Kimberly K. Jones: A Self Portrait
Kimberly K. Jones Revealed
About Kimberly K. Jones
Revealing Questions
- Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
- A. Controlled chaos in a log cabin in Vermont.
- Q. What is your motto or maxim?
- A. Life is too short.
- Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
- A. A long beach to walk in the warm the sun and a stack of good books when I get back.
- Q. What’s your greatest fear?
- A. Falling down stairs. (I published a story about that once trying to exorcise my demons.)
- Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
- A. Anywhere, as long as it's on a warm sunny beach.
- Q. Which living person do you most admire?
- A. No one person, but a whole host who go quietly about doing what must be done. My heros are school bus drivers, day care providers, and anyone who does the right thing.
- Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?
- A. Per my son: "Where are my glasses?"
- Q. What do you regret most?
- A. Not being able to live in a book.
- Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
- A. Piano virtuoso!
- Q. What is your greatest achievement?
- A. Quitting my safe secure career to do what I've wanted to do for years---write!
- Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
- A. Stubbornness
- Q. What’s your best quality?
- A. Stubbornness
- Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
- A. I would be a cat curled up in front of a woodstove. A cat who could read, of course.
- Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?
- A. I'm very shy and awkward. Guess that's why I hide in books!
- Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
- A. Zorro!
- Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
- A. Boris Badenov-- "the world's greatest no-goodnik."
- Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
- A. I would like to meet my maternal great-mother Sophie Egemo who came across from Norway. She raised 4 girls and 4 boys and never learned much English. I want to know about her life in Norway (I know she skiied to school) and why she left, and what she thought about this new country.
- Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
- A. The ubiquity of cell phones. Let's improve the quality of communication, not the quantity!
- Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
- A. Reading
- Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
- A. Rock guitarist (no, I can't play more than a few chords, that's why it's a FANTASY!)
- Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
- A. Honesty, gentleness, and humor
- Q. What are your 5 favorite songs?
- A. Again, these changes rapidly, but today's hit parade is: "I Forgot that Love Existed" by Van Morrison, "Two Step" by Dave Matthews, "My Favorite Mistake" by Sheryl Crow, "As Is" by Ani DiFranco, "It's a Beautiful Day" by U2
On Books and Writing
- Q. Who are your favorite authors?
- A. I read across all genres and age groups so there are too many to list, but here a few writers I trust so much that I will buy their latest without knowing anything other than the fact they've written it: Michael Chabon, Eoin Colfer, Joan Didion, Cornelia Funke, William Gibson, Tom Robbins, Fay Weldon
- Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
- A. Hmm, the list shifts in time, but this week's are:
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg,
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge,
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon,
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson,
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
- A. Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
- Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
- A. The only secret to writing is writing, so get to it.
- Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
- A. When are you going to write a sequel to Sand Dollar Summer?
- Q. How did you come to write Genie Scheme?
- A. My kids were at an age where materialism seemed to get really competitive (the clothes labels, the expensive camps, the birthday party bashes) and I wanted to write a story about someone who could have everything they wanted, the point being, of course, that things don't make you happy. I didn't want it to be too preachy, and I wanted to have fun writing it (and I did have a great deal of fun).
