Interview with Rachel Kirkaldie

About the Author

Rachel Kirkaldie earned a BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from BYU-Idaho in 2002. While she was there, she worked as a writing assistant in the student writing center, published poetry in the school literary magazine The Outlet, and attended multiple conferences and workshops. More recently she won “Publisher’s Choice” for best Christmas story in a contest on ldspublisher.org. Although a full-time mother and a part-time state employee, she still finds time to dedicate to her writing, making it the best she possibly can.

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The Interview

​Fun Questions:

1. What is your favorite dessert?
Cookies of any kind as long as they're not crunchy.

2. What is your favorite drink (juice, hot chocolate, tea, etc.)?
Hot chocolate in the winter, lemonade in the summer.

3. What is your favorite movie and/or TV show?
Ugh, this question is always so hard for me. There are so many. If we had to go with RIGHT NOW, I would say Moana and Gilmore Girls (still trying to watch all 7 seasons. Its a love/hate relationship).

Author Questions:

1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
I can't really remember. Probably all the books I read as a kid. 

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did becoming an author ever cross your mind?
I always wanted to be an author and illustrator. I remember picturing what my name would look like on my books way back in first grade. The illustrator dream fizzled out, but the author one never did.

3. What authors do you enjoy?  Do these authors inspire your own writing?
Some of my very favorite authors are Shannon Hale, LM Montgomery, Diana Wynne Jones, and RIck Riordan. Yes, they absolutely inspire me. Every good book I read does. 

4. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear?  What hobbies do you enjoy?
I wear the Mommy hat most often, with my three small, mostly sweet children. I also love, well, reading, and outdoorsy things: camping, horseback riding, and hiking. 

Book Related Questions:

1. What inspired the idea for The Unicorn Hunter?
Honestly, I started it so long ago I don't really remember. I always had an interest in unicorns and fairy tales, which is probably where the original idea came from. And then, over the years, I wanted to change it to something different, making my unicorns a little more ferocious than what you typically read about, and my princess a far-cry from the angelic princesses in most fairy tales.

2. What do you want readers to take away from reading The Unicorn Hunter?
LOL, as a debut writer just soaking in the experience of being published, I just want readers to enjoy it! But I also hope they can take away that there is more to any of us than what we see. 

3. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about this project?
I am working on the sequel. :)