5 Minutes With: Kristin Walker

I’m so excited to spend five minutes with Kristin Walker. Her debut novel, A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL came out in February and she’s one of the wryest, funniest people I know. To be honest, five minutes isn’t nearly enough to appreciate all of her talents- her wit, her humor, her AMAZING butter tarts, but it will definitely give you a taste!

What’s it like being the author of a funny, contemporary novel awash in a sea of dark paranormal?

Hey, it works out great for me, because my book’s pretty, hot-pink and purple cover stands out on the shelf. But there also happens to be a sea of funny, contemporary novels out there. Well, maybe not a sea, but definitely an inlet. Or a lake. A large pond at the very least. So I have some good company with awesome authors like Kristina Springer, Rhonda Stapleton, Mandy Hubbard, and Suzanne Young, to name a few.

Razorbill worked some of your friends and family’s faces onto your cover. How did that come about?

They offered! They asked if I had any teens in the family who’d like to be on the cover, and I was all, Uh YEAH. How’s that for total coolness?

When you got married, you had a Man of Honor- and then when HE got married, you were his Groomswoman. Did your friendship inspire the friendship in MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL? Did you sneak any real life situations into your novel?

How do you find these things out? Are you stalking me? Yes, my dear friend Chris was what I believe to be The Original Man of Honor way back in ’97. Five years later, almost to the day, I was a groomswoman in his wedding to Ally, his beautiful and accomplished wife. I don’t recall any of that having an influence on MATCH, but Chris does have an insanely hilarious sense of humor which I’ve tried to emulate for years. I will admit that a few real-life situations and characters appear in my book, but I’m not idiot enough to say what they are. I’m almost idiot enough, but not quite.

Do you have any hockey-inspired advice for aspiring writers?

Cover up your five-hole, for crying out loud! Just kidding. Of course, the best hockey-inspired advice — for writing and for life in general — comes from The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Which is harder- writing a novel or getting the 4 year old to eat tuna salad?

Oh, the novel, by far. Although, my success with the 4 year-old was short lived, it was deceptively simple. I just tricked him by pretending it was some kind of tuna-treat. He’s smarter now that he’s 5. Dammit.