Kimberly Derting Author Interview

Photo Content from Kimberly Derting

Kimberly Derting is the author of the award-winning THE BODY FINDER series, THE PLEDGE trilogy, THE TAKING trilogy, and UNDRESSED (her first book in The Men Of West Beach series). Her books have been translated into 15 languages, and both THE BODY FINDER and THE PLEDGE were YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selections. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where the gloomy weather is ideal for writing anything dark and creepy. Her three beautiful (and often mouthy) children serve as an endless source of inspiration and frequently find the things they say buried in the pages of their mother's books, or on Twitter for the world to see.

        

Tell me a bit about yourself. Where were you born and where do you call home?
I was born and raised in the Seattle area, where I still live today. We moved around a lot when I was little, but my family ended up coming back to the Northwest because my mom (if you can believe this) missed the rain. Me, not so much.But my husband and I both have family and friends here, so it’s kind of hard to move away from that.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing The Pledge?
I’m not sure it was really a surprise, but I’ve come to realize that the books I write don’t always fit perfectly into a specific genre. Booksellers and publishers love to classify books with neat little labels, but I find it tough to categorize mine. For example, The Body Finder was kind of a mystery/thriller paranormal with a fair amount of kissing. And The Pledge is more like a fantasy-dystopic with a splash of romance. See what I mean??? Try and find those sections in your local bookstore! :)

What inspired you to write this particular book? Is there a story about the writing of this novel that begs to be told?
The original idea for The Pledge came to me in pieces. The first piece was just a simple question: “What would it be like if someone could understand all languages?” But I definitely wanted the story itself to be bigger than just that component. I spent a lot of time thinking about how Charlie’s ability would work, what kind of world she would live in, and creating the monarchies and her friends and family, before I’d ever written a single word.
What was your favorite chapter to write and why?
For some reason, I just loved writing the scene where the bombings start, probably because there’s so much going on at once: action, inner-turmoil, confusion and chaos. Those are some of my favorite scenes, the ones in which the characters aren’t sure exactly what’s happening, but their lives may be at stake and they have to make fast, possibly life-changing decisions in a split second.

Which author would you love to co-author a book with?
That’s a toss-up. It would be either JK Rowling, during which we would write while sipping tea and eating biscuits (cookies), or Stephen King. That book would be crazy-dark, and we would write it while locked in a windowless room, while depriving ourselves of all creature comforts. Except, of course heat. And toothbrushes. And food. Oh...and chocolate!

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

I have to admit that The Pledge by Kimberly Derling is one of those books that I couldn’t put down. Story gets more interesting at every turn of the page. It offered a uniquely appealing dialogue that strongly interested me before committing to it.

Dystopian appears to be the hot genre lately. It is very easy for the stories to start becoming similar with all of the books out there. On the other hand, Derling succeeded in avoiding the trend with a revitalizing story jam-packed of danger, magic, intrigue, and of course, romance.

The setting that Derling created was extraordinary as she calls Brooklyn & Charlotte as “ancient cities”, although it is never clearly stated what year and what city the characters are living in. Speaking of the characters, I thought Derling’s astonishing creativity helped to create these amazing people and the relationships between them were solid. Most of the characters were extremely important in their own way.

The Pledge is a book that will be difficult to put down. It is very captivating from the first page to the last.

You can purchase The Pledge at these following retailers.

  

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you KIMBERLY DERTING for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive one signed copy of The Pledge + Swag by Kimberly Derting.

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