From the award-winning author of The Cipher and Buddha Boy, comes Velocities, Kathe Koja’s second electrifying collection of short fiction. Thirteen stories, two never before published, all flying at the speed of strange. Dark, disturbing, heartfelt and utterly addictive.
Q&A
Do you always take a book or ereader wherever you go?
No, but I always have a pen, and (usually) something to write on. Friends have gifted me with some gorgeous notebooks! And anywhere I go, that helpful scrap of paper will be waiting.
Say someone asks if they can use your name in a book. Would you rather be the “good one” or the “bad one”?
I’d leave that choice up to the writer. Always trust the writer 🙂
Where can I find you when you are reading?
A lot depends on what I’m reading. If it’s research for a project, I’m most likely at my desk, reading, rereading, and making notes. If it’s nonfiction, probably the kitchen table with my iPad or print book. Fiction, most likely upstairs on the bed, with Dash the cat.
Where can I find you when you are not reading/writing?
As I write this, we’re in a shelter in place moment because of Covid-19. Before, and after, you could find me having a coffee meeting at one of the fab and quirky Detroit coffeehouses, like Oloman or Drifter; setting up a site visit for a new performance (I also create and produce immersive events); visiting my favorite rescue farm, SASHA Farm in Manchester MI; or walking someplace green.
Can you walk past a bookstore without going inside?
I’m a huge library patron—interlibrary loans are the best. That said, the bookstore power browse will never lose its charm, and if there’s a café or sit-down space, definite bonus points.
What are you most proud of?
As a writer, I’m found that the readers of mine that I’ve met are pretty much without exception smart, thoughtful, widely read, and a lot of fun. If people like that are engaged by and appreciative of my work, I’m very proud.
What goes through your mind when you hold your new book in your hands for the first time?
Excitement, pleasure, and gratitude to all the people whose work has created that book. The writer’s work begins at the keyboard, but a lot of people—agent, publisher, editor, copy editor, cover artist, audio artist for an audio book, distributor—make sure that what I’ve written can get to the people who want to read it or listen to it. And the book bloggers and reviewers keep those readers in the loop on what books are being published: we’re all deluged by stuff to read and absorb, so reviewers and bloggers are the front line. Without readers, a book is not alive, and if they don’t know it exists, they’re never going to read it.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write. Write consistently, in a rhythm and on a schedule that works for you, but write. It’s a skill as much as an art form and you have to practice a skill or it degrades.
Who would you like/have liked to interview?
A tag team of Emily Dickinson and Emily Brontë, my queens. And Christopher Marlowe afterward, because that boy sleeps late. 🙂
When and where do you prefer to write?
I write at my desk, every morning, every day.
Thank you, Kathe Koja and Meerkat Press
About the author
Kathe Koja writes novels and short fiction, and creates and produces immersive fiction performances, both solo and with a rotating ensemble of artists. Her work crosses and combines genres, and her books have won awards, been translated, and optioned for film and performance. She is based in Detroit and thinks globally.
Author Links
@KatheKoja
Book Links
Meerkat Press | Amazon | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble
Giveaway Link
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