Kelly Sharpe interview
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
A little introduction:
Hi, I'm Kelly. I'm a former professional wrestler and teaching assistant, currently writing and enjoying being a dog mum in Florida. My twin sister and I used to run a blog where we chatted all things, baking, books and Italy. That was where we connected with a lot of authors and started doing book reviews. We also had a go at YouTube for a while, where we still do the occasional video for anti-bullying charity Kidscape, who we are ambassadors for.
When did your love of books begin?
I've loved books for as long as I can remember. To this day, I love recalling books teachers read to us at school - I used to love the end of the day when the teachers did story time. I got my own copy of The Magic Faraway Tree to keep on my bookshelf, purely because it's one that was read to us at school, and I love the magic of it. We used to have a lot of Enid Blyton books that I remember carrying around a lot, but I guess Harry Potter reignited my love of stories when I was about nine. I strayed off books for a while as a teenager and didn't get back into them properly until I was in my early twenties and picked up a book by Freya North and 'Me Before You,' by Jojo Moyes. Those two stories reminded me of how amazing books are in hooking us into words on a page and the magic authors can create. I went on to read all of the twelve books Freya North had out at the time over one Summer and haven't stopped reading since.
When did you start to have the wish to become an author?
I think during the course of us writing a lot of book reviews for our blog, there were many a moment of looking at the gorgeous covers and thinking 'Maybe one day...' Lucy dived in first and now is a huge inspiration to me with her six books and counting. She pretty much writes the books I want to see on the shelves which I love. It wasn't actually until we returned to England and started working in a nursery that I properly got the itch to put pen to paper. There was a little boy in my group who I used to sit in the garden and make up stories with and every day when we would come up with all these weird and wonderful ideas, the itch to write them down got stronger. So, that's what I did. I started writing children's picture books and just kept going with any idea I had.
How have you found the process for becoming an author?
I feel like an imposter saying that when I'm yet to have anything published. I'm very lucky to have an agent at ASH Literary which gives me a confidence boost, as its fun being able to have stories and actually send them somewhere for feedback and championing. I'm not going to lie, like any dream it can have difficult moments where you feel down and hopeless. It took a lot of rejections before one of my stories found me an agent. I will say that even though every rejection can feel soul crushing, I always tried to look at it like 'Hey, but that rejection means I'm one step closer because I'm putting myself out there.' You have to keep dreaming and keep believing in yourself no matter how hard that can get sometimes.
What would you say to those wanting to become an author?
Write, write, write. I know that's simple but it's the truth. You have to keep writing and you can't give up. I have so many stories that are personal to me that I can see in my head with bold covers adorning bookshelves and making kids happy, but I know they aren't all going to make it, maybe none of them will, but that just means I have to keep writing and keep going until I have the one that does. Enjoy the worlds you create, knowing that only you can create them because only you write like you and have fun.
Tell us about your book/books:
My books range from rhyming children's picture books about magic horses and rainbow pixies to family stories and Italian food. My main middle grade series - the one that got me my agent - is a wrestling story about bullying and it has my heart. I've also written two books so far in a three-book series about a magic baking tree in Italy, again this is close to my heart too. I never like giving too much away, but I really do hope these find themselves out in the world one day. Currently, I'm working on a romance novel, so delving into Lucy's world a little. It's tough but I'm enjoying it.
What do you love about the writing/reading community?
Hands down the fact that they are all so supportive of one another. I know there can be drama on social media every now and again, but thankfully I usually only interact and connect with the wonderful people who are always so helpful and supportive of everyone's dreams. Lucy and I have said this from the very beginning, but authors are just amazing, the way they promote each other's books, encourage and lift each other up, it's a great community to be part of. I feel like compared to other competitive fields the authors we've met have all had a 'we can all make it,' kind of attitude and I love that.
If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
To my future readers, all I hope is that you will love and connect to my books as much as I do. I hope they are books you always wanted to see on the shelves, and I hope they make you smile and believe in yourself and magic. And also thank you for reading!!
Where can people connect with you?
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment