Kekla Magoon Interview--Part 2

As promised, here's part 2 of Kekla's interview!

From Vikki, Book Slam Moderator:

Q) Do you have a (good, bad or ugly) library memory from your teen years?

A) I have great memories of the library from my teen years. I used to go twice a week and check out as many books as I could carry. I loved to read, and I would check out my favorite books over and over. I can still easily picture the rickety metal racks full of paperbacks that I used to twirl around looking for anything I hadn’t read.

Q) What kinds of books did you love most as a teen?

A) I liked realistic fiction, especially series fiction. Stories about people making friends and learning to navigate the world.

Q) What’s the best movie you’ve seen in 2015?

A) I haven’t seen too many movies yet this year—too much writing to do! I liked Selma, a historical film set in the civil rights era, and I also saw HOME, the animated film based on Adam Rex’s book The True Meaning of Smekday.

Q) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

A) Some people know when they are in middle school or high school, but I didn’t figure it out until after I graduated from college. I found myself writing a lot of stories, but I didn’t know what to do with them. It had never occurred to me that writing could be part of my job or my life’s work until I met other writers who encouraged me to keep exploring my creative voice.

Q) What do you say to teens who want to be published writers?

A) Keep writing! Work hard, but be patient. It takes a long time and a lot of practice to become the best writer you can be—and you will have to become the best writer you can be in order to get your work published. It’s a great goal to want your work to be seen by many readers, but you will find publication even more rewarding if you challenge yourself to get better at telling your stories first. Every book I have worked on has taken several years, from the moment I get the first idea until it is bought by a publishing house and starts on the road to publication. Always remember, even when things seem hard, that your voice matters and the stories you have to tell are important.