April Author Spotlight: Kayla Cottingham
Welcome to Scribbler’s newest series — an interview with our subscription box‘s monthly author! Each month, we’ll interview the author of our featured book to help you learn a little more about them and their writing process.
This month’s spotlight is on Kayla Cottingham. Her debut, My Dearest Darkest, was in our April box. You can find My Dearest Darkest for sale anywhere books are sold.
WILDER GIRLS meets THE CRAFT in this Sapphic horror debut that asks: What price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires?
Kayla Cottingham is a YA author and librarian. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Kayla lives in Boston where she loves to go hiking in the woods, pet any and all dogs, and play RPGs. She is passionate about connecting young people with books featuring diverse voices so they can see themselves and their communities represented on the page. Thank you for the interview, Kayla!
1. “Pantser” or “plotter?”
Plotter. I used to be a staunch pantser, but I realized edits are way harder if you don’t have an outline to look back at.
2. How many hours a day do you write?
When I’m on deadline? Three to four. Generally, more like an hour a day.
3. Who’s your favorite fictional character?
Probably Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter. I love a gender nonconforming teen who’s full of vengeance.
4. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
I really love reading through a complete draft for the first time. It’s nice to get a sense of how it all comes together after I’ve been adding to a story piece by piece for months.
5. Do you prefer writing on paper or doing everything digitally?
Everything digital. My handwriting is garbage.
6. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot?
Probably a lazy black cat sleeping on a warm laptop.
7. What was the last thing (song, podcast, etc.) you listened to?
The Adventure Zone: Ethersea. I listen to a lot of D&D podcasts.
8. If you could time travel (to the past or future), where/when would you go?
1920s New York for sure. I wanna wear one of those fringe dresses and go to a smoky speakeasy to sip gin & tonics and dance.
9. If there’s a spider in your house, do you kill it or set it free?
Kill it—I’m too scared of them to trap them and set them free.
10. What’s something you could eat for a week straight?
Fried pork dumplings
If you’ve read My Dearest Darkest and loved it like we did, be sure to leave a review for Kayla on Goodreads! And if you’d like to receive the next book before we post the author’s interview on our blog, be sure to subscribe to the Scribbler box today.
Victoria Scott started Scribbler in 2017 after traditionally publishing an impressive number of books with companies like HarperCollins Harlequin Scholastic and Macmillan. Victoria is an Uber-hailing city girl who is passionate about writing and helping other writers find their voice.
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Author Interviews, Debut Author
