I grew up in Mammoth Lakes, CA where stunning scenery and a few very special teachers inspired me to write. As soon as I graduated high school, I made for the beach and eventually ended up in Orange County with a happy little family and a job as an English teacher.
And then by luck, or coincidence, or some cosmic force, things lined up for me to take a shot at my dream. I moved to a little gem of a beach called Crystal Cove, which is the setting for MOONGLASS; I had the opportunity to go from working as a full-time English teacher to working as a part-time librarian; and...I was about to turn 30 (more on that in the FAQ section too.) Long story short: after deciding to go for it and putting in a lot of hard work, I finished MOONGLASS, which is my first novel.
Moonglass is your debut novel. When was the first moment that you really felt like an author?
Oh, that’s a tough one because I still have to remind myself that it’s perfectly reasonable to call myself that! If I had to pin down a moment though, it would have to be when I saw Moonglass on the shelf for the first time. I started to get all teary-eyed and then my five year old daughter brought me back to reality. She said “Mama, can we go now? We have a whole box of those at home.”
In a market overwhelmed with paranormal, what drew you to contemporary? Do you think you’ll continue to write in that genre, or branch out into others?
I don’t think I ever consciously thought ‘I want to write contemporary.’ Contemporary stories are the ones I’m most drawn to as a reader because I feel the strongest connection to them. They’re also the stories that inspire me as a writer so I think it was a natural, if subconscious, choice. I don’t see myself straying from that.
I saw in your bio that you live at the beach. Since that’s the typical vacation spot, where do you like to go when you want to get away?
I don’t get away too much, but I think the perfect place to do that is the mountains. I grew up in Mammoth Lakes, CA so I have a special place in my heart for towering peaks and crisp air. There is something so peaceful and inspiring about that environment. It’s magical like the beach, but in a totally different way.
Do you collect sea glass? Have you ever found a piece of moonglass? I don’t think I’ve ever seen sea glass at the beach – am I just not looking closely enough, or is it only found in certain areas of the coast?
Yes! I have a huge collection of seaglass and can’t seem to stop searching for more. It’s seriously addicting. I’ve never found Moonglass, though every time the moon is full I say I’m going to go look. But I did find a red piece (my one and o2 Comments on Author Interview: Jessi Kirby (Moonglass), last added: 8/12/2011Display Comments Add a Comment
Great interview! I really enjoyed Moonglass and am excited to hear that a character from the novel will show up in a later novel.
Wow, I can't imagine what it would be like to see a real-life Crawler! *shivers*
I love that Jessi incorporated so much of her real life into Moongass! :)
Now I'm even more excited for In Honor--can't wait to see who makes a cameo! :P