Kimberly Lemming is a USA Today bestselling author who is on an eternal quest to avoid her calling as a main character. She can be found giving the slip to that new werewolf that just blew into town and refusing to make eye contact with a prince of a far-off land. Dodging aliens looking for Earth booty can really take up a girl’s time.

I had the opportunity to interview Kimberly, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, I’m Kimberly Lemming and I write spicy rom-coms either with fantasy beasties or fire breathing aliens. When I’m not writing I’m probably playing video games, fishing or playing with my corgis Pikachu and Bandicoot. 

What can you tell us about your book, I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com? What was the inspiration for this story?

A wildlife biologist named Dory gets abducted by aliens who work for an underfunded animal conservation group. They are on a mission to find females to help repopulate an endangered species called the Sankado after their home planet was destroyed. To that end they’ve terraformed a whole new planet for the Sankado and their new human mates to thrive in. However, due to both a lack of funding and a miss management of funds, the planet’s design is a hot mess. Dory could get past the alien abduction, she could even get on board with the idea of hooking up with a pair of hot aliens, but the shoddy workmanship of the construction of this planet is something she cannot abide. 

The idea started as “a call my bluff” pitch to another publisher. A while back, I got approached by a publisher who wanted to buy a new series from me, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay indie, or step a little deeper into traditional publishing. Around the same time, some folks on twitter were raising a stink about me putting Yeet in the title of That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf. I am both petty and spiteful, so I took it as a challenge immediately decided to double down and write a book so ridiculous and over the top with chaos and millennial humor that it would piss them off twice as much, AND the publisher would have to turn it down. Then I’d self-publish it, as I cannot be stopped.

As you can imagine, this led to a lot of evil cackling during the first plotting session. In the end I decided on an alien conservation planet created by an underfunded research department who outsourced a lot of the work to AI. Then I made it a poly romance and threw in a talking lion just for some added sugar and thought to myself, “Perfect! There’s no way anyone will say yes to this!”

Plot twist: Berkley said yes.

Were there any books/films/music/etc. that inspired you while writing this project?

Anything by Ruby Dixon and Ella Maven as far as alien romances go. Meerkat Manor and Steve Irwin were also a big influence. I’ve always loved watching animal planet growing up (before all that ‘surprisingly human’ crap) and I really got to explore that love through Dory’s eyes in this book. Theres just something really magical about how the world works, and it was fun to twist the laws of nature to make this haphazard planet.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, particularly fantasy?

I grew up in an all female house with 2 sisters. Spinning a yarn and lying to get what you want was a way of life. How are you gonna call my bluff when I’ve got a whole backstory to back up my bullshit? As my nonsense became more elaborate, I started turning them into stories. Then just added dragons. Everything is better with dragons. 

How would you describe your writing process?

Step 01: Get an idea

Step 02: Start writing

Step 03: Get distracted 

Step 04: Panic

Step 05: Write anyway

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating/challenging?

I love putting my characters is wild situations where they have to come up with some ridiculous loophole to save themselves. Oh, you’re getting chased by a T rex and you have no weapons? Well there’s a bottle of dog shampoo right there. Chuck it at its face and see if it goes away.

As for challenges, I have no respect for the concept of time. How long does it take to get to X from Z? How should I know? Ask a scientist. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I once got lost in the woods and traded a cheese stick to a crow in exchange for it flying in the direction of my house. It did. Crows are cool like that. 

Speaking of crows, my dog Bandicoot used to have a flock of crows that would watch over him when we lived in Minneapolis. I used to get him these meaty bones from the butcher shop I used to go to and he’d eat them in the yard. One day a crow sat on the fence and watched him for a bit. To my surprise, Ban noticed the crow and backed off his bone so the crow could snack on the meat for a bit. After that he developed a habit of letting the crows peck at the bone for a bit after he ate all the best bits, then he’d burry it for later. One day I came outside to see a flock of 10 crows just sitting on my fence watching Bandicoot eat. They’d occasionally follow us on walks.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Have you ever mistaken your grandpa’s denture adhesive as toothpaste and glued your mouth shut?

Yes.

What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?

You’re probably overthinking it. Just write. If you’re having fun, your readers will have fun.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I’m returning to my Mead Mishaps series to work on a book for Usha and Ambrose, as well as book 2 for Cosmic Chaos. 

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

Mea Monique, John Scalzi, Rebel Carter