Kendra L. Saunders is a marvelous writer. Her soon to be released book, Dating An Alien Pop Star, combines science fiction, romance, political intrigue and humor. I recently spoke to her. Read what she had to say below.

When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?

“I know this isn’t common for a lot of people, but I always knew. As a very young kid, I loved making up and telling stories about my imaginary friends (they were called the Can’t-See-Mice). Even in second grade, I told everyone I was going to be an author. I just loved books and stories so much!”
What writers inspire you?

“Neil Gaiman is a huge inspiration. He’s like a rock star among authors! Elizabeth Wein’s The Winter Prince had a major impact on me, and I’m fairly certain I’ve bugged her to an embarrassing point, telling her how much I love her. I’m endlessly inspired by Ray Bradbury… talk about a man who was not of this world! I’m also so inspired by my writing peers, my friends Steph, Sophie, Crystal, and a writer I know through the internet named Rory.”
Are there any writing routines you follow that you feel are effective in helping with your creativity?

“Yes! If I’m writing during the day, I need to be in a public place, with headphones on, and preferably, with something hot to drink. I drink hot drinks all year long! If I’m writing at night, I like to write late… 11pm-3am is my normal writing schedule. That works best, obviously, for days when I’m stuck at home. And I always listen to music while writing! I have playlists on Spotify for certain stories or moods, and I have a Pandora station with mostly lyrics-less electronica that helps me concentrate. (Vitalic station. It’s great).”
Dating An Alien Pop Star is an amazingly engaging, well written book. How did you conceive of this book?

“I’m a huge music fan. I had been wanting to write a fun book that captured the life of a music fan, for a while. I was inspired by a music video (Panic Station by Muse) to imagine, what if aliens came to our planet dressed in really wild clothes? From there I thought, what if they knew all this useless trivia about celebrities? And of course, you can’t write a book about alien pop stars without David Bowie! So I drew from David Bowie’s mythos as well. It was supposed to be a short story, but the second I started writing it, I loved it. Within a week, I was deep into the book. I’ve never written a book so fast!

My original note about the book, though, which I just found again tonight, was:
‘Fun, mid-20s, realistic female protagonist accidentally falls for an alien in the form of an OTT pop star. Belanciaga pants, mishaps and hilarious sex ensue.’ ”
What aspects of your own personality did you bring to Daisy Kirkwood?

“Daisy isn’t afraid of her passions, which I try not to be, either. Daisy is more confident in her opinions, and more sassy than I am, though! I aspire to be half as cool as her!”
What challenges have you experienced on the road towards publishing your work?

“It’s a long process! I wrote this book two years ago, and spent a lot of time sending it out to publishers before I found Crimson Tree. The waiting was worth it, though. I absolutely love them! Of course, there’s also the aspect of working for years without being paid. It’s hard. I haven’t had time for a personal life, so I’ve been single all of my adult life, and have had to be very frugal with my time and resources. It can be challenging to survive as a writer.”

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

“Write books you love so much that you think about them when you lay down to sleep. If you don’t feel passionate about your book, no one else will either. Don’t worry if the first draft is bad- that’s what editing is for! Re-read your favorite books. Study them. Figure out what makes them so great. Talk to people. Have a Twitter account. Carry business cards everywhere with your Twitter handle on them, so people can contact you. Don’t give up. Writing takes a long time. Publishing takes longer. Writing is a long-term art career, not fast money, so make sure you are in it for the love.”
Are there any other current projects that you are working on that you can share with us?

“I’m currently editing the sequel to Dating an Alien Pop Star, and writing the last book in the Alien Pop Star trilogy. I have another book ready to go as well, called The Unlove Spell. It’s about a modern witch who tries to put a spell on her ex so he can’t fall in love with anyone else, but she accidentally puts it on herself instead.”