An Interview with Karis Smith
Born and raised in the Metro-Detroit area, Karis Smith got her BA in Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago. When she’s not writing or doing something else when she should be writing, Karis can be found listening to audiobooks at almost twice the normal speed, playing video games like Pokémon or Baldur’s Gate III, or going on a variety of adventures either on her own or with her family.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
It started out as a self-insert written piece, where I turned my friends and myself into mutants. It was kind of a weird scenario that middle school me was playing with, but the idea of it lay in limbo long after that. I had bits and pieces of the story through high school and college, but I still wasn’t sure what I was trying to say with the story. I was simply stuck and had no real inspiration to write out whatever was going on in my head. It took me going through some challenges (i.e., mental breakdowns, therapy, and lots of reflection and realizations about myself and my life) to truly come back to Creatures, for I realized what I wanted to say was something I couldn’t articulate with my mouth. I had to do it through writing.
Creatures is about a lot of things, but at its core, it’s about choosing to define who you are. Despite every factor that shapes you, whether it be genetic, environmental, or circumstantial, you’re still you, and no one has the power to take that away from you.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Honestly, it’s still a work-in-progress title. I still haven’t come up with a title that would suit my story. I wouldn’t mind too much if it was the final version if it’s published, but I hope to have come up with something better before then.
Describe your dream book cover.
One designed by Evangeline Gallagher, with Rosie, my main character, wrapped in roses, vines, and thorns in a horror-esque fashion. It’d be a dream come true if I could get her to do the cover.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Despite being an avid music consumer, I’m not one to make playlists for my WIPs. I have attached certain characters or scenes to a song, but never a whole soundtrack. I mostly listen to instrumentals when I write. Softer stuff to calmer scenes and the highly energetic to the tenser ones, like fights or confrontations.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
Anything I can get my hands on, really. I’ve mostly been reading YA, fantasy, contemporary, and horror lately, but I would read anything regardless of genre if it piqued my interest enough.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
My day jobs are a community living support worker and movie theater attendant. I’ve worked other retail jobs, so I know what it’s like to deal with oblivious customers on a daily basis.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
A lot of works and media inspire me to write, but I’ll just talk about the two main ones for Creatures. The manga Deadman Wonderland by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, and The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.
My first experience of Deadman Wonderland was when I watched its anime adaptation when I was thirteen or so. I immediately became obsessed with the world and its characters, and when I learned of its manga, I had to read it all. Yes, there are some elements that are either quite flawed or haven’t aged well, but I still love it so dearly. It’s got everything I love: Found family, complex main characters, an interesting power system (i.e., making blood into a weapon), introspective themes and messages. All of this lies underneath the basis of my works. It’s such an underrated manga that needs more attention nowadays (and a Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood-level remake of the anime).
Like most people, I first read Salinger’s most acclaimed work for my high school English class, and, like most people, I didn’t really understand it at all when I read it. The prose was primarily a stream of consciousness, a style I had never come across until this book, and I found it absurd to listen to this spoiled rich boy whining about the smallest things for pages on end. But once I was able to look beyond the surface, I saw a kid who had been neglected, abused, traumatized, and failed by every adult in his life, but he has no idea how to talk about it or with whom. I found myself relating a lot to him, and it made me fall in love with YA as a whole. That tittering between child and adult, the time where you learn more than what you were taught and come into yourself through it all — it’s something we all go through, past or present. The rawness of those emotions and exploration of them make YA what it is, and this book made me want to be part of that.
Where is your favorite place to write?
It’s either on my couch or my local library. I also have achieved my highest word count in one day at Coney Island once. All these places allow space for my creativity to flourish.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
Just write it. I’ve wasted so much time being afraid of bringing my thoughts onto the page in fear that it wouldn’t be good enough, but writing isn’t about being absolutely perfect. It’s trying again, again, and again, til you’re satisfied. It’s your story; no one will be able to tell it but you.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
The characters. I can only hope they do all the things I’ve done with my favorite characters: Overanalyze, make fan art of them for their background on their phone or desktop, discuss at length with whoever has the (mis)fortune to listen, put them in scenarios, that kind of stuff. Ultimately, I just want the readers to love them wholeheartedly as I have all this time.
Oh, and to be wary of gene editing and bioengineering. It’s a very slippery slope, indeed.
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