Kayla Ancrum Author Spotlight
NovelPad
Just write.
Kayla Ancrum is the author of award-winning thrillers, notably $ The Wicker King$ and most recently $ Lethal Lit: Murder of Crows$ . She's a Chicago native passionate about diversity and representation in young adult fiction. Kayla currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute.
The sentiment "no one can write your story but you" is so clearly illustrated in how Kayla Ancrum crafts her stories. Ancrum has something increasingly rare in modern fiction—artistry. Her work strays far from the beaten path of YA, both in content and in presentation. If you're looking to add something unique and wholehearted to your reading list, do yourself a favor and grab one of Ancrum's.
What are the best and worst reactions you can remember receiving about your writing?
"I read all of my reviews, so I have a strong understanding of what my general readership thinks are my strengths and weaknesses. Learning that everyone has noticed that I'm terrible at describing environments, and realizing that it's because of ADHD-related spatial perception, was a hard one. I'm leaning further into this weakness as a stylistic choice, though. I tried to do more description in $ DARLING$ , but there were complaints about it, so I'm pulling back from doing things that don't come naturally to me."
What's something you like to use in writing sessions?
"$ Cold Turkey$ , which is a program that locks your computer screen for the entire duration of your writing process. It’s just a blank page with no other features, designed to force you to meet a pre-set word-count in order to gain access."
How long did it take to write $ Murder of Crows$ ?
"I was on a crunch time for it, so I wrote it in about 3.5 weeks!"
You write YA, but you touch on themes some readers might consider "adult". I'm thinking specifically of the dynamics in $ The Wicker King$ between the three main characters. Do you ever have to fight with your editor or publisher to keep those elements in the book?
"Not really! I've lucked out with the editors I had. They're always pushing for more authenticity and breaking boundaries, and it’s just been a lovely time."
Describe your ideal writing session.
"From 10pm to 2am, no music, no distractions, with a glass of Merlot afterwards while I listen to my work on a text-to-speech app."
What’s a word or phrase you use too often that you end up cutting from your final manuscript?
"Every author has gestures they overuse and mine are 'sighed' and 'looked'. We do a LOT of meaningful gazes in real life, and it's hard not to include this vital aspect of communication."
What was your favorite book as a kid?
"I was very into A Series of Unfortunate Events in particular $ The Austere Academy$ and $ The Wide Window$ , which I thought were the funniest of the series."
Can you tell me about something that totally shifted the way you see writing?
"$ A Wrinkle In Time$ was extremely influential and was the reason I started writing in the first place. I read it when I was twelve, and I remember thinking, 'I want to make something that makes other people feel the way this book made me feel.'
I adored its focus on love and tenderness as an incredible power. In particular, the scenes with Aunt Beast and what an incredible creature that was. There was such a pointed focus on understanding instinctive comforts and human weaknesses in that book. It very much felt like a love letter as a whole. Built very carefully by someone wanting children to understand something."
Which part of a book is the most fun for you to write? Which is the most difficult?
"I adore outlining and editing. The first draft is the roughest, but that's to be expected."
Can you think of a significant way that writing has changed you as a person?
"I think the instant I started writing, it changed the way I look at stories permanently. The longer I remain a writer, the more my way of looking at stories continues to get queerer. This applies to all stories, whether they're in-person word-of-mouth, movies, TV, video games, podcasts... I am now only experiencing them as someone who has spent a long time creating them.
A fun side effect of this is that I no longer only consume works of quality for quality's sake. Sometimes I enjoy horribly crafted things for the sheer thrill of their terribleness. I also love critically panned media for singular aspects of it that shine above it as unique and valuable storytelling. For example, the film The Village."
What's a reason you'd give an aspiring author for not pursuing a writing career?
"I think if you have a fear of critique, then lifting your work up for public consumption and analysis is going to negatively impact you to the point of damage. I have seen authors completely break down over reactions to their work, and it’s really sad and difficult to watch. Being a person who can either ignore the rabble, or immediately turn critique into action and improvement, is a vital aspect of the job."
What's a reason you'd give them for doing it anyway?
"I would say that it’s always good to give something like this 'a good old college try'. There are plenty of people who tossed their art at traditional publishing and had it tossed back, then self-published and are living their best lives with their new readers. Subbing to Trad Pub is free; the only true cost is your sense of peace haha."
What message do you try to send with your writing?
"I like found families/ensemble casts and generational trauma/impact. Exploring the concept of community, and what it means to grow up in them, through these lenses offers such a lovely playing field for teaching important lessons."
Who is that message for?
"I think when you write YA, you're writing for two major groups: kids and the adults who love them.
I think about how adults will feel watching the kids in my books healing their community by breaking generational curses.
I also think about the kids reading them, seeing these found families loving each other and trying their best, and it feels like a good thing to strive for as an author."
Kayla Ancrum is an artist you want to keep track of, so follow her on $ Twitter$ to keep up with her current projects!
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