Keri Mikulski is the author of Head Games, which is her YA debut. Head Games was released on January 6 from Razorbill.
KBB: Why did you decide to write novels for young adults?
KM: About five years ago, while teaching seventh grade Language Arts, I became frustrated with the lack of sports fiction for girls. At the same time, I was reading amazing young adult novels and fell in love with the genre. After I gave birth to my daughter, I decided to give professional writing a go and I set out to write the novels I always wanted to read, fun, light, sports novels.
KBB: What do you consider the best moment of your career?
KM: The best moments are always reader emails. One particular email that sticks out in my mind was from a teen athlete who struggled with dyslexia, hated reading, but read Screwball and loved it.
KBB: Do you have a favorite character from your books? If so, why that one?
KM: When I’m writing a book, my favorite character is always the one I’m currently working on. Right now, I’m finishing up Stealing Bases (Pretty Tough Book 4) and I LOVE Kylie Collins.
KBB: Are any of your characters based on people you know?
KM: Every single main character I create has a little piece of me sprinkled with a lot of my imagination. And every single minor character I write about has a little piece of someone I know doused with a lot of my imagination. Sometimes I even leave little hints in my books… That way if the person I based the character on ever reads my book they’ll know it’s him or her.
KBB: Can you tell us anything about what you are currently working on?
KM: The fourth book, STEALING BASES (which follows mean-girl, Kylie Collins and her quest to become a Division-One softball player), hits bookstores this July. And two more series books are slated for 2012 releases.
KBB: Just for fun: What is your most embarrassing moment? It can relate to your writing career but it does not have to.
KM: I have this horrible habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But, my most embarrassing moment was when I kissed a boy thinking it was my boyfriend and it turned out to be his brother. Woops.
KBB: Ooh that is embarassing. Yikes!
Thanks so much for the interview, Keri!
Readers if you want to know more about Keri and her books you can check her out on the web:
www.kerimikulski.com
That is embarrassing – but good stuff for a book!
I’ve heard such wonderful things about this book and author! Thanks for the interview and giveaway.
booksaredreams@gmail.com
kissing your boyfriend’s brother is pretty bad, they must have looked a lot alike!
strandedhero(at)gmail(dot)com
This comment has been removed by the author.
haha ya i understand that how the character you are writing about now is your favorite. Its because you are learning about that new character.
sorry i forgot my email
katie_tp@yahoo.com
Thanks for helping me find a new author!
lisa.mcgeen@hotmail.com
So I guess your boyfriend has a twin brother??
Interesting e-mail. Nice to see a YA novel about girl and sports.
Hey, Margay! Wow! Great idea.. I’m going to have to store that embarrassing moment away. 🙂
Awe.. Thanks, Katie for stopping by. 🙂
They did, Zoe.. I didn’t realize how bad it sounded until I just read it.. Yikes. 🙂
You’re right, Katie.. I fall in love every time. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Lisa! 🙂
Thanks, Book Monster!
And thanks bunches for the HEAD GAMES love and interviewing me, Katie!! xoxo
That must have been cause for a real awkward-turtle moment…
It’s awesome to spread yourself out among your characters 😉
That’s such an awesome e-mail. I’m sure it led to fuzzy feelings =). I <3 emails.
Thanks for the great contest!
rivkarno1(at)hotmail(dot)com
Great interview, can’t wait for the book! Thanks for the contest.
probablyreading(at)gmail(dot)com
I love the fact that she writes about sports! I love sports and agree there are not many books that cover that subject for girls. Thanks for the giveaway!
lexie.bookbug(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Oh, that definitely sounded like an embarasing moment.
I’m glad you were able to write the kinds of books that you wanted to read.
jlynettes @ hotmail . com
I agree with the fact that there aren’t a lot of books on sports for girls. WOW! Kissing your boyfriend’s brother?
twilightforever.edward at gmail dot com
Please enter me. 🙂
Yikes, kissing the wrong guy; that’s a doosey. : Hopefully it’s something that you can laugh about now. The best remedie for humiliation is is laughter, that’s my modo. Usually it works.
Another new to me author!! I love finding them, the book sounds really good.
follow on gfc
mlawson17 at hotmail dot com
This sounds like an interesting series. Great interview!
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
Love the interview! I had an embarrassing situation where I hit my boyfriend (I thought) on the butt with my bag when I walked by but when I came back it was his cousin standing there. I asked if he had been standing there a minute ago and his cousin was told me it was him that I hit. Both his girlfriend and my boyfriend saw and I was mortified!
bball11kt(at)sbcglobal.net
Awesome banter 😀
lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com
Kissing the wrong guy? That sounds awful. I though my embarrassing moments were bad, but Mikulski has me beat. lol 🙂
Anyway, this series looks really good! I haven’t read any YA sports fiction before.
Thanks for the giveaway!
theresa9854@gmail.com
Lovely interview. That’s what its so appealing about authors, they can touch their readers lives with a few words.
Oh, that is embarrassing. I would probably die right there of embarrassment.
vicky216n@hotmail.com
That is one of the most embarrasing situations ever! What did the brother say? Did you tell your boyfriend? Great interview!
jacindahinten(at)gmail(dot)com
This book sounds very good love finding new books to read! thank you very much for the great giveaway 🙂
tishajean@ charter.net
Were the brothers twins or something? I think that’s quite funny actually. Thanks for introducing a new author!
findjessyhere at gmail dot com
I want to know the conversation after the brother incident lol. Thanks!
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
Great interview. I enjoyed reading your answers.
Crystal816[at]hotmail[dot}com
Your review for Head Games really sparked my interest!
And wow, that is really embarassing, no kidding lol.
Thanks for the chance to win!
brainytex@gmail.com
Great interview! I’m happy to see you found something to interest teens besides vampire stories to write about! I think that’s inspiring. And many of us had the bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time (some of us still do!)!
meredithfl at gmail dot com
Goodness that would be embarrassing and hard to explain!
Thanks for the interview. I love to hear about different authors.
themgowl at gmail.com
Great interview! That is a very embarrassing situation.
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
I’m a big fan of Razorbill books so I’m sure I’d love this book!
Thanks for the giveaway and the interview!
Fun interview! And that is embarrassing! Lol.
ambience.of.rain (at) gmail (dot) com
I love what she said about sometimes leaving little hints of who her minor characters are slightly based off of. That’s fun! My to-read list is getting way too long.
I’d love to enter the giveaway too (gotta support that book fund!)- email is: quilloncole(AT)gmail(DOT)com. That’s awesome that you’re doing this!