Last week, I reviewed Kati Gardner’s debut young adult novel, BRAVE ENOUGH, as part of our regular Windows and Mirrors feature. You can find that review here. Now, I’m thrilled to welcome Kati Gardner to the Winged Pen today to answer my burning questions about her upcoming release.

Congrats on your debut novel, Kati! Brave Enough has two main characters who are dealing with life-threatening problems when their lives collide. One is a ballerina who’s developed cancer and needs to have her leg amputated. The other is a cancer survivor who is dealing with drug addiction. You brought authentic, eye-opening details to life about these struggles, and it’s obvious that you have a connection with cancer survivors and drug addiction. Could you tell us about that?

I was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in 1989, which I lovingly refer to as the stone ages of childhood cancer treatments. I was eight at the time, so it was a very different experience than what you see here with Cason and Davis. They were both teenagers at the time of diagnosis and it completely disrupts their lives. I’ve spent a number of years working with teenagers who are at every stage of their cancer treatments. Some newly diagnosed, some on therapy, some off, some off for so long they barely even remember their days on therapy.

I’ve seen addiction close up, as very close family members have struggled with sobriety and what it means. I was looking at some of the late term effects of childhood cancer treatment and saw that it listed addiction as one of those. It got me thinking about how cancer effects each of us differently, even off therapy. Because we were teenagers and how our brains are affected by the treatments and the psychological effects of being a cancer survivor at such a young age.

-You’ve made an important point that, though you are a cancer survivor, Brave Enough is a book of fiction, not autobiographical. I’m sure Brave Enough is filled with bits and pieces of your personal experiences, probably some funny and some more poignant. Would you like to share a personal experience that made it into the story?

Well, my passion for Cancer Camp is pretty evident. That’s probably the biggest part of “me” in the book. And believe me, I would have had a whole book just of camp if I could have. I’ve seen where readers have asked and wanted more camp. And I love that! I want more camp!

Mari is probably the most like me in the book, though she’s more vocal and almost harsh at times. We share the same amputation level and have similar feelings about prosthetic legs.

But, the part where Noah is accused of using his grandparents disabled sticker to park in the reserved parking spot is something straight out of my life. Still to this day I get harassed about that type of thing. Most of the time people back-pedal pretty hard when I get out of the car and they see that I only have one leg.

Oh, and when Mari hides Noah’s prosthesis while they are snow skiing. I totally did that.

– One of my big takeaways from your novel was that even when we feel like we’ve hit rock bottom, we can be a source of strength for others. The camp scenes in the book are so great. Imagining kids who have survived or who are struggling with cancer experiencing pure joy is something that is hard for many of us to picture ourselves. Would you like to give a shout out to your personal connection with cancer camp?

Since 1990 I’ve been lucky enough to attend Camp Sunshine (www.mycampsunshine.com) in Georgia. This will be my tenth year as a volunteer and I have watched camp change teenagers. They often come to camp weary and afraid, feeling isolated and alone, but leave with new confidence and new friendships.

-I want to give you a personal BIG THANKS for recommending Beth Revis’ Paper Hearts Workbook, which has given me a nudge to get back to my own WIP. I was already a big fan of Beth’s fiction, and her workbook is a MUST PURCHASE for those who are developing and perfecting their own writing technique! Are there other authors you’d like to give a shout out to here? Maybe some authors who’ve inspired you as a writer or great critique partners.

Oh good! I love that book! And Beth is just a wonderful human-being who goes out of her way to help new writers.

I have several AWESOME critique partners and I feel really lucky to know them. Rachel Merridee, Mary Dunbar, Tia Bearden, and Kristen Walters to name a few. And Samira Ahmed, Sangu Mandanna are two agent-sibs who listen to me talk out my plots and are super patient and kind.

There are some authors out there who I just find to be super inspiring. Courtney Stevens (DRESS CODE FOR SMALL TOWNS) is one that I could read her words and listen to her speak for days and it would never be enough. Huntley Fitzpatrick is another author who is an auto-buy for me. Her books are lovely but have a heft to them that I really appreciate. Angie Thomas, of course, is another auto-buy. Nic Stone is a wealth of generous information and her words will sit with you for years to come.

-OMG, I love Nic Stone (Dear Martin interview). Speaking of love, you have a true ROCK STAR agent! Tell us about him and how you connected with Eric Smith.

I signed with Eric through the slush pile. So don’t ever feel like that you have to win pitch contests or things of that nature. I’d been querying for just a little bit when I saw a new agent at PS Literary. I sent him my query and within 30 minutes I had a full request from him. About a month later he asked to talk on the phone. I knew that we would be a good match because we had similar styles. I really wanted an editorial agent and Eric is that. He’s also the world’s best agent-cheerleader. Because he’s a writer, he understands how sometimes you can just drown in the imposter syndrome of it all and he does a magnificent job of reminding his authors that our words are important.

-That is so important. What can you tell us about what you are working on now?

I’m very slowly working on a project that I call my disabled girls heist novel. It’s about some disabled teens who steal things. I’ve always loved the idea of heist squads like Oceans 11 (or the new Oceans 8 which I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE) and I wanted to see how it would all happen if they were disabled.

Buckle up for the lightning round, Kati! *hands you a giant chocolate chip cookie for strength

If you had a superpower, what would it be? I’d be a wizard. And probably a Hufflepuff at that.

Wooden pencil or mechanical? Wooden. Ticonderoga only.

Coffee or tea? Coffeeeeeee.

Sweet or salty? Salty

Dog, cat, or other?  Dog. Even though mine is snarly with me right now.

Plotter or pantser?  Plantser? One thing I learned while editing BRAVE ENOUGH was that I could pour out the words faster if I knew what I was trying to accomplish in the scene.

One last question: Any advice for all those aspiring authors out there? Don’t stop. Don’t feel like you have to do it the way other writers do. You don’t have to outline. You don’t have to write on a Mac or use Scrivener or whatever anyone else might do. You don’t have to write every day. I took MONTHS off when drafting BRAVE ENOUGH. So, write. And do it your way.

Kati Gardner is an author, actor, and childhood cancer survivor. After losing her leg to cancer, she wanted to convey the truth of what being a survivor is like for the many young adults who face it every day. Brave Enough is her debut novel. Find it at your favorite bookstore on August 21st, 2018! Connect with Kati on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

 

Posted by Michelle Leonard.