Iain Reading Author Interview + GIVEAWAY!

I am very excited to bring you an author interview and giveaway in today’s post. When I was approached with the opportunity to interview Iain and to give away a copy of his book I was ecstatic because I love author interviews and I love giveaways – and I know everyone else in the book community loves them as well!

Today Iain and I will be talking about traveling and his book series that follows Kitty Hawk – a strong, independent woman who loves to travel and go on epic adventures.

1. What was your inspiration for writing Kitty Hawk?

Iain: It was Kitty Hawk herself that was my greatest inspiration for writing this book. I know she’s not real (just in case you thought that) but I simply loved this idea of a tough and adventurous teenaged pilot with her own plane. The idea was so appealing to me that I had to write it in order to find out what happens to her.

2. In the book, Kitty Hawk craves adventure and travels to lots of different locations. What are your favorite places that you’ve traveled to?

Iain: Throughout the course of the series Kitty Hawk will visit a lot of my favourite places around the world. So far she’s gone to the Yukon and Alaska (which are awesome), then to the Florida Keys (also awesome, but different), then to Iceland (which is a place that has to be experienced first-hand), then to England and Ireland (always beautiful) then beyond to Italy and Austria. Currently Kitty Hawk is visiting Venice and Istanbul, and then it’s off to Egypt and Africa. All of these places are favourites of mine, which is why I am taking Kitty Hawk to see them.

3. Why do you think Kitty Hawk is a good role model for younger kids and what influence do you think she’ll have on younger readers?

Iain: I think that Kitty Hawk is a fabulous role-model. She’s smart and funny and on top of all that she’s an incredibly skilled pilot. She’s even a good role-model for me. Some day I might have to learn how to fly a plane.

4. What is one place you haven’t gotten the chance to travel to but would one day like to visit?

Iain: The Maldives. Definitely. I even have an island in mind: Rangali Island. I love the idea of relaxing in a luxurious paradise and swimming and snorkeling all day.

5. What is your favorite part of the writing process and why?

Iain: My favourite part of the writing process is when everything just comes together and you can’t wait to write more and more just to feel the story brought to life. Unfortunately, far too often life gets in the way of that and keeps you from just letting the words fly.

6. What struggles of writing a book is the hardest to overcome and how do you overcome those struggles?

Iain: See previous answer: Far too often the hardest part is finding time to do the writing that you’re wishing you could be doing.

7. If Kitty could choose one place to travel to right now where do you think it’d be and what would she bring with her?

Iain: As I mentioned already, right now Kitty Hawk is in Venice and Istanbul. And I think whenever she’s in a place she commits to it fully, learning its ins and outs and experiencing it as best she can. But of course she’s also always looking ahead to what the rest of her around-the-world flight will bring. And next up for her is Egypt and the Pyramids of Giza. I know for a fact that she’s super excited about seeing those – who wouldn’t be? And as for what she’d bring with her? Her trusty Tilley hat, of course. There’s a lot of sun in Egypt.

8. Who has had the biggest inspiration on your writing?

Iain: Writers like Roald Dahl, Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sagan and even Stephen King have influence me as an author. I don’t write like any of them, of course, but maybe as a weird mix?

9. If there was one thing you could tell the readers of your books, what would it be?

Iain: I think the most important thing to tell them would be that I haven’t forgotten about finishing the next books in each series.

10. To conclude this interview I would like to ask you if there are any future projects of yours that you could hint about? Anything exciting in the works?

Iain: Currently I am working on Kitty Hawk #6 and Dragon Of The Month Club #2. And I am taking far too long to finish both of these books, so my apologies (again) to my readers.

Thank you so much for letting me interview you!

Thank you so much for these amazing questions and for letting me answer them.

About Iain Reading:

Iain Reading

Iain Reading is passionate about Root Beer, music, and writing. He is Canadian, but currently resides in the Netherlands working for the United Nations.

Iain is the author of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series, The Wizards of Waterfire Series, and the dragon of the month club. To learn more, go here.

About Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold:

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new young adult series of adventure mystery stories by Iain Reading. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty’s adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada’s Yukon.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves.

For more information, go to the Kitty Hawk website!

Check out the book trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxboPL0ge3Q

There are currently five books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold (book 1), Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost (book 2), Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue (book 3), and Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic (book 4), and Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces (book 5). Each book can be read as a standalone.

“In the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series the heroine finds herself in a new geographic location in each book. The series will eventually have a total of 13 books in it (maybe more) and her flight around the world will be completed in the end,” says Iain. “The books are sequential but one could definitely read any of the later ones before reading the earlier ones.”