Author: Kim Hooper

by Kim Hooper

A chat with Steven Rowley

I was lucky enough to have Steven Rowley at my lunch table at Literary Orange in April. I asked him the title of his book and he said, “Lily and the Octopus” and I said, “That’s in my Amazon cart!” And he said, “Well, buy it already!” I do well with direct orders. I bought — Read More

by Kim Hooper

Writing every day for 100 days

This past weekend (Sunday, to be exact), I decided to start writing again. I say “again” because I’d stopped for a while (which is why you haven’t heard from me very often on this blog. What do you say on a blog about writing when you’re not writing?). The reasons for stopping are all-too-typical and — Read More

by Kim Hooper

A chat with Tracy Barone

In April, I was lucky enough to be on a panel at Literary Orange, one of the biggest book events in Southern California. I was also lucky enough to meet Tracy Barone. We were both attempting to find the green room. Nothing bonds people better than being lost together. Her panel was right before mine, — Read More

by Kim Hooper

For the long haul

I’ve written a couple posts before about the similarities between writing and running (here and here). I’ve been thinking about it more lately. I haven’t been able to run for the past few months and, whereas this is something that used to torment me before, it doesn’t bother me now. I plan to be a lifelong — Read More

by Kim Hooper

Writing in the age of distraction

I was hanging out with my nephews the other day (they are ages 4 and 6), and they navigated their way to Amazon.com on their iPad to show me which Legos they want. They were clicking around, zooming in and out, tapping the shopping cart. I feel like an old person saying this, but it’s crazy — Read More

by Kim Hooper

My one New Year’s resolution

I’m not big on resolutions. I appreciate that the start of a new year offers an opportunity to take stock, but I usually shy away from all-out resolutions. Over the last few years, life has taught me that plans get interrupted, shit happens, and priorities change. And that’s okay. I guess that means I’m resolving to — Read More

by Kim Hooper

Why stories matter: Practicing empathy with fiction

I worry that people think dust has settled after the election. It shouldn’t settle. There is so much that is (and should be) very unsettled. Regardless of your political opinions, the election was a 9.0 on the Richter Scale. It shook us. We realized we are not as united as we thought. People we assumed were on — Read More

by Kim Hooper

Famous authors on why they write

Every now and then, I ask myself why I write. I mean, it’s such a strange thing–creating these all-consuming alternate realities and fretting about them for months on end. It calms me to see how other writers describe their need to write. I’ve collected some favorite quotes here: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what — Read More

by Kim Hooper

In defense of unlikable characters

Generally speaking, the reviews for People Who Knew Me have been good. I try not to make a habit of reading them, but I get the general gist when I visit Amazon or Goodreads. If people don’t like the book, it’s usually because they don’t like the main character, Emily (who fakes her death on 9/11 — Read More