Sparked by a single picture she saw online, military wife-turned-author Kristin Bailey has fashioned a brilliant world of steampunk danger and intrigue in her opening to the Secret Order series, Legacy of the Clockwork Key.
Inspired by classics like Oz and more, Kristin discusses her book here, which has “a little bit of The Goonies thrown in for good measure.” That’s always a good move, in our book!
YOUNG ADULT: What made you decide to start writing?
Kristin Bailey: I had always enjoyed writing. I used to write very dramatic stories about lovelorn adventurers in the back of my binder in high-school. In college, I took a writing class for fun, and from that point on I was hooked. As soon as I graduated from college, I pursued writing as my career. It took a long time to get to this point, but I feel so very blessed to be a writer.
YA: Tell us a little bit about your latest work. What is different about Legacy of the Clockwork Key and what does it bring to the Secret Order series?
KB: Legacy of the Clockwork Key is pure fun. As I was writing it, I was hoping to capture some of the whimsy and adventure of my favorite children’s classics. It’s intended for the slightly younger end of the YA market, and all those who just want to enjoy a wild ride. This opening leg of the trilogy sets up some of the larger arcs that won’t be wrapped up until the end of the third book. It is also the most adventuresome novel. The next two settle down and get slightly more introspective, but all three are intended to be a lot of fun to read.
YA: How did the idea for this book/series arise? What are your major inspirations (TV, film, other literature/stories)?
KB: The idea for this book came from a picture I saw online of someone who had created a Steampunk raven. I pondered that raven for a long time. I liked thinking about the raven as a long-lost relic of a bygone era, and then began to wonder who would make such a thing and why. That’s when I decided I wanted to write a book about mad inventors and the amazing inventions that they create simply to amuse themselves. That’s when the Secret Order of Modern Amusementists was born. I was inspired by books like The Wizard of Oz, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, with a little bit of The Goonies thrown in for good measure.
| YA: Take us through a typical writing day for you. KB: If I have any time during the day, I usually try to take care of email and internet stuff like checking my website traffic, maintaining my Facebook page, and those sorts of things. Then I try to read anything that my critique partner has sent over and respond to that. Once the house settles down for the night, that’s when I usually start actually writing. I’m a hopeless night owl, and I get distracted easily, so the calm quiet night is my most productive writing time. YA: Besides the classic ‘never give up’, what advice would you give to aspiring young writers today? KB: The best advice I can give anyone is to keep their head firmly on their shoulders. A lot of writing professionally is an emotional roller coaster. At the end of the day, the goal should be to feel good enough mentally and to have enough motivation and energy to keep writing. If something is drowning you in negative thoughts, try to get away from it as best you can and surround yourself with positive people. Also have a hobby outside of writing that helps you decompress and lets your mind rest enough for your creative energy to rekindle. |
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YA: If you hadn’t become an author, what path would your career have perhaps taken?
KB: I feel a touch of sadness thinking about this question, because the honest answer is, if I hadn’t become an author, I wouldn’t have a career. I’m a military wife. One of the difficulties of being a military family is moving so often. I don’t think I’ve stayed longer than three years in one location for the last decade or so. Sometimes it is as short as a single year in one spot before we’re up and moving again. Too many military spouses get uprooted so often their careers simply die. It’s hard, and it is a harsh sacrifice for military families. I am so extremely blessed that I have a portable career. I can hop around the country as much as I need to, and as long as I tell my agent and editor where I am, everyone is happy.
If the entire world of possibilities were open to me, and I could start all over and do anything I wanted, I’d like to be a landscape architect that specializes in creating habitats for animals in zoos. I think that would be a really fun and challenging job.
When a fire consumes Meg’s home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key—a key that only Meg can use—that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow.
Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect—and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy.”
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