Interview: Kathy Bell on Regression

Pump Up Your Books

Today I have the opportunity to interview Kathy Bell on her book Regression. Yesterday I posted my review on this book HERE. This is definitely a book you will enjoy. Thank you so much to Kathy for giving me the opportunity to read your book. It was a pleasure getting to interview you and get to know you a little better.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm an over-achieving know-it-all with a chip on my shoulder. No. Really. That being said, I am generally considered a very nice, generous person who always offers to help and usually has the resources and/or ability to make things work. In that way, I can strongly identify with my main character, forty-year-old Adya Jordan. Most people who know me would agree her character is semi-autobiographical.

Regression in you own words?

Adya Jordan is a loving mother of six, but wakes up after a head injury to find she is fourteen again. The omnipresence, omnipotent Three Eleven Corporation did not exist in her memories of 1985, but now appears to control all technology and likely knows more about her predicament than she does. In her efforts to find a reason for her presence in the past, Adya encounters a choice no mother should ever have to face - she has to either give up the family she adores, or the world she lives in, because she cannot save both.

How did you come up with the idea to Regression?

Haven't we all wanted to have a Mulligan for our teen years? Actually, the concept has been done many times with a main character who wishes for a different life, only to find their own was not that bad. In my story, Adya would love to return to the life she had lived, and is being prevented from doing so by a destiny greater than the one she knew.

 

My muse for some parts of the story was my youngest child. Trinity was the fourth-born, and as I watched her development I wondered how much was influenced by birth order, my own life experiences, the presence of the older children, and other 'what if' type questions. But, even more than that, I (and this is strange coming from a science teacher) just got such a sense from her that she was meant to change the world, it got me thinking how could ONE person possibly change everything we know. I was familiar with the concept of Mitochondrial Eve from the science articles I enjoy reading, and the story blossomed from there

What is you favorite part of the book?

Hmm, that depends on my mood. I've read the darn story so often now that I almost hate it! But, I do enjoy the scene where Adya discovers the laptops at school, and also the hotel scene where she metamorphasizes into Dawn. Both were fun to write.

Tell us about the other books you have written?

Evolussion, the sequel to Regression, was just released and I have the beginnings of Revolussion in the works. I also have a number of short stories which I plan to release on Kindle within the next month, and another full length novel, an urban fantasy (Synergy 2012), which I hope to finish for next spring.

What are you currently reading?

During the school year most of my reading is related to lesson planning. I do take time for leisure reading when I have a litter of puppies on the ground, and we have two due in December. I plan to pick up a bunch of titles on my Kindle and those include The Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson.

Favorite Book?

Dragonflight, the first Dragonriders of Pern book, would have to be my favourite. As a youngster, I adored the series and think it is a timeless example of science fiction/fantasy at its best.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Not that I can think of. I suppose my dislike for contractions could be a quirk...I always tell my students not to use contractions in formal submissions, and so to me, using contractions in the narrative of a novel just feels uncomfortable. I think that might be why some people say my writing is stilted...but, then again, many people think I'm rather restrained, too! I am working on a first-person narrative in which I use contractions, but otherwise will not when writing third person.

What gets you in the mood to write?

Time, LOL! Give me five minutes and the keyboard, and I could pour out a story. Unfortunately, there is never as much time as there are stories to tell. I have yet to find myself without words to write, although I expect once time is no longer the limiting factor there will be occasions where I cannot compose. Until then, I'm always in the mood!

Do you have anything else you want to share with us about Regression?

 I'm generally a very private person, so having Regression published felt about as comfortable to me as running naked through a hockey arena. Not that I've done that. But, it took me a long time to decide to offer the book to the world, and I am so immensely gratified that most readers have enjoyed the story and am especially thankful to those who have gone and left reviews on the various sites. A big hug to all the fans who have contacted me about the Infinion Series, and a warm thanks to everyone for the amazing support in purchasing my books!

Are you sold yet? Her book is sold at local bookstores, as well as online. Clicking the picture below will take you to Amazon where you can get your copy too.