Chissick Chat, part fourteen, with Kimberly Livingston

Welcome to the Chissick Chat Blog! Today I'm saying hello to Kimberly Livingston, an author from Colorado who loves language, believes in happy endings and is currently on a blog tour!

And today, it's my turn. Please can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Hi Elaine thanks for inviting me on your blog. I am excited to share with you a little bit about myself and my books. I wish I could say that I was a Colorado native but the truth is that I’ve lived all over the United States.

Language has been my medium for as long as I can remember (and I’ve heard stories about me from before I can remember).

My first completed novel, In the Eyes of an Angel, I wrote about eight years ago when I was at a crossroads in my life. At the time I was trying to decide if I should do what was “responsible” or what I felt I needed. The novel follows the story of Camille Ryan in her final year at Southern State University. Camille is used to being self sufficient, albeit struggling to make ends meet as a bartender while trying to finish her degree. That is until travelling executive Rick Pantanelli decides to visit her bar and falls for her.

My second novel, On a Run, is my homage to Disneyland. Romance novelist Hannah Glen happens to be an agoraphobic living in Breckenridge, Colorado. When her agent books her a breakout session at the Southern California Writer’s Convention at the Disneyland resort, Hannah finds herself forced away from the safety of her home. There she meets Daniel, a man who fully embraces the world around him. It asks the question if promises made by the Happiest Place on Earth come true. It was a guilty pleasure to write this!

What, or who, inspires you?

Walt Disney has always been an inspiration both as a person and through the parks he created.

Do you enjoy reading the same genre as the one you write in?

I enjoy nearly all genres with the exception of murder mysteries and horror. I believe too much in happy endings.

Has any of your research taken you to an unusual place?

I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in my life. I think of a setting for my books and then am transported back by recalling every detail of that place. So the fun isn't as much about the place alone as it is in focusing on all the beauty hidden in that place. My current book is set in Hawaii, writing the book allows me to visit every single day I write.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently finishing up my third novel, Book By Another Cover. I felt that one of the characters from In the Eyes of an Angel was misunderstood and I wanted to finish their story. I feel that everyone has a story that isn’t complete if seen only from another’s perspective. The title hints towards that.

What are your future writing plans?

Ha ha, wow, I have so many different story plots in the works I will never run out of projects. I love “meeting” and developing new characters. I have a YA story I am working on and a much darker historical novel as well. My writing ideas match my eclectic reading tastes, except for science fiction and fantasy. I wish I was imaginative enough to develop whole other worlds. Maybe it will be my challenge for the future.

Is there anything you don’t like about writing/being an author?

I think most authors suffer from a bit of self criticism and insecurity. But then, isn't that true of us all? Writing a book that others read makes one feel very vulnerable. That part is hard. On the other hand, we are compelled to share our writing, put it out there in hopes of making a difference for others. Sometimes I wish I were content to write and be my only audience.