YAedge Feature Author: Kitty Keswick

This is more than the usual promo for an up and coming YA author. Kitty has been a loyal critique partner for me and Tami for about two years. We've struggled through chapters together, supported each other through the dramas of the real world, and through it all we've grown to appreciate our unique writing skills and just who to Skype with to help fix the current plot crisis. So how cool it was to invite Kitty on YAedge as a featured author and help celebrate her debut novel? VERY. Onto the questions!

Kitty, you're a self-professed Anglophile, and recently went on a dream trip to the UK. What was the most unexpected thing you discovered?

Roundabouts are really confusing! I had my own Chevy Chase National Lampoon experience in Edinbourgh. We drove around and around and around before we figured out how to get off.




Best experience: Seeing Caeverlock Castle in Scotland was like going home. I’ve spent ten plus years researching the Maxwells and even used their story in Freaksville. But be careful--those castles had really small and steep stairs with no rails! If your middle name isn’t grace, like me, the winding spirals in stone can be dangerous.


Not only do you write about furry beasties, but also you live with one! Can you tell us about him? (perhaps a pic of Jensen, too?!)

Jensen’s my gray tabby. Yes, he’s named after Jensen Ackles from Supernatural. I’m shameless. No, I’ve never met his namesake. Dreamsville.

You're very good at building sexual tension between your characters - makes your writing steamy! lol...

I am? (Tracy and Tami are my critique partners so they’ve seen my stuff in the rough stages.)Wow, thanks. I like conflict and I like pairing opposites. But they have to have enough common ground—too different and you don’t get sparks, you get embers, as in crash and burn, baby.

You've often said you love House of Night, the PC Cast & Kristin Cast series. If you could ask the mother/daughter writing duo anything about the books, what would it be?

Well, I do write with another YA author, Judith Graves (Under My Skin). Do you know her? ;) So I guess I would want to know who wrote what part. LOL. Judith’s and my voice meld really well and so do PC and Kristin’s. It would be interesting to see how their internal plotting sessions work.

Have you bought a drum kit yet? Tami plays bass, I play guitar and sing..... Man, let's go on the road!

Nope. I’ve got my eye on a snare drum and stand. I’m saving for it. It has practice pads so I won’t tick off the neighbors. I hope to buy it as my Freaksville-finally-released-and-now-the-fun-starts present. But wouldn’t that be cool?? Three YA authors in a band. YA edge is even a great name.

We often discuss the backstory of our characters, things only we, the authors, know, but they often affect the choices our characters make. Can you share a few backstory secrets about your main characters: Kasey, Josh and Gillie?

Hmm… good question. Backstory is so important.



Josh Johnstone is always in his older brother’s shadow. He likes the outdoors and hates lifts because he was stuck in one when he was young. Tight spaces….not a good thing. He sometimes feels as if his wolf will rip out of him at any moment. You’ll learn more about Josh as the series progresses. (Illustration of Josh by artist Val Cox, as he appears in Freaksville.)

Gillie Godshall has to be prepared for everything, because failure isn’t an option in the Godshall household. She’s a pack rat and carries a massive amount of stuff in her bag; you never know when trouble will show its face. She has big shoes to fill, and she can’t tell her BFF Kasey. You’ll learn her secret in the next book, Furry & Freaked.

Kasey, the heroine, would rather be a fashion writer for Glamour than see visions. Unfortunately, her DNA is freaked.

Thanks for hanging with us, Kitty. Congrats again on your January 8th release and may you never be at a loss for words. ;)

Find out more about Kitty at her website. She's been all over the book blogging community lately, if you see another interview, be sure to say "hi". Kitty's also a member of the Class of 2k10, watch for announcements about New York appearences/group book signings during Book Expo America in May.

Kitty's publisher is giving away a copy of Freaksville on the Leap Books Blog. Read an excerpt - I'm warning you, it's HOT, then comment to win!


NEWSFLASH: Kitty has just informed us she'd love to do an ARC giveaway right here on YAedge. Sooooo....comment on this post to enter and she'll do a draw on Friday for a winner. That's two chances you now have to win Freaksville! Ain't you guys lucky? ;)