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Back to Featured Interviews >> MEET KRYSTINA CASTELLA
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| Krystina Castella |
Judy Blume
Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both.
My favorite school assignment was to write a whole newspaper about a topic- mine was about dogs.
When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?
No- art was more interesting than writing but I always wanted to create children’s books for fun.
What audience did you have in mind for your career as a writer - adult or children?
Children
When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career? (or a career in illustrating? or just art in general?)
Yes-I studied industrial design because I liked product design- I consider books a type of product.
If you didn’t write as a child, then when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?
As an adult I started writing because I wanted to convey my experiences.
What was your first job when you graduated from college?
Designing children’s museum exhibits.
How soon after that was your first book published?
18 years.
When was it published?
2006
Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?
We had 67 rejections.
What are the topics are some of your books?
Photography, nature, cookbooks.
Do you focus on fiction or nonfiction? Which do you prefer? Do you find one easier than the other?
Non-fiction.
Do you do other types of writing - for example, educational, nonfiction, magazine work?
Eductional.
What kinds of things inspire you to write?
Nature .
Where do you get your ideas?
Usually while hiking and camping.
What gave you the idea for DISCOVERING NATURE’S ALPHABET?
A photo of a Joshua tree in the shape of a Y.
What really triggers your imagination?
Nature.
Have any of your books earned special recognition?
Many great reviews.
How did your life change when you got married? and had children? Did it make it easier or harder to find time to write?
Easier because we work together.
Have any of your fiction stories been about real people or events?
No.
If some of your fiction stories are factual, do you write about people that you have been interested in for a long time, perhaps since childhood?
No.
Do you enjoy researching or do you prefer working totally from your imagination?
Research is fun.
Do you work on more than one book at a time?
Yes.
Which of your books did you most enjoy writing?
Both DISCOVERING NATURE’S ALPHABET and CRAZY ABOUT CUPCAKES.
What are you working on now? When do you expect to start submitting it to publishers?
A business book on what to do with a product ideas.
Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?
We work 3 days a week first thing in the morning for 5 hrs a day.
When is your next book going to be in book stores?
In process.
Do you like to include humor in your stories? Or adventure? Or mystery?
Yes.
When you do school visits, what question do children ask you most?
How to take alphabet pictures.
What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?
To see the world creatively.
Has anyone ever written you a fan letter that you’d like to share?
An old lady in a retirement home who loves our children’s book.
Is there anything about yourself that you’d like to share - hobbies, where you were born, special talents other than writing/illustrating.
I also design products, furniture, clothing, housewares, toys and games.
What other jobs you had before you became a writer/illustrator?
Professor, Set designer, Product designer.