Please help me give a big Hoosblog welcome to Kevin Craig!
I’m so thrilled to have Kevin on my blog! When I first joined a writing forum in 2007, Kevin was one of the first people I remember meeting (and for a brief time I thought they were just annoyed with all my questions). I’m beyond embarrassed to have shared my very first full-length manuscript with Kevin, but they were beyond gracious while enduring that trainwreck. We’ve remained friends since then and they’re not only an amazing writer, but an amazing person—who I hope to meet in real life someday!
KEVIN CRAIG is the author of contemporary young adult fiction (Summer on Fire, Burn Baby Burn Baby, Half Dead & Fully Broken, and, Pride Must Be A Place) and contemporary adult fiction with young narrators (Sebastian’s Poet and The Reasons). THE CAMINO CLUB is their seventh novel. It is forthcoming from Duet Books, the YA imprint of Interlude Press (October, 2020).
Kevin is a 5-time winner of the Muskoka Novel Marathon’s BEST NOVEL AWARD. Kevin is also a playwright, and has had twelve plays staged. Their short stories appear in several anthologies and journals. Kevin has also had poetry published in multiple media. Kevin’s memoir writing has appeared in the Globe & Mail and they have also recorded memoir for CBC Radio Canada. They live in Toronto, Ontario.
Tell us about your book.
After getting in trouble with the law, six wayward teens are given an ultimatum: serve time in juvenile detention for their crimes, or walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across Spain over the summer holidays with a pair of court-appointed counselor guides. When it becomes clear the long walk isn’t really all that much of an option, they set out on a journey that will either make or break who they are and who they are to become.
The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across Spain became a passion of mine as soon as I first heard about it. I knew I had to make the trip to Spain to walk The Way. When I actually set out to do it, I had a vision in my head to write a more inclusive and diverse version of The Breakfast Club. I thought, ‘what would happen if they were on a hiking trip for two weeks instead of locked in a library for one afternoon?’ And I just went from there…leapt into the Camino with an idea and a wish that it would land as a novel in the end.
I cannot wait for this book!! The premise is so intriguing—and my next book is a hiking book, so this will be great inspiration.
Preorder The Camino Club:
Amazon USA | Amazon Canada | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Book Depository | BookShop | Indigo-Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo USA | Kobo Canada | Interlude Press/Duet Books | WalMart USA | Target | Goodreads
Now for the fun stuff!
What’s your favorite genre? Do you read what you write?
My favourite genre is definitely contemporary. And my favourite market is young adult. Though I’ve written adult books in the past, I pretty much stay inside of these two comfort zones as a writer.
I soooo feel this. Also, I must point out that I feel like you’ve brought a bit of class to my blog with your Canadian spelling. 😛
What’s your favorite part about writing?
My favourite part of writing has to be starting out with nothing but a fresh empty Word document and typing out the title. What follows is almost a chase to the finish line to see what happens. I often write my novels over the course of an annual 72hr novel writing marathon I take part in. I make it a race with myself to get to the end before the weekend is over.
I’ve known you for well over a decade and still cannot understand how you write novels in a weekend. DOES NOT COMPUTE.
What’s the hardest part of writing for you?
The hardest part has to be the brick wall I always seem to run into at about the ¾ mark of a novel. It never fails. It’s like I’m afraid to reach the end. I’m a pantser, so only forward momentum allows me to know what happens next. I don’t plan any stages of the story. It just flows…until the ¾ mark where it decides not to flow for a while.
That sounds terrifying to me. I’m a plotter through and through and I just don’t think my brain could handle diving into an entire novel without knowing where I’m heading. I applaud you for doing it so well!
What’s an activity unrelated to writing that you love?
I love critique groups. They feel like great balls of energy, like you’re a part of something huge. It almost feels like you’re inside a word factory when you’re sitting around a table with fellow writers going through each others work. I love it every time!
Um… not to be a stickler, but I’m pretty sure that’s writing related. 😛 But I 100% agree that talking things through with other writers is like grabbing magic for a moment. I often leave those conversations feeling like I can take on the world!
Who’s your biggest cheerleader?
Hmmmm? I don’t think I can include one without the other. My partner, Michael, is definitely a huge cheerleader. He also helps me work my way through that aforementioned ¾ mark. He throws out ideas and they seem so obvious when he shares them, but they’re also ideas that totally eluded me until he mentions them. He also supports and encourages at every step. I also have an amazing supporter in my friend, Mel Cober. She’s been my constant reader and I always sort of have her in mind, hoping to get another book into her hands.
That’s so wonderful you have that support both at home and with Mel!
Now I’d like to play a fun little game called This or That. As a writer, I find that a lot of interviews ask the same questions, so I always appreciate sharing something new about myself. I’m super excited about these questions—and I hope you enjoy them!
Introvert or extrovert? I’m afraid I am smack-dab in the center of this one. I’m in extroverted invert, or an introverted extrovert. Not sure which. I know I want to be an extrovert! I almost reach that status when I’m around trusted friends. But I’m SO awkward with new people.
Morning or night person? Definitely a morning person. I like to be up before the sun.
Coffee or tea? First thing in the morning, I’m a coffee person. Last thing in the evening, I’m a tea person. We can’t miss our evening tea.
Sweet or salty? I feel like I’m parking myself in the middle of most of these this or thats. I am a candy fiend, for sure. Skittles are basically a character in my upcoming novel, The Camino Club. To the point that I feel Skittles should sponsor the book somehow. But I also love salty! I would basically kill for chips.
Eternal summer or four seasons? Oh! This one is fully in one direction. ETERNAL SUMMER forever and ever!
Mountains or beach? I love the beach, but I would choose mountains every time. When you walk the Camino de Santiago, you encounter several mountains along the way.
Dogs or cats? DOGS. All the way, dogs. I have nothing against cats, I’ve had a couple in my time. But dogs, dogs, dogs! I get them and they get me.
Over 5’5” or under? My height? OVER. I’m 6’2”. I used to think that was fairly tall, until my son moved beyond that. I now look up to him.
Left or right-handed? Left-handed, despite their best efforts to change that.
Hoodie or yoga pants? Yoga pants every time. The yoga-er the better!
I love that you’re split between so many of these—that’s why these are so fun! Two notes: I throw out the term ambivert in my latest novel, and I still can’t comprehend that they used to force lefties to be righties! My SIL is younger than me and even she endured that! (I’m also a leftie.)
Kevin, thank you so much for spending this time with me and my readers.
Thanks so much for the opportunity! Also, these were fun questions…kind of like a less stuffy Proust Questionnaire.
Ha! I love that. Readers, you can find Kevin at these links—and be sure to check out The Camino Club!
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Amazon USA | Amazon Canada | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Book Depository | BookShop | Indigo-Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo USA | Kobo Canada | Interlude Press/Duet Books | WalMart USA | Target | Goodreads
If you missed the previous interviews, you can read them here.
