anthony Bourdain all fight for space on my bookshelf.
When I’m feeling a bit broody, I reach for classics like Love in the Time of Cholera, Old Man in the Sea or books that take me to foreign places.
Any wordsmith who can spin sentences into pure gold will steal my heart any day of the week .
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a collection of short stories set in my hometown of NYC. It’s chock full of urban legends, crazy taxi rides, walls that talk, hipster invasions and Brooklyn nanny brigades.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesome Gang, naturally! I’m also pretty fond of promoting books on my own website.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, write, edit, repeat. Don’t listen to others, just write what’s in your head. When it’s time to edit, learn to love the process. Each draft will make you a better writer.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
No one ever said writing was easy. If that were the case, everyone would be a novelist! You need to show up and work. Waiting for the muse does nothing for word counts. Small achievements lead to big ones.
What are you reading now?
Less by Alexander Greene and Hits & Misses by Simon Rich.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Another deadline I’m hustling to finish.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is easy: Rum Making for Dummies, A Survivor’s Guide for Being Stranded on a Desert Island & An Omnivores Dilemma for when I need to meditate on things.
Author Websites and Profiles
Kim Masson Website
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