I want to thank Kindra White for taking the time for this interview!
BIO:
Fantasy and Paranormal romance author Kindra White is a mother of three and a wife.
Born on the island of Aruba, she is an avid reader who took the plunge and started creating her own books to help break the stigma that women face.
She currently lives in Enschede, The Netherlands, where when she’s not bringing readers more books, she enjoys baking a killer cheesecake and taking care of her family.
When and how did you know you wanted to
be a writer?
I always wanted to write the stories I have in my head. When I was little, around 6 or 7, I used to line up my stuffed animals in my room and tell them stories. Most of the time, they were the main characters in the stories.
But 2 years ago I started my writing journey. Thanks to an author whose books I was a fan of and now she is one of my best friends. She was the one that gave me the last push and the support to put my stories on paper.
Did you have any influencing writers
growing up?
Yes, I had a couple of them. John Steinbeck, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ernest Hemingway, Mary Shelley, Roald Dahl, Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, William Shakespeare, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Annie M.G. Schmidt, Harry Mulisch, Tim Krabbé, Laura Esquivel.
But my all-time favourite author growing up was Stephen King.
Are any of your characters based on
people in real life?
No, not really. I use some traits of people I know and create my characters that way. I mostly combine traits of people I know to mould the character to the story.
Where do you draw your book inspirations
from?
I’m a very visual person and things like a picture, a painting or nature can inspire me to write my stories.
My Goldencrest series is based on the holidays throughout the year. This series started with a promotion card I got for a Christmas sale and I got inspired to write a story of a Werewolf having a Christmas fairy as his mate. However, because of not having a lot of time the werewolf story had to wait till next Christmas.
But it gave me the inspiration to create the series, starting with the Valentine’s Day story, a werewolf falling in love with cupid.
Do you use have a basic outline when
starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
It always starts with a detailed outline, but I’m a combination of a plotter and a pantser.
So when I sit to write the detailed outline becomes more like a guideline than that I stick strictly to it. And of course my characters highjack my stories but if they didn’t it wouldn’t be their story.
When you are picturing the characters in
your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?
Not really. Well yes and no.
As I start I have like a character bible written for the ones I’m using in my stories and when I’m happy with how I want them to look and feel I set out to look for models that have the same vibe as them. If that makes any sense.
Many people read as a form of escape and
relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
It will sound very cliche, but my time to relax is reading.
Escape to the world of the story I’m reading at the moment. I always did that, ever since I could read. You would always find me with my nose in a book.
Who are your favorite current authors to
read?
Jane Knight, Charlotte Townsend, Maria Warren, Mana Sol, Ayana Lisbet, Louise Murchie, Ashley Kaplan, Azalea Hudson, Nicci Harris and Erin Mc Luckie Moya.
What are your favorite books by others?
All books by Jane Knight, her books had helped me in my darkest time and because of her, I started my writer and author journey.
Frank Malone is Dead by Ashley Kaplan is also one of my favourite books.
Do the locations in the stories have any
meaning to you?
No, they don’t. The locations mean something to the characters I write, but I deliberately don’t use any names of places, as they are known nowadays.
But I use what they used to be called or nicknames people have for them. Like my St. Patrick's Day story, my leprechaun character comes from Ireland, but I called it the Emerald Isle.
Do you write in single or multiple POV?
I write multiple POVs. This style works well for me. I like to share both sides of my main characters.
What do you find to be your best research
tool?
Hands down Google, but I often look up books about things I want to write about. Mostly the mythology surrounding some of the mythical beings I want to use in my stories.
Do you write under a pen name?
Also, do you write under more than one name?
I write under a pen name. And I only have one pen name.
What genre do you write and why is this
your preference?
I write PNR, Fantasy and a few months ago I started with Mafia/dark romance.
I have written one contemporary book, but I think I would leave it at that one book though.
I love that with PNR, Fantasy, mafia/dark romance, I don’t have any restriction with what I write. I can come up with anything my creativity muse comes up with and don’t worry about if it is realistic or not.
As for contemporary, I found it restricted me and I missed my shifter characters too much.
Tell me something about yourself outside
of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you
being you?
Well, I’m a stay at home mom of 3 beautiful gremlins (character from an 80’s movie), happily married to my golden dragon.
When I’m not writing, you can find me in the kitchen cooking and baking. I love to bake cheesecakes.
I’m from Aruba and living in The Netherlands for about 23 years now.
If you are a duo writing team, how do you
share the writing process?
Not a duo writing team.
What advice would you give to an aspiring
writer?
Don't compare yourself to other writers/authors. Everyone has to follow their own writing journey. And everyone's journey is unique.
And it’s better to have something on paper, because you can not edit a blank page.
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
Well, I tell myself that my books aren’t for everyone. Just like I don’t like every book I read.
But sometimes if one gets to me, I have a file with all the good reviews I ever had and read those instead of keep dwelling on that one negative.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Procrastination and Imposter Syndrome. Those two can wreak havoc to my writing process.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?
Music. It may sound weird but I can’t write without music.
Music is like my muse, it gets me in the right mood and mindset for the story I’m writing at that moment.
What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?
Hands down coffee and cake are my naughty indulgence
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?
I would choose G.R.R. Martin.
Only to ask him why he hasn’t finished his series of A Song of Ice and Fire yet. And also to get to know him, he seems like a funny man.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or
drink?
Because I’m a stay at home mom of 3 gremlins, I write in the morning when they are at school and at night when everyone has gone to sleep.
I try to write from Monday through Friday. I try to keep my weekends free for my family.
My favourite snack has to be chocolate.
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your
favorite?
Yes I do. Music is one of my muses.
It depends what type of story I’m writing. If it’s a lovey dovey story, I would listen to love songs.
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
I have no pets.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
Procrastination. It can keep me days from writing.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers loved?
No, not yet, but I hope that one of my future stories calls for me to kill off a beloved character.
I don’t kill characters just for the sake of killing a character. If I kill one, it has to have a purpose and meaning for the plot.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
With a glass of wine and strawberries, watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.
I hope you enjoyed this interview!
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