In Conversation With Bestselling Author M.P. Kozlowsky

Cc.  Frost is your first Y/A fiction, tell me a little about this book. How much time did it take you to complete the draft to its final journey of getting it published?

Michael. After publishing JUNIPER BERRY and THE DYERVILLE TALES, two middle grade fantasy novels, I wanted to write something different, and FROST came to me all at once, almost fully formed, which had never happened to me before. I immediately abandoned what I was writing and completed the novel in a feverish three months. It is a post-apocalyptic story about a girl traveling a wasteland to save her dying pet from a world full of robots, zombies, mutant creatures, and hordes of violent humans.

Cc. How did your first two books Juniper Berry and Dyerville Tales happen? Were you considering writing as a serious profession at that time?

Michael. After college, I was a high school English teacher for three years, until my father passed away and left me a small amount of money. I wanted to honor his memory with his gift and so, pursuing my dream of becoming a writer, I quit my teaching job, moved to New York City, and decided to write full time until I was either published or ran out of money. After writing some lengthy and challenging literary novels, as money was quickly dwindling away, my wife convinced me to try something a little more accessible. JUNIPER BERRY came from that, a short horror novel for younger readers, similar to Neil Gaiman’s CORALINE. Not long after, I found an agent and, the week after the bank closed out my account with my final $14, the book sold to HarperCollins, and I have been writing ever since.

Cc. Why did you choose the name ‘Frost’ for your book, the readers would love to know.

Michael. My oldest daughter’s middle name is Juniper, after my first novel, so I knew that when my wife was pregnant a second time, I would want my new baby to have a middle name based on one of my books as well. We settled on the name Frost, liking how it sounded sandwiched between her first and last names, and so I knew when I sat down to write this book, that the main character would be named Frost and so would the title.

Cc. Do you have any exposure to Indian literature and writers?

Michael. I’ve been delving more and more into world literature these past few years, purposely seeking out books in translation, and it’s amazing how many great works of art are out there. I’m truly astounded. In regards to Indian literature, I previously have only been familiar with the novels of authors like Salman Rushdie and Aravind Adiga, or the works of J. Krishnamurti. But now an entire world has opened up before me and I’m diving in head first. I’m always on the lookout for new authors (new to me, at least) and am always open to recommendations. I’d love to read some Indian science fiction, perhaps some horror and fantasy as well.

Cc. What are your writing hours and do you follow a strict discipline? I read in your Bio that you have become a full-time writer now.

Michael. Now that my children are older and in school, my writing hours tend to reflect their school hours, so around 8-3, usually. I try not to write after they arrive home or at night. Writing and family life is always a difficult balance, but, to me, an essential one. It’s taken me a long time to be disciplined in such a way. When I was younger I waited for inspiration to strike, often writing long into the night. Children change all that. Once my daughters were born, I only wrote when they napped, forcing myself to be inspired in these short bursts. I believe discipline is a writer’s greatest asset. I’d take that and ambition over talent any day.

Cc. Tell me about your journey of becoming a writer, do you feel you have more to offer in the sci-fi genre or you are open to exploring other genres too?

Michael. When I first started writing I focused mostly on literary novels, but have quickly come to realize that a much broader world exists inside my head. I love to write in all genres and for all ages, so I’ve separated my career into two separate identities: Michael Paul Kozlowsky writes adult fare, mostly literary and speculative fiction, while M.P. Kozlowsky writes young adult and middle grade novels across all genres. 

Cc. The readers would be happy to know a little about how Frost came to life, as a plot, as a story, and as the protagonist of this book.

Michael. The story of FROST came about because I had a dog names Romeo who was old and not doing so well. Eventually, he was in so much pain that I believed it was time for him to leave us. His body was so sensitive that I couldn’t pick him up without him crying out. So, to get him to our vet, who was just at the end of the block (we lived in Manhattan at the time), I had to walk him there. He was very slow and I felt like I was dragging him. It was a long walk, both literally and figuratively. Every agonizing second, I was battling tears and hoping there was some way I could save him, that maybe when I got him to the vet, they would have the ability to extend his life, if just a little longer. Then, in the middle of that walk, with all these thoughts swirling around my head, the idea for FROST came to me. I was struck with the image of a young girl in the middle of a decimated city, dragging her dying pet toward the only place in the world that offered hope for the two of them. That night I dreamed the rest of the story and by the morning I was off and writing. And the good news is that my dog survived; he lived another two wonderful years.

 Interview Conducted by Founder, Director & Chief Editor Monalisa Joshi.

Michael Paul Kozlowsky is a former high school English & film teacher, and the author of Scarecrow Has a Gun. Writing as M.P. Kozlowsky, his four children’s novels include Frost, Juniper Berry, Rose Coffin, and The Dyerville Tales. He lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and a rescue beagle named Huxley, and when he’s not reading or playing chess, he continues to write everything from poetry and screenplays to short stories, articles, philosophical essays, and books for readers of all ages.