Hello, lovelies.
Today, we have Lillian McKinnon, who is a remarkable young writer, visiting us with a guest interview for the blog tour for her free online serial, Kismet. Thanks for stopping by, Lillian!
Lillian was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:
Where do you find your inspiration?
That varies. For my novel, A Life In Frames, my inspiration was the area around me and the stories
about young people similar to myself and my brother and our friends that I haven’t seen told yet. For
Kismet, it was Cody Kennedy’s Fairy, Japanese folklore, and current events that set my mind racing.
Other times it has been a bolt out of the blue. For one plot bunny, I was actually enjoying a bubble
bath when the characters started their whispering. Another time, I woke up in the middle of the night
and had to grab my notebook.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’m home educated, and part of this year’s curriculum was Creative Writing. I decided to write a novel
for it, and it took on a life of its own as it was shared and received unexpected notice.
Do you have a specific writing style?
There may be a fair bit of sarcasm in my writing. But hey, I’m almost 13. Snark is practically my middle
name. My characters are all close in age to myself so when I write out a scene as told to me by my
characters, I relate it the way I would see it. I can’t help it if it is sarcastically funny.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Once I start on a story, I don’t get any peace from my characters until I’m finished. With Frames, that
wasn’t even enough. The supporting characters all had stories they wanted me to tell, so I’m writing
book 2 now from Aeric’s point of view, and have plotted out the third book from yet another character’s.
All this while still writing Kismet. So, the most challenging part is finding time to do other stuff, like
my drawing and photography.
TEASER FOR KISMET:
The young fox spied the tassel swaying in the wind, beckoning him to come and play. Closer, closer.
Closer he crept to the hinoki tree known as Shukumei. Shukumei looked different today. Hey, was that a
hole? The cub peered inside. It was dark inside, but a light danced, though it seemed strangely far away.
He went to back out, but found that inexplicably, there was now only tree behind him. Panicked, he
realized he could only go forward. As he crept towards the light, his paws began to feel strange. His legs
began to shoot out in a twisting pain he’d never felt before. He couldn’t see what was wrong with
himself, but the light was suddenly brighter and he felt the movement of warm air across his face. His
face, which now seemed to feel strangely flat.Into the light he went, and found himself in a forest filled with giant trees, the like of which he’d never
seen before. The pain had stopped, but a fear gripped him when he looked down and saw his strange,
furless paws. He whirled around, but the tree behind him was one of the giant strangers, no Shukumei
in sight. Like the very little boy he now appeared to be, the cub sat down, leaned against the tree, and
began to cry.
To read Kismet, the free online serial, please click the graphic.
Kismet is a free read, so rather than have the usual buy links up, below you’ll find two fund raiser
links. One is for a homeless youth charity called Lost-N-Found Youth. Not every kid is lucky
enough enough to have the support of a loving family, and LGBT youth are much more likely to
face abuse and being kicked out on the streets. Lost-N- Found not only help youth out by providing
shelter for as many as they can, but help youth get back into education and into society as
contributing members. They also provide legal assistance where necessary, food, clothes, and so
much more.
The other link is for a couple who are writers in the LGBT romance genre. Following emergency
brain surgery, TJ and Eric have been traveling a long, hard and expensive road. Things are
beginning to look up, with Eric soon to come home to TJ and their new home. They could still use
the help and continued support of caring people though. I ask that those of you following the blog
tour please consider contributing an amount to at least one of these causes, no matter how small or
insignificant you feel that donation would be. Pennies all add up into dollars, after all.
Thank you,
Lillian McKinnon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lillian McKinnon is the pen name for a rather sassy not quite 13 year old home educated girl who
lives and plays in the Northwest region of England. She doesn’t like being told she can’t do things
because she’s a kid, and woe betide you if it’s because she’s a girl. She’s active in Scouts and is avid
about karate. She also enjoys long bike rides, photography, kayaking, abseiling, canoeing,
swimming, and is somewhat of an artist. She probably reads far too much, with bookcases full of
novels and manga, a Kindle with an ever growing library, and online serials she avidly follows. She
also has a fondness for vintage American sitcoms and modern sci fi and fantasy TV shows. When
not reading, doing her educational assignments, writing, or indulging in her other hobbies, she
spend time gaming with her younger brother, as long as he’s not annoyed her too much that day.
Skill she would most like to learn next: surfing.
