Faculty Interview: J.A. Kazimer

Compiled by Jason Henry

Are you excited? We certainly are! Why shouldn't we be? The 2015 Pikes Peak Writers Conference is just around the corner! It has been an absolute pleasure recruiting the incredible faculty that we have lined up for you this year and the workshops they will be teaching are proving to be just as amazing.

Pikes Peak Writers Conference is known as one of the best and friendliest conferences for many reasons. One of those reasons is that we provide as many opportunities as possible to not only learn from our faculty, but to get to know them. Keeping in the spirit of that very statement, we interviewed all of our faculty members to get inside their heads just a little. Really, we don't see the point in waiting until April. Do you?

Over the weeks to come, we will be posting those interviews along with the responses right here on the PPW Blog. Be sure to check in on Facebook and Twitter as well! We hope you enjoy reading these brief Q&As as much as we have!

J.A. KAZIMER (Author, Colorado)

1. What are the most compelling elements you feel are necessary for a good read? 

I’m a total sucker for a happy ending, or at the very least a satisfying conclusion. Other elements I enjoy in a read are characterization, though not the kind found in standard description. Exposition is out for me. I want fast paced dialogue, some humor, and a whole lot of entertainment. I’m not one for taking books too seriously. I want the escape. Give me that and I couldn’t care less about how many adverbs you use.

2. What do you see as the pleasures and difficulties of being a writer/artist in today's world? 

The best part of being a writer is typing THE END. Now, secondary to that feeling comes those moments when you can connect with others over a shared love for words and story. It’s amazing to go to a conference, and know these are your people. Your tribe. The difficulties are pretty much the downside of any artistic expression – rejection, subjectivity, and the struggle to carve out a living. All of which can be overcome if you hold onto that passion for typing THE END.

3. What is the best career/writing advice someone has given you? 

Marry well. I, of course, failed to take that advice, and now live in a box under a bridge.

4. Would you pass that same advice on or alter it?

I’d alter it to be, marry well unless you’d like to live in a box under a bridge. If they’d added that part I might’ve taken their advice.

5. What do you love most about your career? 

Hanging out with other writers. I love both learning from and teaching my fellow scribes. It energizes me. Something I need after suffering through a fifth revision.

6. What is something you wish everyone knew (or didn't know) about you?

I’d like people to know how much I enjoy writing all sorts of genres. I’m a huge fan of romance and mystery, and find myself leaning toward those when writing. But I also love fast paced humor from days of old like Cary Grant in His Girl Friday. So I blend humor, romance and mystery in everything I write.

7. Which fictional character do you relate to the most, and why? What character would your friends/family pick for you? 

I’d like to say James Bond, but I have a feeling my loved ones are thinking much more along the lines of Thelma of Scooby Doo fame, but without the smarts.

Quick Qs:

Pen or Keyboard? Keyboard. What sort of sadists works in pen?

Plotter or Pantser? Pantser. Yes, I am the sadist who doesn’t outline. I swear, every time I start a new book that I will outline. That lasts about two days.

Book or E-Book? Ebook. My love of my Kindle knows no bounds. Yeah, it goes farther than most of my close relationships.

Spicy or Mild? The spicier the better.

Sunrise or Sunset? What is this sunrise thing you speak of?

Mister Rogers or Sesame Street? Hmm…Snuffleupagus or a guy who takes off his shoes…not a hard choice.

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook. I am too jaded for Twitter. It feels like everyone is on it to push their agenda or sell me stuff, not hold a real conversation.

  

J.A. Kazimer is a writer living in Denver, CO. Novels include CURSES! A F***ed-Up Fairy Tale, Holy Socks & Dirtier Demons, Dope Sick: A Love Story, Froggy Style, The Assassin’s Heart, and The Fairyland Murders. Kazimer spent a few years spilling drinks on people as a bartender and then wasted another few years stalking people while working as a private investigator in the Denver area. You can find her, much too often, online at jakazimer.com.