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| Alysha Kaye, Author THE WAITING ROOM |
Author Alysha
Kaye will release her novel, THE WAITING ROOM, on July 1 - a romance about an ordinary couple, Jude and Nina, who are in love. When Jude
dies, he awakens in a room that looks like an airport terminal where he waits for his name to be called
out of a group of souls. But his name is not called. Instead, he waits for
Nina.
Kaye—who has a BA in creative writing—teaches in Austin, TX, a vocation she enjoys as much as
writing. When she’s not teaching or writing, she enjoys exploring the restaurants,
bars, parks, and museums of Austin.
Q: How did you
conceive of the idea for THE WAITING ROOM?
Alysha Kaye: I offhandedly
wrote my boyfriend a cheesy poem about waiting for him after death—being reborn
together again and again. For some reason, it stuck in my head and I started
writing about it more. I never thought it would turn into a novel!
Q: The story of
the death of a loved one is not, well, pleasant, nor would it be a topic many
would consider reading. How or why is THE WAITING ROOM inviting to read? Do you
consider it a romance?
Alysha Kaye: It is
definitely a romance—I think that’s what buffers the obvious element of death
and mourning. Jude and Nina lose each other, yet time and time again, they
reunite.
Q: How do you
engage readers to care about your main characters, Jude and Nina? Is there
something special about their relationship? Are they just normal, every day
people?
Alysha Kaye: They’re very
normal—they fight quite a bit actually! Although they are the only couple in
history who have been able to wait for each other after death, and to be reborn
together—they are not “more in love” than any other couple in the universe. I
like the idea that they could be any couple—the fact that they were somehow
chosen to wait for each other feels more like happenstance.
Q: How
important is credibility to the story? What will make readers believe that
there is such a place as a “waiting room?” Can they appreciate the story if
they don’t accept the premise?
Alysha Kaye: The room is
very “real”—it actually looks exactly like an airport terminal, as you can see
on the cover. There are characters that arrive in the waiting room who are of
every age, race, and religion. The book invites readers to believe their own
interpretation of what the room could mean.
Q: Did you
write THE WAITING ROOM to entertain readers? To deliver a message? To educate?
Alysha Kaye: I think the
age-old question of “What happens after you die?” will always appeal
universally. There are three parts of myself that struggled with the main
purpose of this novel: the creative writer wanted to solely entertain, the
middle school English teacher wanted to deliver a message about equality and
loyalty, and the curious philosopher wanted to explore the endless questions I
have about love and death.
Q: Is there a “villain”
in THE WAITING ROOM? Do you believe that you need to have the conflict between
a villain and a hero to have an entertaining story?
Alysha Kaye: There is no
real “villain”. Some characters definitely feel contempt and frustration for
whomever/whatever is “running” the waiting room, but the conflicts are clearly
internal. I think the most interesting stories involve that struggle within—in
real life, everyone is a hero and a villain at times.
Q: Did your
characters lead you to write what they want? Or did you draft an outline and
stick to it?
Alysha Kaye: I am not
really an outline kind of writer, although I encourage my students to use them
all the time! I started writing about Jude and Nina and it became a rabbit hole
of discoveries.
Q: I notice
that you have a degree in creative writing. Did you always want to be a writer?
And you also have a degree in education. Do you enjoy teaching? Which do you
prefer?
Alysha Kaye: I’ve been
writing since I was very young. I was an only child and writing was definitely
a creative escape for me. I never thought I would feel more passionate about
anything, until I began teaching. My kids are amazing. They inspire me to be a
better writer, and hopefully I do the same for them!
Q: What’s next?
Alysha Kaye: Well, the
novel will be released in July. I can’t wait. I’ll continue teaching and
hopefully start writing my second novel soon! Quite a few ideas brewing.
Q: Tell us
about Alysha Kaye. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Alysha Kaye: When I’m not
teaching or writing, I’m probably exploring Austin with friends. I moved here
recently and it seems there are endless restaurants, bars, parks, and museums
to check out. It’s an extremely creative, eclectic city—I love it!
About
Alysha Kaye
Alysha Kaye was
born in San Marcos, TX, where she also received her BA in Creative Writing from
Texas State University. She worked in marketing for a brief and terrible
cubicle-soul-sucking time until she was accepted into Teach for America and
promptly moved to Oahu. She taught 7th grade English in Aiea for two years and
also received her Masters in Education from University of Hawaii. She now
teaches in Austin, TX and tries to squeeze in as much writing as possible
between lesson planning. She dreamt about THE WAITING ROOM once, and offhandedly wrote her
boyfriend a love poem about waiting for him after death. Somehow, that became a
novel.
About THE WAITING ROOM
To be released in July 2014
Jude and Nina are
the epitome of that whole raw, unflinching love thing that most people are jealous
of. That is, until Jude dies and wakes up in The Waiting Room, surrounded by
other souls who are all waiting to pass over into their next life. But unlike
those souls, Jude’s name is never called by the mysterious “receptionist”. He
waits, watching Nina out of giant windows. He’s waiting for her. What is this
place? How long will he wait? And what will happen when and if Nina does join
him? THE WAITING ROOM is a
story of not just love, but of faith, predestination, and philosophy,
friendship and self-actualization, of waiting.
Links
Twitter: alyshakaye7
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