Busy writing mom Kasie West writes about a girl who can foresee various potential futures in her new book Pivot Point, but Kasie wouldn’t want that super power herself; here she shares her preferences on that as well as her very precise and disciplined strategy when it comes to her writing schedule.
YOUNG ADULT: What is your earliest memory involving writing?
Kasie West: I’m not one of those writers who started writing from the crib or who penned her first short story in crayon on her bedroom wall. I didn’t even know I wanted to write until seven years ago. But, since I am one of those writers who think that reading and writing go hand in hand and that a great reader makes an even better writer, I do have many early reading memories. My earliest is probably sitting on my parents’ bed when I was four or five, listening to my dad read The Hobbit to me and my siblings. Yes, I had an awesome dad. Those were some of my favorite times.
YA: Tell us a little bit about your latest work. What is different about Pivot Point?
KW: Pivot Point is about a girl who, when faced with a choice, has the power to see two outcomes. I think it’s different from many other books out there because it explores alternate realities side by side. Throughout the book, the reader oftentimes knows more than the main character because of the structure.
YA: Take us through a typical writing day for you.
KW: Well, my writing schedule is very serious. First I stare at my blinking cursor for two minutes. Then I check Twitter. Then I go back to my manuscript, write two sentences then give a dramatic sigh. Then I check my email. Then I erase the two sentences I had written before. Next I find inspiration by eating Junior Mints. No, but in all seriousness, I don’t necessarily have a ‘typical writing day’. I have four kids and am the official taxi driver/event coordinator. I write when I can, mostly at night. Some days I’m on a roll and can get in several thousand words, some days I’m lucky to squeeze in a paragraph.
From the Book:
YA: This book’s main character has a pretty neat gift for being able to see potential futures. Would being able to tell the future be your absolute top choice for special powers?
KW: No. I don’t think I’d want this power at all. I would be way too tempted to use it all the time. I’d be sitting in my writing chair and use it to see if I should check twitter or keep on writing. I’d use it to see what the weather was going to be tomorrow. Yes, I would definitely abuse this power. My top choice for super power changes depending on the day and my needs. Last week I was sick, so I would’ve loved to be a Healer last week. But this week I have to clean the house and do laundry before we go out of town. So this week I want to be Telekinetic. Then I could just move things with my mind while I sit in my chair. Like that scene where Mary Poppins cleans the toy room. As a kid that scene scared me, but now it seems like the ideal way to clean.
YA: What were your specific influences for this book? Films, literature, other stories?
KW: My main inspiration for this book was the movie Sliding Doors. I love that movie. The idea that one small choice can change so much really intrigued me.
YA: If you hadn’t become an author, what path would your career have perhaps taken?
KW: I went to school to be a teacher. So I’m sure if I hadn’t become an author, I’d be heading in that direction once my kids were all in school. But right now, I’m so grateful that I can do something I love from home.
“Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.
In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.”
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