Author Kelly Anne Winsa worked in her parents' drive-in restaurant when she was fourteen. A carnival arrived every fall, in the back lot. This year, Kelly got to meet the carnival characters who inhabit Robi's Flying Saucer Drive-In.

Antoninio is a modern city, a place where magic is hidden behind barren hills and convent walls. Saffron, fourteen has met an intriguing girl named Clair, who has come from far away to solve a mystery. Saffron and her little sister Lily help and protect Clair from invading forces.

 

Kelly Anne wrote a screenplay, called 'Hi Honey' which was made into a twenty minute film and toured film festivals in 2012. 'Hi Honey' won People's Choice at the Big Island Film Festival, Critics' Choice at the Blue Water Film Festival in Michigan and Best Comedy at the Honolulu Film Awards. Kelly Anne is working on 'Robi's Flying Saucer Drive-In, The Particle,' due to be published in February of 2017.

 

Joining LitPick from Hawaii is Kelly Anne Winsa! Kelly is the author of Robi’s Flying Saucer Drive-In. It is the first in a series of books about girls and their intense and vivid imaginations. The second book in the series, Robi’s Flying Saucer Drive-In: The Particle will be released in February 2017.

How did you get started writing?

I got started writing fourteen years ago, and I began with screenplays. In 2012, I wrote a short film called Hi Honey, which was made into a film and went to film festivals. We won several awards with this film. Shortly after this, I started writing Robi’s Flying Saucer Drive-In when I had an idea about the interesting people I met when I worked at my parents’ drive-in restaurant.

Who influenced you?

While writing my young adult novel, I was influenced by Darien Gee, who understood the story of Robi’s Flying Saucer Drive-In very well, and she encouraged me to fully expand the story. My editors, Susan Hughes (children’s author) and Dimitra Chronopoulos also influenced me because they were both enthusiastic about the story and the characters.

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

Yes, I have a favorite book and it is The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I love Paris and France in general. I have grade 13 French but am not fluent and would like to be so. In this book, the main character is a concierge, hidden but coming out, and she sees a girl who is having trouble. This book has stayed with me and I have reread it because of its beautiful writing. I also love other books by Muriel Barbery such as The Lives of the Elves.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

The advice I would give to a new author is to take time every day, or on a schedule that works for you, and just begin. Once you get going, even if it is only for twenty dedicated minutes a day, the story begins to come out. There isn’t any need for it to be perfect when it first comes out because you can fix it later, as new ideas come to you.

Where is your favorite place to write?

My favorite place to write is in a comfortable chair, early in the morning. Usually I like quiet, but sometimes I will have tennis on the television in the background, as it relaxes me. Sometimes, something someone has said to me in the past few days will have released an idea for a character or situation. I enjoy writing very much.

What else would you like to tell us?

I didn’t realize that writing a book would be fun!

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Kelly, thank you for joining LitPick for six minutes! We think it’s really cool you got your start with films! We’ve enjoyed getting to know you.