Author Interview: Kimberly Derling

Today have the amazingly, talented author of The Body Finder, Kimberly Derling! I must apologize because this was suppose to be posted yesterday but it failed to publish the time I set it to (which made me very sad) but now it’s up and you can read the epic interview I had with Kimberly! Thanks so much for taking the time Kim!
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So, how do you think you’d handle being able to sense dead bodies?

I’d be a mess. Seriously! I’m not brave, like Violet, I’m more of a run-away-from-danger kind of gal. So, dead bodies and murderers? Not so much!

What is your main source of inspiration for your books?

The original idea for The Body Finder came from my husband, who’s always throwing out these random ideas for books. But one day while we were driving, he said: “What if there was this kid who could find dead bodies?” (Of course, in his head it was a Middle Grade boy, because that’s how all of his stories start out.) But I liked the idea, and maybe just to spite him I changed the main character to a teenage girl, gave her a love interest (because I’m a girl!), and by the time we got home, I’d figured out most of the rules for the “echoes.”

If you could choose, what supernatural creature would you be?

I probably change my answer every time I’m asked this question, but I think I’d have to say…Mermaid. I know, how girlie and lame, right? But when I was little, I used to twist my legs together and pretend I had a tail when I was swimming. Plus, how awesome would it be to have a permanent seashell bra???

What do you think makes a perfect horror/fantasy novel?

Believability. I love to be scared. Love, love it! But it has to be believable. And not in the sense that it could really happen, I’m all for over-the-top storylines, as long as it captures me. Michael Crichton did an amazing job of this when he wrote Jurassic Park, which literally had me hanging on the edge of my seat for two days, terrified of dinosaurs.

If you could write a novel with any other author in the world who would it be?

Stephen King. Hands down the greatest storyteller of our time!

What’s one of your greatest Halloween memories?

When my son first started trick-or-treating (on his own, with me waiting on the street), he would just walk into people’s houses without knocking or ringing the doorbell. At one house, he actually opened the door, grabbed a handful of candy, and walked out before anyone could stop him. Fortunately, I knew all my neighbors, so they were forgiving to his little breaking-and-entering habit. ;)

What are some books you have recently read and/or recommend?

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, THE DEMON’S LEXICON by Sarah Rees Brennan, THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin, MATCHED by Allie Condie, UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand, and A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL by Suzanne Young (which I got to read pre-ARC!).

Quick Fire!

Angel or Demon? Angel. (You meant me, right???)
Fangs or No Fangs? Fangs on me. No fangs on everyone else.
Ghosts: Believer or not? Closet believer.
Alive or Undead? Alive!

Thank you so much for doing this interview! Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Just that I had so much fun. And thanks for having me!!!
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