Write His Answer

Interview with Teen Author
Kaylie Hathaway

by
Megan Breedlove

Kaylie Hathaway is the 16-year-old author of Beautiful Disorder and The Virus. She began attending the CCWC in 2011, where she received the Most Promising Teen award. In 2012 at the CCWC, OakTara acquired her books, and they were recently published. They are available through Kaylie’s website at KaylieHathaway.com.

In this interview, Kaylie discusses her writing career and offers some advice to other aspiring writers.

Q: Tell us when you started writing and how you came to publish two books at only 16 years old.

I started writing when I was around 10 years old because I read a Nancy Drew book, and it really inspired me to want to become an author. So I started writing, and then you told me about the conference, and I was able to go. I had a 15-minute appointment with an editor, and that editor read the first chapter of my novel and told me I should talk with Ramona from OakTara Publishing. I did, and Ramona liked my writing, and the rest is history.

Q: What is unique about your books?

I think that they take a different perspective being written by a teen, for teens. They really express how teens feel, because I am a teen right now. But they also make a good point without being preachy.

Q: I’ve read your first book, and your characters are pretty realistic. How do you make them so believable?

I just try to think about what they would do in certain situations. I give them personalities, and I let them become like people that I know in certain ways, and unlike people that I know in other ways. And I give them their own distinct personalities in that sense.

Q: How do you know what to include in your stories?

For the first draft, I just write whatever comes to my mind, whether it’s good or bad, or whether it makes sense or doesn’t make sense, whether it goes along with the story or not. Then for the second draft, I go through and take out everything that just doesn’t work. I have to cut out a whole lot of stuff most of the time. Sometimes none of it works, but you just have to keep cutting it out and adding new stuff in to make it all flow right.

Q: What is your goal in writing?

One reason I write is to tell people stories and to encourage people, especially teen girls, that they can follow their dreams. Another reason is I also want them to know that reading can be fun and beneficial. My main reason is to point everyone I possibly can to Jesus Christ. My goal is to honor God with my writing.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who wonders whether he or she has what it takes to be a writer?

I would say to get out there and meet people, make contacts, and just keep writing. Never stop writing. Ever. Always read, too. Read and write.

Q: What do you think is the best way to learn your craft as a fiction writer?

To read. To read all the time, and to listen to all the advice that other authors give. Even if the advice maybe doesn’t apply to your genre, you still want to listen to it and take it all in and apply it the best you can.

Q: Do you want to pursue writing as a full-time career?

I want to go into the editing world at some point in time. But no matter what I’m doing, I’ll still be writing. I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing books.
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Kaylie is already registered for the May 15-18 Colorado Christian Writers Conference. She’ll be part of our author’s panel at the Thursday evening general session, “Write His Answer – And Give God the Glory!” She’ll also serve on the “Working with Editors” panel during Saturday’s Teens Write. I’m very proud of Kaylie and was delighted to give her book the following endorsement:

Kaylie Hathaway takes readers into the life of a teenage girl who has been convicted of a crime she did not commit. Sentenced to community service, Lux Richardson struggles with anger and unforgiveness. Beautiful Disorder is a page-turning novel for teens written by a teen. ~ Marlene Bagnull, CCWC Director