Punished Tour: Interview with Krys Fenner

Did you all notice the new blog look? I thought I'd spruce it up for fall. Even if fall hasn't officially arrived yet. I'm sure it will be here any minute. *checks watch*

Anyway, today we're taking part in the PUNISHED blog tour by chatting with author Krys Fenner. Grab a cozy seat and come get to know Krys and her book. And don't forget to enter the rafflecopter at the end of the post.

Hi, Krys! Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us a bit about yourself.  

I was kind of nerdy growing up and a bit of a loner (even with two younger siblings); for me books were a way to escape and be somebody else for a little while. I started with Nancy Drew and Goosebumps and worked my way up to Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Writing I fell in love with when I was about sixteen. I had taken a Creative Writing class in high school as an elective. My first stories were all fantasy, but my final project was a short story about a young woman visiting her father in the cemetery. It wasn't until the end of the story that you realized he was also her abuser and she had gone there to forgive him. I hung on to those two front and back pages until the writing faded, but the words stuck with me. It had been my best work. In college, I turned that same story into a poem. I started working on Punished during that time and later Destroyed. I dealt with a lot of emotional issues when I first started writing them and my family encouraged me through the whole process. Something they still do.

Tell our readers a bit about PUNISHED.

Punished is the second book in A Dark Road Series. It is the continuation of Bella and Jeremiah's story. In the first novel (Destroyed), Bella was raped and their newly built relationship has suffered because of it. Each deals with the situation differently. Bella turns to drugs to cope and pushes away those who care about her; Jeremiah becomes a bit reclusive blaming himself for everything that has happened. Certain events force them to reconsider how they see things, including one another.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

Part of Punished I pulled from my own personal experiences. The rest of I really have to attribute to the characters. When I first wrote Punished, I hadn't realized how bad things were going to get or even how cold-hearted my antagonist would be. It wasn't until I wrote Destroyed (yes, I went backwards) that any of this really came to full conclusion. I wrote Punished (Book 2) before I wrote Destroyed (Book 1). There was so much in the story to cover that I after I finished Punished, I knew I could never cover it all in one book. At least not to write the situations appropriately. Once I gave the events and characters life using my experience as the basis, it took on a life of its own.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A little bit of both. I have about 3-4 hand written pages, front and back of dates and things that happened or had to happen on those dates. However, I jot down notes whenever ideas come to me (shower, driving, getting ready to go to sleep, etc.). Sometimes nothing will become of those ideas, but most of the time they spark the best parts of the story (in my opinion).

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Convincing my family to leave me alone while I work. Well, that is difficult, but the hardest part is when I know in my gut a certain event, good or bad, has to take place, but not quite getting the story to flow. I'll give you an example. There is a scene in Punished that I knew needed to happen, but I had to consider certain legalities being that the person in question is sixteen. Originally it occurred about one-quarter of the way in; during the revision as I was taking this scene out I realized it could still happen, just a few key components had to be altered. For one, it had to occur with a parent available and toward the end of the novel. The flow changed in a way I hadn't thought about when I first wrote that scene. I'd tell you what it is, but I don't want to give too much away.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Pen, paper, headphones and my cell phone.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Mind-reading.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I thought about this question a lot. Honestly, I don't think I google anything weird (death, suicide, street value of drugs, street names for drugs, teen rights); then I thought this may not be weird for a writer. To everyone else, it might a little strange.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... reading.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

First, I'd like to thank God. It may be a bit cliché, but I believe he gave me the ability and the words. Second, I'd like to thank my mom and my sister. They are both awesome women. I don't think I could do this without either of them. I'd also like to thank my editor, cover artist, and publisher. They worked hard to make Punished a possibility. I happen to think my cover artist reads minds (at least mine) and my editor always has the best advice on my work.

Awesome! Thanks for stopping by the blog!

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