A Chat with Kimberly Derting, Author of The Body Finder

I would like to thank Kimberly Derting for joining me and for being my first interview!!  She is one of the "Tenners" and her debut novel The Body Finder is due out this month!! (March 16, 2010)  I am so excited about reading this book! I am also happy to announce that she has been very generous to me for my MEGA-Swag contest!  She donated LOTS of goodies for you guys to win!  I will be posting that contest within the next week or so!! So be on the lookout.  So now lets get on with the interview!!

1.   In your book The Body Finder, the main character Violet has the unusual ability of being able to sense and find dead bodies.  How did the idea for this book take shape and have you met any 'real' people with psychic abilities (not necessarily like Violet's) that served as inspiration for her character?

My husband and I were brainstorming book ideas one day when he threw out a random idea about a boy who could find dead bodies.   So of course I immediately changed the main character to a teenage girl (probably just to be difficult) and created Violet’s creepy ability.
...And is looking for your keys in the same drawer three times without seeing them a psychic ability?  If so, my husband totally has that one!              

2. Was your road to the publication of The Body Finder difficult?

With The Body Finder, things happened really fast!  I met my agent at a conference, sent her my manuscript, she signed me, we went out on submission and had offers all within a two-month span.  But before this whirlwind, I had plenty of rejections for another manuscript I’d written.            

3. While writing, do you have any essentials that you must have with you?

Other than my laptop and comfy pair of sweatpants, I really need my candy stash (which is getting harder and harder to hide from my kids).

4. How long did it take for you to write The Body Finder?

I think the first draft took about four months to write.  After that, I went through two months of self-editing before submitting it to my agent.  When I look back at my first draft, I don’t even recognize it now.  Thankfully, my lovely editors at HarperCollins (FJ and GH) helped me polish it into something I’m incredibly proud of.       

5. What is the easiest part of writing a book, what is the hardest?

The easiest part of writing is when you get into that zone and everything is coming together perfectly.  It’s seriously like a runner’s high!  The hardest part is always trying to find enough time to write.       

6. What is your all-time favorite book?

This is easy, To Kill A Mockingbird, hands down the best book ever written.  I re-read it every once in a while to remind myself of what true mastery looks like.

7. What are you reading now? And what books are on your immediate to-read list?

Right now I’m reading The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson (a fellow Tenner), and it’s awesome…very darkly humorous.  On my immediate list is another Tenner book, The Dark Days Of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk, Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr (because I’ve heard it’s amazing!), and The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan.  And only about a gazillion others!

8. The sequel (Desires Of The Dead) is due out next year.  Are you finished with this book? Do you have any other projects on the horizon that you would like to share with us?

Other than a few minor edits, I’m completely finished with Desires of the Dead.  I do have another project I’m working on but I’m crazy-superstitious so I can’t share anything about it just yet. 

9. What is your favorite activity that you do for fun?

If you’d asked me this question five years ago, camping wouldn’t even have made my top ten, because in reality, I’m simply NOT that girl.  But ever since we got a travel trailer (where I can take a shower and plug in my hair dryer), it’s probably my favorite activity!  We love trapping….err….taking the kids with us for a weekend of campfires, roasted marshmallows, and unplugging from the internet.      

10. What is your favorite word?

Son-of-a-Nutcracker!  (I know, it’s not really one word, but it’s my favorite non-swear swear-word)

11. If you could jump into a book and live for a day- what book would you choose and which characters would you choose to hang out with?

I would totally choose Green Eggs and Ham. Before you judge me, I dare you to show me another book where the two main characters do so many crazy things before having a huge breakfast! (And, btw, I LOVE breakfast!)    

I decided to do something a little different.  I LOVE MadLibs (yes, I know that I am probably too old to say that... but I do!)  So I wrote a short MAdLib about Kimberly's book.  I sent her the list of word types I needed and this is how it turned out!

The Body Finder MadLib

• Your Name: Kimberly Derting
• Title of your book: The Body Finder
• Adjective: Kissable
• Adjective: Stinky
• Adjective: Funny
• Noun: Pina Colada
• Verb(ing): Dancing
• Noun: Coconut
• Adverb: Extremely 

Kimberly Derting is the author of The Body Finder.  The kissable main character in the book has a stinky talent.  She can sense dead bodies!  Unfortunately, a funny serial killer is on the loose and she is the only pina colada who can help!  This book will have you dancing on the edge of your coconut and turning the pages through the night.  So go pick up this extremely exciting book by Kimberly Derting!  It hits shelves on March 16, 2010!!

Thanks again to Kimberly Derting for stopping by!  Make sure that you pick up her book The Body Finder when it hits bookstores on March 16, 2010!!