Dear readers! If you've scrolled through a bit of my blog, there's no doubt you've seen content for Down in the Belly of the Whale, a new (March) novel by Kelley Kay Bowles. Maybe you saw my review, or Harper's playlist. Well, I'm coming to you here with new content--an exclusive interview with Kelley Kay Bowles herself! Read all about her favorite novels, life as a writer, and more! Shreya P.: Do you find that writing gives you energy or takes it? Kelley Kay Bowles: The actual writing of books totally gives me energy, and every day I write a productive chunk of words almost makes me feel giddy. The extraneous parts of writing—querying, marketing etc., are draining and a huge time suck. Necessary, I know, but… SP: How do you balance your life as a writer with keeping up with being a reader? KKB: Carefully. Precariously. Not very well, I’m afraid. I’m in a book club that meets once a month, so that helps keep me on track in that venue, sort of. And I’m supposed to be reviewing a book right now for another writer, and really I can only read before bed or if I’m in the car and my husband is driving. But I have to read—it is equally as important to my mental health as writing is. SP: What were some of your favorite books in childhood? Did they inspire you to become a writer? KKB: I’ve always, always been an obsessive reader. A Wrinkle in Time is my favorite book of all time and I would love to be able to world build AND philosophize the way Madeleine L’Engle could. I also read everything mystery, starting with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, and everything paranormal, starting with John Bellairs and Lois Duncan. I still reread all that stuff whenever I can. And yes, I think reading and appreciating good stories and good writing makes readers want to write, maybe all of them. (I found out after my dad died that he wanted to write and never did. Broke my heart.) But life gets in the way. SP: Would you like to revisit any of the characters in Down in the Belly of the Whale? KKB: Hmm. I don’t know. On the one hand, I love them all so much, so of course I love to see them whenever possible! On the other hand, I also feel like the pinnacle of the story arc happened in this story, and I like that (while I like SERIES where the same characters are in separate, stand-alone stories, I don’t really like trilogies or quadrangle-quadrilateral whatever you’d call it where you have to wait for the next one to come out before you can complete the story. I just don’t have the patience for it. SP: What animal would you choose as your writing mascot/avatar? KKB: I did some research on spirit animals after writing Down in the Belly of the Whale, and Harper’s spirit animal is the bat, because of her close family connections and social need to bond. I am like that too, although my totem is the owl—according to the spirit animals website—and has always been my favorite bird. This is what it says about the owl: "The owl spirit animal is emblematic of a deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. If you have the owl as totem or power animal, you’re likely to have the ability to see what’s usually hidden to most. When the spirit of this animal guides you, you can see the true reality, beyond illusion and deceit. The owl also offers for those who have it a personal totem the inspiration and guidance necessary to deeply explore the unknown and the magic of life. Symbolic meanings for the owl are:
SP: Do you hide “easter eggs” in your books? KKB: Haha I had to look this up! Didn’t even know what it meant. So, no, I don’t hide easter eggs. How do you even do that? Somebody teach me! SP: What is the best compliment you have received as a writer? KKB: Whenever someone tells me they had to stay up past their bedtime to keep reading the story. SP: What’s your favorite under-read book of all time? KKB: I read this YA book when I was younger called ‘The Grounding of Group 6’ about a group of parents who sent their kids to this camp with the purpose of getting rid of them. Permanently. I don’t know why the story stuck with me for so long, but it did. I still have the book in my bookcase. I also have found out recently there are a LOT of people who have never read Ray Bradbury’s ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ and I am just n a state of disbelief over that. Everybody should read that book. Seriously. All text is unedited and authentic. Click below to buy Down in the Belly of the Whale today!
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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