Fellow Oregon author, Kristina McMorris, has a new book out titled, The Pieces We Keep. The premise of it is absolutely fascinating.  But first…let’s get to know Kristina a bit and she can tell you herself why she wears blue wigs.

Cathy Lamb: Tell us about yourself and your life.

Kristina McMorris: Let’s see… I’m a married mom of two boys, ages 7 and 10, whom I’ve successfully brainwashed into loving classic movies like The Sound of Music, as well as nostalgic tunes, among their favorites being “Pennies from Heaven” and “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” As a native of Portland, Oregon, I don’t mind the rain a bit and am not even sure I own an umbrella. As for my heritage, I’m of Irish and Japanese descent, a confusing mix that should explain a lot about me.

I don’t think that people outside of Oregon know that unless you’re standing on a soccer field in a downpour, umbrellas are just not cool here. We prefer hoods. Or, we let the rain come on down and tell ourselves it makes our skin look younger.  So thanks for sharing one of our Oregon quirks!

Now tell us three things you don’t share with people at, say, a dinner party.

1. I organize the hanging clothes in my closet by color and alphabetize our family’s DVDs. (Contrary to my husband’s stance, it is not a compulsion, but a matter of efficiency.)

2. I’m one of those annoying people who starts playing Christmas music on the first day of November.

3. Based on my heart rate in the womb, a doctor predicted I would be a boy; so until I was born, I was supposed to be named Benjamin, specifically so my mom could call me “Benji.” Yes, like the dog.

 Oh, please come and help me with my closet!  And I’m not here to make fun of you and your DVD compulsion. No one is, Kristina. We’re with ya on this. 

But back to writing.

I have to stick to my writing goals or I’ll go out and play all day.  I suffer from I Would Rather Play Than Work disease. Tell us how you write your books. Do you outline? Do you set writing goals? Word count goals? Editing goals? In short, how do you get your books done? Would you rather play some days? 

Given how much I hate writing a first draft, on most days before the revision/polish stage (which I love), I’m very good at finding a zillion ways to procrastinate. This makes the great time suck that is Facebook both my best friend and worst enemy.

Still, I do my best to write 5 or 6 fresh pages each weekday while my kids are at school. (This, I realize, is super slow compared to many authors, but I tend to edit heavily as I go.) And yes, I do keep a general outline from the beginning, in the form of a foam-core board covered in small, multi-colored Post-its. Each one represents a different chapter with a few notes indicating the purpose of the scene. For The Pieces We Keep, this was essential in keeping the mystery elements and alternating timelines straight.

 That cork board sounds so organized. I tend to write by the seat of my pants and then my characters talk back to me in my imagination and cause all sorts of problems. I think I should invest in a cork board…

Now why writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I wish! If so, I would’ve had much less catching up to do over the past eight years. The truth of the matter is, I had no intention of becoming a creative writer until I discovered my grandparents WWII courtship letters, which inspired my debut novel, Letters from Home. Before then, I’d worked as a PR/Marketing Director for a decade and owned a wedding- and event-planning company. (If I never see another Chicken Dance or YMCA performance in my life, it wouldn’t be too soon!) The latter also led me to hosting a weekly TV show for the WB called Weddings Portland Style. It was actually a natural fit, since I’d started hosting weekly shows for an ABC affiliate when I was nine. (I often joke that my claim to fame is being among the few kid actors who didn’t end up in rehab.)  J

Give us a peek at your latest book, The Pieces We Keep. What’s it about?

Inspired by true accounts, The Pieces We Keep is about a young boy, whose violent, recurrent night terrors uncover family secrets that trace back to WWII. The story is comprised of love and tragedy, Nazi saboteurs in America, and even a secret military tribunal convened by FDR.

To learn more about it, here’s a brief video about the book:

www.tinyurl.com/TPWK1

You have to tell everyone here about Letters From Home. What a love story!

Aww, thank you! Letters from Home features a Midwestern infantryman who, in the midst of WWII, falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange—unaware that the girl he’s writing to isn’t the one replying. Beyond that, the story follows the wartime journeys of three female friends as their lives change dramatically as a result of romance, tragedy, and deception.

As I mentioned earlier, the story was inspired by my grandparents’ courtship. Just a handful of years ago, I was interviewing my grandmother for the biographical section of a homemade cookbook, intended as a Christmas gift for the family. That’s when she shared how she and my late grandfather had only dated twice during the war, before an exchange of letters led them into a marriage that lasted until he passed away fifty years later. She then pulled from her closet every letter he had sent to her, all heartfelt messages from a young sailor who didn’t know if he’d ever be coming home.

When I left her house, I started to wonder how well two people could truly know each other through letters alone. What if the words on those pages weren’t entirely truthful? It was this idea that ultimately led me to sit down and try my hand at a novel.

 What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I’d say, when it comes to constructive criticism, lower your defenses and listen with open ears, but treat feedback like a cafeteria line: pick and choose what works for you. I think every writer, when coming from a place of truth, possesses a distinct voice, a way they see the world. With this in mind, don’t let anyone edit out what is uniquely yours.

How did it feel to have blue hair? What did your husband think of a blue haired wife? Seems like that might spice things up a bit.

Sadly, I’m not daring enough to dye my hair such a vibrant color. But I do have plenty of fun wigs to wear on outings with the girls. Or, you know, to the grocery store. After almost twenty years together, my husband is barely fazed by my creative acts of expression!

 

Thank you, Kristina!