Q&A
photo by George Baier
Kim, the stereotype has always been that graphic novels were a “guy thing,” and I’m so glad to see that breaking down! What made you decide to write a female-centered story for a female audience in this medium, and was it a conscious attempt to rock that boat?
I was kind of a tomboy in high school and into college. I surfed a lot in those days and spent a lot of time as the only girl in a group of surfer guys who were like brothers to me. I ran varsity cross-country, and ran with the guys, and then in college I got into triathlons and was a beach lifeguard, and a lot of the crowd I trained with was male. I think my art right now is a response to that. Besides that, I loved Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. Both are strong female role models. All of my art is really feminine and girl-power, and it’s not a conscious choice, but it’s just what comes out. Surfside Girls: The Mystery of the Old Rancho (book two in the series, which is out in July) has a bit of Sam in Junior Lifeguards running and swimming with the boys because she’s faster than all of the girls. That is straight out of my youth. I’m happy to see that the world has shifted a bit; I see fleets of little girls out in pink rash guards at surf school. That didn’t exist when I was surfing. Even still, I’m happy to be putting forth strong
female role models. It is important to me to inspire girls to be brave and physically strong and out in nature. Vera, grade school is such an important age to foster kids and their love of books, and graphic novels are a fun way to bridge picture books and chapter books. How has the response been to Anya’s Ghost and Be Prepared from parents and librarians?
Overwhelmingly positive! There’s something immediately captivating about comics—often the images can do the heavy lifting, making a nice transition from spare picture books to chunky chapters. And they’re just plain hard to put down, even for reluctant readers. I’ve heard from several educators that Anya’s Ghost was the first book one of their students had ever finished, which is a great feeling. Amazon has Anya listed for ages 12-17 and Be Prepared for ages 10-14. Was it a conscious decision to reach out to a younger audience with Be Prepared, or do you feel they are both geared towards the same maturity level?
Be Prepared was a bit of a conscious decision. I had already made a young adult book and a picture book, and wanted to have a book for every age. I like the idea StoryMonsters.com | June 2019 | Story Monsters Ink
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