My Book and My Coffee: April 2020

Get to know a little bit more about the author of A Stolen Heart, Kayelle Allen, in this short, sweet, and informative interview. Thanks again, Kayelle! >>

Ara of My Book and My Coffee: Hi Kayelle, my name is Ara and I am a book blogger and reviewer from MyBookandMyCoffee.com. It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for being "here" today. I'm so glad to have this interview opportunity with you. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. What are you up to these days (aside from the new book)?

Kayelle Allen: I've been living in quarantine-style isolation for most of my life. I'm a super introvert. My friends say I'm a closet extrovert because once I'm comfortable with people, I open up, and I have this weird thing where I actually ENJOY public speaking. I will have seven kinds of heart attack being in a crowded room, but get me alone on a stage and ask me to talk, and those butterflies in my stomach fly in formation. I know. Like I said. Weird. But that's me. Right now, I'm happy to have an excuse to be home and more or less alone. I can write without being asked to go anywhere or do anything. Love that. Miss hanging out with friends, but Skype takes care of some of that.

Ara: I can understand that. We're very similar in a way. :) Congratulations on the new book! When did you start writing this book? How long was the process of writing this book?

Kayelle: Thank you. I'm excited about A Stolen Heart. I had the idea for this book about a year ago. I was working on other projects, but this kept coming to mind. There's a scene in my short story, Bro, where Luc and his son Senth have gotten invisibility cloaks through the Thieves' Guild, and Luc plays a trick on Senth with it. In the scene, Luc recalls playing hide and seek with Senth when the young man was a toddler. I thought a scene of that would be a great little short story for fans of the series, so I decided to write it. But once I sat down and started into the story I realized I needed a bit of background for the characters. Luc had adopted Senth, but why? What put him in place to meet this child? Why would he take an interest? The unfolding process took several months. Like most of my stories, once I knew where it was going, it didn't take long. But getting to that point feels like forever.

A Stolen Heart by Kayelle Allen

Ara: That's so inspiring! I've read the synopsis of this book and I can tell already that it's going to be a really interesting (and heartwarming) sci-fi novel. Adding now to my reading list. Any ongoing/future projects that we should be excited about?

Kayelle: I appreciate that. Yes, I'm already plotting another book. The immortal Luc Saint-Cyr is the hero in A Stolen Heart, and I'm actually working on another book for him, this time, a romance with his forever love.

Ara: Oh gosh! Definitely something to look forward to. 😍 << Literally this is me right now. Do you have any advice to anyone out there who wishes to be a writer someday?

Kayelle: Two things. One: Learn the craft of writing. Study. Learning should be a constant thing. Two: Start a newsletter as soon as possible. I suggest you study how by reading books like Newsletter Ninja by Tammi L Labrecque. You can pick it up here: https://amzn.to/2yddiEh Follow gurus like Derek Murphy and Nick Stephenson and listen to what they have to say.

Ara: Amazing tips! I'm sure these will be helpful. Before we end the interview, I really have to ask these. Coffee, sweet tea or hot cocoa?

Kayelle: I start each day with coffee to which I have added a spoonful of cocoa. And then I end it with sweet herbal tea, so my answer to that question is "yes."

Ara: 😂 That's awesome! And lastly, who is your favorite 'friend' from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?

Kayelle: Joey Tribbiani. He was goofy, fun, and though he was always half a step out of sync and missing the obvious, he's so sweet-natured you forgave him. Perhaps I like that characteristic of his persona because I'm the same way. I'm definitely a "big picture" person who can be super focused on the overall and miss the details. But then I can switch and be oblivious to big things because I focus so hard on the small things. If I'm remembered as a goofball who was clueless but lovable, that would be fine with me. I just want people to remember that like Joey, I cared about my friends. Joey asked "How ya doin'" because he missed things that went on before he got there or he realized belatedly that he needed to pay attention. Same here. A hazard of creative people? Maybe. In my case, maybe just a mind that is always somewhere else, thinking of the next story.

Ara: Thanks for sharing, Kayelle. I appreciate you sharing a bit about yourself here today.

~~
Don't forget to check out A Stolen Heart by Kayelle Allen.

More about the the author:

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is the author of multiple books, novellas, and short stories. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.

Connect with Kayelle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | DeviantArt | YouTube

2 Dazzling Comments

So lucky to have the chance to interview the lovely author of Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters, Shilpa Suraj. Take a look >>>

Ara of My Book and My Coffee: Hi Shilpa, my name is Ara and I am a book blogger and reviewer from MyBookandMyCoffee.com. It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for being “here" today. I'm so glad to have this interview opportunity with you. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. What are you up to these days (aside from the new book)?

Shilpa Suraj: Hi Ara. It’s lovely to meet you, albeit virtually. I am, in calmer times, a working professional, mother to a pretty fabulous toddler and author all wrapped up in one messy package. I head HR & PR for an architecture and interior design firm and am currently because of the Covid – 19 pandemic working from home and trying rather unsuccessfully to homeschool my child.

Ara: Oh, yes, homeschooling is very serious business. We can do this! :)

Writing, heading HR & PR for an architecture and interior design firm, and being a parent – wow! You are busy busy busy!

Congratulations on the new book! When did you start writing this book? How long was the process of writing this book? Did you base it on anyone you know? Are you dedicating it to someone you know? Lots of questions! 😂

Shilpa: Thank you. Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters was written a few years ago and revised and tweaked for publishing only recently. It is entirely fictional and not based on any one person but Alisha certainly has a lot in common with me personality wise. Her snark, her bravado, her intense familial loyalty, all of it echoes bits and pieces of me.

I am dedicating this book first and foremost to Debdatta, who’s kept me sane and helped make sure this book is out there and in the hands of readers.

And second but no less important, I am dedicating this book to my writer tribe. To the friends I’ve made in this wonderful journey and to the incredibly supportive network we’ve formed over the years.

Ara: Thank you for sharing that. What's the biggest struggle (if any) you've encountered during the creation of this book?

Shilpa: When I finished writing this book and pitched it, I was told that Indian readers wouldn’t be accepting of a divorced heroine. And that was the single most important reason that made me want to get this story out there for people to read.

Acceptance. Why is it conditional? And even worse, conditional to our prejudices, our preconceived notions, societal judgments, the list is endless…

Can we not lead with kindness, with an open mind, with no judgement of people and their choices and most importantly, with love and acceptance? At the very least, can’t we try?

Why should a label and not just the label ‘divorce’ but any label define a person? Can’t we look at someone and ‘see’ them? Not the packaging the world insists we see but ‘them.’

Ara: I agree with you. This story needs to be written for people to read and understand. I love the message that you want to share with others – Love and acceptance. Two things that are most important nowadays.

I've read the synopsis of the book and it's very interesting. I'm already excited as to which path this story would go. I'll definitely add this to my reading list. Any ongoing/future projects that we should be excited about? Is there a book 2 where readers can see what happens to Alisha after Book 1's ending?

Shilpa: There is definitely a Book 2, I won’t tell you whose so this interview stays spoiler free, and I’m halfway through writing it already. Book 3, Arav’s story, should follow soon after but I still have to finish plotting that in my head so that may take a while longer. 😊

Ara: Definitely exciting stuff! Do you have any advice to bloggers out there who wish to be a writer someday?

Shilpa: Not just bloggers but anyone who wants to write – the only way to do this is to start. Don’t overthink, overanalyze or wait for the perfect time to write. If you have a story you want to tell, go ahead and do so. Don’t worry about genre, word count, marketing strategies or which publisher to approach. All that is for later. For now, write. Tell your story.

Ara: Thank you for that. Very good point. Yes, anyone who wants to write and get their story heard. I agree. Thank you so much for your time today!

Before we end the interview, I really have to ask these. Coffee, sweet tea or hot cocoa?

Shilpa: Black coffee, no sugar. It’s quite addictive. 😊

Ara: Ahhh yes. And lastly, who is your favorite ‘friend’ from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?

Shilpa: Oh, this is a tough one. I think I’ll pick Chandler but only because his snarky sense of humour matches mine. Or maybe Joey...because “How you doin?”

Oh dear. Can I pick two? Never mind…It’s a moo point. 😊 Chandler. I pick Chandler. I think…

Ara: Haha. I also cannot choose, really. I like them all. Thank you for your time, Shilpa. This was a really great interview and very informative.

~~~

Don't forget to check out Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters by Shilpa Suraj.