Interview with Nina Berry
Today I have with me the lovely and amazingly talented Nina Berry
author of the debut novel Otherkin.
(¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨)¸.·*¨)
Where are you from? Favorite part of that place?
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. I
had no idea how lucky I was till I went to college in Chicago. As much I love
Chicago (great people, art, food, music), the contrast in the weather was
startling.
My Dad still
lives in Hawaii, so I go back twice a year, and I always visit my favorite
place – there or anywhere: Bellows Beach, a pristine stretch of soft white sand
you can only access on the weekends because it’s on a naval base. The
summer I turned nine, my Dad taught me to bodysurf at Bellows, which has
perfect, friendly waves. Whenever I go back there, even though I have to be
slathered in sunscreen, it feels like I’m where I belong.
Where is your favorite place to write?
On the right-hand side of my big green couch, feet up on the
coffee table, cat by my side, laptop on my lap.
What do you think makes a good story?
Conflict is the most important thing in a story. It drives
everything – internal character conflict, external forces in conflict with the
characters, characters conflicting with each other. I have to remind myself of
this as I write because in real life I want everyone to get along. That’s death
to a story.
After that, a good story needs characters with depth that
actually do something. I’m not fond of passive types who lounge around moaning
about life.
What are some of your favorite books?
Oh, so many!
Books that are very special to me tend to be from when I was a kid: Charlotte’s
Web, the Chronicles of Narnia, Mary Poppins, anything by Judy Blume.
But I’m also
passionate about Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and good old William
Shakespeare. I gobble up all of George R. R. Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire”
novels whenever a new one finally comes out, am still madly in love with Lymond
from Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles. John Vaillant’s “The Tiger” is my
favorite, thrilling work of non-fiction.
Also, my dad
(Paul “Doc” Berry) wrote a fascinating book on the history of Waikiki called
“In the Wake of Dreams” that I never get tired of paging through. I know I’m a
bit biased, but it’s great!
What are your favorite forms of shifters (ex,
Wolves, Lion, Tigers, etc.)
Well, the tiger
is my favorite, as you can probably tell from the cover of my book. Tigers are
fascinating creatures, monarchs of their realm - fierce, clever, beautiful, and
deadly. In “The Tiger,” John Vaillant says: “The impact of an attacking tiger
can be compared to that of a piano falling on you from a second story window.
But unlike the piano, the tiger is designed to do this, and the impact is only
the beginning.”
Just sends
chills down my spine. I’d like to know how it feels to be that tiger. It was
really fun trying put myself into those paws and write about it.
I’d also love
to be able to shift into some kind of bird form, though, just so I could know
what it’s like to fly.
How important do you think villains are in a
book? Favorite book villain, any book?
A good villain
is key, as important as the protagonist. When writing the villain you have to
try to look at things from his or her perspective, because nobody thinks
they’re the villain – they’re the hero in their version of the story.
The Wicked
Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz is the perfect villain, one who set the
standard for all evil witches to come thereafter. You understand why she hates
Dorothy. After all, the girl killed her sister with a house! And those slippers
– we all understand the desire for an item of power, especially if it’s
embodied in a gorgeous pair of shoes.
I’m also a big
fan of Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello. He’s on stage so much and we get such a
detailed idea of him as a character that the play could be called Iago instead
of Othello. He’s so clever that you almost cheer him on, even as he destroys the
lives of innocent people.
Which of your characters would you be most or
least liking to invite or for dinner? And why?
I’m not much of
a cook, so I need understanding guests like Siku, the bear shifter, or Dez’s
Mom, Caroline. Siku would be happy if I gave him nothing but a lot of fruit and
honey, and Caroline would step in and cook something way better than I ever
could, so I’d have a great meal myself.
I’d be least
likely to invite November, the rat shifter. She’d eat me out of house and home
and still be hungry!
What is one book or series you can’t live
without, yours or other?
Charlotte’s Web by EB White. I get teary just thinking about
that book, which is so beautifully written and is all about the power of
friendship, something that I hold very dear. Part of the wonder of it is also
Garth Williams’s illustrations, which made me feel like I could reach out and
pet Wilbur or Templeton the rat. I think it may even be partly responsible for
my love of animals, given how specific and loveable the animal characters in
that book are.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
That’s something I still struggle with. But about six years ago
I decided that I was going to get published one day. I took my writing (but not
myself) seriously enough to dedicate a lot of time to it, to get better at it,
and to be as professional about it as I could. I called myself a writer, even
though I hadn’t made money at it yet. I’d never set such a firm goal for myself
before, and it took awhile, but it worked!
What has been the toughest criticism you’ve
gotten as an author? What’s the best?
Before I got my
agent, I got a critique of OTHERKIN from someone that
really discouraged me. This person spent a lot of time telling me all kinds of
negative things about the plot, the characters, and the concept. The only thing
they liked was maybe the way I put the sentences together. It made me feel like
I was crazy to think this would ever get published. Thank goodness for my
critique partner and then my agent, who reassured me I wasn’t insane.
The best was
the first time I talked to my editor at KTeen. I could tell right away that she
“got” what I was going for, and every note she had enhanced the story, the
themes, and the characters. It was, quite seriously, one of the highlights of
my life.
So if you
want to be a writer, keep writing! Listen to the voices of people you trust,
and trust yourself. Keep learning and growing as a writer and you too can be
published.
(¸.·´ ¸.·*´¨)¸.·*¨)
I want to thank Ms. Berry for being here today. And Otherkin is available
wherever books are sold, so do yourself a favor and get it. You will not be
disappointed.
To learn about Nina Berry and her
books please visit her website
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