AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Kristin Battestella

I am very happy to have on the blog today a new friend who goes by the name of Kristin Battestella.  She is a very sweet person, and I am always happy to have her on my blogs as a guest!  Now, please take a moment to read her interview, and leave her some love!




What is your name? Kristin Battestella

How long have you been writing? Forever!

How did you know that writing was going to be your profession? In many ways I don’t consider it a profession. It isn’t work to me, it is a way of life. In a weird way I’ve always know it, though. I’ve always been a story teller, more interested in the imagination and inspiring people and bringing characters to life. If you doubt if you are a writer, just try going without it! It can’t be done, it is like the tide, it always pulls you back.

How many books have you written and published? 4 published before the current Fate and Fangs series. 6 of the 7 Fate and Fangs are available now. The last one comes out in February. As to written, well, I’ve got a few trunk books, most definitely. There’s 2 I always say I’m going to go back to and never do, because there’s 3 more in the works now!

Who is your publisher? Muse It Up Publishing is doing the Fate and Fangs: Tales from the Vampire Family, and the original novel The Vampire Family is in ebook and paperback with Eternal Press.

Have you won any awards? Not for writing, tee hee.

What genre do you generally write in? Generally I am genre- the speculative, horror, paranormal, science fictions, dark fantasies. Anything not normal is my preference. Even if I try something vanilla, it always ends up back in the nefarious zone.

What are your stories/novels usually about? While I may write about vampires, ghosts, weres, and other goblins and whatnot, I don’t consider myself as writing about those things. Yes there is a thought to the mood, atmosphere, scares, and world building, but to answer simply, my stories are about people. People who happen to be undead or shapeshifters, but they are people nonetheless! Particularly in Fate and Fangs, each of the seven novellas themes on a particular truth or exploration. We know vampires can live it up and enjoy the Lust, Debauchery, and Punishment, but they have to suffer more with Love and Humanity. I enjoy mirrors, desires. I like saying things about the human condition in fantastical means.

What prompted you to sign with your current publisher? I wanted to keep Fate and Fangs as a series in between my first novel The Vampire Family and the full length follow ups, Requiem for the Vampire Family and The Vampire Family Forever. Muse owner and our Editor Lea loved the tales and agreed these smaller, personal stories should be the reflective vampire pause between all the battle coven action.

What is your favorite food to eat while writing? In the major compositions at the keyboard when you are going 100 words a minute…what, what is this food that you speak? I have to set alarms on my phone to remind me that 3 hours have passed by and that I should, like, go to the bathroom, too. Otherwise, it is usually iced tea, unless I finish the glass and never bother to get a refill. I don’t eat much during the day, fruit or granola bars or tuna. At night, however, I will realize I had nothing and can end up with a full course meal at 3 a.m.!

What is your favorite drink to have while writing? I usually brew the tea myself. On occasion if I’m sick or cold, I’ll have a hot tea, but I love making unusual green teas with pomegranate or putting real lemons and limes in the pitcher. Sometimes if there is a particularly fragrant apple or cinnamon, it might inspire me to create some drinks or scents in the manuscript. I don’t drink alcohol very often, but sometimes I like a good chardonnay or spiced wine with a meat and cheese snack.

Do you listen to music or watch tv while writing? If so, what do you listen to/watch? I will watch a lot of goofy stuff, indeed. I go in streaks where an inspiring music will be playing, often a character playlist. There are lots of jokes about Evanescence in Requiem as a result! If I’m doing non-fiction reviews, essays or film criticism, generally I’ll write while I watch, but otherwise, it can be old time fun stuff like The Golden Girls, The Joy of Painting, or Batman. I finished She-Ra again. The NHL Network is really convenient, too. If I put on one of the movie channels for a show, a lot of times, the movie I was watching will go off and I won’t even notice. 3 hours later, I’ll look up and Zane’s Sex Chronicles will be on! Whoops!

What is your muse? Me. No one can inspire me or give me a kick in the butt like me. Even if you think you don’t got it, or something stinks or isn’t good enough., you set a manuscript aside, and then you think of a new idea or angle. You never where that piece will come from, but it is important to be in tune to yourself. Be ready to take pause, listen to the little you inside, and opening the door to the big picture. It’s not a boastful thing to say you have a muse or you are your muse, but if you let yourself go with it, go zen and find your world, magical things can happen!

Where is your favorite place to write? Anywhere if it strikes you! I love my little recliner, and I love sitting on my exercise ball and banging away on the keys. I love sitting at a desk with the desktop and clicking away. When you are set up and focused, hot damn. My favorite place is that place you go to when you are in the moment of composing where you have left that easy chair. When you transport yourself from waiting at the DMV. There is something still about that sound the handwriting makes, that cramp you get in your hands. I know you were asking about the physical spot, but the thought of the place automatically leads me to the abstract art that happens there.

Do you have anything else you might find useful to add? Write everyday, don’t get distracted, stick to your manuscript at hand and do what it needs until you feel it is ready. Don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed by all the publication and marketing business that comes after before your fully let your creativity happen.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who are trying to get into the world of publishing? Oops I kind of answered that one above! Really, there are so many new opportunities and possibilities in publication today that there is no reason for anyone to feel stifles by old-fashioned stories of big scary publishing houses. Write what you have to write to the fullest, and then do your research for the publisher that best suits your material. If you are that out there, it’s out there!