Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a SAHM with three kids. I live in my little winter paradise in Michigan.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Heart of the Winterland.
Before my oldest was born, I got into online gaming. After a bit of this and that, I settled on an MMORPG where I started a guild and met a lot of people. I was intrigued by the idea of taking the people I met and putting them in a fantasy story, or rather, creating characters from those people.
By the end, some characters barely represented their doppelgangers and I’d got hooked on the story aspect as well. I feel that by using real people as an inspiration, that my characters have a lot of depth to them.
And as a fun bonus, even though I no longer game, I get to have something special when I read the story because I can be like oh, there’s so and so! And it reminds of me of the good things during my gaming stage.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say unusual. I prefer to write in the quiets spaces after the kids are in bed. I’ve recently started doing 15 minute sprints during the day to encourage myself to get more writing done.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
None specifically come to mind. As a group, both authors and books inspire me.
I’m thankful to the thousands of authors whose work I’ve read and enjoyed. As a group they’ve influenced me, because I’ve seen what they create and I know what kind of journeys those adventures took me on and it’s made me what to be part of that. I want to take someone on a fantastical ride.
What are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on a sequel for my novel “Heart of the Winterland”. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s set in the same world with two of the characters from the first book. The rest is a whole new cast, a new country, new races, new magic, and a new storyline(book 1 can standalone). Sticking with similar titles, this one is called “Heart of the Sorceress”.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I enjoy networking with people on a more intimate basis. I try to be an interesting person and take some sort of interest in other people’s lives.
Scribophile has been amazing for getting feedback on my stories as I write them. And I’ve met a lot of writers through there who I’ve become invested in, not just as writers, but as people.
That’s really shown me how much I enjoy getting to know people and hoping that by them taking an interest in me, they’ll be interested in what I write.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persevere. Writing is a lot of work. Yes, it’s work. It’s more than just putting words to paper and being done. At least, there’s more to it if you’re wanting to publish or improve a piece. There’s a lot of learning that’s involved. A lot of nights where you’re staring at a sentence that you’ve seen numerous times before and trying to see it with fresh eyes to make sure it’s perfect. It’s opening yourself up to criticism and learning to separate the helpful from the not-so-helpful. It’s finding out what your style is and when someone’s advice fits that, and also when they’re right about something needing to be changed. And that’s just the start. So I’d say, persevere and never stop trying. Try new things if the old ones don’t work, and be open to change.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Focus not on what you haven’t done today. Focus instead on what you did, even if it’s the little things.
What are you reading now?
I have two reading challenges for the year. I’m reading the Count of Monte Cristo for one and The Clay Remembers for the other.
What’s next for you as a writer?
A: I’ve started a sequel for HotW. Since I’m incredibly creative I’m calling it “Heart of the Sorceress”. *audience oohs and aahs* I know, right!!! Be impressed.
Anyway, I originally planned on having HotW stand alone, but as I was writing the last two chapters, I kept thinking about how many more stories were yet to be told. So HotW does stand by itself. It is a complete story that you could read and not be left with any sort of cliffhanger.
But “Sorceress” does build on that and though it’d be possible(at least that’s the plan) to read it without reading “Winterland”, you would miss out on some things.
After HotS, I’ve got a sci-fi saga that I’ve been wanting to write for over 10 years and now that I know I have what it takes to finish a novel, I’m going to tackle that challenge because it is the story of my heart. (so many hearts right now!)
I wouldn’t be surprised though if there ends up being at least one more story in the “HotW world”. With release of book 2, I’ll be adding a series title and numbering the books.
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?
Watership Down
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Swiss Family Robinson
Bible
Author Websites and Profiles
Kristen Kooistra Website
Kristen Kooistra Amazon Profile
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