An Interview with Kim Scott

In an Indielit market saturated with YA, vampires, zombies and acronymic erotica, and in a marketing environment where a fight could break out at anytime, it always surprises me to see the work of Kim Scott appear on my timeline. 

 Historical Family Saga Scribe, and proud Mainelander,
Kim Scott

I've never spoken to her before, but she intrigues me because she appears to be resolutely determined to find her niche without any pandering to fashion or the big bucks. Kim Scott does not sell her soul to Mephistopheles for anyone, it seems. 

The Mainelander follows her path staunchly too - her marketing is understated and unobtrusive and she is unfailingly polite whenever one makes contact. 

Marketing IS relationships and so many Indielit scribblers fail to understand that relationships emerge from the peace of stillness rather than from the hubbub of stamping feet. Kim Scott realises this: The Wizphone interrupted Kim this morning, while she inscribed notes on her Maine veranda as the trees of Autumn turned copper before her eyes..

The invigorating Autumn view from
Kim's scribbling
veranda.

Tell us a bit about yourself, Kim. Who is the woman behind this extraordinary family saga, The Ruth Charnock Saga.

Hiya Wiz. Nice to hear from you. Dad was Navy and I was born on Charleston Naval Base in South Carolina. I grew up in Pine Point, Scarborough, Maine a mile up from the Atlantic Ocean. 

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Pine+Point,+Scarborough+Maine&ie=UTF-8

I come from a big, close family. In 2001 my Dad passed away. My Mom built their dream home on property they had in southwestern Maine. It is a serene place in a rural, wooded area on a great pond. I live there with her now. Many of the roads are still dirt and there are a number of old family cemeteries around here. It’s an incredible environment to write in.

White Mountain National Forest

How did you start out as a writer? Has it always been a passion of yours? Did the Kindle revolution influence your decision to write?

I’ve always enjoyed writing but didn’t seriously believe I could write a book until about a year ago. My family and friends had nudged me for years. Last December I was diagnosed with a lung disease. While the doctors were experimenting with chemo drugs and other options a friend challenged me to write a book. 

A challenge?

Yes, a challenge .I finally gave in just to show her I could do it. I finished it and gave it to 12 readers who returned with great reviews. I was very surprised and reluctantly agreed to try a sequel.

That's fantastic, Ruth. First challenge we've come across.

Thank you. I'm glad I took the bet!

Your readers are too! What's your current venture? 

Kim's fans form an orderly
queue at the Amazon shop

Book 4 in the series, Fallen Acorns will be released in November.

Maine is a beautiful state, perhaps the most beautiful in the US? Does it influence your writing?  

The State of Maine is a beautiful place from the coastline to the forests. The place where I live and write is one of the greatest influences on the stories I tell. My tales are set in Maine in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. 

"From the desk where I write I can see the tall pine trees and dense woods. I can hear the ducks and beavers splashing in the creek beyond the first line of trees. Huge old snapping turtles live in the pond and come up to dig holes and lay their eggs in the spring. Herons, loons and geese also use the pond. Squirrels jump from tree to tree in the top branches. Turkeys, deer, moose and other animals wander through the yard during the day. At night an occasional bear or coyote pass by my dark window. The dirt roads that are cut through the woods are lined with centuries old fieldstone walls. The stones that snake through the denser areas are covered in thick moss..."

A vivid description, Kim. *sigh*

It underplays how beautiful it is. Sometimes words arent enough. I live less than an hour from the ocean here the coastal weather impacts heavily here. It’s an amazing place to live and an incredible place to write historical fiction or historical romance. 

Pine Point: Kim's birthplace

You're interested in history. Tell us more about how you use American history in your marketing

Kim's Absorbing Pinterest site - ideal for historians.

On the Pinterest website I have created several “boards” with hundreds of photos that create a feel for the 18^th and 19^th centuries and the State of Maine. I strongly encourage my readers and anyone interested in those periods to review them. I also post photos of commodities and antiques that are described in my books, which are rare or unusual. I hope my readers will take advantage of this and thoroughly enjoy the boards.

I'm sure they will, Kim - and Wizardwatchers I hope! 

Everyone is welcome, Wiz.

Okay, I'm sure you're looking forward to the 3-2-1 question. Kim. Renegade Mohicans maraud their way across the border and kidnap you while you sew tapestries on the veranda.  While you await your uncertain fate, you are imprisoned in a teepee somewhere in the woods. M'zzuna, your jailer, is a kindly soul and smuggles you in three books, two CD's and a DVD to help you pass the time. What would they be?

Cabinet of Curiosities by Lincoln Childs & Douglas Preston

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

CDs:

1812 Overture Tchaikovsky

Mozart Requiem Mass in D Minor

DVD: The Wizard of Oz because it’s a movie you can watch repeatedly.

Wizard of Oz.

Why family sagas? In a fast moving world, is there a place for a multi-faceted, multi-edition epic like the one you are planning?

I come from a large family and understand the chaos and comfort in it. I believe there will always be a connection with the multi-faceted series for readers. There is something about a familial saga that people connect with. It provides a broader look at the past.

Family sagas back in fashion? Ultimate famopera "Dallas" is back. The lady in red in
the centre, Linda Evans, is 71 years old.  Yes, you heard me correctly. 

Which artist/writer/musician would you allow to take you to dinner on a covered wagon to dinner in Castle Rock? And what would you eat?

Stephen King for fresh Maine seafood and anything he’d like to talk about.

Potential lobster gobbler, spook scribbler
 and Maine populiser, Stephen King.
Author of a lot, "though all his best stuff came in the
first eight books, innit" (Wiz's good friend, John the Carpet Fitter, 2007)

 Fantastic Kim! What do Kim Scott's loyal fans have to look forward to in the coming year?

Book 4 in my series will be released Nov. 7^th.  I believe this will be the last book in the series. I have two new projects planned.

Kim's fans still await breathlessly
the November launch.

Oh no!

Time to move on, Wiz.  Next will be a book that will take place in the 1920s. This book should be available in January or February 2013. The coast of Maine provided a unique opportunity for pirates and bootleggers in throughout history. 

During the prohibition era alcohol was smuggled in along the rocky shores of Maine and transported on dirt roads. I believe this one will be fun to write.

Maine Street

The second project is another series that will be set in the 1800s here in Maine. This one is inspired by a lone gravestone standing alone in the woods not too far from where I live here. The first book in this new series should be released in early spring 2013. There will likely be three books in this series.

Kim, it's been an absolute pleasure talking to you and I hope you have a terrific 2013.

Thanks Wiz and good luck to all the Wizardwatchers!!

The epic Quadrilogy, essential Christmas reading

Wizardwatchers can contact Kim on:

Regarding Ruth http://tinyurl.com/c2pbzyk

In Ruth’s Memory http://tinyurl.com/ctooa6g

On Grace’s Shoulders http://tinyurl.com/csqbfvu

Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/RegardingRuth

Twitter @ttocs3mik

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/kimscottwrites

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/kimscottwrites/