Ashly Kim

1, Tell us about you, and your writing (themes, influences etc.)

I’m a busy mom of two – and a part-time fish monger – in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I usually describe myself as a coffee addict, taco enthusiast, and paperback hoarder. Even though most of my calendar is packed with day-to-day errands, I do enjoy adventuring with my kids when we get the time – discovering new parks, that kind of thing. And then sometimes, I even find time to write. All of our adventures tend to show up in my work – I enjoy writing about places; travelling. And a great setting in a story will always inspire me.

2, What are some of the ways in which you promote your work, and do you find these add, or eat into, your time writing?

Oh, man. When I wrote Wayward Daughters, I did it just to prove something to myself, after so many years of just talking about publishing a book. I’m not sure I even expected anyone I didn’t know to even read it! I sort of just slapped it up on Amazon and posted photos of it on twitter and Instagram. Now, though, having met so many awesome people in the writing community, and learning a ton, I hope my next launch will go a little differently. I could be doing more to promote Wayward Daughters now, but I already have so little writing time, that promotion just gets pushed to the side. Social media can become a distraction, but I try to leave my phone in a separate room or go to a place that puts me in “work mode”, like the library.

3, What projects are you working on at present?

I’m currently putting together a story in verse about a 19th century, gun-slinging, dance hall worker. I really like history and historical settings in books – especially the old west. There’s also a few notebooks lying around filled with ideas for an eventual epic fantasy series. Getting around to finishing my first novel sounds really scary, but it’s one of my goals this year to, at the very least, start it.

4, What does poetry mean to you?

I answered this on Twitter a few days ago, haha! Poetry to me, means freedom. Freedom to go anywhere, sometimes be anyone. Not only in my own writing, where I can express things that maybe I wouldn’t normally just come right out and say, but also through reading so many other writers’ collections. I read and write for the same reason that most of us do – it’s my escape.