Saturday, September 13, 2008

How Extremely Cool Is This? An Interview With Kaza Kingsley, the Erec Rex Author!

Wow, am I excited!! Kaza Knglsey, the author of some the best books I've read in a long time, has been good enough to let us interview her. If you don't know, she has written the Erec Rex books, two of the most fun, exciting, imaginative, and unique fantasies out there. The first is Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye ...





...and the second is Erec Rex Book 2: The Monsters of Otherness.

See my post of August 21 to see how great these books are.






But why am I talking? Let's hear from Kaza Kingsley: (here's her picture)


Why do you think it's cool for boys to read?

There are a lot of reasons. First of all, reading takes you places you could never go by yourself. Boys who read tend to know more about a lot of things that they haven’t even seen yet. And they get a great imagination, too, which is always awesome. Plus, it’s just fun, which is truly the coolest.

Is it cool for boys to write? Why?

Yes! Writing is extremely cool for anyone. It’s something that you can do that creates a world all your own, and you can make anything happen in it. Who knows what you could come up with!

Who was your favorite comic book character when you were a girl? Do you have a favorite character now?

I always thought The Fantastic Four were really cool, and read the comics when I was growing up. I liked the guy that could stretch a lot. Now I just love the movies that are out about these characters, like Iron Man. I think the Superman movies are my favorite. I love the scenes where he’s swinging over the city.

The Erec Rex books show a lot of imagination! Have you read a lot of fantasy books? Which did you like best?

I love fantasy books (I guess that’s not a big surprise!) But I read a lot of other types of books, too. I loved the Harry Potter books, and the Bartimaeus Trilogy by John Stroud. It’s hard to pick faves, there are so many good ones out there.

What books would you recommend for boys?

Other than my Erec Rex books, there are some great series out there. On one extreme, easy to read and extremely funny are the Captain Underpants books. On the other extreme, for older boys with a strong stomach and like horror, are the Darren Shan books. He’s from Ireland, and is catching on here. In between, Louis Sachar is great, from Holes to the Wayside School books. Tolkien is great – I loved The Hobbit but couldn’t finish Lord of the Rings myself. There are so many it’s hard to pick!

Your hero is a preteen boy. Was it hard getting into the mind of a boy?

Not as much as you’d think. Erec’s character and personality developed as I was writing him as if he had a mind of his own. I guess I’ve known enough boys through my life, well enough that the knowledge was just in there for me when I needed it.

What is your favorite sport?

To play - soccer. To watch – football.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love movies and hiking, reading and writing of course, and also song writing! Hanging with friends is fun. I wish I knew how to play the guitar so I could join a band.

What is the favorite book you have written?

The last one – Book Three – Erec Rex: The Search for Truth. The hard thing is waiting until summer when it’s finally out. It’s a little longer than the other two, but there is so much action and suspense going on in this book that I really love it.

Which do you like better--cheeseburgers or pizza? What do you like on them?

Man, that’s like asking if I could live without air or water – I love both of them! But right now I’d pick a big, juicy cheeseburger with pickles, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and even maybe a fried egg on top. (They have these at Red Robin and they’re my favorite.)

You seem very cool. Could we make you an Honorary Guy?

Totally! Do I get some kind of certificate to hang on my wall? ;}

Thanks, Kaza!! You should definitely get a certificate. We'll see if we can design one--or if any of you guys out there are good designers and could design a certificate, drop us a line in the comments section, tell us how to get in touch with you, and we'll see if we could use it! Any one who writes such great books, watches football, likes cheeseburgers, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Superman desrves to be an Honorary Guy.
Now she's made me hungry for a cheeseburger! Especially a Red Robin burger. Yummm! Do any of you have one where you live? We have one in Charlotte and I'm glad it's not near my house--I'd eat my whole paycheck there!

Go get these books, guys! You'll have a good time reading them. And check out the Erec Rex website. We've included it in our Links section on the left-hand side of the blog.

Thanks again, Kaza!
Carl

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