Interview with Mayssam Kaado

Published 2013-11-06.
How do you approach cover design?
i basically try to incorporate elements that i feel are important in the book, but in the same time that would make the cover interesting and attractive because - let's face it - the first thing you see in a book is the cover and it's the thing that will draw the reader towards it.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
this is hard, but i have to say hands down The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, Will Grayson Will Grayson, all by John Green, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Dark Secrets by Elizabeth Chandler. For now. Because my top 5 WILL change.
What do you read for pleasure?
i really like Young Adult novels, but also i've been into poetry lately. I like dystopian fiction and i also enjoy scrolling through quote Tumblrs, if that counts. (i'll read anything but an autobiography)
What is your e-reading device of choice?
i hate e-reading. my god i hate it ! But given the circumstances and the fact that it is pretty hard to find books around here i read them on my phone, until i get the chance to buy them as physical copies
Describe your desk
A mess. that is all i can say. There are papers and pens and food and glasses and books everywhere. It may look unorganized but i know exactly where everything is. My desk is an organized mess.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in two VERY different countries, and i think what influenced my writing the most was everything that followed when i moved, i guess. A lot of things happened during the first 2-3 years that i moved and it was just really lonely and it pushed me to write more, at first it was my teen angst but then it transformed itself into full blown stories that reflect a lot of what i feel or felt.
When did you first start writing?
it wasn't like a precise day where i took a pen and paper and said "Well today i'm going to write". It was more of a transition. I used to enjoy reading Fanfictions when i was about 9 and slowly i just started wanting to change things and decided to write my own and that kind of marks the time period where i began writing.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The fact that i get to let all these things i'm feeling or thinking out, things i couldn't express as me necessarily, so i get to set them free through other made-up people.
What do your fans mean to you?
The (close to none) fans i have mean a lot. It's always nice to know your work's being appreciated because from your point of view you tend to forget it. So having people you don't know tell you that you need to write more or that they loved your story (it doesn't count if it's family because they kind of have to like it- haha) it just brings joy. So fans mean a lot. They motivate you to keep writing in a way.
What are you working on next?
I am trying to write a new Young Adult novel, but it's taking a long time considering i'm juggling school and a thousand different things (but i'll get there, i promise !)
Who are your favorite authors?
John Green, Charles Bukowski, F. Scott Fitzgerald, David Levithan, Elizabeth Chandler, Amy Plum, Melissa De La Cruz, (the list goes on for a really long time .......)
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Nothing. The only reason i get out of bed it's because i HAVE To or else i'd get my ass kicked by my parents. If i didn't HAVE to go to school, it would be Food. Or the TV. Yep, definitely Food or the TV.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
suffering in school, reading, watching a lot of movies, basic human stuff.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Tumblr mostly, but i have now a group of friends who tell me to read books (which i download but never seem to get around to read. But i will. Someday. i promise !!)
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
yess ! it was "it just wasn't meant to be" and it was a Tokio Hotel fanfiction, which i mentally slapped myself for writing because i've never read anything more poor and well let's face it stupid - it's like they meet and BAMN he loves her (you know, everything a 10 year old girl wants)
What is your writing process?
i am pretty disorganized really. I mean i set up my characters, description and everything and the story kindof builds up on one idea, and i try to write the main moments but it's all just a mess. my desk in a mess my writing process is a mess hell, my whole life is a mess.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I do actually. It was a french book called Maite Coiffure by Marie-Aude Murail and i eat that book up! It just moved me in so many ways, i can't even explain it. You know when something really good happens and you're just awe-struck, that was it, and it just marks the beginning of my life as a bibliophile.
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