Kim Korson makes herself at home...plus a book giveaway

I have a happy place - actually, I have several depending on the time of year and/or the mood I’m in. I honestly couldn’t imagine not having a happy place. Even when things in my life weren't so wonderful, I’ve always had at least once place I could go to forget about what was going on at that exact moment. 

It’s for that reason, I can’t even begin to comprehend the concept of today’s featured author’s newest book, I Don’t Have A Happy Place. Honestly, the first thing that pops into my mind is … “Whaaa?”

Kim Korson is originally from Montreal, Canada and currently resides in Vermont with her husband and two kids. She has written for publications such as O Magazine and Moomah The Magazine.

Hoping she finds Chick Lit Central a potential “happy place,” I welcome and introduce to you, Kim Korson. To learn more about her, visit her at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to Wunderkind PR, we have THREE copies of I Don't Have a Happy Place for some lucky US readers! Jami enjoyed it (see her review) and we hope you will too!

Synopsis:
When a trip to the therapist ends with the question “Can’t Kim be happy?” Kim Korson responds the way any normal person would - she makes fun of it. Because really, does everyone have to be happy?

Aside from her father wearing makeup and her mother not feeling well (a lot), Kim Korson’s 1970s suburban upbringing was typical. Sometimes she wished her brother were an arsonist just so she’d have a valid excuse to be unhappy. And, when life moves along pretty decently - she breaks into show business, gets engaged in the secluded jungles of Mexico, and moves her family from Brooklyn to dreamy rural Vermont - the real despondency sets in. Its a skill to find something wrong in just about every situation, but Kim has an exquisite talent for negativity. It is only after half a lifetime of finding kernels of unhappiness where others find joy that she begins to wonder if she is even capable of experiencing happiness.

In I Don’t Have a Happy Place, Kim Korson untangles what it means to be a true malcontent. Rife with evocative and nostalgic observations, unapologetic racism, and razor-sharp wit, I Don’t Have a Happy Place is told in humorous, autobiographical stories. This fresh-yet-dark voice is sure to make you laugh, nod your head in recognition, and ultimately understand what it truly means to be unhappy. Always. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

In which ways did writing books come naturally to you? Which skills took time to develop?
Writing dialogue is the only thing that came naturally. I have a decent ear, plus I’m always eavesdropping. I love listening to people talk, picking up their expressions or cadence. Plot of any kind is very challenging for me. I love character work, even in non-fiction. What makes people tick, what their tics are, etc. Discipline was the hardest skill of all. Showing up every day, continuing even when I thought everything I’d written was terrible—this was the toughest challenge of all.

Who or what inspires you to write?
I’m a pretty cheap date with inspiration. One paragraph of novel, a few lines of television dialogue, the overture of a play (anything from Broadway to a high school performance)—one moment of any of these and I can be off to the races.

What is your favorite part about being a published author?
It’s no surprise that I tend to focus on the negative side of things, so picking favorites can be tricky business for me. I feel lucky and honored that enough people believed in me to make this actually happen. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say holding your very own book in your very own hands is pretty dazzling.

After loved ones and friends, what three things could you not live without?
Seltzer (if the world were perfect, with crushed ice and a straw). Alone time. Really good pens.

What makes a place home?
I am a homebody so I like my things around me. I’m a book hoarder, so those need to me with me, always. Give me a throw blanket, pens and pencils, snacks and my family. Throw in some trees and woodland creatures outside my window. Up until recently, I’d lived in cities all my life. I thought I needed external noise to drown out all my internal noise but it turns out all this nature stuff is pretty good for me. This is the first place I’ve ever lived where I felt I was home.

Why did you go with a retro look for your website?
While I am a class A malcontent, I am also very sentimental and nostalgic. Even though I had a rough go being a kid, I still love all the toys from my youth, especially the ones I wasn’t allowed to have, and anything super 1970s looking. Are there any better colors than orange and brown and turquoise and avocado green? Who doesn’t love a rotary phone. The 70s are foxy.

Thanks to Kim for visiting with us and to Wunderkind for sharing her book with our readers.

~Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers



How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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US only. Giveaway ends April 19th at midnight EST.