Kim Neville
Author Interview - Kim Neville
Author of The Memory Collectors
“The Memory Collectors is the story of two women with a shared gift: they can sense the emotions left behind on objects. Ev sees this ability a curse. She’s seen firsthand how dangerous it can be. She seeks to protect herself and others from it, and she calls objects with emotional charges “stained”. Harriet views her gift as a blessing and one of the great joys in her life, and she collects what she calls “bright things” and “treasures”. Both women are haunted by events in their pasts, and when they meet, their lives become intertwined in surprising ways. “
Author Interview - Kim Neville
Author I draw inspiration from: All of them! The journey from the first spark of an idea to finishing a novel and then getting it published is so long and challenging. I'm in awe of those who have come before me, and those who will come after.
Favorite place to read a book: Ideally, sitting on a blanket under the shade of a tree. But realistically, I do most of my reading in bed.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Any character who could get me out of the elevator immediately (shudder).
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: When I was in my third year of university, I gave one of my sociology papers to my boyfriend to read. He asked me, "Why aren't you a writer?" Until then, I'd always believed that writing novels was a dream for other people and not for someone like me. His question made me wonder, "Why not me?" (PS I married him.)
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback. I love the way a physical book feels, its weight in my hands and the paper of its pages against my fingertips. In non-pandemic times, I like to carry a book with me everywhere in case I have a few minutes to read, and hardcovers are heavy, so most of the books I own are in paperback.
The last book I read: The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
Author Interview - Kim Neville
Pen & paper or computer: Both. Pen and paper to work out ideas and scenes, and then it's to the computer for drafting.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: This is probably a common answer, but who wouldn't want to be best friends with Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott? I would convince her to take up writing her lurid adventure stories again, and we would spend hours writing together next to the fireplace.
Author Interview - Kim Neville
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Librarian
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1990s. I just want to wear floral dresses with combat boots forever.
Place I’d most like to travel: Today it's Japan. Tomorrow it might be somewhere else.
My signature drink: Red wine
Number one on my bucket list: Write a novel (check!).
Anything else you'd like to add: Thank you for including The Memory Collectors on your book list!
Find more from the author:
Instagram: neville_kim
Twitter: @kaneville13
Author Bio: Kim Neville is an author and graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop, where she found the first shiny piece of inspiration that became The Memory Collectors. When she’s not writing she can be found heron-spotting on the seawall or practicing yoga in order to keep calm. She lives near the ocean in Vancouver, Canada, with her husband, daughter, and two cats. The Memory Collectors is her first novel.
