Kithlyara
Remember my tendency to go on and on about how much I learn here at The FLAME? Today was no exception. In fact, today's featured writer gave me lessons in a couple of unfamiliar (yet terribly exciting) subjects!
This writer came to the community in the summer of '08, has managed to try her hand at different genres and styles, and is apparently a font of information.
Get ready, FLAMERS! Meet Kithlyara:
Kathy: I'm so curious about your username that I think I'll start there.
kithlyara: Would you believe I completely made it up out of frustration of being unable to find any untaken usernames when I first started getting online over a decade ago? lol
Kathy: No! Really?
kithlyara: Yeah lol It's a derivation of Kitiara, a character from a book that I liked at the time. So, it's not 100% original but it was made up for no other purpose than a desire to find an untaken username.
Kathy: Well, that was a happy accident! Okay, ready to tell us about yourself?
kithlyara: I tend to be pretty open about most stuff. I'm a Child Research Field Expert (aka stay-at-home mom ) who is truly blessed to have a wonderful husband and three equally wonderful children. I met my husband in college but have yet to finish getting a degree (getting married was much more important for both of us at the time). I have Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy and Fibromylagia which can make finding time to write hard when I'm not feeling well but I'm learning how to adapt for that. I also perform in, direct, and manage an all-female performance troupe that does one act Shakespearean farces.
Kathy: wow! To manage working through what must be excruciating pain to take care of your family and still manage all the other stuff.
Go you!
kithlyara: I have had to take more of a backseat with my performance group lately because of my health but I know how important it is to still do the hobbies and things I enjoy while I still can. With CIDP, there's no guarantee I'll be able to do them in the future.
Kathy: That's admirable and also makes a great deal of sense. My sister has JRA and spent years trying to do things that were "comfortable" but she eventually realized that wasn't a good life at all. She got into photography, has an in home studio and her own website now.
kithlyara: Awesome! Good for her!!! As odd as it sounds, having CIDP is really a blessing. I used to be the sort of person who found it hard to say no to doing things so I was busy and stressed all the time. Now, I've given myself permission to say no to things, have allowed myself to be more present with my family, and can focus on the things I love most.
Kathy: Good plan for everyone, in my opinion. What did you study in college? Do you have any plans to return and finish your degree in the near future?
kithlyara: When I went to school before, I was going for a Communications degree. If I go back to college (I want to one day but I'm not sure of the feasibility of it yet) I want to get a degree to teach high school Chemistry
Kathy: That's great! I hope you get the opportunity soon. ohhh Chemistry! I'm so afraid of that! I'm taking Biology this semester :\
kithlyara: Biology is a lot of fun but you get to blow things up in Chemistry! lol
Kathy: Haha!! True I noticed on your site that you actually won a song writing contest on brigits_flame.
kithlyara: Yes, yes I did. It was the first ever mini-contest, I believe. It was a fun contest. I barely won. All of the other entries were soooo good!
Kathy: Had you ever written songs before?
kithlyara: No but I do have somewhat of a musical background so I kept tempo in mind when writing the poem that eventually became the song.
Kathy: Such a cool product!
kithlyara: It definitely is. I was thrilled when I won. My mother-in-law adores the song and listens to it all the time.
Kathy: When did you get into writing? And do you think you gravitate toward one genre more than another?
kithlyara: I started writing in middle school. I found one of my first stories and it was embarrassing to read! I don't really tend towards any one genre (my muse has ADD so my writing tends to reflect that) but I do tend more towards tragic themes.
Kathy: ahhh. What about reading? Do you have a preferred genre?
kithlyara: I've been big into historical fiction and historical non-fiction for the past several years. I just finished reading "Dracula" last night so I get to pick a new book from my massive 'to be read' pile now. That has me excited.
Kathy: Bram Stoker's?
kithlyara: Yup!
Kathy: I saw the most gorgeous copy of that in the bookstore the other day ... but I'd gone for some James Joyce, so I had to promise myself next time
kithlyara: This is totally random but I did the 'who do you write like' thing and I got that I write most like James Joyce on several of my stories. What I found terribly interesting about that is he was from Dublin, Ireland and my family is from Dublin, albeit many generations ago.
Kathy: Nice! Among your writings for the Flame, do you have a favorite?
kithlyara: I have two. I couldn't settle on just one, although I'm sure I'll probably have to >.<
Kathy: Okay, well lemme see, and if you like, I'll help you choose which to be featured.
kithlyara: The stories are "Canary in a Coal Mine" and "The Truth". "Canary in a Coal Mine", while not about my grandmother, is ultimately dedicated to her and helped me deal with her death from cancer somewhat. To this day, whenever I read it, I cry. "The Truth" I like because I was able to capture Jamie's emotions so well the readers were able to feel her terror. The twist at the end was unexpected, too. I've been told by people that "The Truth" reads more like poetry in some ways than a story.
Kathy: *helps choose*
Link: kithlyara.livejournal.com/44598.html
kithlyara: Incidentally, both of these stories are in an anthology of short stories I put together that's dedicated to Brigit's Flame!
I had someone suggest I turn ["The Truth"] into a longer story on Smashwords but I don't even know how I would begin going about doing it.
Kathy: Smashwords?
kithlyara: Smashwords is awesome! It's an eBook publishing website where you can publish your own eBooks. They have contract with Barnes and Noble, Apple, and several other places, so you can have your work offered there. Your stories can be offered for free or paid. If free, it doesn't cost you anything. If you want to sell them, then Smashwords will take a percentage.
Link: www.smashwords.com
Kathy: How cool is that?! Is this where you did your anthology?
kithlyara: Yup! You can even offer coupons for people to enter so they can get your work for free or for a percentage off. It's so neat. My stories are on Barnes and Noble and other websites now because of Smashwords
Kathy: That is great! I'd love for you to talk about your experience with self-publishing sometime for [info]flame_fanning .
kithlyara: I would love to! I could also explain about how to make a book trailer!!!
Kathy: (we must spread the word) And do please give me a heads up if you decide to expand!
kithlyara: We must. Smashwords has thousands of novels and short stories available and has made it so easy for authors to get their work out in the public eye. I have a group of short stories I wrote a long time ago that I'm going to put into an anthology and I'm working on a novel right now.
Kathy: Yowza! What's the novel about?
kithlyara: Wanna see the book trailer for it?
Kathy: YES
Link: on youtube
Kathy: Um. Okay. I've NEVER heard of book trailers!!! (other than the mini contest prize that was done a long time ago, but i didn't realize that was a 'thing') This is so awesome. I want to get a job Writing [content for] THOSE.
kithlyara: It's so fun and so easy to make. Because YouTube is the second largest search engine, a lot of authors have taken to creating book trailers to advertise their work.
Kathy: Whoa. That makes for a tremendous way to advertise! (I am learning soooo much from you today!) Do you mind explaining the process for making the book trailer, [for the showcase]?
kithlyara: Not at all! There are a couple different ways to do it. One is easier but the end result isn't as good as the other. I can write up an article for both or just give the overall basics, depending on which is best for you.
Kathy: An article would be amazing! Before you go, I have a Bonus question! If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and what would you want to ask them first?
kithlyara: Oh gosh... hmmmm. There's so many people I want to meet!
Kathy: Top of the list?
kithlyara: After finishing Dracula last night, there are several questions I would love to ask Bram Stoker. There's also a woman in my family tree who was known as "Greta the Concubine" (she's waaay back in my family tree, around the 10th century). I would love to know just what exactly her life was like.
Kathy: Very interesting :) Where would you begin with Stoker?
kithlyara: Are Victorian people really as melodramatic as they are in the book?
Kathy: Good one!
What say you Flamers? Would Stoker answer that he'd used quite a lot of creative license, or that he was completely factual in his depiction of Victorian people via his characters?
(Link to Book Trailer article: katden.livejournal.com/240544.html)
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