I am so excited to welcome Kristina McMorris to the blog today to talk about her upcoming book Bridge of Scarlet Leaves. I had the great pleasure of meeting Kristina this past summer and she is super fun and nice. I am so glad that I have a chance to share her with you. Enjoy.
Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourselfKristina: Far from living a glamorous author’s life, I’m a married, minivan-driving soccer mom of two young boys who make me laugh on a daily basis. They are inseparable best friends and the most affectionate kids I’ve ever known. (Can you tell I’m a motherly gusher?) Before the insanity of my writing life, I was a PR Director for many years, owned a wedding/event-planning company, and hosted weekly TV shows and travel programs for most of my life, starting at age nine. (Please. no child actor/rehab jokes, people!) J
Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?
Kristina: I have to laugh at the question, only because my answer is a flat-out, resounding “No.” I had no plans whatsoever of becoming a creative writer. I was barely a reader. But then, high on pregnancy hormones, it suddenly occurred to me that my grandparents’ courtship story would make a great premise for a movie. Soon before that, I’d discovered a collection of their wartime iove letters and the romantic sentiment had remained with me. Instead of penning a screenplay, however, I decided to write a novel. Because hey, how hard could that be? Uh….yeah. A little harder than I had anticipated!
Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?
Kristina: Some of my favorite authors are Markus Zusak (The Book Thief), Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray), Alma Katsu (The Taker), and Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants). The author who has probably most influenced my writing, and especially my in-depth research process, would have to be Jodi Picoult.
Q4) How did you get into writing in this specific genre? Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?
Kristina: It was really my desire to tell a story about my grandparents that propelled me to write my debut, Letters from Home. I had no inkling of specific genres, outside of the obvious few, before I finished writing the book. Now, though, I’ve learned that historicals are where I feel the most comfortable and find the most passion to write. Without that, it’s awfully tough to motivate yourself to sit down everyday and face that blank page and blinking, taunting cursor.
Q5) What are some of your writing rituals?
Kristina: Well, after I eat my oatmeal and stop myself from procrastinating (ahem, evil Facebook and Twitter), I make a cup of decaf coffee with way too much vanilla-caramel creamer, bundle up with a fuzzy blanket and warm ugly socks, and park myself on the couch with my laptop. I’ve tried just about everything to lure myself back into my home office—from buying a mega-fancy keyboard to a mega-fancy chair—but after essentially living in there through many, many drafts of my first novel, I just can’t get myself to go back in and write anything creative. Hmm…maybe for the next novel…
Q6) Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?
Kristina: Given that it’s my new shiny toy, I’d love to tell you about it!
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves is set in Los Angeles in 1941. The story features Maddie Kern, an aspiring violinist who secretly elopes with her brother’s best friend—a handsome, ambitious Japanese American named Lane Moritomo—the night before Pearl Harbor is bombed. When Lane is interned at a relocation camp, Maddie forgoes her career ambitions and dares to follow, despite disapproval from both families. But Maddie isn’t the only one stuck between worlds. To prove his allegiance to America, Lane enlists in a secret branch of the U.S. Army, responsible for code-breaking and interrogating against Japan. It’s through these searches for identity that every character, from tremendous sacrifice, will learn the true meaning of love and loyalty.
Q7) How did you come with the idea for this story?
Kristina: An old family friend once shared that he had fought for America while his brother served for Japan. I was captivated by the idea. But it wasn’t until years later, when I’d found my calling as a writer, that I recalled his story and realized what an amazing premise it would make for a novel. Combined with my undying love for the U.S. miniseries “North and the South” (perhaps more for Patrick Swayze in uniform than anything else), I set out to write my book. But in the midst of research, I happened across an obscure mention of roughly two hundred non-Japanese spouses who had chosen to live in the U.S. internment camps voluntarily. I called my agent that very day and said, “This is it. I have my story!”
Q8) Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?
Kristina: I’m happy to report that I just turned in a novella, titled The Christmas Collector, which will be published this coming October by Kensington Books in a holiday anthology headlined by #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels. After that, I’ll be working on my next two women’s fiction novels under contract with my publisher. So, hopefully I’ll be sharing stories for a long time to come!
Q9) What would you be if you were not an author?
Kristina: I would probably return to one of my two favorite former careers, either an event planner or a TV host. I thoroughly enjoyed both, although being an author offers the greatest benefit of setting my own hours so I can be there when the kids come home—which is an incredibly important perk.
Q10) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?
Krsitina: Due to my last book deadline, I was never able to finish THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern, which I’d love to do. Also, my dear friend Sarah McCoy just released her latest novel, THE BAKER’S DAUGHTER, and I can’t wait to dive in. The premise is so intriguing that I would have run straight to the bookstore on launch day even if I didn’t already adore the author.
Want to learn more about Kristina? You can find her here:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/KrisMcmorris
Kensington Books (U.S.), Avon/HarperCollins UK
Release date: February 28, 2012 (March 2012)
ISBN: 978-0-7582-4685-1
Original Trade Paperback, 420 pages
Price: $15 U.S./$16.95 Can.
Special features: Discussion Guide and Asian-fusion recipes in the book
Los Angeles, 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern’s life seemed destined to unfold with the predictable elegance of a Bach concerto. Then she fell in love with Lane Moritomo. Her brother’s best friend, Lane is the handsome, ambitious son of Japanese immigrants. Maddie was prepared for disapproval from their families, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed the day after she and Lane elope, the full force of their decision becomes apparent. In the eyes of a fearful nation, Lane is no longer just an outsider, but an enemy.
When her husband is interned at a war relocation camp, Maddie follows, sacrificing her Juilliard ambitions. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost.
Skillfully capturing one of the most controversial episodes in recent American history, Kristina McMorris draws readers into a novel filled with triumphs and heartbreaking loss–an authentic, moving testament to love, forgiveness, and the enduring music of the human spirit.
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