An Interview with K.M. Kaufmann

K.M. Kaufmann is a Denver-based author who writes about reluctant magic, messy healing, and the kind of community that sneaks up on you. When she’s not crafting spells on the page, she’s probably meeting up with her trashy book club or making up songs about her dog. Ink in the Hands of Witches is her debut novel.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I wanted to have fun and be goofy, so I decided to make a romance between a misanthropic, reclusive witch and a desperately friendly gargoyle who gets drunk and falls off the roof. Some more serious themes worked their way in there and there is definitely a message about community and connection that I try to get across, but the main inspiration was to have a good time.

Describe your dream book cover.

I am actually so happy with my current cover. I think it is intriguing and striking. Hopefully it jumps out at people. It does make the book seem more serious than it is, but I’m not sure that is fixable. The issue is with the book. I set out to write something silly and it ended up having more dark moments than I intended. I’m not sure there is any cover that could capture the weird little story I wrote.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

For the main relationship – Happy if You’re Happy by Matt and Kim. It really captures the devoted quality of Callum’s love.

I used The Wolf by Fever Ray as background music while writing certain scenes as well as Burn Your Village by Kiki Rockwell. Those were for the darker, more witchy scenes.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I’m actually not reading anything at the moment because I am working on another book! This one is very different from the first, much darker and a little more intentional with my themes and motifs. I was trying to play with traditional romantasy tropes and setups while exploring the darker implications of those tropes (can a 3000-year-old man REALLY have good intentions when pursuing a nineteen-year-old girl?). Keep an eye out!

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’ve been a teacher, librarian, and waitress. I’m currently pursuing librarianship. I’ll actually be getting my Master’s in Library and Information Science next year!

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I actually struggled with creative writing for a long time. I was an English major and whenever I tried to write creatively, I would compare what I had written to what I was reading. It was all classics and literary fiction, and I always felt like I wanted to immediately delete what I had written because it was terrible by comparison. If it wasn’t the next great American novel, it wasn’t worth writing.

Then, I decided to join a trashy book club which changed everything. I was reading books, some of which were terribly written, and having fun. I found value and worth, not in perfection, but in feeling and creativity. That club helped me realize that the process of act of connecting with someone by making them feel something – even if that feeling is cringing at a particularly cheesy line – was a worthwhile use of my time.

That really unlocked the floodgates. Ink in the Hands of Witches was the first time in my life where I had fun writing and it was so freeing. I owe so much to those brave, imperfect authors who inspired me to just enjoy myself and make a story that might bring some fun to one reader, rather than change the lives of millions. Ironically, those trashy books genuinely changed my life in a way that David Foster Wallace never did.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I don’t know if it is my favorite so much as it’s the only option. I write in bed. Only my bed. Because my dog (who was supposed to help with anxiety) gets so anxious he cannot tolerate me sitting at my desk. All work must be done in a location where he can be physically touching me.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

It doesn’t have to be perfect; it doesn’t even have to be good. Just have fun and hope that translates to a fun reading experience.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

I just hope they had fun. Would it be cool if people picked up on themes and analyzed what I was trying to say about finding community? Yeah. But I’m perfectly content with a sharp exhale laugh. I don’t need to stick with readers forever; I just want them to enjoy the time we’re together.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.