Waiting on Wednesday/ Author Interview

Sea by Heidi R. Kling

• Release Date: June, 2010

Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy, Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers. And Sea’s real adventure begins.

Sounds amazing! I cannot wait!

So while you are waiting here is an interview with the author Heidi R. Kling!

Where do you get your inspiration?
My husband's volunteer work at a real orphanage in Indonesia inspired SEA. But I get my inspiration from everything: people, nature, music, emotions. I see stories everywhere.

What do you do when you have writers block?
*Confession* I don't get writer's block. My struggle is finding enough blocks of time to get all my stories down.

What are some of your favorite authors/books?
Favorite YA authors would be John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Judy Blume, Laura Ruby, Nancy Farmer, Sara Zarr, Sarah Dessen. My all time favorite adult writer is Toni Morrison. She is to literature what Mozart is to music.

What kind of research did you do for Sea?
My husband kept amazing (and funny!) journals of his travels to Indonesia. I also had an Indonesian guidbook (like the one Sienna carries around in SEA) that I studied for accuracy of language "bahasa Indonesia" and specific food/drink/customs. I also made friends with several survivors of the tsunami who kindly answered my many questions.

What are you currently reading?
I'm reading Sarah Dessen's new book ALONG FOR THE RIDE, and re-reading THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway has the best characterization and also makes me laugh. I love his narrators.

When did you decide to become a writer?
Well, I've been writing since I was a little girl. I wrote songs first. I was trying to be like Madonna and Olivia Newton-John. (!) Then I wrote plays and short-stories and poetry. I wrote my first novel when I was sixteen. It's unbelievably awesome in the very worst way. I would be so happy to sell it and publish it "as-is". Any takers? ;)

If you could travel anywhere from a book where would it be?
My first thought is, I'd like to go into SEA and get to be Sienna. But only if I could pick the scenes...I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to go along for her whole ride. You'll see why when you read.

Thanks for having me, Mariah. =)

Thanks for coming!

To waste more time while waiting almost a year for this awesome book, visit Heidi's blog Sea Heidi Write! http://seaheidi.livejournal.com/