Chatting with Kim Culbertson

Kim, author of Instructions for a Broken Heart, is here to chat with us today!!

Welcome Kim!

What made you choose to write YA?
I feel more like YA chose me. I’ve been a high school teacher for 14 years and love working with teenagers so it’s a natural fit for me to write for them. Teens really are like having your own light source – so hopeful, and funny, and emotional. Which makes for fun fiction.

Great answer - I love it. I'm a huge fan of fun fiction.

Where do you write best?
Anywhere I can plug in my laptop and order a latte.

How do you get your ideas? Do you use real events in your novels and if so, can you describe one? I’m sure that many ideas come from my teaching though never really one idea –they all start mashing together after all these years. I think anytime some specific thing inspires me, I can start there but then I embellish, refine, and invent something new out of something familiar.

How do you come up with your titles? I think a title emerges from a book because of its soul and structure. With IFABH, it was a real collaboration between me and my publisher.

I love it, I think it really works well!

Can you tell us a little bit about Instructions for a Broken Heart?
Instructions for a Broken Heart follows Jessa as she heads to Italy with her drama academy three days after finding her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl – not trying on costumes (yikes). And now she has to navigate the trip in the wake of this huge betrayal. And he’s on the trip with his new girl (double yikes). Her friend sends a care package of “instructions” to help Jessa “get over” her ex-boyfriend but it also takes Italy and some new friends to light her way.

Check out my review

Check out the book trailer:

Have you ever been to Italy?
I went to Italy in 1999 with 16 of my students and another teacher.

As a teacher, do you share your work with your students during your writing process?
I do, but mostly just when they ask me too.

What did you do on your release day? Instructions for a Broken Heart comes out on May 1^st and I have some events scheduled for that following weekend, but that Sunday I just plan to hang out with my family and a few friends and just smile a lot. And I’ll host a couple of contests to give away a few books that day too.

What was the last book you’ve read that you’ve been recommending to everyone? A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Do you have a book crush? Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon by Dean Bakapoulos and You Remind Me of You by Eireann Corrigan

Do you have a favorite library experience?
Watching my six year old daughter discover her own book crushes…

Oh, I LOVE this answer - so cute!

Are there any authors you’d love to meet? Deb Caletti, Richard Russo, Jonathan Tropper, John Green, Nick Hornby

Do you have a favorite literary quote?
“Dwell in possibility” – Emily Dikinson

Listing of your favorites:
Candy – See’s
Pizza topping – black olives
Genre of books – YA and adult literary fiction
Singer and/or Song – Ani DiFranco’s “Small World”
Restaurant – Ike’s for their cheeseburger and fries
TV show /Movie – Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks
Color – blue-ish/green-ish
Shoe – Uggs. Or flip-flops. It depends on the season
Video Game – I’m not much of a gamer but my family is really into Angry Birds right now.

Review: Instructions for a Broken Heart

Jessa found her boyfriend entangled in the arms of another girl just before their school trip to Italy. Jessa thought the trip about be magically romantic, instead, Sean and Natalie barely come up for air. She can't believe it.

Instead of breathing in the Italy air, she's moping over her ex-boyfriend. Her BFF, who did not make the trip, sent along a packet of instructions with a mutual friend. Inside 20 envelopes are 20 reasons why Sean was not the boy for Jessa along with 20 things Jessa must do to break free from the moping, crying, and all around pity party.

At the first, the instructions seem to be working. She's crying her eyes out, starting to get angry, and thinking about all the times Sean was a jerk. However, she's also throwing a drink in Sean's face, reciting a rude limerick, and making a huge mistake with her teacher.

Jessa's beginning to think that the instructions might be getting her into more trouble than it's worth. Will her whole trip be a disaster, or can she salvage her experience? Will her heart heal?

My Thoughts: I liked this book - I loved the idea of the instructions. I loved how the relationship of Jessa and Sean was woven through the story along with the instructions. I'm torn between liking and really liking this one. From the back cover, it suggested a romance. I wish there had been more romance. I felt torn between a break up novel and a hasty romance.

I really loved Tyler - he was a great addition to the story.

There were scenes where the characters appeared so mature - and scenes where they were high school students again. I felt some of the more mature scenes were a stretch.

I love the inclusion of a book as central turning point for Jessa, although I must admit, I never understood Portrait of the artist as a Young Man.

I LOVED the descriptions of Italy, I soaked up all those scenes and wished I was there with Jessa.

Cover Thoughts: Cute!

Source: publisher

Stay Tuned tomorrow for an interview with the author!