Title: Fat Chance, (The Kingsley Series Book 1)
Author:Brandi Kennedy
Tour Host: TTC & B2B Blog Tours
Synopsis:
Meet
Cassaundra Keaton, an adult orphan raised in the foster system. She's
overweight and struggling to survive in a world that makes her feel like
she can never fit in. Follow her journey as she learns to trust and
love herself, and watch her grow as she finds love. But will an issue
from her past rise up to ruin her new life?
Brandi has stopped by for a fun interview! Thanks for stopping by Brandi! Lets get started.
You know, I didn't always want to be an author, actually. Throughout my childhood, I first wanted to be a lawyer (but the system sucks), then a singer (smoking killed what little quality I once had), and then lots of other things. A photographer, a psychologist, lots of things interest me enough that I could stand doing it for a living. But in the back of my mind, there were always stories, always characters. And now, through them, I really can be anything, anyone, at anytime.
What is your favorite part of being an author?
I think it's a combination thing, not really any one favorite thing. I love the free and adjustable schedule. It allows me to still mother my children full-time, though I won't deny I have days when I write furiously all day long and my kids get to enjoy some extra cartoon time. I love that I love what I do. When I tell my kids or family that I can't talk right now because I'm working ... it's not this horrible sacrifice, like I'm giving up something to WORK, in that horrible way that we tend to think of work. No, for me, this isn't a WORK thing. It's a ME thing. Maybe that's my favorite part; that it reaches a place in me that nothing else can, and that it unleashes a side me in each character that maybe wouldn't be so free in real life. I love that even though I share the writing with all the awesome other writers out there, it'll always just be MY thing, for me.
That's got to be awesome!
I have had a lot of favorites. I loved the old grandmother in an unpublished story from years ago. I loved sinking into her memories, her past, her history of loves gained and lost. But I loved Annie and Malik from To Love A Selkie, too, enough that I'm planning to bring them back for a sequel. Still, Cass Keaton from Fat Chance is my favorite right, because I so relate to her personal struggles. Or maybe I should say, because she so relates to mine.
Plotter or Pantser? Do you outline or do you just start writing?
I'm a bit of both, but if I had to sway one way or the other, I'm a pantser. I use the outline process to keep myself in line, pace-wise, and in control of my word counts. I use it to keep track of the events I feel are important enough to share, and to remind myself of things that need mentioning even if they don't warrant a whole section or chapter. Still, when I'm writing, it's mostly just going with the flow. I once read an article when I was younger, and I can't remember anything about it other than my high-handed laughter as the "crazy" author spoke about how his characters would sort of rise up and take control. They'd do whatever they wanted, sometimes even when he as the author didn't want that or didn't see it coming. And I thought, "How insane! You're the writer, for goodness' sake! Change it, then!" But now, as a writer myself with a few finished works under my belt, I see what that author was saying. The grandmother I mentioned earlier? I loved her story, but it died in my hands when she had a heart attack, and I didn't know what to do to save her. And now, I've learned to listen to the characters. Most times, they tell their names, they tell me what they do for a living; if I close my eyes, they come and show me how to describe them, what they look like. There are mornings where I wake up with a faint remembrance of some conversation they had, and I need to write it down, and sometimes I even dream them. You can't be a planner when you have characters like that.
HAHAHA!
I think it was just the need to tell Cass' story. When I have a character who pops up in my mind, and he or she wants me to write them, I almost have to, or they don't go away. They pop up in my daily thoughts, in my dreams, and before long I find I'm talking about them to my friends, sketching out what the character has told me, where they might go. As a woman who grew up overweight, and surrounded by other overweight women most of my life, I wanted Cass to be lighthearted most of the time, with the self-deprecating humor that a "big girl" can end up with after years of teasing, innocent or not-so-innocent comments. But she was really in a dark place there for a while, and I think we've all be there too. I was inspired by what I could see in her. The vulnerability is intoxicating next that sense of personal strength. Cass Keaton simply wouldn't be ignored.
Sounds very touching! I bought the book when it first came out but I wish I had the chance to read it before the tour. I think I need to push it onto my review list so I get to it faster.
Sit down, and write. Even when it doesn't come easy. Even when you've written your heart out and you read it back and it's just worthless crap. Keep writing. Hone your craft. Find your skill, and learn to use it. And above all, stop letting your fear paralyze you. If you're scared of the traditional publishing world, scared of the agents and the query letters and the professionals just waiting to tell you that you've done it wrong and have no business in this business, then skip it. Don't write that query letter. Self-publishing allows you to pursue your dream. But you don't just run off with a smile on your face and publish any old thing either. Polish it. Edit it. Read it. Read it again. After all that, find someone else who is willing to read it, and polish it more. Swallow your pride and fix the places where you used "there" instead of "their," or "our" instead of "are." Polish means everything if you want to stand out, whether you're traditional or Indie. So thicken your skin, and if you really want it, go for it without holding back.
Do you have other books in the works? If so what and estimated time if possible.
Oh I will certainly have to watch for that then!
Brandi has stopped by for a fun interview! Thanks for stopping by Brandi! Lets get started.
Did you always want to be an author? Why?
You know, I didn't always want to be an author, actually. Throughout my childhood, I first wanted to be a lawyer (but the system sucks), then a singer (smoking killed what little quality I once had), and then lots of other things. A photographer, a psychologist, lots of things interest me enough that I could stand doing it for a living. But in the back of my mind, there were always stories, always characters. And now, through them, I really can be anything, anyone, at anytime.
What is your favorite part of being an author?
I think it's a combination thing, not really any one favorite thing. I love the free and adjustable schedule. It allows me to still mother my children full-time, though I won't deny I have days when I write furiously all day long and my kids get to enjoy some extra cartoon time. I love that I love what I do. When I tell my kids or family that I can't talk right now because I'm working ... it's not this horrible sacrifice, like I'm giving up something to WORK, in that horrible way that we tend to think of work. No, for me, this isn't a WORK thing. It's a ME thing. Maybe that's my favorite part; that it reaches a place in me that nothing else can, and that it unleashes a side me in each character that maybe wouldn't be so free in real life. I love that even though I share the writing with all the awesome other writers out there, it'll always just be MY thing, for me.
That's got to be awesome!
Do you have a favorite character or story you've told so far?
I have had a lot of favorites. I loved the old grandmother in an unpublished story from years ago. I loved sinking into her memories, her past, her history of loves gained and lost. But I loved Annie and Malik from To Love A Selkie, too, enough that I'm planning to bring them back for a sequel. Still, Cass Keaton from Fat Chance is my favorite right, because I so relate to her personal struggles. Or maybe I should say, because she so relates to mine.
Plotter or Pantser? Do you outline or do you just start writing?
I know, I know, the age old question authors get asked but I couldn't resist asking it anyway! =)
I'm a bit of both, but if I had to sway one way or the other, I'm a pantser. I use the outline process to keep myself in line, pace-wise, and in control of my word counts. I use it to keep track of the events I feel are important enough to share, and to remind myself of things that need mentioning even if they don't warrant a whole section or chapter. Still, when I'm writing, it's mostly just going with the flow. I once read an article when I was younger, and I can't remember anything about it other than my high-handed laughter as the "crazy" author spoke about how his characters would sort of rise up and take control. They'd do whatever they wanted, sometimes even when he as the author didn't want that or didn't see it coming. And I thought, "How insane! You're the writer, for goodness' sake! Change it, then!" But now, as a writer myself with a few finished works under my belt, I see what that author was saying. The grandmother I mentioned earlier? I loved her story, but it died in my hands when she had a heart attack, and I didn't know what to do to save her. And now, I've learned to listen to the characters. Most times, they tell their names, they tell me what they do for a living; if I close my eyes, they come and show me how to describe them, what they look like. There are mornings where I wake up with a faint remembrance of some conversation they had, and I need to write it down, and sometimes I even dream them. You can't be a planner when you have characters like that.
HAHAHA!
Tell us a little about your book. What inspired you to write it?
I think it was just the need to tell Cass' story. When I have a character who pops up in my mind, and he or she wants me to write them, I almost have to, or they don't go away. They pop up in my daily thoughts, in my dreams, and before long I find I'm talking about them to my friends, sketching out what the character has told me, where they might go. As a woman who grew up overweight, and surrounded by other overweight women most of my life, I wanted Cass to be lighthearted most of the time, with the self-deprecating humor that a "big girl" can end up with after years of teasing, innocent or not-so-innocent comments. But she was really in a dark place there for a while, and I think we've all be there too. I was inspired by what I could see in her. The vulnerability is intoxicating next that sense of personal strength. Cass Keaton simply wouldn't be ignored.
Sounds very touching! I bought the book when it first came out but I wish I had the chance to read it before the tour. I think I need to push it onto my review list so I get to it faster.
What advice would you give new/other authors?
Sit down, and write. Even when it doesn't come easy. Even when you've written your heart out and you read it back and it's just worthless crap. Keep writing. Hone your craft. Find your skill, and learn to use it. And above all, stop letting your fear paralyze you. If you're scared of the traditional publishing world, scared of the agents and the query letters and the professionals just waiting to tell you that you've done it wrong and have no business in this business, then skip it. Don't write that query letter. Self-publishing allows you to pursue your dream. But you don't just run off with a smile on your face and publish any old thing either. Polish it. Edit it. Read it. Read it again. After all that, find someone else who is willing to read it, and polish it more. Swallow your pride and fix the places where you used "there" instead of "their," or "our" instead of "are." Polish means everything if you want to stand out, whether you're traditional or Indie. So thicken your skin, and if you really want it, go for it without holding back.
Do you have other books in the works? If so what and estimated time if possible.
I
do have another project nearly finished, actually. It's called
Prescription For Love, and is the second book in the Kingsley Series. It
revisits Cass and Drew a good bit, helping to move their story along
and bring them back for the Fat Chance readers who miss them, but at the
same time, there's a whole new character set, a whole new focus, and of
course, a whole new love. The book is expected to release right after
the end of the blog tour, actually.
Thanks
so much for taking the time and to feature me
on your blog Brenda!! I loved doing the interview.
Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with us today.
About The Author
Brandi Kennedy is a romance novelist whose work centers on
the contemporary set, sometimes with a playful twist of this or that as she
toys with bits and pieces of other genres. She is the author of To Love A
Selkie, which is a tragic romance with a twist of the fantasy element. She is
also the author of the Kingsley Series, which is entirely contemporary and
focuses on the romantic happenings of the fictional Kingsley family.
A woman of varied interests, Brandi loves photography, music
of all kinds, knitting, crochet, and of course, mothering her two young
daughters. Currently, she finds her home in the heart of Knoxville, Tennessee,
among the mountains and the members of her extended family.
Other Titles by This Author
Single Titles
To Love A Selkie
Prescription For Love, book two of the Kingsley Series -
Tag line:
Tag line:
In Prescription For Love, follow Cameron Kingsley's journey from personal tragedy to love and, finally, trust.
The Kingsley Series
Fat Chance, Book One
Coming soon, Prescription For Love, Book Two
Author Brandi Kennedy is also having an event on facebook if you guys would like to join and invite others here's the link!
https://www.facebook.com/events/120665688116313/
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