...KELLY FUMIKO WEISS!
Kelly is the author of this year's Best 2017 Channillo Best New Series and Best Historical Fiction Series: "Amache's America." She's also coming out with a new Sci-Fi novel titled "The Cube." A lot of exciting things coming out from Kelly! Here's her 7 Answers to 7 Questions:
1. Name a piece of fiction that has recently made you excited about writing? Movie. Book. Sunday comic strip. Doesn’t matter what format.
Oh my goodness, I love this question. Especially because it addresses all forms of fiction. There is so much writing that goes on across mediums… it’s not just books! I think I legitimately have too many to name, so here are the first that come to mind.
TV
I think the writing on This Is Us is really incredible. I love the way each story builds off the last one. I am so invested in these characters, and only good writing can do that.
On a completely different note, I think the writing across the different DC Comics shows on the CW is also really good. They recently did a 4-show crossover episode and even though it was one contiguous story, each hour had its own tone.
I also want to give a shout out to shows like One Day at a Time on Netflix and The Fosters on Freeform. I always love it when writers find a way to make a hard/controversial/emotional topic relatable. These shows are perfect for my daughter and I’m so grateful for that.
BOOKS
There are literally too many to name. Recently though, I truly fell in love with Julie Buxbaum’s book Tell Me Three Things. She did such a great job of getting you to care about the characters and invested in the love story there. In general, I love YA love stories and authors like Nicola Yoon and Rainbow Rowell.
I also thought Michael Auisello’s memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies was such a heartbreakingly funny tribute to his late husband. I loved every page.
My favorite trio of authors is the Amie Kaufman - Meagan Spooner - Jay Kristoff group. They each write novels on their own, but they also pair up for trilogies. Each has their own style and voice, but they are magical when they are together too. I don’t think I’ve ever read a single thing that any of them has done on their own or together that hasn’t been dripping with creativity and world building and incredible characters. I want to be them when I grow up FOR SURE.
The common thread of all of these examples is good stories about good people. Even if the people in the stories are going through hard times or their stories are slightly fantastical, there is an earnest humanity behind all of them. That’s what I like and that’s what I want to write about.
2. What made you first want to write fiction?
I have always loved stories. Books, TV, movies, you name it. I’ve always written my own stories too, from poems to short stories to several (incomplete) attempts at books. I think it’s just a club that I want to be a part of… the club of storytellers. It’s just a matter of finding your right medium. Some of my friends are amazing verbal storytellers, getting up on stage and talking about their lives. That’s definitely NOT for me. Some of my friends express themselves through painting or through music. I find that amazing, but it’s not my skill set. But, I’ve always been lucky with words. Words have always flowed through my fingertips. Telling stories that I make up in my head… stories that maybe no one else can tell… from points of view I haven’t read yet… from a perspective that is fresh or new… that’s very exciting to me. As for what first got me started… I have no idea. I’ve never known life without the desire to write and tell stories.
3. Your Channillo series Amache’s America discusses race and a families legacy. What has influenced or inspired your character’s journey as she navigates family, work, and the modern world?
Amache’s America is in many ways the story of my own family. My grandmother was in the internment camps. My mother is Japanese-American and married a white man. I grew up and struggled with my bi-racial identity. However, the details of my family story were not ones that I cared to share. They are too painful or personal and in many ways my family’s stories are not my stories to tell. I wanted to discuss the issues and themes my family has encountered, but in a way that I felt comfortable with… and so I made up Angela, Judith, and Aiko. These three women are very different from me, my mother and my grandmother (very different) but their circumstances are relatable to all of us. If I do my job correctly, I can take snippets of my real life (like the fact that I also visited Amache when I was pregnant as a tribute to my grandmother) but imbue them with fictional details to tell a more well-rounded story.
More to the point… there have been a lot of stories written about the Japanese internment camps, but most of them have gone back in time. Many are memoirs or retellings from the viewpoints of the people that were there. These are incredibly important stories to tell. But, from my own selfish standpoint, I wanted to explore the ripple effects of what happened. How does someone who is an adult now, grapple with what happened generations before? How has that shaped us? How does that affect the decisions we make? I like modern day stories with modern day questions and answers, so that’s my main goal with this series.
4. You have been commissioned to write a gritty live-action re-boot of the cartoon “Tale Spin.” What’s that like? Who do you cast in the lead roles?
This is an AMAZING question. Are you trying to get me to spin out and write an entire series of fanfic? Because I’ll do it!
I think it might look a lot like the TV show LOST. Where you aren’t quite sure if it’s real or if it’s imagined. If there’s a grand conspiracy, mythology, or all in your head.
Baloo - The Rock
Kit - Isabella Gomez
Rebecca - Kristen Bell
Don Karnage - Michael Sheen
Louie - John Leguizamo
Shere Khan - Ted Danson
5. You have a novel coming out! The Cube. What can you tell us about it?
The Cube is set in near-future Chicago when a larger-than-life virtual reality game has taken the country by storm. All of the proceeds from the game go to philanthropic investments, leading some to worship the game as the country’s savior while others are suspicious of its true intent. The story follows Will, a recent widower who is just starting to move past the grief over the loss of his wife, Kim. He and his friends end up on a crazy adventure that will ultimately unveil the Cube’s inner secrets and may just give him a second chance at love.
My hope is that The Cube is an antidote to the dystopian sci-fi that is so common these days. I wanted to ask the question: what would it look like if we started to figure it all out? I also wanted to explore a sci-fi love story of two adults with real jobs and real relationship baggage. What would that look like? (This may be because I read a lot of YA… and I’ve always wanted to read a love story with that same kind of passion and optimism in characters that aren’t kids but are rather at a similar stage in life as me. Angsty love in adult form). Finally, I love books where there is a puzzle to solve or a code to crack, so I infused that kind of chase into the story. Basically, The Cube is the book I’ve always wanted to read and just haven’t quite found yet.
The vision for The Cube came to me in a dream around 2011. I wrote it down in a dream journal I have and couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s had various permutations over the years, but in 2015 I got serious about writing it out as a novel. Throughout 2016 I worked and re-worked it. Throughout 2017 I tried to get it traditionally published. This year, I decided to just go for it and I’m working with a boutique hybrid publisher here in Chicago to get out into the world.
6. Any nonfiction projects we should know about? Blogs? Columns? Etc?
I do blog about my writing experience on my website. The blog aptly called “My Writing Experience” is a candid look at the ups and downs of writing and trying to get published. All of my major announcements and stories will be posted there.
But, mostly these days my writing happens at work. I’m in IT management, so I’m constantly writing, and sometimes for an audience of thousands of people, but it’s in the form of scope documents and mass communications and leadership summaries. Sometimes I think the writing I do at work has a more important impact than any book I could possibly write, but I have found that for some reason only published writing gets the same kind of credit. Still, every day in my office, I’m type, type, typing away!
7. How can we find what you’ve written?
The best places are either on my website, kellyfumikoweiss.com or through following me on Twitter at @kellyfweiss. I always post anything that I’m up to on Twitter. My Instagram account @kellyfweiss is much more personal, but there will be a lot of photos there as my book comes out this year. When it comes out, if you are so kind enough to post about it, my novel The Cube will be using the hashtag #TheCubeNovel on both Twitter and Instagram. I am so excited to have an actual novel coming out that people can read. I’ll have a series of purchase incentives - including bonus chapters and an alternate ending for proof of purchase, so stay tuned!
1. Name a piece of fiction that has recently made you excited about writing? Movie. Book. Sunday comic strip. Doesn’t matter what format.
Oh my goodness, I love this question. Especially because it addresses all forms of fiction. There is so much writing that goes on across mediums… it’s not just books! I think I legitimately have too many to name, so here are the first that come to mind.
TV
I think the writing on This Is Us is really incredible. I love the way each story builds off the last one. I am so invested in these characters, and only good writing can do that.
On a completely different note, I think the writing across the different DC Comics shows on the CW is also really good. They recently did a 4-show crossover episode and even though it was one contiguous story, each hour had its own tone.
I also want to give a shout out to shows like One Day at a Time on Netflix and The Fosters on Freeform. I always love it when writers find a way to make a hard/controversial/emotional topic relatable. These shows are perfect for my daughter and I’m so grateful for that.
BOOKS
There are literally too many to name. Recently though, I truly fell in love with Julie Buxbaum’s book Tell Me Three Things. She did such a great job of getting you to care about the characters and invested in the love story there. In general, I love YA love stories and authors like Nicola Yoon and Rainbow Rowell.
I also thought Michael Auisello’s memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies was such a heartbreakingly funny tribute to his late husband. I loved every page.
My favorite trio of authors is the Amie Kaufman - Meagan Spooner - Jay Kristoff group. They each write novels on their own, but they also pair up for trilogies. Each has their own style and voice, but they are magical when they are together too. I don’t think I’ve ever read a single thing that any of them has done on their own or together that hasn’t been dripping with creativity and world building and incredible characters. I want to be them when I grow up FOR SURE.
The common thread of all of these examples is good stories about good people. Even if the people in the stories are going through hard times or their stories are slightly fantastical, there is an earnest humanity behind all of them. That’s what I like and that’s what I want to write about.
2. What made you first want to write fiction?
I have always loved stories. Books, TV, movies, you name it. I’ve always written my own stories too, from poems to short stories to several (incomplete) attempts at books. I think it’s just a club that I want to be a part of… the club of storytellers. It’s just a matter of finding your right medium. Some of my friends are amazing verbal storytellers, getting up on stage and talking about their lives. That’s definitely NOT for me. Some of my friends express themselves through painting or through music. I find that amazing, but it’s not my skill set. But, I’ve always been lucky with words. Words have always flowed through my fingertips. Telling stories that I make up in my head… stories that maybe no one else can tell… from points of view I haven’t read yet… from a perspective that is fresh or new… that’s very exciting to me. As for what first got me started… I have no idea. I’ve never known life without the desire to write and tell stories.
3. Your Channillo series Amache’s America discusses race and a families legacy. What has influenced or inspired your character’s journey as she navigates family, work, and the modern world?
Amache’s America is in many ways the story of my own family. My grandmother was in the internment camps. My mother is Japanese-American and married a white man. I grew up and struggled with my bi-racial identity. However, the details of my family story were not ones that I cared to share. They are too painful or personal and in many ways my family’s stories are not my stories to tell. I wanted to discuss the issues and themes my family has encountered, but in a way that I felt comfortable with… and so I made up Angela, Judith, and Aiko. These three women are very different from me, my mother and my grandmother (very different) but their circumstances are relatable to all of us. If I do my job correctly, I can take snippets of my real life (like the fact that I also visited Amache when I was pregnant as a tribute to my grandmother) but imbue them with fictional details to tell a more well-rounded story.
More to the point… there have been a lot of stories written about the Japanese internment camps, but most of them have gone back in time. Many are memoirs or retellings from the viewpoints of the people that were there. These are incredibly important stories to tell. But, from my own selfish standpoint, I wanted to explore the ripple effects of what happened. How does someone who is an adult now, grapple with what happened generations before? How has that shaped us? How does that affect the decisions we make? I like modern day stories with modern day questions and answers, so that’s my main goal with this series.
4. You have been commissioned to write a gritty live-action re-boot of the cartoon “Tale Spin.” What’s that like? Who do you cast in the lead roles?
This is an AMAZING question. Are you trying to get me to spin out and write an entire series of fanfic? Because I’ll do it!
I think it might look a lot like the TV show LOST. Where you aren’t quite sure if it’s real or if it’s imagined. If there’s a grand conspiracy, mythology, or all in your head.
Baloo - The Rock
Kit - Isabella Gomez
Rebecca - Kristen Bell
Don Karnage - Michael Sheen
Louie - John Leguizamo
Shere Khan - Ted Danson
5. You have a novel coming out! The Cube. What can you tell us about it?
The Cube is set in near-future Chicago when a larger-than-life virtual reality game has taken the country by storm. All of the proceeds from the game go to philanthropic investments, leading some to worship the game as the country’s savior while others are suspicious of its true intent. The story follows Will, a recent widower who is just starting to move past the grief over the loss of his wife, Kim. He and his friends end up on a crazy adventure that will ultimately unveil the Cube’s inner secrets and may just give him a second chance at love.
My hope is that The Cube is an antidote to the dystopian sci-fi that is so common these days. I wanted to ask the question: what would it look like if we started to figure it all out? I also wanted to explore a sci-fi love story of two adults with real jobs and real relationship baggage. What would that look like? (This may be because I read a lot of YA… and I’ve always wanted to read a love story with that same kind of passion and optimism in characters that aren’t kids but are rather at a similar stage in life as me. Angsty love in adult form). Finally, I love books where there is a puzzle to solve or a code to crack, so I infused that kind of chase into the story. Basically, The Cube is the book I’ve always wanted to read and just haven’t quite found yet.
The vision for The Cube came to me in a dream around 2011. I wrote it down in a dream journal I have and couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s had various permutations over the years, but in 2015 I got serious about writing it out as a novel. Throughout 2016 I worked and re-worked it. Throughout 2017 I tried to get it traditionally published. This year, I decided to just go for it and I’m working with a boutique hybrid publisher here in Chicago to get out into the world.
6. Any nonfiction projects we should know about? Blogs? Columns? Etc?
I do blog about my writing experience on my website. The blog aptly called “My Writing Experience” is a candid look at the ups and downs of writing and trying to get published. All of my major announcements and stories will be posted there.
But, mostly these days my writing happens at work. I’m in IT management, so I’m constantly writing, and sometimes for an audience of thousands of people, but it’s in the form of scope documents and mass communications and leadership summaries. Sometimes I think the writing I do at work has a more important impact than any book I could possibly write, but I have found that for some reason only published writing gets the same kind of credit. Still, every day in my office, I’m type, type, typing away!
7. How can we find what you’ve written?
The best places are either on my website, kellyfumikoweiss.com or through following me on Twitter at @kellyfweiss. I always post anything that I’m up to on Twitter. My Instagram account @kellyfweiss is much more personal, but there will be a lot of photos there as my book comes out this year. When it comes out, if you are so kind enough to post about it, my novel The Cube will be using the hashtag #TheCubeNovel on both Twitter and Instagram. I am so excited to have an actual novel coming out that people can read. I’ll have a series of purchase incentives - including bonus chapters and an alternate ending for proof of purchase, so stay tuned!