Class of 2K12 - An Interview with Kimberly Sabatini, author of TOUCHING THE SURFACE -- plus a GIVEAWAY!

Today, I'm honored that for my final Class of 2K12 interview,* I'm talking with Kim Sabatini, a delightful debut author I've actually met in person (at the SCBWI Eastern PA Poconos retreats)!  First, let me tell you about her book:

 

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (Simon Pulse, October 30, 2012, for ages 14 and up)

Synopsis (from Indiebound): When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she knows she must have messed up, big-time. She doesn’t remember how she landed in the afterlife again, but she knows this is her last chance to get things right. Elliot just wants to move on, but first she will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed. As she pieces together the secrets and mistakes of her past, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she’s hurt most, and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

My take: I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this book, and I can tell you all, it's a ravishing and unique look at the afterlife. The lives of four characters are woven together in an intricate dance after death.  As the story unfolds, layer by layer, we grow to love Elliot and her friends and realize the truth of E.M. Forster's famous phrase: "Only connect."  Touching the Surface is all about connecting with other lives, and making choices. Even the most minor decision can affect the other people in your life. This is one of those stories you can't stop thinking about long after you've finished the last page. And isn't that cover gorgeous? I'll be giving away my review copy; details at the end of the interview.

Kim's website

Class of 2K12 website

Kim's Pinterest site

From Simon & Schuster's author page

Welcome to my blog, Kim! I'm almost as excited as you are that Touching the Surface makes its official debut in four days!  (And it's already been selling out in bookstores!)

Did the idea for your book spring from your own childhood or from some other source?  And did you start with a character or with an image or phrase or setting?

The idea for my book came mostly from the fact that my father had died recently.  I think I chose to write a story that took place in the afterlife so that I could explore my own feelings about my where my dad had gone and why he had to leave.  It also came from hearing the story of a local girl who had done something “unforgivable.”  I couldn’t stop thinking about her.  I realized that if I’m so hard on myself about small things, I didn’t know how someone could survive making a life-altering mistake.  It made me want to write something that would make her feel better—and make me feel better too.

Do you outline before you write?  If so, does it end up changing before you finish the first draft?  What change surprised you the most?

I’m a pantser.  A definite fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of a girl when it comes to a written outline, but that doesn’t mean I don’t plan ahead.  I’m a mullet girl at heart.  I mull over my story, characters and plot in my head for long periods of time before I write it down.  Perhaps you could even call it a mental kind of an outline, because when I sit down to write I have very strong ideas about where I’m headed.  But having said that, I’m really open to going where the story leads me.  This is when it’s advantageous to be a mental outliner—it’s very easy to make corrections to the master plan.  I just head in the new direction and start mulling all over again.  I swish my imagination all around until the new ideas are real to me. 

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while writing?  And where do you write?  Briefly describe your writing space.

HOT CHOCOLATE!!!!  Don’t forget the whipped cream.  I have a cute little desk area with a nice window view that I’ve put together with a couple of folding tables.  But recently I’ve developed some achy spots from running and dancing and I find that sitting at my desk too long makes my legs hurt.  So…I’ve kind of moved my office onto my bed.  In essence, I’ve become my cat.  We get up in the morning, make the bed, do the mom thing, exercise and/or run errands then curl up in a nest on the bed for the afternoon.  Of course the cat gets to sleep on a pillow like a princess and I’m working like a crazy person, but I have hot chocolate with whipped cream—so I’m not complaining.

You were the first author I knew to go on Pinterest, when you posted on your blog about your Touching The Surface board. Can you talk about why you're so enthusiastic about Pinterest? How has it helped your writing? 

I have always been a visual person. As a writer, I very clearly need to see my characters and setting in order to be able to create a believable story. Pinterest is a quick, easy and portable way to visually support my writing. I've always manually built a bulletin board on the wall at home, but now I can write anywhere and access it from any place. I also think it's cool to be able to share an extra layer with readers. Some people don't want to have their own imagery spoiled, which I completely understand, but like myself, many are fascinated with what the author was thinking about when they were writing. I love checking out these kinds of author boards.

What can we expect from you next? What are you writing now?

Right now I'm revising my second novel, THE OPPOSITE OF GRAVITY. I'm really excited about it and I'm hoping that after the launch of TOUCHING THE SURFACE I'll have a little more time to polish it up. I've also decided to do NaNoWriMo for the first time this November. I know this sounds insane considering it kicks off two days after my book launch, but I feel like I've got book three, CHASING ADAPTATION, knocking on my brain right now. If you see me in a puddle on the side of the road in early December, you'll know that my head exploded. LOL!

Ha ha! Good luck with NaNo! And thanks for joining us today, Kimberly!  

Readers, I'm giving away my hardcover copy of Touching the Surface, AND some cool swag from Kim herself! One lucky person gets to win all this, plus the book (and yes, that is an origami crane!):

To enter, you must be a follower and you must comment on this post. International entries welcome!  Extra entries for tweeting, mentioning on facebook or your own blog. Please let me know. This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm EST on Wednesday, November 7, 2012.  Winner to be chosen by random.org. Good luck!

*Special thanks to Caroline Starr Rose, for asking me to participate in the Class of 2K12 interviews/guest posts.  It was an honor.