An Interview with Kaye Thornbrugh

The Reading Cafe would like to welcome first time novelist, Kaye Thornbrugh. Before we start the Interview, here is a short biography about Kaye.

As a child, Kaye Thornbrugh wanted to be an Egyptologist—but when her fear of ancient Egyptian curses got the better of her, she turned to storytelling instead. An unrepentant nerd, she still plays an N64, and could probably teach a whole class about Pokémon. She worries about the zombie apocalypse every day, she firmly believes that librarians are the noblest people in the world, and she considers Dr Pepper to be the elixir of life. Kaye is currently a 19-year-old journalism major, managing editor of the NIC Sentinel, and author of Flicker.

.Interview:
Hi Kaye.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Will you please tell us about yourself?

Kaye: Hello! Thanks for having me! In addition to being an author, I’m currently a journalism major and the managing editor of my college newspaper. I’m an unrepentant geek, I’m obsessed with unicorns, and I firmly believe that Dr Pepper is the elixir of life.

TRC: Many new authors have gone years before publishing their first novel.  You have decided to use INDIE publishing.  What was your decision to self-publish your novel?

Kaye: Self-publishing is both easy and fast. The indie route has allowed me to establish myself as an author and get Flicker out there where readers can find it almost immediately; traditional publishing would’ve taken a year at least, and that’s after securing an agent and a publisher.  

While being a self-published author comes with its own set of challengers—I have to be my own PR person, for example—it’s worth it, because I have ultimate control over what happens with my book. Traditionally-published authors have almost no say in what goes on the covers of their books, for example, but as an indie author, it’s my choice that counts, and that means a lot.

Readers and reviewers have been incredibly warm and accommodating to me and to my little book, which has only further confirmed that, for me, going indie was a good choice!

TRC: You are currently a journalism major in college.  Do you believe that your interest in writing is a direct result of your choice in major or vice versa?

Kaye: My interest in journalism was sparked when I was recruited for my high school’s newspaper when I was a sophomore. I was already writing at that time (in fact, I was working on the first draft that would eventually become Flicker), and writing for my school paper really helped me improve. I fell in love with journalism, and now I’m the managing editor my college paper! 

I prefer to write features—human interest stories—because, while I’m still being 100 percent accurate in my reporting, I have more room to be creative in my descriptions. Writing features also means that I get to attend exciting events, and meet interesting people. In the last year, I’ve covered events with human rights activists and Peabody Award winners, and had in-depth interviews with incredible students on my campus, like a group of student veterans and a young woman who spent months volunteering in Nepali orphanages. I even got to attend the concert of a Grammy-winning artist—for free. And those are just some of the cool things I’ve gotten to do as a reporter. See? Being in the press has its advantages!

TRC: What were some of the challenges (research, logistics etc) in bringing your book to life? 

Kaye: After I made the decision to go with indie publishing, the rest all sort of fell into place without much difficulty. That’s part of the beauty of indie publishing, in my view—with a little know-how, anybody can do it, which makes publishing so accessible! The biggest challenge was creating the perfect cover. I went through one major redesign after the book was published, but I’m extremely satisfied with the current cover.

TRC: Would you please tell us the premise behind your first novel… FLICKER?

Kaye: FLICKER is the story of Lee Capren, a sixteen-year-old artist, whose life changes forever when she’s spirited away to Faerie to serve as a portrait artist to capricious fey. A chance encounter with the charming Nasser grants Lee a chance for freedom—but what felt like mere days in Faerie spanned years in the human world, and Lee no longer has a home to return to. Now Lee must master her newfound magical talent, and outwit a cunning faerie determined to destroy her.

TRC: How many books do you have planned around Lee Capren and her adventures?

Kaye: I’ve planned for two more books in the Flicker series, but I do have a few ideas for books beyond the main trilogy, so you never know! 

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Kaye: I’m working on the sequel to Flicker, titled Brightly, which I’m planning to release this winter.  The story picks up the summer after Flicker left off. Lee and the rest of the gang are mostly settled into their normal lives (well, normal for them, anyway) when three mysterious strangers arrive with a bombshell of information that could change all their lives—and a dangerous proposition that Lee and her friends can’t refuse. 

TRC: Do you have a specific writing style?

Kaye: Depending on what I’m working on, the “voice” of my writing can change a lot. For example, stories set in the Flicker universe, my short stories (which tend to be pretty experimental), my two YA contemporary works-in-progress all sound totally different—but no matter the voice I’m writing in, imagery is important to me. I strive to paint as rich and atmospheric an image as possible, and I take a lot of time to craft these descriptions

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family and friends.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Kaye: For the most part, my ideas actually just bounce around inside my own brain. When I’m plotting a story or fleshing out an idea, I do it almost exclusively “in house.” I can spend days silently working through a plot problem; I usually hammer through issues by writing them out.

TRC: What books, authors or people in your life have influenced your writing?

Kaye: I credit Valiant by Holly Black as my biggest influence. When I first read it at age fourteen, it was unlike anything I’d ever read before, and it completely opened my eyes to urban fantasy. If it weren’t for Valiant, I doubt I would’ve written Flicker. Some of my other influences include the late, great Ray Bradbury—The Halloween Tree and The Martian Chronicles aren’t so much composed of words as they are made up of jewels that happen to rest on a page. The Last Unicorn (both the novel and the movie) has been important to me for as long as I can remember. Also, the films of Hayao Miyazaki have had a tremendous impact on me as a person, and on my own work. 

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Kaye: I think that about covers it, actually! 

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food:  Macaroni and cheese. If I could eat it exclusively without dying of malnutrition, I would.

Favorite Dessert: Ummm… all of them!

Favorite Author: Holly Black—with Ray Bradbury, Peter S. Beagle, Sylvia Plath and John Green all tying for a very close second place!

Favorite Novel: That’s a three-way tie between Valiant by Holly Black, The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. 

Favorite Movie: Spirited Away. As I said earlier, I’ve been a lover of Studio Ghibli for most of my life, and the films of Hayao Miyazaki have always inspired me.

Favorite TV Show: I can’t choose! It’s a four-way tie between Happy Endings, Firefly, Stargate: Universe and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Last Movie that you saw: I just saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and I loved it to pieces. Abe Lincoln is one of my big historical crushes (to give you an idea, I also have a soft spot for Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton), and watching him destroy vampires was pretty much a dream come true. The movie had all the action and gore I was hoping for—and it was artistic gore to boot, which made it even better!

TRC: Thank you Kaye, for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with your writing career.  Keep us informed about any new books or series that you have planned.

Kaye: Thank you for having me!

If you would like to learn more about Kaye, you can visit her on the following sites:
Website:
Twitter:
Goodreads: