Reading For Fun: Interview with Author Khristina Chess

I would like to welcome Author Khristina Chess to reading For Fun.

1. If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future? Could you share where and why you chose this.

An interesting question because when I consider each possibility, I find myself thinking more about the cons of each scenario. Going into the past too far means losing modern conveniences like electricity, indoor plumbing, and running water, which I would rather not live without. But going into the future means uncertainty. What if it turns out to be a terrible dystopian future instead of something exciting and filled with coolness? Given the risk assessment, I would choose the minor inconveniences and choose the roaring twenties, which looks like a lot of fun in the show "Boardwalk Empire."

RFF: I think i would have to agree with you, plus the dresses were amazing. *girlie moment

2. If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose and why?

Do they have to be living? I will assume not and choose Jesus, John, Peter, Jesus' mother Mary, and Paul. I have a lot of questions. They have a lot of stories to tell. I would order both an appetizer and dessert.

RFF: That would be an interesting dinner and the questions they could answer. I think I would want to be invited!

3. If you were a superhero what would your name be?

Hypergirl. I tend to walk fast, type fast, talk fast... It's the caffeine.

RFF: Haha I need some of your energy.

4. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

Bug spray, sunscreen, and a short-wave radio so I could call somebody to come pick me up.

RFF: That is a smart answer. I was thinking my favorite book, water and now I realize my answers would leave me standed. LOL

5.Night owl, or early bird?

Definitely an early bird.

6.One food you would never eat?

I loathe peas.

On a more personal note
1. What is your favorite book quote and why?

I think this is a poem, not a bookmark. "Dilemma: I want to be famous so I can be humble about being famous. What good is my humility when I am stuck in this obscurity?" David Budbill

2. Who is your favorite author?

Steven King

3. What inspired you to become an author?

I started writing stories in elementary school, and they were horror stories like "The Demon of Deborah Devinski" and "The Doll" (which was evil. I'm pretty sure I wanted to be an author like Steven King, but at some point, I realized I was not a horror writer after all.

4. Do you have any advice for someone considering writing their first book?

Stop thinking and start writing. Write every day. You might surprise yourself.

5. What is one thing about yourself that you think would surprise us to know?

I decided to learn how to play piano as an adult, and I took 7 years of lessons. I don't play much anymore, but I did play every morning before work.

RFF: That sounds like it would be difficult to learn.

6. Do you have any pets, if so how many and what are they?

A Maine Coon cat named Minnie. An Akita named Terra. Two Great Pyrenees named Charlie Brown and Katie. And seven anonymous goats.

RFF: Oh wow seven goats. I like that, anonymous. LOL

7. Name one funny trait you have, that you would like others to know.

I can't stand to watch television series out of order. I have to start at the beginning and go through them in order through Netflix.

About your work
1. How many books have you written so far? What are their titles?

I have published 3 books. They are "Straight A's," "Hollow Beauty," and "Drive to June." I have written many other books that are bad and unpublishable. I had to learn somehow.

2. What genre do you write?

Young Adult Fiction, literary

3. Which of your books is your favorite and why?

"Straight A's." I wrote that book a lot of different ways before the final version that I published, so I spent a lot of time with the story and characters. It was my first to publish, too. That made it special for me.

4. What are you working on now?

It's another Young Adult novel. The titles change, so I won't give that, but it is about teen pregnancy. All of my books are about some issue, with a love story thrown in.

5. Do you get your inspiration for your books from real life or are they completely made up?

A mixture of both. When "real life," they might have been situations that a teen I know went through, rather than me. If I had all the problems that I've written about and plan to write about, I would need to be hospitalized.

6. Do you have a favorite character that you have written, if so what is it about that character that makes him/her your favorite?