Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick!
Perry, welcome. First off, tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi, Sarah! Thanks for interviewing me!
A little bit about myself? This kind of question always puzzles me because I'm so--normal! I'll do my best to give you a quick picture... I'm 20 years old, a Christian, the wife of my best friend, the mother of a rapidly growing blessing (in the oven, as they say), and the author of three books. I am the eldest of seven sisters and one brother who have always been the first audience and main inspiration for my writing. I have far too many interests and hobbies including writing (obviously!), reading, making music, sewing, knitting, various other kinds of crafting, and geeky things like web and graphic design. Oh--and I seriously have a thing for cute purses and nifty journals. I also tend to think way too hard.
What was your favorite part of being homeschooled?
Like almost any homeschool grad would say I enjoyed the freedom and flexibility: the freedom to use extra time in my day to fill many black notebooks with stories, and the flexibility to gobble up my English curriculum because of my interest in that subject. Another major benefit was the encouragement of having parents and siblings always there to test out my latest writing developments. I also appreciate the rich, thoughtful discussions with my parents and the depth they brought to a wide variety of topics. This special aspect of my own family is portrayed in the fictional families in my books.
What made you want to write books?
I honestly don't know the original reason I became interested in writing books. I guess the closest thing to an answer would be: because it's cool. Secretly or not-so-secretly, each of my hair-brained story ideas had hopes of becoming a real book. The ideas were always half-baked at most and were set so far outside my realm of experience they would eventually fizzle for lack of realism. After seven years, there was a long trail of unfinished stories leading straight to me, the 14-year-old disillusioned writer.
What inspired you to write "The Heavens Declare"?
Mom. Yep, there I was, the disillusioned writer (who wasn't writing at the moment), needing both a science assignment and an English assignment. My mom suggested that I write a fiction story that taught about a science topic. That seemed like an interesting way to combine both assignments; I kept listening. She explained that many homeschoolers love "living books" as a painless way of learning. Then she threw me the real clincher: it wasn't just our family who had difficulty finding decent, uplifting books for their young bookworms. So not only was this a fun way to do schoolwork, but there was even an audience outside my family for this story; maybe it could actually go somewhere--become a real book! The package was just too sweet: I could contribute to the literary options of families like mine, I would write about what I knew best (a modern-day, American, Christian, homeschooling family), and the project wouldn't die for lack of direction. Here was a promising project I could tackle. And so I did, although it wasn't until 2010 that I actually published The Heavens Declare: Five Children, Eight Planets, One God. It was quickly followed by a sequel, Light of the World in 2011, and most recently, Pearl's Practice.
Where can our readers get your books?
My books are available on Amazon (paperbacks) and Smashwords (e-books). Direct links to my titles can be found here.
Do you have any more projects in the works?
Yes, I most certainly do! Lately, my biggest projects have been loving and caring for my husband and growing our baby (who is kicking me as I write this. Consider that a "hello"). Other projects I hope to slowly continue include Girl against the Blank Page: a young author's (hopefully) helpful journey, another living book, and a somewhat allegorical adventure story that is absolutely begging (sometimes literally in the voice of my husband) to be completed.
Do have any final thoughts you would like to share?
I encourage other young authors to consider writing about normal life. Just because other genres are popular doesn't mean some of us can't break the mold and still be good writers. Remember: what you write about, you give your readers an appetite for. Writing about real life may be more challenging for you, but you will encourage your readers to live in and appreciate the here and now. For homeschoolers, this is especially important since we don't seem to be featured in too many fiction stories. ;) And always, write for the Lord's glory without fear of man, or book sales (or lack thereof), or anything. Do your best with what He has given you, and let Him take care of the results. You be a good and faithful servant.
Perry is giving away one e-copy of her book The Heavens Declare. Enter below.
