As I sat on the bank of the swallow river, the drums pounding in the distance, I asked myself why the ancestors abandoned me. I had always behaved the way my elders taught me. I worked hard, shared with those around me, and never took more from the Earth than what I needed. I listened to my chief and my elders and respected the wisdom that the Spirits offered them. Why, then, would I be called “Cursed One”, never to be a person again?
The crowd in the distance sang and whooped in excitement, rhythmic drums echoing back to my isolated patch of ground. My job during the Gathering consisted of fetching water from the cold stream. Fearful of my presence polluting the festivities and angering the ancestors, several small children were designated to collect the bladders of water from me and run them back to the celebrating people. I could not even bring the water itself.
I was no longer Dancing Cat, messenger of my people. I was Cursed One. I would not experience the opening of the Sacred Bundle and receive guidance.
I looked out and over the endless field of grass opposite of the river and sighed. Someday, I will find a way to deliver myself. Even if I have to call upon death to rescue me.
Today I have Author, Krista Ball in the house. She's got a new release, Harvest Moon, that I'm dying to get my hands on, as I'm sure many of you are too. So without further delay, lets get to the interrogation, er, interview. *spotlights on*
Tell us a little about yourself, Krista.
I’m a fiction and non-fiction author who, through no fault of my own, has recently acquired two step-kids, two step-dogs, four step-cats, a feral squirrel, and an engineer. My own three cats are not impressed and have filed a complaint with the Kitty Union Local 307. Grievance proceedings are about to begin.
Quick info:
1. I was adopted by my grandparents.
2. I have a B.A. in British history and international relations
3. My favourite TV shows are Star Trek: Deep Space 90210 (err 9), Farscape, and Firefly.
4. I don’t have cable. In fact, I don’t even have the adaptor to allow me to watch TV without cable. The only TV show I generally watch “live” is the Oscars, so I just go to someone else’s house for that.
5. No matter when or where I am in my house, there are at least two snoring animals within reach.
What was your inspiration for you latest story?
There was a call out for gender-bender stories. I was working at a homeless agency at the time. The two sorta mixed together. The story ended up too long to work for the anthology and found a home at MuseItUp.
Tell me about your novels Wicca Dog and Harvest Moon.
Harvest Moon ~ Desperate and fearful for her life, Dancing Cat breaks tribal and eternal law and speaks knowledge from the sacred bundle. An enraged ancient spirit punished Dancing Cat by stripping her of everything, including her gender. Alone in the land of her people’s enemy, she must struggle to regain her identity and life in the body of a man.
Why do you write?
Apparently, I am extremely hard to get along with when I don’t write.
What were your early influences in writing?
His name was ... Oh, you’re probably looking for something that isn’t teenage-angst ridden, huh? Hmm, serious answer. I need a serious answer. Crap. Ah, ok, let’s do this. I had a high school teacher that encouraged my writing, as well as many friends who enjoyed my work. The realization that I could do it made me keep wanting to write.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I don’t remember. I do remember writing always coming easy to me and, after a while, writing just seemed like something I should be doing.
What kinds of research do you do for your work?
I generally don’t research until after a piece is finished. I have a history degree, which helps, because I have a very general knowledge of a number of different time periods and cultures. So, I can generally piece things together from my memory and then fix it up after the fact.
What are you favorite scenes to write?
I’ve never thought about this before. I guess I like it when folks all want something (even each other) but they can’t have it. Lots of angst. I’m big on the angst. It makes me feel young again.
Do you have a favorite character?
I like all of my characters for different reasons. Lady Champion Bethany of the Tranquility Series remains my favourite, however. She’s in an unpublished fantasy series I’ve been working on and has been a big hit with my female beta readers.
Do you have any favorite lines in your novels?
From my unfinished book 2 of the Tranquility Series. “It stung going down, but liquor should hurt before dawn. The burning pain meant a person wasn't a true drunk; just merely someone who needed a little touch to start the day.” I didn’t realize it but the vast majority of my works start with people drinking. I might have a problem.
What are the hardest scenes to write?
Scenes with transitions, i.e. I need to get the character from point a to point b without breaking the scene. Those are tough for me. I try really hard to never have those scenes.
Do you have a writing tip to share?
Get beta readers who aren’t related to you. In fact, try to get beta readers who are writers. They will probably hate what your friends say they love, but at least they will help you grow as a writer.
Any new novels in the works?
Yup! Road to Hell, a Science Fiction espionage novel is nearly done. Tranquility’s Grief, the second in the Tranquility series, should have a completed first draft next spring. I’m also working on a couple of shorter novellas, around Harvest Moon’s length.
Krista D. Ball
Thank you for visiting and sharing a little bit about yourself, your writing and your fantastic novels. For you Fanatics interested in purchasing any of Krista's books, you can find the buy link below and a limited time coupon for Wicca Dog.
Dawn
Come and enjoy the adventures of a fantasy writer at www.kristadball.comTweet me!Facebook me!Goodreads!
Preorder now for the novel released in December 2010. Harvest Moon’s buy link: http://tinyurl.com/34yvyjj
Wicca Dog’s buy link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/19781 Download for free! coupon # XY28R (Valid Until Oct 10th!)
