Kathryn Perez interview

UAN: Hey Kathryn thanks so much for joining us today!  I must say I met you in Columbus at the author signing and I thought you were so sweet and genuine so I am really glad to have you be apart of our Mad Monday.

UAN: Can you tell us what is your favorite fan girl Moment?

 KVP: Favorite Fan Moment was ALL of the people who came to see me in Columbus! I was in shock at the  people who knew me and I was extremely humbled and VERY pleased to meet each of them!

UAN: YAY!

UAN: Who is your writing inspiration?

KVP: Coleen Hoover, I started writing because of her.

UAN:  What are you reading right now?

KVP:  Right now I am reading THIS GIRL by Colleen Hoover and I just finished reading In The Stillness by Andrea Randall and LOVED every word of it.

UAN:  I read and really enjoyed Love and Truth, your debut novel.  I love what vivid images Japan took on in my imagination.  I know you lived there for a while, can you talk about that?

KVP: Love and Truth was all about Japan for me. It was a fun whimsical book and I loved getting to take readers on a mini vacation to the island that I had a six year love affair with!  Okinawa stole my heart and living there was the best experience I have ever had.  I learned the language and immersed myself in their culture.  All of the places in L&T are real places that I have been to. None of the locations are fictional.  I did have a very hard time learning to drive there though….wrecked two vehicles and once drove the opposite direction that I should have been going on a main highway!  Driving on the other side of the road really took some getting use to!!!

UAN: Can you speak Japanese?

KVP:  Yes I spoke a lot of Japanese while living there but now I have lost a lot of it.  I still know the basics:)

UAN:  You are currently working on a new book that is not yet done called Therapy, can you tell us about it?

KVP:  Therapy has meant so many things to me while writing it. So many aspects of this story is very personal to me. It’s a very dark story and the female character is not entirely like-able  But she’s realistic, she’s gritty and vulnerable.  Jessica represent so many young girls today. Bullying is a very real and very tragic epidemic that hits close to home for me. I was bullied in school and was even beaten up badly once. Young girls have so many pressures upon them as teens and Jessica displays so many of those challenges in this story. Therapy also focuses on self-harm and mental illness. It’s a lot of very heavy subject matter but I think it’s so important to bring to light.  I have cried many tears writing this book and I only hope people read it and learn something even if they hate it.  Readers tend to enjoy reading a story about strong willed characters but Jessica is broken and she does the best she can with what she knows.  So I hope readers will sympathize with her while reading and I hope that readers will at least consider that society needs to wake up and give more to our young girls. Inform, educate and support these girls that are suffering in silence.  Jessica takes us on a journey of pain, heartbreak, love, loss and soul-searching that I hope readers enjoy going on.

UAN:  Sounds like a journey I will enjoy!