Kay Kauffman

Griffin’s Quill is proud to showcase Kay Kauffman as our fourth featured author.

Kay is a mother of four, hailing from the corn sown lands of Northern Iowa.  Read how she manages to juggle parenthood and a passion for storytelling.  Her writing began at age nine when she entered into the Young Writers Workshop at the University of Northern Iowa.  This hard working author is versed in many genres, but chose fantasy as the medium for her book The Lokana Chronicles.  Within its pages unfolds a magical story filled with engaging characters, like the monk, Balil, whose desire for revenge threatens to consume him.  Learn what drives this amazing author and the characters she creates.

About the Author:

Howdy!  Kay’s my name, writing’s my game.  Actually, Trivial Pursuit is my game.  Come to think of it, I have a whole wall full of games, but that’s another story for another time.

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t write.  I’ve kept diaries since I was eight and when I was nine, one of my teachers submitted a story I wrote for a class project to the University of Northern Iowa’s Young Writers Workshop.  I still have that story.  I finished my first novel at the age of fourteen.  Someday I might manage to whip it into shape.  I began writing The Lokana Chronicles in late 2005 and I hope to have it ready for submission in early 2012.  It’s anybody’s guess what will happen with it, but I hope someone will find it worthy and agree to publish it.  In the meantime, I’ve got plenty of other projects to keep me busy.

I’m an Iowa girl and proud of it.  My husband and I have four children that keep us on our toes and occasionally out of our minds.

Style Sampling:

“Friends Forever” by Kay Kauffman

“So is it true?”

The ticking of the grandfather clock was the only sound in the room as Bianca and Lavinia sat staring at each other.  Tension filled the air; it was so thick it was almost tangible.  The two women had been friends for more years than they cared to count but at this moment, all of that was forgotten.  Bianca’s eyes dropped to the steaming mug of cappuccino she held in her hands, the gesture a silent affirmation of what her friend already suspected.  “It’s true,” she murmured.

Now Lavinia’s eyes dropped.  She, too, had a mug in hand, and she chose that moment to seek the bottom of her cup through the opaque liquid.  She had watched them together for months now, suspecting something in him that he hadn’t been sure of himself until recently, though she didn’t know that.  Bianca’s words, though nearly whispered, echoed in Lavinia’s ears like gunshots.  She stared deeper into her cup, willing her eyes to find the inky blackness hidden beneath the chocolate-colored coffee.  “You know he’s only trying to make me jealous so that I’ll take him back,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes on her drink.  “That’s all this is.  He doesn’t really love you, you know.”

“Yes, he does.”

“How can you be so sure?” Lavinia demanded, looking up.  She knew she wasn’t fooling anyone, but that didn’t stop her.  “After all, he promised to love me forever.  Look how that turned out.”

Bianca stared at her friend in awe.  “Seriously?  You’re playing that card?”  She paused, waiting for Lavinia’s reaction, but continued when no reaction was forthcoming.  “Lavinia, you left him!  What was he supposed to do, spend the rest of his life pining for you and die miserable and alone?”

“Maybe,” she said defiantly.  “I don’t know.”

Bianca rolled her eyes as a heavy sigh escaped her lips.  “Look, Lavinia, you’re my friend and I love you, but I can’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers.  I want to see where this will lead me.  I love him, Lavinia; I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner, but I didn’t.  The important thing is that I see it now and I was hoping that you, as my friend, would be happy for me.  Caleb’s been gone a long time; I’m lonely.  Maybe this is my chance to be happy, like you and Casey.”

“It’s not that I’m not happy for you, Bi,” Lavinia began, “it’s just that…Well, I…I’m not happy with Casey and I was thinking of asking John if he wanted to try again.  I didn’t realize what a good thing I had when I had it, and now I want it back and it’s too late.”  Her eyes dropped once again to the mug in her hands.

“What do you mean, you’re not happy with Casey?”

“Well, he’s a wonderful friend, but he’s just not great boyfriend material,” she explained.

Bianca sympathized with her friend; she’d had her share of similar relationships.  “I see.  I’m sorry you’re unhappy, Lavinia, but I’m not giving up on John just because you’re upset with Casey.”

“I didn’t think you would.”

“We still friends?”

Lavinia looked up, saw the earnest desire on her friend’s face for what it was, and smiled.  “The very best,” she replied.

Featured Author Interview:

Griffin’s Quill:  As a father of two myself, I can only imagine what being a mother of four is like.  How do you ever find time to write?  Do you have a contender for father of the year, allowing you to escape the children for hours at a time?

Kay Kauffman:  It’s definitely a wild ride!  I do a lot of writing during my lunch breaks at work.  I could get a lot more writing done if I didn’t have to eat during that hour or if I had a longer lunch break, but I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.  My husband is pretty good about giving me time to write when I ask for it, but our free time is so limited that I don’t ask very often.  I write just about any time I can find a few spare minutes – during naps, CCD, various scout meetings, and occasionally the wee small hours of the morning while everyone else is sleeping and I should be because, let’s face it, I don’t get nearly enough of that precious commodity. The two eight-year-olds keep us hopping from activity to activity and the two babies (17 months and 4 months) keep us hopping out of bed at night. Right now, the 17-month-old is cutting four molars. I could write a horror flash about the experience, but I think I need a little distance from the subject first to regroup. And maybe some sleep.

Now where did I put that extra large Dr. Pepper…

Griffin’s Quill:  Wow, you’ve generated a lot of work in just spits and spurts.  I’ve never been very productive on the fly.  Do you write by hand then and type it up later?  Or do you always carry a laptop with you?  What have you found to be most efficient with such limited blocks of time?

Kay Kauffman:  Yep, I write by hand. I just can’t bring myself to completely switch over to typing. It’s just more satisfying for me to put pencil to paper and see the story come alive on the page. I often leave myself notes when I stop writing so that when I start up again, I can remember my train of thought. If I don’t write things down, I don’t remember them.

I usually type up a chapter or so at a time, editing a bit and playing with words as I type. I do all my editing on my laptop, as it’s much easier that way, although I’ve been known to make notes on a hard copy and then apply them later. This seems to be about as efficient as I get.

Griffin’s Quill:  There does seem to be something relaxing about scratching lead across wood.  I maintain a notebook of ‘notes’ that I now wish was organized onto my laptop.  Maybe one day.  You entered your first writing competition, voluntarily or not, at the young age of nine.  Are your two eight year olds showing any interest in the family trade?  Do you want them to?

Kay Kauffman:  They are. Rachael keeps a diary and Tom has a very active imagination, judging by some of the stories he’s written for school. I’m tickled pink that they both enjoy telling their own stories. They also love to read, and I think they love to read as much as I do – Rachael always has a book in her hands, and Tom usually does, too.

Griffin’s Quill:  It must be an amazing feeling to think that one day you may be critiquing your sons work, they yours, and even writing a novel together.  You mentioned an interest in music and photography, in addition to your craft of story creation.  Have you ever explored integrating these passions together?  A movie clip of your favorite photos, playing to a score with lyrics from one of your many poems, perhaps?

Kay Kauffman:  I haven’t really given a lot of thought to integrating them, no. I have dabbled in writing my own music, though, and I performed one of my original compositions at my high school’s annual variety show when I was seventeen. It wasn’t very good, but everyone clapped anyway.

As for a video clip of my many, many pictures, I’ve never given much thought to it until recently. I once did a photo DVD for some friends using the pictures I took at their wedding, but it didn’t involve any writing. It would be fun to sit down and spend an afternoon or two on my computer playing around with Windows MovieMaker, but I’ve got other things I want to focus on first, like editing.

Griffin’s Quill:  We are certainly our own toughest critics.  Who knows where our passions will lead us.  You have written a great deal of poetry and flash fiction on a variety of subjects.  Having played in the sandbox of so many genres, what pushed you to write a fantasy novel?

Kay Kauffman:  I actually got the idea from a story a friend and I co-wrote in high school. We started it but never finished it. I’ve been trying to collect all of my old stories in one place (my computer) and as I was typing up that particular story, I had a flash of inspiration. A couple hours later, I had a general idea of how I wanted the first few chapters to go. This was really the first time I’d written fantasy and it was also the first time I’d worked with any sort of outline – normally, I’m a total pantser.

Though the basic plot didn’t waver a whole lot from conception to final product, the specifics changed a lot. My characters had their own ideas about how things in Lokana should take place and I didn’t know where exactly they were taking me or how things were going to work out for them until I was almost finished with the book. Things have changed a little bit more every time I’ve edited, but I think the changes I’ve made have all been for the better. I’ve had so many wonderfully helpful comments from the great people on Authonomy, and those comments have really helped me bring my characters to life for those who aren’t quite as intimately familiar with the inhabitants of Lokana as I am.

Griffin’s Quill:  That’s the fantasy catch 22.  This genre is so involved it forces the author to strategize, formulate, and, well, build worlds around drastically different characters and conflicts then we see in our own lives.  When its done, any minor change is like a butterfly effect unleashing a tornado of red ink!  Having experienced this to a degree in “The Lokana Chronicles”, will you remain a stringent author of fantasy, or do you see yourself writing in another genre?

Kay Kauffman:  I think art sometimes imitates life and I think certain aspects of my plot certainly do that to some extent – after all, the residents of Lokana aren’t the only ones protesting against their government. When I started writing my book, though, imitating life was not my intent.

I think I could write another fantasy novel, though I would like to have a crack at chick lit, too. I wrote many boy-meets-girl stories as a teenager and now that I have a little more life experience, I’d like to try it again and see what happens.

Griffin’s Quill:  Nothing wrong with a fantasy-based chick lit story, although I think Ms. Meyers beat you to it.  Griffin’s Quill will showcase it anyway – as long as there are no glimmering vampires.  Vampires should never sparkle.  Now that we’ve brought up “The Lokana Chronicles”, what can you tell us about it that’s not on the jacket?

Kay Kauffman:  Don’t worry – I’m with you on the vampires!  I used to be really interested in them, but I think I sort of outgrew it, which is probably why I’m not a Twilight fan.

I think The Lokana Chronicles is as much a love story as anything else.  There’s the love story of Vegin and Lipei, certainly, but also of Anná and Aníku, and of Vegin and Balil’s love for Lokana, which is expressed by each man in a different way. When I started writing it, the story mainly centered around Anna but as the story grew, her story took a backseat to that of her parents and her homeland.  It was hard for me to realize that the focus of the story had shifted, but the characters want what they want.  I’m just the lowly author who must do as she’s told.

Also?  I think my favorite character is Balil.  He’s just so interesting.

Griffin’s Quill:  We encountered Balil in chapter two.  He’s a monk, right?  The Lokana Chronicles employs an all-star list of strong characters, none more so than the handsome prince with a soft spot for his people and a vein of rebellion against his heritage.  How does a monk compete with that and become your favorite character?

Kay Kauffman:  I think I find him interesting because he’s so very complex.  He wants to do the right thing and help people, but he goes about it all wrong because he can’t see things from other points of view.  In the end, his desire for revenge overwhelms his desire to do good and he is consumed by those feelings.  Only at the end does he realize the error of his ways.  I’d really like to say what opens his eyes to that, but then I’d be giving away the ending.

Griffin’s Quill:  Very mysterious!  The dark, brooding, lost soul sounds intriguing. I can see now why you find him so interesting. There seems to be a heavy helping of political and humanitarian undertones providing depth and conflict to your story. Is there an underlying message in your writing?

Kay Kauffman:  I had to think about that one for a little while.  I didn’t have a particular message in mind when I started writing; all I had was a desire to tell a great story.  If there is an underlying message, I think it would be that with hard work and determination, you can accomplish anything.  One person can make all the difference.

Griffin’s Quill:  A very important message to pass on to your readers, young and old.  It is never too late to accomplish your dreams.  Where do you draw your inspiration?  Is there an author(s) to whom you would attribute your writing style?  Do you mold your characters from people around you, or are they pure figments of fiction?

Kay Kauffman:  I think most people draw their inspiration from the world around them and I am certainly no different. I see the possibilities in a given situation and I write them. My characters often have attributes of people I know somewhere in them, but they are just as often completely fictional.

As for my writing style, I enjoy Jane Austen and Ann Rinaldi. I’m sure they’ve influenced my writing style to some extent, but I don’t think I could really point to one author and say, “You there! Did you know I attribute my writing style to your work?”

Griffin’s Quill:  If you were the Time Traveler in the 2002 movie adaptation of “The Time Machine,” what two books would you carry with you into the future?

Kay Kauffman:  Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi is my absolute favorite book, so I would definitely take that one.  I think I’d also take Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Or maybe Emma.  Or Evelina, by Fanny Burney.  Or maybe The Fear Street Saga by R.L. Stine.  Must I really choose only two?  What if I want to take more?  They wouldn’t take up that much room, and I promise they’ll keep quiet and stay out of the way.  I’ll even clean up after them if they have an accident.  Please, oh please, can’t I take more?

Griffin’s Quill:  Authors!  Always trying to bend the rules, if not break them.  We want to thank you for being our guest.  Griffin’s Quill enjoyed interviewing you.  Your work is a great addition to our site.  Last question:  What do you want to say to all your readers out there?  Any words of wisdom for undiscovered authors trying to break through the slush pile?

Kay Kauffman:  Keep reading!  And for other writers, keep trying.  Be stubborn and persistent and don’t take no for an answer, but listen to constructive criticism and remember that it’s meant to help.