Get to Know Kat Zhang

Welcome to Get to Know [Author], an interview series wherein I ask questions that help us get to know the person behind the book. This week I’m featuring Kat Zhang, the author of What’s Left of Me! To learn more about What’s Left of Me, check out my review! If you’re looking for a quick rundown, here’s the deal: Addie and Eva share a body, as do all children in their world. The thing is, one of them should have disappeared by now, and their parents (as well as the government) are getting worried. So they’re shipped off to a correctional facility where a bunch of sketchy stuff happens.

Quickie Questions
Planner or pantser? Both, but more of a panster!
Ideal vacation spot? A beautiful city
Favorite place to write? My bed ;)
Current jam? RENT soundtrack ;)
Current read? Just finished VIRTUOSITY! (x)

Lengthier Questions
Three fun facts about yourself?
1. I used to run cross country in high school
2. I don’t like mashed potatoes (sacrilege! I know!)
3. I once spent a year baking bread from scratch every week

You’re still in college! Is it a challenge to balance writing and schoolwork? Any tips for students, like yourself, who want to write?
Sometimes it is a challenge to balance the two, especially when you factor in a social life :P I enjoy writing and publishing so much, though, which helps a lot when things get stressful.

As for tips for other students: keep writing, keep hoping, keep trying (if you’re aiming for publication). It can be hard to give advice on how to get published since everyone’s journey works in different ways, but storytelling/writing is a skill like any other, and while many other aspects of the business are out of your control, you can control how much you “practice” at getting to be a better writer. Also, keep yourself informed about the industry, but try not to get too obsessed!

Don’t be afraid to take your writing seriously. But at the same time, don’t forget to enjoy everything else. I guess that really applies to all writers, young or not!

If you lived in the world of WHAT’S LEFT OF ME, would you want to keep your second soul or hope that it faded?
There are definitely a lot of downsides to having to share your body, but I don’t know if I could hope that someone so close to me doesn’t get a chance to live!

Comment question for readers: How do you balance school/work and hobbies? Do you think one of your hobbies could become a potential career (like Kat’s)?

Kat Zhang spent most of her childhood tramping through a world weaved from her favorite stories and games. When she and her best friend weren’t riding magic horses or talking to trees, they were writing adaptations of plays for their stuffed animals (what would The Wizard of Oz have been like if the Cowardly Lion were replaced by a Loquacious Lamb?). This may or may not explain many of Kat’s quirks today. By the age of twelve, Kat had started her first novel and begun plans for her life as a Real Live Author (she was rather more confident at twelve than she is even now). Said plans didn’t come into fruition until seven years later, when her agent sold her trilogy, The Hybrid Chronicles, to HarperCollins.