This month, CK Kelly Martin stops by to talk about her upcoming title, My Beating Teenage Heart, which I reviewed earlier this week. She’s here to talk about inspirations, music, and gender in writing — all topics that she also tackles in her blog, which is one of my favorite author blogs to read. 

Without further ado, here’s CK:

Pitch MY BEATING TEENAGE HEART in 140 characters.

A dead girl begins to remember the story of her own life as she tries to help the grief-racked 17 year old boy she finds herself bound to.

What inspired MY BEATING TEENAGE HEART?

A mix of many things. Personal loss, hard times I’ve seen others go through, lifelong questions about the afterlife.

MBTH isn’t a straight up contemporary nor a fantasy novel. How would you classify it?

I guess technically it’s speculative fiction. But I still tend to think of it primarily as contemporary.

You write both male and female main characters in your books, and in MBTH, you do both. Do you find one easier to write than the other?

Not really. But writing from the POV of two different characters in one book did feel more challenging than concentrating on one!

Along with that, what’s your take on or experience with gender appeal to your novels? Do you write with one in mind?

I’d hope the appeal is gender neutral because I don’t write with a certain one in mind but I’ve heard from more female readers.

What should readers walk away with from MBTH?

Hope that hard times/situations can improve. Also empathy for others going through things that may be more difficult than we realize.

Since this book treads territory that’s a bit different from your previous novels, did you find anything surprising in the process of writing?

The biggest surprise came at the start when I abandoned what was going to be a zombie novel and the idea for MBTH arrived out of the blue.

Your books tackle hard issues straight on. What would you say to librarians who may face challenges to “edgy” (honest) ya like yours?

A big thanks for fighting that fight because kids who are living the problems found in books like those need their realities reflected.

Who or what do you write for?

The person I think I’d be if I was growing up now and for anyone who is struggling or even just trying to understand life’s shades of gray.

Why do you choose write for a teen audience? Is it intentional or led by the story itself?

I’m drawn to stories about teens so writing about them is intentional. It’s a challenging time yet one where you don’t have much control.

Who are your top three writing influences?

I’m more influenced by individual books than authors: Emma Who Saved My Life, Franny and Zooey, Life is Funny.

Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?

Catherine Ryan Hyde, Courtney Summers, Melina Marchetta, Tanita S. Davis, Blake Nelson, Coe Booth, Jenny Valentine, Alex Sanchez

What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

It’s too complex to quote but it was an email reply an author sent me years ago when I wasn’t sure if I should break up with my 1st agent.

What’s your best writing advice to give?

It’s not specifically writing advice but what Michael Scott (love him!) told Jim in The Office on cruise night, “Never give up.”

What’s your writing routine?

Morning is my internet/email time. Then I have an early lunch around 11:30, write, break for dinner 60-90 mins, more writing until 9ish.

What gets you jazzed to write?

Cool art of any kind. In early July it was the outdoor art show in Toronto but sometimes it’s theatre, movies, music, other books.

Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share a bit?

I can’t listen to music when writing but I’m a big Airborne Toxic Event fan and their song Innocence feels like the theme song to this book.

What’s next for you?

I’m revising a book with sci-fi elements for RH so that’s a slight departure but I think the book still feels like realistic YA at heart.

Favorite ice cream?

Pistachio gelato (delicious!) at Botticelli‘s café in Dublin. It’s right next to their restaurant in Temple Bar.