It's Finally Friday! (4): Interview with Komal Kant

Hi lovely readers and followers! As part of our weekly It's Finally Friday! posts, this week we have Komal Kant, author of the With Me series currently comprised of Impossible and Falling for Hadie. I recently read the latter novel, and despite the fact that it is a sequel, I loved that it could actually be read as a standalone without really missing much. If you're looking for a good contemporary, be sure to check it out. And now, without further ado, the interview!

Zareen: What is your favorite book of all time?

Komal: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Zareen: What was your inspiration to write your book?

Komal: For Impossible, my inspiration was the film Drive Me Crazy. I wanted to take the concept of childhood friends drifting apart and put my own spin on it. As for Falling for Hadie, I wanted to write a story about an issue close to my heart.

Zareen: What is one book you wish you had written?

Komal: Wuthering Heights. I’m crazy obsessed with that book!

Zareen: Why did you start writing books for young adults? And why this genre?

Komal: I started writing YA books because it’s a genre that I love reading. I think there are a lot of universal issues that teens go through and I love being able to explore all those feelings and emotions that teens experience in their formative years.

Zareen:  What makes your book so different from all the books out there?

Komal: I like to try different things. In my debut novel, Impossible, I created a main character who was supposed to be hated. In the second book in the series, Falling for Hadie, I do things that some readers will never forgive me for.

Zareen: Are you currently working on anything new? If so can we get a clue on what it is ;D? 

Komal: I’m currently working on Wrong Side of Town, which is the third book in the With Me series. I’m also co-writing a NA Contemporary Romance with my friend, Erica Cope, titled Unfamiliar. And I will have a Paranormal YA, Runaway Mortal, also releasing later this year.

Zareen: Who was your favorite character in the whole story? And why?

Komal: In Impossible, I love Luca Byron. I don’t really think you could go wrong crushing on Luca Byron. In Falling for Hadie, I have a lot of favourite characters, but I think I loved Hadie’s parents the most. They were so much fun to write!

Zareen: Any tips or tricks for aspiring writers?

Komal: Just write. Seriously. Write like a freaking, crazy maniac who’s consumed ten cups of coffee. Maybe consume ten cups of coffee. Then write like a freaking, crazy maniac.

Zareen: What is your writing atmosphere like?

Komal: Pretty chill and relaxed. I like to feel completely calm just before I start writing.

Speed Round Questions

Zareen: Favorite food? 

Komal: Broccoli because I’m a total health freak

Zareen: If you were stranded on an island, what 5 things would you take? One person=one item! 

Komal: I would take lots of books to read, probably my mum because she is awesome, my best friend to keep me company, one of my dogs, and fresh water because I’m practical like that.

Zareen: Turtle or fish? 

Komal: Turtle all the way!

Zareen: Reading or writing? 

Komal: Ooh! Tough question! My answer would probably change on a different day, but today I’m saying writing.

Zareen: Print books or e-books? 

Komal: I like both, but probably leaning towards e-books more now.

Zareen: Favorite book store? 

Komal: There’s a neat book store close to where I live. I like going there. =)

Zareen: Favorite city in the world? 

Komal: Lautoka, which is in Fiji where I was born. =)

About Falling for Hadie

“Sometimes there is a single moment that changes your life forever.”

Hadie Swinton is giving up on boys.

After a disastrous relationship, she is convinced that all males are the same—arrogant, self-assured, and complete jerks.
Lincoln Bracks is giving up on his old life.

After moving to a new town to escape the problems plaguing him, he is set against ever getting close to anyone again.
When Hadie and Lincoln’s worlds collide, their intrigue for one another leads them to open up to each other against their better judgment. Despite the attraction that is pulling them together, insecurities, secrets, and shattered hopes stand in the way of them ever being together.

At a time when darkness consumes their lives, Hadie and Lincoln learn that hope and love can still be found in the most unlikely place.

About the Author

Komal Kant is the author of Impossible, Falling for Hadie, and the upcoming Wrong Side of Town.
She currently lives in Sydney, but wishes she lived all over the world.

Her weird-filled days are filled with imaginary characters who often speak to her in hushed tones before stealing her lunch money; Siberian Huskies who talk back a lot; and the growing need to clone herself so she can write faster.

You can often find her swooning over fictional male characters who smirk a lot, superhero-related movies, and Ryan Gosling. So if there was ever a superhero movie with Ryan Gosling in it smirking a lot, she would pass out from an overload of swooniness.