7.SR: What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
KM: It's advice I give to myself every time I sit down to write: Don't be afraid to write from the heart and above all, don't be afraid to be honest.
8.SR: Who are or were some of your writing mentors?
KM: I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned from other writers, from the classics up to the present day. Just reading their work, studying all the whys and wherefores of how they put their work together, I've learned from them all. The good writers show you how to do it. The bad writers (bad, in my opinion) show you the pitfalls and no-nos. Among some of my favorite writers: James Lee Burke taught me the subtleties and nuances of setting's influence upon character. Joyce Carol Oates taught me to face up to the dark underbelly of human emotions. Eudora Welty taught me that comic relief in even the most painful life gives a story natural balance. Charles Dickens taught me the power of staying connected to the story. And Elmore Leonard taught me that an ear for spare, relevant dialog is the surest way to move the story forward.
9.SR: What is the most difficult part of writing for you?
KM: Letting go of my characters once the story is done. It's so hard for me to do because, a story is never actually done. While I do like to end my books on a note of hope, I don't believe in happily ever after; life is a messy, messy affair. The writer must simply choose a place to stop. For me, the characters go on for quite a while after the last sentence, the last period. That's difficult for me at times because I want to know what they're up to...often have prolonged withdrawal pains coupled with mild depression.
SR: 10. What advice can you give for someone trying to get their feet in the door of writing for children?
KM: I'm the worst person in the world to do that as my path to publication was fairly easy.
