Q & A with author RD Kardon and San Diego Writers Festival
SDWF: What inspired you to write Flygirl?
RDK: I wrote the original pages that became FLYGIRL over 25 years ago, when I found myself in a toxic work environment similar to my heroine, Tris Miles. The work began as 83 pages written in WordPerfect, that I printed on an old dot-matrix printer and stuck in a manila folder titled “Book.”
In 2015, I enrolled in the Novel Writing Certificate program at San Diego Writers, Ink. That’s where I learned the tools I needed to finish the book.
In January 2019, those 83 pages, and many, many more, entered the world as FLYGIRL, my debut novel.
SDWF: Which writers have influenced you most?
RDK: There are a number of well-known writers whose books I love to read, like Amor Towles, Larry McMurtry, and Richard Russo. But I can’t say they’ve influenced my writing style.
I have my own style, certainly, as every writer does, but Louise Penny, Janis Thomas and T. (Tammy) Greenwood are the ones whose writing I think of when I’m trying to add depth to my work. I turn to the books of those three talented authors when I need inspiration.
SDWF: What’s the last great book/play/poem you read?
RDK: The last great play I saw was A Jewish Joke by Marni Freedman and Phil Johnson. And I don’t say that lightly- I grew up a theater buff in New York City, and I have seen all the greats. It had been years since a piece of theater had moved me as much as A Jewish Joke. Superb writing, superb acting.
SDWF: If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
RDK: You are not alone.
SDWF: What writing resources have been most helpful to you?
RDK: I frequently take craft classes at San Diego Writers, Ink. I am also a big fan of the book The Anatomy of Story by John Truby. Finally, Larry Brooks’ Story Fix is never far away when I’m revising my work.
SDWF: How has storytelling changed your life?
RDK: Storytelling has always been my life. “It’s a story,” was how family members answered any question growing up. Being able to tell a story in novel form has been a wonderful gift.
SDWF: What was the first piece of writing you shared with someone else?
RDK: In the sixth grade, I wrote a composition about my favorite season. My grammar school principal read it aloud to the whole school over the loudspeaker system. I was hooked!
SDWF: Is there a line from your piece you’d be willing to share? (opening sentence(s) or something that gives flavor of the piece?)
RDK: From my second novel, Angel Flight, coming September 2020:
“What looked and felt right in the dark sometimes warped in the light of day. Yet, the familiar alarm in her chest—anxiety stoked by the unknown and unwanted—was absent.”
SDWF: What are the benefits of working with a hybrid publisher?
RDK: Hybrid publishing fit my goals as a professional author perfectly. I have access to industry expertise, extensive creative control and am part of a community of supportive writers. The cost is truly small given what I would have spent making errors in judgment had I fully self-published. And my publisher, Acorn Publishing LLC, is a curated press, which focuses on quality. Their diligence enhances the presentation of my own work.
SDWF: Thanks, Robin!
For more information, visit Robin’s website at www.rdkardonauthor.com or her blog: www.rdkardonauthor.com/blog-1
Or follow her on twitter and Instagram @rdkardonauthor
