Q & A with Kristen Granata, author

Kristen was born & raised in New York. She attended community college and earned her BA degree in Education. She then moved to New Jersey and became a teacher in 2012. Kristen published her first novel, Collision, in March 2018, and the sequel, Avoidance, in August 2018. She lives in Howell, New Jersey, with her wife and two step-daughters. Check out her website, where she's recently started blogging. Give her a follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Kristen_Granata and Facebook @kristen.granata.16. 

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GB: Kristen, thank you for taking the time to talk. Usually, my first question is: can you share a little about yourself? Any background info worthy of telling the readers?

KG: Thank you so much for interviewing me! Well, I’m a 2nd-grade teacher by day. I’m pretty new at this whole author thing, so I have yet to win awards or anything worthy of mentioning. I did win a poetry contest when I was twelve. It was a poem about why I love my Nana… so I guess there’s that haha.

GB: On top of being a fantastic writer, you're also an early-childhood school teacher. How did you get started there and what brought you to the writing life?

KG: I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was five years old. I used to line up all of my stuffed animals and pretend to teach them their ABCs and 123s. (If only teaching were as easy as that!) It’s a meaningful career, but it isn’t always very fulfilling. Writing was an outlet for me growing up, so once I realized that I could actually publish my own books – that became my passion. English professors in college all told me to pursue writing. Either way, helping people is the most important thing to me. I help kids all day long, and I write with the hopes of helping people, too. I need to feel like I’m making a difference to someone somewhere. It’s just who I am.

GB: Do you have any advice for someone looking to balance their work-life and their writing goals? What kind of experiences should they look for in order to find balance in that direction?

KG: Oh, boy… finding balance is the ultimate elusive butterfly of life. When you’re excited about something, it can be so easy to let it consume you. I have an obsessive/addictive personality, so I go balls to the wall with everything I do. But you can’t give 110% to everything and everyone. This can leave you feeling completely exhausted. I’ve learned the hard way that you need to take things day by day, and focus on what’s directly in front of you sometimes. The best advice I can give is to set aside writing time in advance. If you work 9-5, this might mean only writing on the weekends, or writing for an hour each night – and it’s important to make sure your spouse/partner is on board with this. Work out a schedule that works for you and your family. Sometimes, writing has to be put on the backburner, and that can make you feel sad or resentful. Communicate your needs and try to find a way to balance everything. Life’s a constant juggling act!

GB: Does being an educator influence your writing at all? What impacts does it have on your work? Being one as well, I know I have my fair share of challenges.

KG: It definitely makes me second-guess my sex scenes, that’s for sure haha! Kidding… sort of. I’m so burnt out during the school year that I find it hard to have the energy and mental stamina to keep up with my writing. Teachers also take home a lot of work, so there goes my writing time, too. On the flip side, being an author makes me proud to show my students, “Look at what I did. You can do this, too.”

GB: What's your creative process like? Got any obstacles you've recently overcome or are currently experiencing?

KG: I’m so boring. I don’t have any cool tips or tricks; I don’t have a writing planner; I don’t set word count goals. I legit open my laptop and start typing. The stories and characters are always in my head, waiting to come out. The obstacles I’ve faced are more with the marketing side of things. Getting my book “out there” is a constant, ongoing challenge. If Oprah could just Tweet me back and read my book, I’d be golden!

GB: Which authors/artists have had the most profound influences on your work?

KG: I feel like every book I’ve ever read has influenced me in one way or another. Every author has such different writing styles. I can say that reading Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster series was what sparked me to write Collision. I read her books and said to myself, “I can totally write something like this.” Then, I did.

GB: Who and what is on your MUST-READ list?

KG: I cannot answer this question!!! There are SO many good books out there! I get super overwhelmed when I think about how many I “need” to read, and I refuse to make a TBR list (I have anxiety, and I’m trying to live a more relaxed life, so I’m not allowing myself to make “plans” for certain things when I can). I also have a rule that I won’t allow myself to read while I’m writing a book.

GB: What does "success" mean to you?

KG: To me, success is when YOU feel happy with what you have achieved… when you set out to accomplish something, and you do it. It’s not solely about money; it’s not about being better than anyone else. It’s about feeling proud of the things you have done… being inwardly happy.

GB: As a fellow New Jerseyian, do you find it inspiring your work at all? Care to share any stories that some of our local squad might eNJoy?

KG: As much as I love living in Jersey, I know all of the true New Jerseyians out there are screaming, “Benny!” at me through their computer screens! I am and will always be a New Yorker... but, if you can all find it in your hearts to love me anyway, I will tell you that some of my best memories in life took place down by the shore with my family. The beach is my happy place (aside from Target). I honestly have nothing inspirational for you here… the only story that’s coming to mind at the moment is being pooped on by a seagull in Belmar. Not exactly profound.

GB: What's next for Kristen Granata? Got any upcoming projects we can keep an eye out for?

KG: Besides tirelessly promoting Collision & Avoidance, I’m currently writing a third new adult/romance novel called The Other Brother. It’s my first story that is being written from both the male and female characters’ perspectives, and I’m super excited about it. I actually love writing from the male’s point of view!