What can you tell us about your new release, Up in the Treehouse?
Up in the Treehouse is an emotional and beautiful romance—grown from childhood friendship, sustained with passion… and threatened by forbidden love. As an early reader stated, “This book shows ‘the perfect imperfect love story’; it deals also with many other important themes, like bullying, family, death, accepting life as it is, memories … The treehouse represents different “branches” of the main characters’ lives, and readers will get to experience the twists and turns the story takes along the way. Sometimes, love is messy. People make mistakes. In the end, can deep-rooted connections survive the destruction of innocence?
Which book from your childhood or teenage years has stuck with you as an adult?
When I was a kid I read nothing but Sweet Valley High and Fear Street, thanks to my best friend who passed off books to me like candy. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school when a good friend introduced me to Nicholas Sparks that I got sucked into the Contemporary Romance world. I was hooked. A Walk to Remember will always stay with me for that reason. It’s a truly beautiful story about love and faith, with a gut-wrenching twist. I love unforeseen twists in books. Books that make you want to go back and read them multiple times to find out how you could have possibly missed where the story was going.
Which books would we be surprised to find on your shelves?
My entire bookshelf might shock people. Then again, I’m a multi-genre author, so maybe not! I have an extremely diverse taste in books and there’s no telling what I’ll be in the mood to read next. Some of my favorites… A Walk to Remember, Remember Me, Firefly Lane, Jemima J, Ugly Love, Divergent, Twilight, Shopaholic, Ten Tiny Breaths. I just love great and original stories.
If you had to pick one place to vacation for the rest of your life, where would you choose?
Hawaii. I was born in Honolulu but moved to Washington State at a very young age. Take me back to my birth place and I’ll die a happy girl! My happiest childhood memories consisted of hours spent outside devouring fallen mangos, body surfing in the ocean, making leis, and feeding the cows on my grandparent’s property. Ah! Paradise.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Orlando?
It really is amazing that we can do day trips to Disney World and Universal. When I was younger, it was always a huge deal to pack up and fly somewhere to visit a great theme park. Now, it’s as simple as hopping in the car and visiting the park for a few hours (because it’s usually too hot for more than that) and then heading back home. And I LOVE that it’s only an hour or two to the beach on either coast.
If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?
The time I get to spend with my son is never enough, so I would absolutely spend it with him. It’s no joke when they say kids grow up fast! We love riding bikes, or grabbing a Slurpee and going to the lake. We’re simple creatures.
What scene in Up in the Treehouse was your favorite to write?
I love writing scenes of angst and drama, but mostly confrontation, when pent up emotions finally unleash onto the page. It’s at those points of the story that I know my readers are going to feel it. Every. Single. Emotion. There’s a particular scene having to do with the treehouse that my editor urged me to go back and lengthen. It was the best thing she made me do. I don’t think she expected what she got back! It’s one of the most powerful scenes in the book. It’s also heartbreaking and healing… that scene is exactly why I love to write.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
When I first decided to share my love for writing with the world, there was a quote I found that inspired me to move forward. Now, I share it with others in hopes that they will find the courage to let go of the fear and live their dreams. “Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and your faith stronger than your feelings.”
K.K. Allen is the author of the new book Up in the Treehouse.
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