A short interview wherein my guest, one of my favorite authors, answers three questions about the writing life.
I was barely two pages into A Dog Like Daisy when Kristin O’Donnell Tubb earned my admiration. Her skill with words, yes. The story she was telling, also yes. But the character development! So subtle, so true, so unique. Y’all, you gotta read this woman’s work.
Question 1
What’s your Go-To source when you need inspiration?
Nature! When I get stuck, I get moving. I have three dogs, and I walk them and talk out my plot problems with them. (I am sure my neighbors have QUESTIONS.) The voice recorder app on my phone gets used for plot ideas while I’m moving. It’s amazing how many challenges are solved while on the go. There’s just something about a slant of sunshine and swaying trees; they seem to hold all the answers.
Question 2
Do you create elaborate outlines for your books? If so, can you explain the process (briefly)? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants? If so, do you have any tricks you use to keep yourself from crashing?
Elaborate outlines are my writing sidekick, my trusty companion, the guide that offers me advice that sometimes I follow, sometimes I don’t. My “outlines” start as research – I LOVE research, because plotting is a weak point of mine and research often helps solve those issues. The research gets dumped into one loooong document. Once I round out the research stage, some (not all) of that information gets rearranged into a new document, the first rough outline. I then flesh out the outline, filling in plot holes and twists, bits of setting and dialogue, character descriptions, etc. The outline is usually anywhere from 40 to 100 pages; it’s almost like a very rough first draft. My true first draft gets on paper pretty quickly after this prep work. This process has helped me through 11 books!
Question 3
What one piece of advice can you offer to a writer who has yet to tackle the publishing world?
Connect with other writers! Publishing is a rocky road, and your writer friends will become the shock absorbers who help make the ride smoother. (Awkward metaphor alert! Sorry for comparing you to car parts, my dear writing friends!) Your fellow writers will be your cheerleaders, your mentors, your therapists, your critique partners, your pr team, and some of your closest, dearest friends. I am blessed and so, so grateful for my team of fantastic writing friends.
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Award-winning author Kristin O’Donnell Tubb delivers a funny and poignant middle grade contemporary novel about family and friendship as Jack deals with his parents’ divorce while also searching for a mysterious cougar in the Tennessee hills. Perfect for fans of Leslie Connor and Lynda Mullaly Hunt. A Junior Library Guild Selection!
Middle school is always hard, but when you’re known as the Roadkill Kid, well, it’s even harder. Jack’s mom collects roadkill—it’s her job, and she’s very good at it. Ever since Jack’s mom and dad got divorced, Jack has stepped into the role of Mom’s co-scientist.
One day while tending to the roadkill garden, Jack believes he spots a cougar in the wilderness beyond his backyard. A cougar in Tennessee? They’re supposed to be extinct. So, when Jack has to choose an animal to research for his Earth Science class, he picks cougar.
As pressure mounts on Jack to complete his project and to be Mom’s business partner, the mystery of the cougar feels too big to solve. Jack knows what the decomposition of an animal—and a family—looks like, so can he figure out how to bring them back to life?
About the Author
Kristin O’Donnell Tubb is the author of The Decomposition of Jack; Luna Howls at the Moon; Zeus, Dog of Chaos; The Story Collector series, A Dog Like Daisy; John Lincoln Clem: Civil War Drummer Boy (written as E.F. Abbott); The 13th Sign; Selling Hope, and Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different. In 2024, watch for Fowl Play. Kristin lives near Nashville, Tennessee with her bouncy-loud family. Just like her three dogs, she can be bribed with cheese.
Kristin can be found far too often on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/kristin.tubb), Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/ktubb), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kristintubb/) .
Oh, and she has a website, too: www.kristintubb.com.
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Great responses, like the plotting advice!
And the dogs! Gotta love the dogs.