Village Voices Interview July 2007
A LOCAL CELEBRITY
DARK FANTASY AUTHOR, Kim Lakin-Smith, lives in Barton-under-Needwood. After gaining a First class honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Glamorgan, Kim was awarded a scholarship for her MA in Writing at Nottingham Trent. Her debut novel, Tourniquet: Tales from the Renegade City, was published by Immanion Press in May of this year. She now works as a full-time writer and runs workshops and readings in the local area.
What kind of person would you expect to see at your book signing?
I’d expect Tourniquet to appeal to anyone interested in genre fiction, creative writing, and/or the alternative music scene. But I’m a ‘welcome one and all’ kind of a writer. Authors should never underestimate how blessed they are to be able to stand up in front of an audience who want to be there. It’s a dream come true.
You have a very poetic writing style. Do you also write poetry?
I dabble in poetry, but my passion is for prose. I love unexpected combinations of words. My writing has been described as very filmic. I love the idea of painting a celluloid image with words!
What do you look for in a book, and does this reflect in your own writing?
I enjoy the poetic fiction of Angela Carter, Margo Lanagan and Oscar Wilde. Daphne du Maurier is fantastic at characterisation. When it comes to genre fiction, I’m a big fan of Mark Chadbourn and China Miéville. I hope this reflects in my own writing. It’s essential that a writer reads in quantity. We all learn by example.
Are your characters based on anyone you know?
I take inspiration for my characters from a mix of real-life character quirks and tear sheets made up of photos, artwork, articles, ads, clothing, etc. But once they come to life on a page, my characters evolve beyond all recognition. I’d say some characters pay homage to people I know, but the resemblance is only skin deep.
Your book is based in a decaying city but you live in a rural location. Could you tell us about that choice?
I’ve lived in Pontypridd, Vancouver BC, Accra in Ghana, Nottingham, and London, and am now back not only in the village I was raised in, but the house I was born in. Barton is a very inspiring village with a real sense of history. It lets me conjure dark cityscapes in the knowledge that what lies beyond my window is anything but.
Does your book have a political/social message?
In Tourniquet, the greatest rock band of the decade turn against a manufactured music industry, return to their home town of Nottingham and plough their royalties into regenerating the city. One of the ironies of the book is that in doing so, the ‘good folk’ leave and a black parade of freaks, geeks and greebos move in. I’d say that’s a political premise.
Also, there is an argument that people read for escapism. For me, the notion of escapism is political in itself. Why do they need to escape and from what? I like to think that my book champions the ‘outsider.’
Have you found it difficult as woman writer writing for a male dominated genre?
It’s a challenge, but this is one of the few industries where a woman can make it, and make it big. Women always have to work that little bit harder. I’m part writer, part mother, part wife, and part domestic goddess!
Will there be more Tales from the Renegade City?
Definitely. I’m currently working on Revelations, the second book in the series. As long as fans keep wanting more, I’ll keep writing about the city and characters that I love.
Do you have any advice for budding creative writers around the village?
Author, Graham Joyce, talks about the ‘graft’ behind the craft of writing. Very few of us are natural storytellers. Writers never stop learning. If you want to succeed in the publishing industry, you need to be thick-skinned and tenacious. Join writing groups, workshop pieces online, take courses, attend conventions and learn to network. Practice, practice, practice, and never lose your sense of humour.
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