Interview with Kitty Keswick, Author of Freaksville!

Freaksville
by Kitty Keswick
Publication Date: January 8th 2010

The first book in a brand new YA Paranormal Romance series from The Wild Rose Press. The story is told through the sixteen-year-old heroine’s blog.

High school is hard enough when you’re normal. There’s peer pressure, book reports, the in crowd and the enormous zit that has a life of its own. Having a family whose skeletons in the closet lean toward the paranormal is not a topper on anyone’s list. Sophomore Kasey Maxwell is busy juggling the typical teen angst. Add visions, ghosts and hairy four-legged monsters into the mix and you get FREAKSVILLE. It’s a wonder Kasey has survived.

Every woman in the Maxwell family has the gift of sight. A talent sixteen-year-old Kasey would gladly give up. All she wants is a normal life. Shopping and talking about boys with her best friend and long-time sidekick Gillie Godshall consume her days. Until Kasey has a vision about Josh Johnstone, the foreign exchange student from England. The vision leads her into new waters, a lead in a play, a haunted theater…and into the arms of the Josh. Yet, both Kasey and Josh have secrets lurking in dark corners. Can Kasey’s new romance survive FREAKSVILLE?

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The heroine of Freaksville is Kasey Maxwell, a teen who inherited “The Gift”, meaning she has visions and can see the future. If you had to choose a supernaturally power to inherit, what do you think would be the best one to have?

You know that saying “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back”? That’s me. I think I’d want to know things…but I’d most likely end up regretting it. So maybe I’d like to have the power to teleport or something non-future-y, where I wouldn’t get in too much trouble…`

Can you treat us with a favorite line, passage or scene of yours from Freaksville?

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. It would be like picking your favorite child or shoes!

Here’s one of many snippets of Gillie’s and Kasey’s dialogue. I really like their friendship. In this scene Kasey thinks she had a vision about a fire at Gillie’s house, but isn’t sure whether or not it’s real.

My fingers trembled as I dialed the number. Gillie answered on the first ring.

“Kase? What’s wrong? Is the date a flop, something amok in datesville? Do you need me to pick you up? Did he get fresh with you? Do you need me to smack him for you?” Gillie fired off ques­tions at her typical rapid rate.

“No. No. Sadly no. As if you could take him. Gillie, stop with the Spanish Inquisition long enough for me to explain.”

Gillie sensed my irritation. Perhaps because my voice was dripping with sarcasm. Clicking her tongue at me, she shot back, “Geez! OK, shoot. I’m all ears. Enlighten me, O wise one, ’cuz there isn’t anything good on TV anyway.” Her voice was muffled.

I could hear her fiddling with something in the background. She must have placed the receiver on her shoulder and was using both hands to complete her task.

“Erm…Where are you?” She had me teetering on the edge of screaming, Your house is on fire! Or it will be on fire. Get out! Oh, and if it doesn’t happen, don’t mind me. I’m just a certifiable nut case. Bring out those pretty white jackets with the huggable arms.

Gillie answered with her mouth full. “You called me remem­ber. I’m at home.”

“I know that. What are you doing?” I figured she was eating something. How could she eat at a time like this, when everything was spinning out of control?

“I’m in the kitchen making Toaster Tarts.” I heard a loud bang, then a grunt. She mumbled, “Darn toaster.”

“Gillie!” I released a loud sigh. “Are you done with the moanfest? I have to warn you. I had another vision.”

“OK, Kase, about those visions of yours, unless I’m surround­ed by thousands of designer shoes or getting married to Jared P., I don’t really care.”

If she kept this up, I was going to crawl through the receiver and strangle her!

“Gillian Marie Godshall!”

“Kasey, it creeps me out when you say my full name like that. It’s way too parental. Sheesh! OK, spill it, what did the Wacky Wonder see?”

Please deposit forty-five cents for the next ten minutes, the au­tomated voice squawked in my ear.

I went for my pockets, and then realized I didn’t have any.

If you want to know what happens next, you can pick up a copy of Freaksville for 30% off from now until May 1, 2010, at the Leap Books website (www.leapbks.com). Just enter the code SPR30 when you check out.

Oh, and can you guess which TV show hero Gillie has a crush on? I’m a Jensen fan myself.

Kasey has to learn how to control and utilize her abilities the best way possible. What do you think would be the worst and best thing about having Kasey’s gift?

The best is you meet British hotties! The worst, having to worry about everything you touch, because it could trigger a vision, and some things are best left unseen.

Kasey has to navigate among both ghosts and werewolves running amok in her town. Can you share with some favorite tidbits of supernatural lore that you uncovered in researching for Freaksville?

I spent some time digging through old Viking mythology. I sprinkle it throughout Freaksville. In Furry and Freaked (Book Two), there’s a bit more and, as the series unfolds, you’ll get even more servings. I don’t like to come out and say things, so a lot of the time, I give hints in the surroundings, colors, or even animals and insects in the scenes. There’s more to the story than what's on the surface, but if you’re not looking, you might not see it.

When dreamy British exchange student Josh Johnstone shows up at Kasey’s school, Kasey crushes on him big time, though some things don’t quite add up about him. What do you think the hardest thing would be about dating a boy who might be hiding Josh’s secrets?

Not knowing if the secret he has can hurt you. The feeling of being lied to is also not a good thing to go through, that uncertainty. Kasey sometimes doubts whether Josh likes her because of the way he occasionally keeps her at a distance. But she has her own secrets to deal with and is worried that he will think she’s a freak.

What was the hardest aspect about writing Freaksville?

The writing wasn’t hard; it was the editing and the fine tuning. Kasey’s vision really posed a challenge to me. I had to make sure she had her gloves on when I didn’t want her to have a vision and off when I needed her to have one. Some supernatural jewelry came to my (and Kasey’s) rescue and helped with the vision dilemma.

Can you talk about what’s next for us in this series? Are you currently working on any other projects?

Furry & Freaked is Book Two. I’m currently in edits. It’s a bit darker and dives into more of the paranormal. Kasey is really put through the wringer and, well, she comes out with a few scratches that change her. Whereas Book One is more about finding yourself, first love, and “to thine own self be true,” Book Two raises the bar. It’s about love, loss, and survival… so far, it’s my favorite. In all books the characters must grow, and all of them definitely do in Furry & Freaked.

There’s a sneak peek at the end of Freaksville.

Kasey and her best friend Gillie refer to Sam & Dean Winchester from Supernatural in the book. For those of us who have strong ties to Team Sam or Team Dean, we’re wondering- what’s your position?

OMG! I’m such a fangirl of the series. I’m for Team DEAN all the way. Something about that car, that walk, those eyes…droolsville. I think Dean carries more of the responsibility of the “family business”… I kinda like the brooding, snarky-comment types.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by Kitty (and I'm happy to hear you are also a proud member of Team Dean!)

To learn more about Kitty and her books, stop by her Official Website or check out her fun blog with fellow author Judith Graves at Wolf Chicks!