Interview with Kimberly Boyd

Published 2018-07-24.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Writing provides me with a way to understand others. When I give myself the space, time, and permission to imagine a character fully, I feel more connected to the minds of others. I have used writing to understand my students and myself during times of confusion and insecurity, and it has illuminated truths that I otherwise would not find.
Who are your favorite authors?
I am in constant awe of David Mitchell (The Cloud Atlas), because his ingenuity seems to know no boundaries. Anthony Doerr, in my opinion, has the most beautiful prose out there. I also enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series of Jacqueline Winspear. Her leading lady has such a gentle and insightful voice from which I hope to glean some grace. J.K. Rowling, aka Robert Galbraith, has given me many years of enjoyment and inspiration, and it wouldn't be right to omit her.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
My dog, Pearl, nudges me into a walk every morning, and during that time of plodding along, listening to birds, and watching out for Pearl's nemesis, the Marmalade Cat, I sort through my day. I tend to have brainstorms at around 3AM, which sometimes lead to great ideas, and sometimes not, so this is my time to decide whether my last night's visions have any value. I also go through my day's agenda, and which people to focus on that day. I tend to find inspiration for the rest of the day in the people I will see and the creative ideas to which I will try to give form.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I have a copy of a story I wrote in second grade about a grasshopper who goes out to see the world. What I love most about this little tale is the inhibition I show in my writing. I teach children today who are so intimidated by writing, a fear I work them through by teaching them how to tell a story verbally, then in writing. But I, apparently, did not have such fear. I was, and still am, an avid reader, so I knew what kinds of stories I liked, and this little adventure was my way of joining into the story-telling fray.
I journaled for years as a teen, so much so that my parents have an army trunk stashed under their house that is filled with my old diaries. I remember this process helped me clarify my thoughts on the dramas of the day, and I continue to have a very reflective voice in my head as I write. I learned to look at an event from many different angles, which today helps me understand my students.
My next big undertaking was a fiction work called The Cow Farm, which I wrote my freshman year of college as part of an independent study project. I have to give credit to my professor for reading those pages of drivel and still forcing a smile at our editing conferences. I also wrote a novel while living in Mauritania as a Peace Corps volunteer. It was a nameless woman's surreal trip through a dry, thorny wilderness, during which she gives birth to a child. I wrote it on a boxy old MacIntosh, so I truly don't know if it still exists, but it helped pass many sweaty hours in the heat of the Mauritanian day.
Since then I have started and stopped a few projects, but my Ursula Unger books are the first I have loved creating.
What is your writing process?
I spend a lot of time processing my story in my mind. Because I continue to teach full-time, my writing time is mostly during the summer and holiday months, so I do a lot of mental notetaking during the school year. Once I sit down, I have a hard time tearing myself away from the computer, as my husband will attest.
My process can best be described as continuous editing. I write, I re-write, I re-read and re-write. As new ideas occur I will try them out, while keeping the old drafts. Granted, my time with Ursula has been segmented by my school calendar, but I have been knocking around with her for about two years.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders was the first book that smacked me upside the head. I was in seventh or eighth grade and had found a copy in our school's library, which I ended up renewing over eleven times. I absolutely fell into that book, and I didn't want to come out- I would turn from the last page right back to the first page. Hinton had brought me into a world of young men that were ragged and independent, but also tender, and they were the first boys I fell in love with.
I don't think I was aware at that age of how a book is created and crafted, but I was aware that this woman, S.E. Hinton, had done something amazing through writing. She was the first author to make me want to write books.
How do you approach cover design?
I had a unique approach to the cover design for Ursula Unger because my 14 year-old daughter is the artist. I had tossed around different cover ideas for a few years, while, one room away, my daughter was drawing these amazing characters. It felt like the most natural choice to honor her talent with a commission. We worked together on a few different poses, and referenced different photographs and sketches from her notebooks. She did an amazing job!
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Sometimes a Great Notion - The opening chapter, winding up the murky river through the untamed Oregon forest, while simultaneously charting the landscape of logging politics, all to arrive at Hank Stampers severed arm dangling from a tree, middle finger raised to the world. Need I say more.
The Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell's immense mind created five different stories, each in its own time period spanning past and future, its own language and culture, which all intertwine beautifully to lift the five heroes out of their tribulations. Mitchell scares me with his portrayal of inhuman cruelty, then brings tears to my eyes with his portrayal of courage.
Harry Potter Series - I first loved this series when I saw the joy it brought to young readers. Those books took elementary schools by storm and could be credited for teaching more students how to read than any curriculum I have used! I also loved reading them myself, then reading them out loud to my daughter. I don't think I have felt more excited for a book release than when the latest Harry Potter would come into stores. From the language to the characters to the creatures to the battle of good versus evil, these books are simply a source of joy for me.
Shoveling Mercury With a Pitchfork - Richard Brautigan's poetry is delightful. Sometimes nonsensical, sometimes crude, sometimes straight out of my dreams, he captures images which are so vivid you believe they are from your own childhood memories. I get the sense he was once in my mom's kitchen, surrounded by 1970's era wallpaper and linoleum, eating her scones and jam while saying things that made her very confused.
This is the hardest part - picking that fifth favorite book. I keep scanning my bookshelf looking for the one, but land on so many good favorites that it is impossible to pick. A Prayer for Owen Meany. All the Light We Cannot See. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The Hobbit. I am kind of cheating here, so I will choose:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Tom Stoppard wrote this play as the behind-the-scenes to Hamlet, so as a follow up to reading Shakespeare's masterpiece, my High School Humanities teacher, Bruce Saari, had us read this aloud. How we laughed! This is the book that proved to me how FUN words can be, how silly and dreamy and blunt and provacative. In the shadow of Shakespeare's ultimate teen-angst drama, Tom Stoppard created this comedy where the characters pop in and out of reality, never quite knowing which way is up, and yet stubbornly grasping for some semblance of control. It reminds me of my class at times.
What do you read for pleasure?
I love mysteries and thrillers. These are my escape into fun, and of these, the Maisy Dobbs series is my favorite.
The process of writing a mystery, of knowing the solution and working backward, dropping clues, toward the bewildered discovery of a crime fasciates me. I hope someday to spend a summer in Scotland, watching the grey waters, clouds and sheep, and writing my first mystery.
What are you working on next?
Ursula Unger is an ongoing project that provides me with new ways to understand my constantly evolving job as a teacher. I also want to see her grow and change, so I think I will be following her for a few years.
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Books by This Author

Ursula Unger, Obviously
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 8,380. Language: English. Published: October 1, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Readers / Chapter Books, Fiction » Children’s books » Social Issues / Special Needs
(5.00 from 1 review)
Ursula Unger arrives late to her first day of school, kicks off her shoes and runs out to recess. Why late? Why no shoes? And hold on, it's not recess time! Ursula, what are you thinking?! To her parents, teacher and classmates, Ursula is an enigma, but to her it all makes sense, "Obviously."