Send to KindleOur interview today is with Keely Brook Keith. Thank you, Keely for being here today and for agreeing to do this interview.
Question: Tell us a little about your real (Non-writing) life family, job, church life. Does it give you inspiration for your writing? Does it get in the way of your writing, or are there times when you get help, from people or circumstances?
Answer: My day job is in music–I’m a bass guitarist. I’ve been very blessed to get to live out both of my passions: music and writing. As far as my job getting in the way of writing–I love playing music and will continue no matter how busy the writing life gets, but it can be difficult for me to focus on writing while I’m on tour.
Question: Tell us about things you enjoy, what you do for fun or personal satisfaction?
Answer: I love being alone and writing, but as soon as I’m done I want to hang out with people. I love game nights, dancing, antiquing, and just being with friends and family.
Question: Tell us about working with any people who help you create your books. Do you use Beta readers? Hire an editor or proofreader? How do you get your covers?
Answer: I start involving other people in my writing during the second draft. That’s when I do the deep research and interview professionals in whatever field my characters and stories require. After several drafts, I start sending the story to beta readers. I’ll send it to a few at a time, get their comments, revise if I need to, then send to a few more. I have several critique partners who are also authors and their feedback is invaluable. When I believe the manuscript is the very best it can possibly be, I send it to a professional editor.
Question: Have you done anything writing-related, but besides your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?
Answer: I started blogging about other authors and featuring other books. My blog followers really responded to that–especially the contests and giveaways that are often included. I would encourage all writers to get involved in the writing community.
Question: Tell us one place you visited or person you met, that made a big impression on you, and why.
Answer: When I was sixteen I was an exchange student to Australia. I’ve been back there several times since and I always love it–the coasts, the people, the animals, the rainforests, the bush. It’s breathtaking. The Australian Outback is one of those places where the setting becomes a character, so that definitely inspired me. I envisioned a lot of that while creating the Land in The Land Uncharted.
Question: What is your current WIP?
Answer: I’m currently writing Uncharted Inheritance, the third book in the Uncharted series, which is written with the feel of historical fiction, set like a scifi, and of course, there is romance. The first book, The Land Uncharted, will be released October 21, 2014. The second book of the series, Uncharted Redemption, will be released Spring of 2015. The series follows the three youngest siblings in the Colburn family–each book is one of their stories, so as the books progress you know the main character from the previous books, but you get to know them deeper. So there is a sense of familiarity, but also much to be explored.
Question: How many books do you have out?
Answer: The Land Uncharted is my debut novel.
Question: Are their characters/stories/scenes/etc based on anything in real life?
Answer: No. I got all my character names from printing out my family history and taking first names from ancestors born before 1860. The last names are also from my family history but no first/last name combination is an ancestor’s actual name. The story is totally made up; in fact, if I started to write anything that reminded me of something I’d seen or heard, I immediately backed up and went in another direction.
Question: What is your favorite book/character?
Answer: The Sun Also Rises. Hands down my favorite book of all time, though I don’t particularly like any of the characters in it. Go figure.
Question: What is your writing style?
Answer: I’m a genre-blender. I enjoy the world creating that goes into speculative fiction, but I like to keep a sense of our reality. I love people and relationships and I always showcase a romance, but it’s not the A-plot. I like learning when I read, so I strive to use the best possible words when I write. If that sends a reader to the dictionary now and then, I think they’ll appreciate it.