18889290Friends! I have a special treat for you. Kimberley Griffiths Little has stopped by for a quick chat!

You’ll remember that I reviewed her awesome book Forbidden here.

 

 

 

 

 

SONY DSCWhat inspired you to become a writer?
When I learned to read in Kindergarten it felt like the entire world opened up—and the world contained all kinds of MAGIC. I was hooked and it’s wasn’t too much later that I knew I wanted to write and try to create that same magic as my favorite authors did.

A book is just a bunch of black marks on a white page and yet the world becomes real to us, we LIVE inside the character’s minds and hearts, we laugh, we cry, we mourn, we travel, we have adventures, and we are changed and uplifted by stories.

I call that MAGIC. 🙂

What was the last book you read?
It’s actually a secret, ha, ha. I just finished reading 6 novels as a judge for the RITA Awards (Romance Writers of America Award) and I can’t say what titles I received in my stack to judge. 3 more to go! The last book before that . . . THIS SHATTERED WORLD by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, a series I adore. Amie and Meg are friends of mine and agency-sisters, too. Lucky me!
 
What sparked the idea for Forbidden?
My secret, long-time passion for belly-dancing. Watching the dance mesmerized me. It’s so beautiful and womanly and sensuous. Finally, I broke down—as a mom with 3 boys and took classes – and loved it! I’m doing a belly dance aerobics class these days . . .

The setting in Forbidden is so vibrant and realistic. What kind of research did you do to create such a lush setting?
The research into belly dance and its history fascinated me – and shocked me both, taking me into a history I never expected with Temple prostitution 4,000 years ago—which then led to researching nomadic tribes, camels, tents, King Hammurabi of Babylon and its cities and the secret frankincense lands of Oman on the Arabian Sea coast.

I took a trip to Jordan and Petra and the Middle East and finished falling in love with its stark, rugged beauty and history and people.

Go here for pictures from my trip: https://www.pinterest.com/kimberleylittle/petra-jordan/
Go here for gorgeous belly dancers:
https://www.pinterest.com/kimberleylittle/belly-dancing/

The ending of Forbidden is such a cliffhanger! I’m looking forward to the next book! Without giving too much away, what should I anticipate?
Oh, thank you so much! I love hearing this!
Um, Jayden will go through a whole lot more crazy stuff as she searches for Kadesh, people try to kill her, men secretly fall in love with her, she races across the desert fleeing Horeb’s growing army, she has it out with the High Priestess Armana from the Temple of Ashtoreth, and you *know* she has to go to the mysterious frankincense lands.  🙂

Book 2 is called BANISHED and Harper is working on some lush cover art for both Book #2 and Book #3. I especially love the cover art for #3 – it’s simply spectacular.

How do you like your potato?
Baked with butter, bacon, chives, salt and pepper.

Do you have a favorite literary character?
There are so many great characters out there in book land, but I’ll go with Jane Eyre. She is a character so easily relatable and yet so strong who stays true to herself through so much heartache.
 
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I tend to bake a lot of cookies. 🙂 I read a lot, take walks along the Rio Grande, sing in a choir, play the piano, read to my babies.

Do you buy a book based on its cover?
I must admit that I often do! I’m a Cover Junkie! But the synopsis has to interest me as well. 🙂

What is your next book about and when is it coming out?
I just got a pub date for BANISHED: February 2, 2016. It was going to be April 28th of 2016, but they moved it up – yay!

I’m also noodling around with a Victorian Gothic suspense book and some research and synopses for more books for Harpercollins as well as more Middle-Grade novels for Scholastic. I write fabulous magical realism set in the swamps of Louisiana with folk healers, gators, time-slipping, ghosts, and mystery.

Bio:
When I was a kid I read a book a day, scribbled stories, and dreamed about having my very own book on the library shelf. I grew up in San Francisco, but now live in an adobe house on the banks of the Rio Grande with my husband and sons. I think I’ve drunk so much Land of Enchantment water that some of that ancient magic got into my blood and now spurts out my pencil–I mean ergonomic keyboard.

Which means I adore anything old and musty with a secret story to tell.

I make way too many cookies when I’m writing or revising a new book – and I’ve got the best book trailers in the universe – for reals! Check them out here.

Awards: Southwest Book Award, Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011 & 2013, Crystal Kite Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award Finalist.

 

Thank you for stopping by Kimberley! I’m looking forward to your Banished. Ah! Why 2016!?! Soooo Long! 😀

You can find Kimberley on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook or find her on her website!