I had the privilege to interview one of my favorite authors, Kathryn Lasky. She has written over one hundred books in many different genres. Some of her best well-known books include the Guardians of Ga’Hoole Series, Wolves of the Beyond Series, and historical fiction diaries from several time periods in history. I asked about her personal and writing lives. 

What is your given name?
“My given name is Kathryn Lasky Knight.”

Did you ever think of giving up about writing?
“I know that I can never give up because I have so many ideas. I just need to put them on paper.”

What/who inspired you?
“My mom inspired me. She said that I was great with words and have a wonderful imagination. It made me want to write even more.”

Did someone help you along the way with your writing career?
“My husband, Christopher Knight works with me. He uses some of his pictures for my books.”

When/where were you born?
“I was born on the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24th, 1944.”

Are you married?
“Yes. I am married. My husband's name is Christopher Knight.”

What do you think is your greatest achievement?
“My children and my marriage are my greatest accomplishments.”

What is your daily routine?
“My routine can vary but I try to do some writing every day in addition to research and the day to day stuff everyone has to do like laundry, chores, shopping, etc.”

What challenges did you have along the way with your writing career?
“My biggest challenge is always finding enough time to do all the writing I want and need to do.”

Did you want to be famous?

“My desire was never to be famous. I just wanted to write. Being famous (if that’s what I am) is a side effect.”

What do you like to do in your free time?
“I like to travel and watch movies. I love spending time with my grandchildren.”

Are you proud of what you accomplished?
“Of course I am happy to be a writer whose work people seem to enjoy. Proud? I don’t know if that is the right word. I guess I am glad that I have been able to use a gift I was given to do something I love.”

What is your favorite food?
“My favorite food would have to be anything right out of the garden.”

How did your life change when you became famous?
“Well, I started going to book signings and seeing my fans.”

Do you have children?
“I have two children. My firstborn’s name is Max. About five years later, we had another child. Her name is named Meribah.”

Do you have a relationship with your parents?
“In my opinion, everyone should have a relationship with their parents. They are the people that raised you. You should give them some credit. My parents and I used to joke around a lot, even if no other people got the jokes.”

Are any of your family members famous?
“My older sister, Marta can speak French. She is also very smart. My dad lived to be ninety-one years old. He ran his own business. My mom was smart and beautiful.  My daughter, Meribah, is a freelance reporter based in Chicago. Max is a photographer, just like my husband.”

Who was your role model?
“My best friend Carole and I would play together. All the fun things we did together would be great to write about.”

Why did you want to do what you are doing?
“I wanted to become a writer because I had a burn inside of me, a burn that I had to get out. I had to get my stories out to the world. I just had to.”

Did anyone ever doubt you?
“Nobody really doubted me. They let me do what I wanted to do and helped me along the way.”

Did you ever think that you were going to be famous?
“I actually didn’t think of being famous. I just wrote what I wanted. I suppose it was really good, because I am famous.”

What is the bad side of being famous?
“I would say that the worst part of being famous is that when I go to the supermarket sometimes, people recognize me and start whispering. Some probably don’t even know that a writer is standing in their presence.”

How hard was it for you to achieve your goal?
“It wasn’t really hard because writing just came naturally. Of course every writer gets writer's block once in a while. But my kids, grandchildren, and my children give me ideas by the way they act and speak, etc.”

Did you fully achieve what you set out to do?
“I have. But also I haven’t because I am still writing today.”

What was your biggest sacrifice/worst obstacle to overcome?
“My biggest sacrifice is having to sometimes not to spend time with my husband, children, and grandchildren because I need to write everyday.

How old are you when you started this path?
“I knew that I wanted to be a writer at age 10.
 

Interviewing with Kathryn Lasky was a great privledge and I'm glad I got to do so. She is such an inspirational woman writer.