Pump Up Your Book Chats with Dina Kucera

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Dina Kucera was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After completing a project to collect and identify fifty insects, she graduated from the ninth grade and left school for good. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Her first job was a paper route, and she has worked as a maid, bartender, waitress, and grocery store checker. Dina has also been a stand-up comic for twenty years, for which she receives payment ranging from a small amount of money to a very, very small amount of money. When it comes to awards and recognition, she was once nominated for a Girl Scout sugar cookie award, but she never actually received the award because her father decided to stop at a bar instead of going to the award ceremony. Dina waited on the curb outside the bar, repeatedly saying to panhandlers, “Sorry. I don’t have any money. I’m seven.” Dina is married with three daughters, one stepson, and one grandson. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Her latest book is Everything I Never Wanted to Be.

You can find out more about her book at www.everythinginever.com or visit her personal website at www.dinakucera.com.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Dina. Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

My entire life I have written my thoughts out. It could be something funny, or upsetting, I always wrote it out. Then I would put it in a huge pile of things I had written in the closet. So this journal entry, about my youngest daughters drug addiction, became many, many writings. Everyday it became bigger and more complicated. So out of anger and sadness I continued to write and eventually it became a book. Almost by accident.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The parts about my daughters and their broken lives. The parts where the girls are so sad. And in the back of my mind, knowing I carry a piece of their reasons for being sad. Still today, it’s hard to think about.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

With love and hope, anything is possible. It’s not easy… but possible.

Q: What was one of your favorite books as a child?

Pippi Longstockings. God, I loved her. She did anything she wanted. And she didn’t shower and she didn’t have parents which was at the time very appealing.

Q: What is your favorite book as an adult?

There are so many! A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole would have to be to the top. Hysterical.

Q: What are you reading now?

The Liars Club by Mary Karr. Yeah, I know. Everyone’s read it but me. I’m loving it, as my heart breaks a little bit.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I have always written. Always. Never, ever writing for any other result than to put it in my closet. I have never thought of writing as something I could do as an actual job, or for money. I did it because that’s what I did. I have written some really great things for my closet to enjoy.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

For a time I wanted to write commercials. (I am still obsessed with the way commercials are written… I sit on the couch and judge them) I also wanted to write for television. But when I realized that I had to live in Los Angeles to make it happen, I dumped that dream real quick. I have also written several short humorous writings for various local news papers.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

In the past if I was writing something I knew someone was going to read, I would write it the way I thought they would like to read it. When you do that, you loose you unique voice. I finally learned that the fact that I am not the most articulate writer in the world is actually my strength. That is my voice. The way I word things and think about things is what makes me different from other writers. Write what you want people to read in your voice. Don’t try to write in their voice.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life?

This is the best way to tell you about my home life…

Once upon a time, in a land, far, far away, Phoenix Arizona, there was a family…

Mom sat on the couch and drank beer while dad smoked marijuana and they raised three beautiful daughters. The two oldest girls grew to be teens and in an odd twist of fate, they began to drink beer and smoke marijuana. The little one didn’t, because, she was little. So, mom had a Oprah light bulb moment and stopped drinking beer. Then dad had a light bulb thing that he claims has nothing to do with Oprah, and quit smoking marijuana.

But the children were not interested in not drinking beer and smoking marijuana, so they continued until the little one began drinking beer and smoking marijuana. So as the mom and dad are having these light bulb moments, all the children are drinking beer and smoking marijuana. The older one was not satisfied with the beer or marijuana so she began to use crack and heroin because it’s more bang for your buck.

Then the older one got the light bulb, and she quit taking everything including aspirin. Then the little got bored very early on and she began using meth and heroin at the age of fifteen. The mom had quit, the dad had quit and the oldest had quit. But the little one and the middle one are still having the time of their life. Then, the little one quit. But the oldest one started back up. The middle one quit and then the little one started. The little one quit again and then the mom started. At this point, even the dog was on probation. Then the dad started, but then the mom and dad quit. The oldest stopped, then started, then stopped then started and eventually everyone in the house had a warrant and the shit was hitting the fan on a regular basis.

The mom’s old, sick mother came to live with them and the middle one has a son with Cerebral Palsy and the two of them watch as people quit and then don’t quit. The family lied to the grandmother and told her that all the activity was just one of her hallucinations and she believed them.

This is a story about a family, in a land far, far away, Phoenix Arizona, that at some point the people have quit and not quit every substance known to man. And will they ever all quit at the same time? Everyday is different, isn’t it? Stranger things have happened.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

My glamorous office. It’s right in the middle of the activity in the house. But there are two doors I can shut. What does that mean? That means, there are two doors that can be opened. By people. All day and night. And I can hear my mom ring her bell from here.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I walk around Target. Don’t you love Target? It’s like Disneyland for me.

Q: Were you the kind of child who always had a book in her/his hand?

No. It’s odd to me that while I wrote constantly, I never read. Ever. I read my first book at the age of thirty two. Then, I was hooked. Now I read everything I can get my hands on.

Q: Can you remember your favorite book?

Pippi… we were forced to read it in school. I loved Pippi.

Q: Do you remember writing stories when you were a child?

Yes. Really dumb stories that I thought were genius. I always had a story going in my head. I think I spent most of my time in stories I made up in my head. This way I didn’t have to notice how crazy my dad was.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I began to stalk every person I knew. Then I stalked strangers reminding them to look for my book. Then when my book became available I would tell them to buy it and I would make them cupcakes, or apple pies. I would tell them the book was solid gold or if they bought it I would wash their car. I would, and still do, say whatever I need to say to get them to buy my book. I do not plan on fulfilling any of these promises.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Every good thing that has happened with my book has been through social networking. I know ‘artists’ don’t like to ‘pimp’ themselves out this way. But I believe it’s a major tool in promoting your work. It’s HUGE. I’m constantly on one site or another getting out information for people to buy my book. Try not to look at it with such disgust. Try and see it as your way of taking advantage of the world wide web. Because of these tools we can reach people we never could have ten years ago. Take total advantage of it!

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

It’s amazing that no one has realized yet that we are able to contact people on social networks that you can not EVER contact by mail or by email. And if you do send an email, they probably won’t respond. Social networks allow you to ease yourself in to their head. At least they can see your work if they choose to do that. Make sure you put your links to websites and blog writings and any other medium you have available to you on your page. And put those links on every page you have.

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

It’s sort of strange that when you tell someone you’re a writer, they tilt their heads sideways and squint at you. Like they don’t know what you’re talking about, or, no, really. What do you do as a job?

Q: What is the most rewarding?

Squinting back and saying that I write for a living. And just like a real job, I don’t make very much money and I am embracing it.

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

Again, with the internet. We can make contacts we couldn’t even imagine years ago. Talk to people we never could have spoken with years ago.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

I want to be on Oprah. (you asked)

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

I would be in Vegas with my husband. Or I’d be walking on the beach with my grandson. (I would sound like a better person if I put the grandson one first)

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

My daughters, my husband, and my publisher Mike O’Mary for his belief in my little book.

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Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

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Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

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Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

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Bacon Press Books

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Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

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Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach