What inspired you to write your first book? When I was fourteen I came across a book, called Kim/ Kimi, about a young girl searching for her real father, who was Japanese-American, only to discover he had been imprisoned in an American internment camp during WWII. I had never heard of these camps up to that point in my life. In Europe, yes; even China, but not here. Not in America. I had to know and therefore went to the library to begin my journey. Three years later I put together a 30 minute mini-documentary for a class project and then wrote a short story.
Nine years later I expanded that story into a novel. Why? I don’t have any Japanese ancestry in my family tree. I live in the Midwest and grew-up in a medium size town where cultural diversity is a bit underdeveloped. My reason is simple: I don’t want to continue to live in a conical world. Consciousness does not develop and mature by existing in a frozen pond. Therefore after I had graduated college in 2000, my husband and I drove to Bainbridge Island, just on the tail skirt of Seattle, Washington, to pursue my journey.
Who or what influenced your writing over the years? John Steinbeck. He mixes literary prose and realism with such grit and fortitude that I’m charmed by his depressing and enriching style. The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men are still inside my head, and in fact I have made soft suggestions to both books in Eyes Behind Belligerence.
I’ve also been inspired by Empire of the Sun, Lord of the Flies, and To Kill a Mockingbird when dealing with war, prejudices, and violent interactions between people under stressful circumstances. But more recently, I’ve enjoyed how integrating the art of storytelling with historical research have succeeded beyond a marginalized audience such as Middlesex, Water for Elephants, and The Help.
What is your greatest strength as a writer? Crafting the characters. I maintain a strong, realistic quality for each character which makes the characters believable and identifiable. The consistent compliment I receive is the development of dialogue that builds the credibility of each character by having their own voice.
Can you share a little of your current work with us? Eyes Behind Belligerence is about two Japanese-American families who endure racism and the harsh elements of desert life while imprisoned in American concentration camps during WWII. Told in five parts, this novel unravels the challenges between two unlikely Nisei friends, Jim and Russell, into adulthood. As restrictions are imposed, (even in the safe, rural community of Bainbridge Island,) as harassments escalate, (including the F.B.I. invading their homes and deporting their fathers to Montana for espionage trials,) the fated day arrives: evacuation of all Japanese civilians. Rounded up like cattle, tagged, they are hauled to the fringes of Death Valley: Manzanar.
Together they must survive racism, gang violence, and the harsh elements of the environment. Together they must prove their loyalty, especially after a tragic riot on the eve of Pearl Harbor’s anniversary. While Russell enlists in a segregated army, becoming part of one the most decorated units in U.S. history, Jim is sent to a different camp for the “No-No” boys: those who are marked disloyal. Removed from their families, they are forced to reevaluate their identities and discover, most importantly, what it means to forgive.
How did you come up with the title? I think the word, belligerence, upholds a physically powerful statement about how malicious the world can be; and by using the noun, eyes, represents how the characters view the world around them. There’s a passage in which Jim writes in his journal: “Exiled, shamed and damned like bastards, we stare through these barbed wire fences, our eyes. Our eyes betrayed by this world; our eyes behind belligerence.”
Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor? Very much so: Leonard Bishop. Leonard’s style of writing was recognized by the Gold Medal Author in the early 60′s. Twice. Make My Bed in Hell and The Desire Years dealt with youth and misery. I’m honored to say I knew a great writer. And a teacher of writing. His writing groups still exist. In New York. In California. And yes, Toto, even in Kansas. The University of Boston dedicated a section with Leonard’s books, notes, film, and tape recordings in its library.
Out of all the lessons I had learned, Leonard emphasized on the misconceptions of inspiration and writer’s block, (that to write well one must have divine inspiration, and if one lacks inspiration, then it must be writer’s block.) He stressed on motivation instead of inspiration. He claimed that “[m]any of the problems that writers have do not arise from what they cannot do in writing, but what they do not realize a writer must experience if he is to survive society, and himself.” Here’s my favorite quote he inscribed in one of his prefaces: “I believe that if a writer can return to the world more than what the world has given him, then he has earned his keep, not only as a writer, but also as a human being. I also believe that whatever saves my life must be good. I have lived a God-blessed life, and I want to pass it on.” Although he is deceased, his former students have dedicated a website in his honor: www.LeonardBishop.com
Where can we find you? Website: http://kpkollenborn.com/
Facbook: http://www.facebook.com/kollenborn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KPKollenborn
Blog: http://kpkollenborn.blogspot.com/
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5386352.K_P_Kollenborn
Pintrest: http://pinterest.com/kpkollenborn/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=46096972&trk=tab_pro
“When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.” Culminating a bitter-sweet epic and traditional coming-of-age story, ‘Eyes Behind Belligerence’ sets precedence to fear and hatred, to families torn apart, and to the calloused response of internment camps. While two Japanese-American families endure the wake of Pearl Harbor’s wrath, each member must face the most painful question of their life: Where does their loyalty stand?
Told in five parts, this novel unravels the challenges between two unlikely Nisei friends, Jim and Russell, into adulthood during the Second World War. As restrictions are imposed, (even in the safe, rural community of Bainbridge Island,) as harassments escalate, (including the F.B.I. invading their homes and deporting their fathers to Montana for espionage trials,) the fated day arrives: evacuation of all Japanese civilians. Rounded up like cattle, tagged, they are hauled to the fringes of Death Valley: Manzanar. Together they must survive racism, gang violence, and the harsh elements of the environment. Together they must prove their loyalty, especially after a tragic riot on the eve of Pearl Harbor’s anniversary. While Russell enlists in a segregated army, becoming part of one the most decorated units in U.S. history, Jim is sent to a different camp for the “No-No” boys: those who are marked disloyal. Removed from their families, they are forced to reevaluate their identities and discover, most importantly, what it means to forgive.
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Genre – Historical Fiction
Rating – R (strong language)
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