Kirby Michael Wright

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and attended Punahou School. I received A BA in English Lit from the University of California, San Diego. My MFA in Creative Writing is from San Francisco State University.

I have written thirteen books to date in various genres, including flash (micro stories), poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. I have been published in over three-hundred university literary journals, including Harpur Palate, 580 Split, Reed Magazine, Blue Mesa Review, Artful Dodge, Moon City Review, Hawai’i Review, Honolulu Weekly, Hawai’i Pacific Review, and SDSU’s Pacific Review. I also write plays and screenplays. I won the 2018 Las Vegas Screenplay Contest and a stage play set in the Deep South took Third Place at the 2018 Caanes Screenplay Contest. Sometimes I harvest material from my stories when crafting plays such as HOUDINI, which was performed at the Actors Alliance Festival in San Diego. Cross-pollination is a great way to get a lot of material out there fast. My first book of poetry took First Place at the San Diego Book Awards. Are you working on another? What’s it about? I’m currently brainstorming Book 2 of THE QUEEN OF MOLOKA’I.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest is THE QUEEN OF MOLOKA’I. This book was inspired by Julia Wright, my paternal grandmother. Julia was one of six children that grew up in Palolo Valley. Julia was a party girl in Waikiki. She made big mistakes in love, especially after meeting a blond Englishman at the Moana Hotel. He left her hapai (pregnant) after promising he’d send for her once he got settled in San Francisco. Julia never heard from the Englishman again and gave birth to my father the first day of world peace. Then she met a Portuguese sea merchant at the Young Hotel downtown and soon she was hapai again. Julia was forced to raise both sons in her mother’s tiny rental in Kaimuki. Her third love interest was Chipper, a decorated war vet. Chipper asked her to accompany him to the Molokai Ranch, where he’d secured a job as a paniolo (cowboy). Julia said she would. Chipper told her she couldn’t bring her sons along until she proved she could handle the rural lifestyle. She was caught between the fear of becoming an old maid raising two half-brothers or the possibility of marrying her teenage crush.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to favor the evening hours on dry days and the morning hours when it’s raining.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Fitzgerald, Plath, Hemingway, Faulkner, and Joyce.

What are you working on now?
Part 2 of THE QUEEN OF MOLOKA’I.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Book Signings work great because I’ve got a definite date and can promote the heck out of the book through it. I also avoid bookstores. Why? First off, they take a percentage off the top and most I find are quite boring. In the ones I have signed at, such as Upstart Crow in San Diego, I usually bring in entertainment to enhance the signing. At Upstart Crow I had a guitarist come in and play Flamenco music. At DJ Wills in La Jolla, I had a percussionist with congas perform while I recited. You have to spice things up to make it fun for your audience!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I know this sounds crazy, but don’t read too much. Read the classics however, and don’t be afraid to re-read. I re-read Hemingway and Fitzgerald all the time. Why not too much reading? You’ll hear too many voices and start sounding like one of them. Be unique. Write more than you read.

Also, get your work out fast. Submit like crazy. If you get a rejection, hit the editor back with an email asking why. Why not? You might learn a thing or two. Develop a thick skin. Laugh off rejections or else snarl. Once accepted in an online magazine, don’t quit editing the piece.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never Give Up.

What are you reading now?
THE QUEEN OF MOLOKA’I, hot off the press! Why? I’m looking for ways to improve it, things I missed that could be corrected in a second edition.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m thinking about traveling to Paris to finish the last chapter of a novel I’ve been goofing around with for the past decade.

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?
IN OUR TIME (Hemingway)
DUBLINERS (Joyce)
THE GREAT GATSBY (Fitzgerald)
LIGHT IN AUGUST (Faulkner)

Author Websites and Profiles
Kirby Michael Wright Website
Kirby Michael Wright Amazon Profile

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