Seven things I’d like my readers to know about me by Kristen Zimmer, author of When Sparks Fly

1. I always have music on while I’m writing. I usually choose a punchy, up-tempo Pandora station to play in the background as I’m pounding away at the keyboard. I find it makes the words flow much easier than if I were to be surrounded by silence.

2. I make a playlist for every book. Whether I’m writing it or reading it, I throw together a playlist of songs that fit the story and generally listen to it obsessively on repeat until I start a new book. Every scene in every novel has a corresponding song that plays in my head (yes, it’s rather noisy in there!)

3. I’m a classically trained musician. I always knew that I wanted to do something creative with my life, and in fact started my writing career penning songs. Much of my college career was spent at music school studying percussion performance. Shockingly, it turns out that paralyzing stage fright is in no way conducive to being a musician; the quiet solitude of authordom is much more my speed.

4. I sleep with a notepad and flashlight on my nightstand. Much to the chagrin of my partner, I’ll often wake up at odd hours with an idea or plot note. Rather than rush out to my home office, I’ll just click on the light and quietly jot it down from the comfort of my bed.

5. I have a “free-flow writing” doc in addition to the main manuscript. Sometimes I’ll get hit with a scene that doesn’t quite fit into the story yet, but if it’s nagging at me or is particularly lovely, I’ll craft it and put a pin in it until I find the right moment to insert it into the manuscript.

6. I love writing in first-person present tense. I know many writers aren’t a fan of either, but this combo is my absolute favorite. It just feels more immersive, more personal, to me than third person or past tense. As a reader, though, I don’t have a preference; I just love a good story.

7. I set my books where I live. My first book, The Gravity Between Us, was largely set in New Jersey and Los Angeles. At the time, I was living in New Jersey and spending quite a bit of time in LA, so I drew from my environment. My newest novel, When Sparks Fly, is set in Massachusetts, where I live now. I love getting to know new places and including some of the most beautiful aspects of my surroundings in my stories.