Author Interview with Christa Conklin

Who are you?

My name is Christa Conklin. In addition to being an author of mostly fantasy fiction, I am a classical saxophonist, private instrumental instructor, mother of two, wife of a meteorologist, and past arts administrator in Manhattan and Princeton and winner of a women's solo kayak river race.

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Where do you live?

I live in the southern part of New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia, but where the name Garden State is still accurate.

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What’s your home life like?

My husband and I homeschool our two children in our folk Victorian house in a small town in South Jersey. We love to be outdoors hiking, kayaking, fishing, tent camping, and gardening. Three of us play a lot of soccer. I do better in a dance studio. My husband and I love to travel. 

Our young daughter wants to travel the world. Our teenage son has plans to buy our house from us some day. We do get our homebody to travel with us occasionally. We have a miniature golden doodle who loves to go on walks but would rather snuggle on a lap all day.

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What genre(s) to you like to write? To read?

My favorite genre to read and write is epic fantasy.

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Why did you start writing?

Throughout my childhood and into my adult years, my father filled my bookshelves with fantasy series.
When my dad's health was declining, I began writing my own fantasy novel, transforming useless anxiety into imagining a new world.

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What do you do when you’re not writing?

Homeschooling is a lifestyle, and requires a lot of time and focus. This is not to say we spend extensive hours studying, but we do spend a lot of time doing life together. This is why I am answering these questions after 11pm. I teach piano, saxophone, and clarinet lessons at a local music school and teach at our homeschool co-op - I'll be teaching Intro to French Language and Culture this coming term. My family is also involved in service ministries through our church.

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Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?

I love bookstores. I am happy to shop in both huge stores and small independent ones. I really love finding a new book when I am traveling or on vacation. A bookstore in a town that's new to me is a treasure box in which I love to discover a great read that will remind me of that place and moment.

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At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?

It is rare that I don't finish a book. However, if I have not done my research before reading and a book has an overload of profanity or graphic violence or sexual content, I will call it quits.

via GIPHY

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Are you independently or traditionally published?

I am traditionally published.

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How many books/stories have you published so far?

I have two short stories and one novel published.​

Blog Note: Read my review of Christa's short story, Moontail, in The Clarion Call Anthology Volume 3: Unbound.

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What book/story are you currently promoting or working on?

I am currently promoting my young adult fantasy novel Tranquility. I am working on the sequel.

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What’s the elevator pitch?

She must prove there's more to life than peace and more to death than dying.
The One People find guidance to peace and unity in the pages of TRANQUILITY. Drethene views the methods prescribed in the book as hurtful attempts to escape their diverse ancestry.
Drethene must convince the One People that their lives are not as tranquil as they seem. If they choose to remain in the comfort of their rewritten history and false sense of peace, they will be dragged into the maelstrom they have forgotten to fear.

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How long have you been working on it?

I wrote the first draft in two years.
I took another eight years to refine my manuscript, sign with my agent and publisher, and make a book.

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When will it be available to buy? Where?

Tranquility is available now at a couple local stores. Since those reading may not be in South Jersey, on-line at Amazon and Barnes & Noble are the best options.

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How can readers find you?

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What inspires you to keep writing?

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.”
​Lloyd Alexander

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Anything you’d like to add?

It has been an honor taking part in this interview. I love conversation more than talking about myself and hope readers comment and/or question so I may learn something about them.

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My thanks to Christa for participating in My Laughably Inane Blog. I'm personally intimidated by her bio (seriously? a classical saxophonist and winning kayak-ist?), and wish her all the best in her future writing and personal endeavors.

Sincerely

Nicholas P. Adams

Just a small-town boy with an overactive imagination.