About Kristin A. Fulton:
Kristin attributes her desire to write to an early fascination for reading. “When I was a child, my mother read to us every night before bed. That was the original inspiration for my love of the written and spoken word. When I could read on my own, my favorite pastime was to get lost in the imaginary world of whatever book I checked out of the library. The same love of words resulted in several years spent as an actress before I had to get a ‘real’ job.”
Kristin taught high school English and Drama. She earned her BA in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Drama, her teaching Credential at the University of San Francisco, and studied for a Masters in Theater Arts at U. C. Davis.
“I have an active imagination and have notebooks full of stories and plot ideas I’ve collected over the years,” says Fulton. “I would tell young writers to write every time they get the chance, to keep journals, and to observe people and life. I’d also tell them to reread everything they write because an important part of writing is to be a good editor.”
What inspires you to write?
My imagination and active brain inspires me to write. My love of reading and words as a child were instrumental in guiding my decision to write.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Roald Dahl is one. I adored the Bronte sisters when I was a teen. John Irving had some marvelous plots and Barbara Kingsolver's early books were great. I could keep going. There are multiple authors who have influenced my love of literature.
Tell us about your writing process.
I prefer to make a master timeline of events. My timeline is always flexible; I often add or subtract story events and elements as the story develops and starts to speak on its own. Often, characters will assert themselves in a different way than expected.
I use paper and pencil for my beginning work so that I can erase as needed.
I let characters evolve as the scenes in the book progress.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I think deeply about my characters and what motivates them. Sometimes, I project myself into the character in order to better respond in his or her voice.
Sometimes, I can really dislike a character. For instance, I couldn't bear Phineas Snipe, a villainous bounty hunter in the novel Sisters of the Soul. I've also had characters who've made me cry. The loss of Nolan McDonald in Sisters of the Soul made me weep buckets.
What advice would you give other writers?
Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite and EDIT YOUR WORK! And then re-edit it. Cut the stuff that is superfluous. Less is more in many cases. Show, don't tell.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I am too impatient and too unknown to wait in suspense for a "real" publishing company to accept and publish my work. I listened to lots of input on the subject and decided to establish Broadway Pacific Press to publish and list my own titles.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Reading is terribly important. Literary types have to do what we can to promote literacy. Hopefully, book publishing will flourish, whether it is with smaller, independent publishers along with the big publishing houses. Unfortunately, more and more promotion and marketing work will be required of authors.
Another factor impacting reading is the prevalence of devices that supplant reading with games and endless scrolling. We all need to work together to promote the activities that expand the brain instead of limit it to what is on the screen.
What genres do you write?: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Children's middle grade adventures, High interest novels for tweens, Picture books, Theatrical plays.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Kristin A. Fulton Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
