Interview with Krista Wagner
Welcome, Krista.
Tell us about your latest novel or project:
Cassi Is In A Coma is a YA supernatural psychological thriller about Royal High School’s most popular and liked girl who is suddenly the school's most-hated girl, but before she can figure out why, a ten-story fall off a water tower sends her into a coma.
What got you started writing?
I have always loved reading and watching movies, the world of imagination, and when I turned seven, I began typing my own worlds through songs and plays.
What challenges did you face when you first started writing?
Not having enough time to write everything I wanted!
Do you ever get the opportunity to travel for your writing? Either to market or to research.
I did. My debut novel was written on a cross-country trip and I visited Balboa Island for the setting of my psychological thriller, Shrouded Memory.
Who in your life is your greatest cheerleader or support in your writing?
My family
What was the first thing you did after your first book was published?
Celebrated with my family and friends
Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle the good and the bad ones?
Yes. Both types of reviews are lessons as they reinforce what works and what didn’t for some.
It seems like everything has Easter Eggs (surprise reference to your other work) do you have any Easter Eggs in your books?
Cassi has a small reference to Indigo, the title character from my YA realistic fiction novel, indigo’s struggle and to the Principal as both characters attend the same high school
How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have any secrets to productivity?
My best time: If I stuck to writing the first draft for ten hours a day, every day, I could finish the first draft in two weeks.
Where did you get the idea for your first or latest book?
God-breathed story. This idea, like Intent, surprised me and delighted me as I know that God brought me the ideas.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Late at night, when the kids are asleep.
What is your best experience meeting a fan?
Fans who tell me how that hate reading, but finished my book in a day because they couldn’t put it down.
If any of your books was to be made into a film, which one would you pick and who would you have play the main characters?
Intent, a spiritual dramatic thriller, with the title role to Jennifer Lawrence.
How important do you think marketing is for authors today?
Extremely. I would say, major word-of-mouth is most helpful, just readers continuing to tell everyone they know and writing reviews because the market is so saturated.
Do you have any book you have written that won’t ever see the light of day and why?
One novel that I wrote in the ninth grade because it’s pretty unsophisticated and sort of directionless.
Often writers get to approach some serious subjects. Which serious subject are you most proud to have written about or was the hardest to write about?
Bullying, loss of faith, hiding sin, and dealing with depression
Thank you for sharing some of your own story with us.
