LK Hunsaker
I was raised in
Central Illinois, traveled with my military spouse for 17 years, and am settled
in Western Pennsylvania.
Good morning, L.K. Welcome to Vision and Verse, the place for Art and Authors. What have you
written?
I have eight
novels out, plus a children’s book in both paperback and hardcover, and a
color/write/sketch journal out under LK Hunsaker. Under my pen name, Ella M.
Kaye, I have 3 novels and a novella out with at least 2 more coming this year.
My LK books are hard to categorize. They fall somewhere in the women’s
fiction/literary/romance/20th century historical line. My EMK books are what is
currently called upmarket romance. I call them contemporary romance with a
mental twist, since they all have mental health issues included within the
story lines.
What is your
favorite genre to write?
I enjoy writing
relationship stories, whether its a romance or a family relationship. There are
so many nuances to every relationship stemming from personal experiences and
family/cultural backgrounds that they are all very different even when the
circumstances are similar.
Favorite food.
Italian. And
chocolate. Or most anything I don’t have to cook.
Tea or coffee?
Yes. Both. Coffee,
most often, usually with coconut oil and turmeric stirred in.
Pizza or ice
cream?
Pizza. I like ice
cream, but only on an occasional basis, and usually with M&Ms and/or pecans
added for flair. These days I’m focusing more on my health, so I’m careful with
both.
Wine or beer?
Wine, preferably
local. We have incredible local wineries all around us and hubby and I try to
find them all during warm weather when we’re out on the Harley.
Where would you
like to visit?
I’ve been to several
countries and most of the states. I’d still like to see Austria and I’d love to
go back to Italy and Scotland! Here in the States, I want to travel in the west
since I’ve done very little of that.
Here we are at a book signing. It's L.K. and C.A. in PA. We had a great time! I'm glad you were there. Okay, back to work. Favorite musical artist. Do you listen to music when you write? What?
Oh, I’m music
obsessed and I listen to a lot of genres from classical to 80s metal and
country to 70s pop. Naming one favorite would be impossible, but I do have a
very long book series (Rehearsal) that was inspired by the 70s band, the Bay
City Rollers out of Scotland. My current obsessive play CD is That Girl by
Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. Sometimes I write to music, usually a lyrical
mix of classical and soundtracks. It helps me focus when I can’t otherwise.
What makes you
laugh?
My grandbabies.
They’re toddlers now, 3 months apart, and they are so funny!
Favorite work of
art or sculpture.
I adore
Michelangelo and got to see the David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Incredible. I also love impressionism and Van Gogh. When I visited the Art
Institute in Chicago for a college class, Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the
Island of La Grande Jatte absolutely captivated me. It’s HUGE and all
pointillist. Amazing. I used it in one of my books as a metaphor.
How old were you
when you started writing?
I don’t remember
exactly, but pretty young, grade school age. I used Grandma’s Americana Music
Books and used them to write musical plays. That’s the first I remember.
Describe your
perfect evening.
Quiet. Alone, with
no distractions. Warm enough I can open my windows and let the breeze in while
I write or read. Or lazing on a beach somewhere listening to the ocean. That
would be nice, too.
Here you are reading a story to some of the children at the book signing in the Shenango Valley Mall sponsored by Leana's Books and More. What a fun day that was! Where do you get
your inspiration?
Life experience,
some of mine but mostly from what I hear or read. I’ve always studied
relationships from the time I was young, so I use that pondering in my stories.
Music can trigger an idea. I have a list of titles I’ve grabbed from song
lyrics that I plan to use for short stories. Also, I’m a nature lover and I
always pull that in as I’m writing.
What do you do
when you get a writer's block?
I had my first
real bout of that this past summer. I’m sure it stemmed from too many concerns
and responsibilities jamming my head, but I shrugged and did other things with
my time, started up with my artwork again, read other writer’s books, and
waited it out. All of a sudden it flooded back in and I finished one novel’s
first draft and wrote two novellas all in one month.
Who is your
favorite author?
Tough question,
since I’m an avid reader and I love the older classics to include Shakespeare,
Hemingway, and Dreiser. My favorite contemporary novelist is Marilynne
Robinson. Her prose is so incredibly beautiful and her characters are so deep
and rich, I’m awed with each book. She inspires me to want to get to that
level.
Best book you ever
read.
I can’t possibly
name one novel as the best since too many would vie for that title, so I’ll
turn to non-fiction and say The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. It’s a beautiful
connecting, open, accepting, and loving piece. “Your children are not your
children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s yearning for itself.” It
had a big impact on the way I look at things. It’s also poetic and
nature-filled.
Last book you
read.
The last book I
finished is actually a children’s book titled The Empty Hook, An Ornament’s
Tale by Joe Dragovich, a local author. I’ve been on a quest to read local
authors and plan to continue that in between my huge to-read stack. Currently,
I’m reading An Edinburgh Lad by Eric Falconer, Making Rumors by Ken Caillat,
and re-reading the first romance I ever read, The Flame and The Flower by
Kathleen Woodiwiss.
What would you do
for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I was heading
toward Art Therapy when marriage changed my path, and I have a degree in
psychology, but I’m not sure I’d be working in the field. I’m a homebody. I’d
probably have turned to art and design in some manner, doing websites or logos
or such.
Who is the one
person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
I would have to
say my husband since he pulled me out of my no-stoplight little town and took
me all over the world, practically, which opened my personal point of view and
beliefs like I couldn’t have imagined. We are very different-natured, also. He
loves to be out and about and socializing. I always hated it since I have
social anxiety issues, but that has changed a good deal, to the extent I was
able, last summer, to organize a good-sized event in my community
(WestPABookFestival.com).
I have to say it
would be the lead guitarist/songwriter for the band that inspired my Rehearsal
series, Eric Faulkner/Falconer. Most big names in history, past and current, I
can read about well enough to fulfill my curiosity. There are so many things I
would like to ask about the insides of working up to and being in one of the
top bands in the world that I can’t find in books, although I’ve read several
memoirs. I started writing the series because I wanted to know the insides, not
only technically, but about the relationships, how they deal with personality
conflicts, being away from family, close living quarters for long periods of
time, etc. And because he’s very intelligent and very creative, with a good
sense of humor, and it would have to be a highly interesting conversation!
What advice would
you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
The best advice
about writing I’ve ever heard is, “If you can quit, you should.” You are a
writer or you aren’t, and no one else can define that for you. You have the
passion and need and love for not only the written word, but also for Story, or
you don’t. Be aware that the learning curve is high if you want quality books
and not only in-print books, that critics will knock you down no matter what
you write or how well you write, that most of writing is rewriting and editing,
not just getting the story down, and that most writers will not make a living from
writing. If you need to do it because you need to do it, then sit down and do
it. If it sounds like a fun hobby, then write for a while and give it a try. It
never hurts to try. You’ll know whether or not you need to keep going. If you
just want a book printed with your name on it, do that and buy a few copies for
yourself and your family, but don’t try to sell it until you’ve done the real
work of becoming a professional, learned, skillful writer first.
Thanks so much,
Carol!
My pleasure, L.K. We at Vision and Verse wish you continued success in all your writing endeavors. Come back and see us again. Do you have some links for us to follow you?
LK Website: http://www.lkhunsaker.com
EMK Website: http://www.ellamkaye.com
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