Playing Book Trivia with Kaylin McFarren, Author of High Flying

It’s time to play... 

Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us.  By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows!  So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is Kaylin McFarren, author of the new time travel thriller, High Flying.  


In the movie Castaway, if Tom Hanks unearthed a copy of High Flying, how would that help Tom find a way off the island? 

Maybe it would give him the idea of a different escape route. But he would need to fasten some palm wings to his raft and hope for a HUGE gust of wind to carry him through the time portal in the sky.

Everyone knows Miley Cyrus is now the wild child in the music business.  But she read your book and wants to let you know that it changed her life for the better.  Why did your book give Miley a new lease on life?

She might have realized that there’s two sides to every story and sometimes to people as well. Although this might make her less trusting, she might be a bit more guarded in her actions and around some of the shady characters in her life. 

You are

being pulled over for speeding.  When the officer asks you for your license and you discover you left it at home, you decide to pull out your book instead. What do you tell the officer?

I’m working with detectives on solving this mystery and every second counts. He’d most likely call a sanitarium to find out if one of their patients had been misplaced.

Superman has decided to pull out one of your characters to be his sidekick. Who is it and why?

Definitely Skylar Haines. She has a bad ass attitude and, for her, pain is a welcomed distraction. She trained in martial arts and knife combat, never backs down from a fight or the opportunity to protect a friend. She’s also a daring stunt pilot, living on the edge and always on the hunt for the next adrenaline hit.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, and the mighty judges will determine whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay.  What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

An excerpt. I always write with a movie in mind—complex characters, intense, thought-provoking scenes, and twists and turns you never see coming.

You have five seconds to tell us who the greatest author of all time is.  In your opinion, who would that be?

James Clavell, a British (and later naturalized American) novelist, screenwriter, director, World War II veteran, and prisoner of war. Clavell is best known as the author of his Asian Saga novels, Shogun in particular. One of my all-time favorites!

A homeless man was caught stealing

your book out of a bookstore.  When asked why he did it, he opened the book and pointed a passage out.  What was that passage? 

Roxy enthusiastically nodded, and while she was doing that, it occurred to Skylar that there was probably a woman being hit by a car. Or a man being murdered. Or a child dying of cancer. Or a family being worn down by the ache of starvation. There was also someone else in the world smiling. Perhaps after kissing a loved one, or while enjoying a dinner with close friends. Or while they sat on a beach, watching the waves massage the shore. A poster on the wall above Roxy’s head was only half right. “Smile and some of the world is smiling with you.” The other half was probably suffering. Everyone had to deal with stressful relationships. Well, according to her know-it-all therapist anyway. (This passage would remind our homeless man that he’s not alone.)

You have been told your book has won one free year on a billboard in any one state.  What state do you feel would be best for your book and why?

Oregon. Authors are popular in this state, and with my husband’s product familiarity (Yoshida Sauces), I might be able to take advantage of the connections with his glowing recommendation in bold print.

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to

pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance.  What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

A sycamore tree, of course. The term ‘helicopter seeds’ was coined based on the way these seeds spiral through the air during dispersal. In botanical terminology these winged seeds are known as samaras...like “samurai” flyers. Perfect for Skylar Haines and my book, High Flying.

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2019 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan.  Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for

stardom.  On stage, you must give an acceptance speech.  What would you say and who would you thank?

I would like to thank my father who taught me at a young age to love flying, my husband who made it possible for me to soar around the world, and my children who have encouraged my imagination to take flight. They all kept me grounded when necessary but have always been there to lift me up when my spirit was low and my energy was running on empty. With their love and support, I find myself dreaming about the next adventure filling blank, hungry pages and the minds of my amazing readers.

Book Blurb:

 

 …ten minutes to survive the past.

Skylar Haines has struggled with personal demons most of her life, going to dark extremes to subdue anxieties rooted in her tragic past. On a perpetual hunt for the next adrenaline hit, she discovers a passion for flying and becomes a hard-edged stunt pilot, verging on obsession. In the sky, following her most daring airshow, she encounters a mysterious storm and almost collides with another aircraft, sending her into a perilous dive. Guided by a mysterious voice, she manages a safe landing but finds herself transported to another time. Eight months before she was born, one week before her father was murdered.

Though baffled by her circumstances, Skylar soon arrives at a single certainty: Before her lies a remarkable chance to change her family’s destiny drastically for the better — or possibly even worse — depending on the choices she makes, before her window of opportunity closes.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon