Ask the Author: K.L. Lantz
Answered Questions (6)
K.L. Lantz
Writers gotta write, but writing is definitely one of those activities that requires cross-training. To have depth and originality as a writer, one needs to live a little, or a lot. Going back to college, taking an adult classical ballet class, going out with my mom for PaintNite--these are all things that have nothing to do with writing, and yet they have a dramatic impact on my muse. They lend me confidence to get past the worst instigator of writer's block: self-defeat.
If you are having writer's block, go for a run and sprint out a personal record! Teach your dog a new trick. Make a micro-goal and make it happen. The boost you get from a little success will make you believe in yourself again. It really works! Try it.
If you are having writer's block, go for a run and sprint out a personal record! Teach your dog a new trick. Make a micro-goal and make it happen. The boost you get from a little success will make you believe in yourself again. It really works! Try it.
K.L. Lantz
The absolute best thing about being a writer is creating characters, settings, and magic that didn't exist in the world before!
K.L. Lantz
Go ahead and call yourself a writer. Don't wait for the blue fairy to come down from the North star to grant you that status. If you feel drawn to the written word, you are a writer. You have a gift and a voice, and you need to use it. More to the point, the world needs you to use it. If you were to go out of this world without writing your soul out in words, the world would be poorer for it.
K.L. Lantz
I'm currently working on Bombs Away!, a companion novel to Drats, Foiled Again! In Bombs Away! we get to hear Rupert's side of the story and answer some of my readers' burning questions about the world they live in. Robert isn't the most observant point-of-view character, so hearing from his evil twin will definitely be a fun, fresh experience. Where Robert was obsessed with his internal battle and simply surviving in the villain world, Rupert is completely at home in Surlyview. For Rupert, the prospect of graduating isn't scary at all. He can hardly wait. But things don't go according to his perfect plans, and he has no shortage of people to blame for it.
K.L. Lantz
This is kind of like asking a photographer or a painter where they get their ideas. If you walk around with a camera in your hands, you're going to see the world in terms of those perfect photograph moments. Even a pair of shoes in a rain-soaked gutter will inspire you. That's how it is to be a writer at heart. The problem isn't getting inspired to write, but in carving out the time to write down those snapshots of inspiration before they fade.
K.L. Lantz
Six or seven years ago, I was momming (that's totally a word). We were having family movie night with a two-year-old and a five-year-old, and we didn't want to watch Curious George for the eleventh time so my husband and I conspired to show our kids something a bit mature for them: Disney's Sky High. They loved the magic feel of the super powers, and Bill and I loved that there were no annoying songs or monkey sounds. Actually, we really loved the film. It struck a balance between playful and deep, and fired up my writer imagination. I wondered, What if Sky High wasn't the only option? What if there was a villain school, like the one the movie bad guy wanted to create to raise up a whole community of villains? It's a weird idea, really, because why would a villain want all that competition? Unless... unless she believed she could rule them all. A villain community with an oppressive government and a regimented school system could be believable. Now, what if I threw a normal kid into a system like that?
Robert Gilbrinkle, a.k.a. The Repairman, and his unwicked superwink were born. I had a lot of fun coming up with his reality and all the details of his day to day life. While I tried to be original as much as possible in the vast and frequented super hero genre, I drew on Sky High's playful tone for my inspiration throughout the story.
Robert Gilbrinkle, a.k.a. The Repairman, and his unwicked superwink were born. I had a lot of fun coming up with his reality and all the details of his day to day life. While I tried to be original as much as possible in the vast and frequented super hero genre, I drew on Sky High's playful tone for my inspiration throughout the story.
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