Welcome! This weeks Author of the Week is Kathleen Kelly. Kathleen has many books under her belt and was kind enough to take time out to answer these questions! And we got nosey! Hello Kathleen, let's get started by learning a little about you! I married my childhood sweetheart, SL, who I’ve known him since I was 16. I live is a country town called Toowoomba, it’s Australia’s largest inland town, but it’s still a big country town. No children but we do have a three-legged cat called Tipsy that we “adopted” from our neighbour. SL says she’s the most expensive “FREE” cat we’ve ever owned. I took her to the vet, when I first appropriated her, and she’s blind, has a heart condition, a kidney condition and I had to have some bad teeth removed. She costs a bloody fortune every month in meds! But for a cat that’s lived outside all her life, she’s adapted to inside very quickly. And of course we both spoil her. The vet said her first 12 years were hard on her but now she’s living in luxury. My hobbies include reading and we purchased a fixer upper three years ago. The garden was a jungle but it’s finally under control now. Next up are the internal renovations. It’s going to be a nightmare, me thinks. Oh bless, I have six cats and they worm their way into your heart. So let's grab a quick look at your books. Savage Angels MC Series, 9 Books ATM with 3 more planned. MacKenny Brothers Series, 3 right now, number 4 is due on the 4th of June and 2 more to come. Wraith – currently 2 books but book 2 is in The Elites Anthology book 3 is due out 2022 The Grinders atm only has one book, Truth. But I’m finishing these up this year and into next year so altogether there will be four books… I think… maybe 5 Crude Possession – it was written with Maci Dillon and we will be writing a part 2 Snakes Revenge – a paranormal MC Novella. Powerful: A Driven World Novel – left this on a cliffhanger… sort of… there will be another one… just not sure when Cardinal, written under K. Kelly, paranormal romance, it’s pencilled in for next year for a part 2 Tackling Love – a sports romance and part 2, Tackling Life will be with us July 8th I “think” that’s it Are you sure that's it lol? So, Kathleen, what’s the main thing you love and hate about writing? I love the lifestyle it gives me. The opportunity to work from home. I’ve travelled all over the world since becoming an Author and I love it. I always get stuck in the middle of my books, and this is frustrating. I know how they begin and end but the middle is fuzzy. And the longer I do this the writing keeps me stable. If I don’t write everyday I feel off kilter. Who is the worst villain you’ve ever written, and why? Wraith. He’s a serial killer with a code. He was written after my 16yr old cat, Jack died. I put all of my sorrow into that book, it’s a bit dark. We put a lot of ourselves into our books, I often wonder if they're therapy! What is next on your list to write/publish? Publish is Spark of Deception, book 4 in the MacKenny Brothers Series. It’s due out on the 4th of June. Writing Tackling Life, which book 2 in the Tackling Series and is due out on the 8th of July Next up is Spark of Time, book 5 in the MacKenny Brother Series, then Spark of Redemption Book 6. Who is your favourite author, and why? LORD! So many but the first one to spring to mind is MariaLisa DeMora. She’s a wordsmith and she’s a great friend to me. I always go to her for advice. I freaking LOVE her Alace Sweets Series. Thanks, I'm, always looking for new books, I'll look her up! Who encouraged you the most to write? My husband, SL. He is and always will be my greatest cheerleader. Mind you he looks at me with rose-coloured glasses that I completely take advantage of. He’s my best friend, greatest lover and the only one I want to travel the world with. SL is a nice guy, and the world needs more of them <3 You sound so much in love and he sounds a wonderful guy! Are you as avid a reader as a writer? I got through fazes. At the beginning of the year I was reading five books at once. Right now, I’m only reading one. What’s your favourite genre? Paranormal – have you read TS Joyce – OMG SOOOO GOOD. And she’s lovely. Tierra is this tiny feisty woman who can tell a story that has you hooked. She also told me once at an Author Signing that she loved my makeup so BEST FRIENDS! I'm reading Tegan Maher at the moment, but I'll look TS Joyce up. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what type? Nope – I’m weird, I need silence. If you could interview any famous author who would it be and why? Hmm… JR Ward, I adore her Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. That has to be one of my all time favourite series. I love and adore those books. Tell me a secret that none of your fans know! I can talk underwater?... no, they know that. Ahh… I’m a terrible liar. Whatever I’m thinking is written across my face. And my mouth is always in gear before my brain has a chance to catch up. Want a game of poker lol? Tell me what your main character would say about you! Dane: Cool chick but she needs to get out more. Kat: She’s great at giving presents. Truth: Charismatic Kathleen, who is terrible at keeping secrets. What got you into writing and do you hold another job as well? No, I write full time. I’ve had jobs in the past six years but I can’t write and work at the same time. My writing always suffers and I’m not a very good employee. I start out saying I don’t want any responsibility and end up wanting to run the place. Ouch, sounds like you are a big softie! Which author would you like to co author a book with and why? Ohh! Kylie Price. We started one but never finished it. It’s on my to-do list. She’s an amazing woman. KE Osborn and Addison Jane, we may have “something” planned. And if I could pick anyone… TL Swan. You’ve been given the chance to have a home anywhere in the world where you can write! Where and what would you pick? I live on top of a mountain. I used to live on the escarpment of this mountain but we moved and I miss watching the clouds roll in under me. I’ve always wanted to do a winter somewhere where it snows so maybe Norway or Switzerland? And then there’s the allure of the sea. The ever-changing landscape of the ocean. Yeah, that’d be nice too. Sounds like you thought about it a lot! Quick fire round, how quick can you go! Favourite colour – yellow but not to wear, red to wear. Favourite food – FLOVE Thai food and at home I love some burned pumpkin. Favourite film – too many to name but anything sci-fi or superheroes. Favourite actor/actress – Female, Reese Witherspoon. Male, Alexander Skasgard Favourite season – SUMMER – fucking hate the cold give me heat! In fact the first year we moved to Toowoomba my hubby asked me why I was so sad and I told him it was because winter was coming. So he took me to Florida for three weeks. I love the heat Alexander Skasgard was brilliant in True Blood! Finally, any words of advice? DO NOT PAY A PUBLISHER TO PUBLISH YOUR WORKS – EVER! So many fall for the Vanity Presses. If you need help, find a mentor. If you can’t find a mentor, reach out to me, if I don’t know the answer, I’ve been around for long enough that I’ll have friends who will know the answer. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find your tribe of Authors. And never ask for a 5 star review, it’s tacky. You can ask that they don’t publish their less than favourable review until two weeks past release date but if they publish it early, don’t be disheartened. I don’t like everything I read so it’s probably that the readers won’t like everything you write. One more thing, someone’s opinion of you, if they don’t know you personally, has nothing to do with you. Just move on. Thank you, for taking the time to sit down and for the wonderful interview and that great piece of advice! To keep up to date with Kathleen please find her at, Author Website: https://kathleenkellyauthor.com/ Author Email: kathleenkellyauthor@gmail.com Amazon: https://amzn.to/393b8no Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8431684.Kathleen_Kelly BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathleen-kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenkellyauthor/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/2vDDjvn Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kathleenkellyauthor?lang=en Subscribe: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/k8i5z0 Website: https://kathleenkellyauthor.com/
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