Introducing Kari Jones, author of Shimmy

Dec 10, 2015

In fall 2015 my novel Raising the Stakes was one of three new titles Orca released in their Limelight series about the performing arts. This week I’m introducing you to the other two terrific Limelight novels and their talented authors. (Check my Dec 7 blog to meet Jeff Ross.)

Kari Jones’s novel Shimmy is about Lila, a young, determined belly dancer, who is invited to join a competitive and prestigious studio. But dancing at the new studio isn’t quite what she expected and she begins to question whether she has made the right choice. I asked Kari a few questions about her novel and her connection to the characters and events she describes.

1) What do you, Kari Jones, have in common with your protagonist?
I have always dreamed of being a dancer. I danced when I was very young, and again when I was in high school, and then I picked it up again as an adult. I love everything about dancing: the movement, the music, the costumes, the dancers. In my dreams I’m a really great dancer!

2) Finish this sentence – “One time when I was performing, __________________.”
One time when I was dancing on a stage in the inner harbour in Victoria, BC, where I live, a tall ship sailed right across my line of sight. I love ships, especially wooden ones. It was so beautiful, and it was only when I tripped over my own skirt that I realized my attention had been on the ship, not on my dancing. It took a fair bit of focus to bring my gaze back to the audience and ignore that graceful ship sailing out to sea.

3) Do you follow any rituals when you write, like using the same pen?
I don’t have any really set rituals when I write, but I do like to drink tea. Lots and lots of tea. It can be dangerous having tea pots and tea cups cluttering up your desk, and I have been known to spill tea onto my computer. Oops. Good thing I save my manuscripts in more than one place! I’m more careful now.