Ask the Author: Kelly Carey
Answered Questions (9)
Kelly Carey
We are out of chocolate. And wine.
Kelly Carey
Okay, so confession time. I’m a SCAREDY CAT!
One of the reasons that I love books so much is that I can go to all these crazy, frightening, out of this world places from the safety and security of my favorite reading chair. When I sat down to answer this question, I thought about traveling to the amazing wizarding world of Harry Potter. But then the dementors, and trolls, and I don’t really like heights so that broom flying thing – probably not for me. Same with the magical Nevermoor world created by Jessica Townsend - it’s fun and fascinating but I don’t really want to fight off the hunt of smoke and shadow! You might suggest a more peaceful place like visiting Anne of Green Gables in Avonlea. More my style with those rolling green hills and shaded stream sides. But then I’d have to deal with Rachel Lynde, and manure, and eating my lunch out of a tin bucket? Can’t I just leave that to Anne?
So my honest answer is that I want to visit all the wonderful world’s authors create – in the way they were meant to be enjoyed – by reading about them!
One of the reasons that I love books so much is that I can go to all these crazy, frightening, out of this world places from the safety and security of my favorite reading chair. When I sat down to answer this question, I thought about traveling to the amazing wizarding world of Harry Potter. But then the dementors, and trolls, and I don’t really like heights so that broom flying thing – probably not for me. Same with the magical Nevermoor world created by Jessica Townsend - it’s fun and fascinating but I don’t really want to fight off the hunt of smoke and shadow! You might suggest a more peaceful place like visiting Anne of Green Gables in Avonlea. More my style with those rolling green hills and shaded stream sides. But then I’d have to deal with Rachel Lynde, and manure, and eating my lunch out of a tin bucket? Can’t I just leave that to Anne?
So my honest answer is that I want to visit all the wonderful world’s authors create – in the way they were meant to be enjoyed – by reading about them!
Kelly Carey
I used to love summer reading as a kid because it felt like the season where I got to pick out my own book. I wasn’t handed some heavy classic by a teacher that I had to highlight and dissect. Summer reading was pure joyful reading. And as an adult, this feeling remains. So I always look for fun and humor and adventure when picking out those toes in the sand, around the campfire, lazy summer night reads.
This year some of my favorites have been:
Picture Books: Trevor by Jim Averbeck, Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Hum and Swish by Matt Meyers
Middle Grade: Geek Girl by Holly Smale, Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend, and Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes
Young Adult: Circe by Madeline Miller, The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman and Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
Adult: Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce, The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson.
For the students out there - don’t let back to school pop you out of fun pleasure reading! Keep picking up those books that YOU want to read! Your school librarian can help you!
This year some of my favorites have been:
Picture Books: Trevor by Jim Averbeck, Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Hum and Swish by Matt Meyers
Middle Grade: Geek Girl by Holly Smale, Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend, and Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes
Young Adult: Circe by Madeline Miller, The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman and Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
Adult: Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce, The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson.
For the students out there - don’t let back to school pop you out of fun pleasure reading! Keep picking up those books that YOU want to read! Your school librarian can help you!
Kelly Carey
I find that one of the best ways to deal with writer’s block is to move on to a new project. Usually, if I can’t find the right way to revise a problematic manuscript or tease the story out of a kernel of inspiration, it’s best to put that manuscript aside for a week or two and pick up a different one.
Of course this only works if you have some ideas and manuscripts on standby that can jump in during an emergency. That’s why I jot down ideas all the time. I’m always grateful to have those backup stories to work on. I pop ideas into a note on my phone the minute they come to me and then I transfer them over to a computer file titled “story ideas”. I love being able to lean into those files when I feel stuck.
Another great resource to fight through writer’s block is a critique group. If you really want to bust through a blocked moment with a manuscript and the thought of putting it aside for a few days seems tragic, I reach out to my critique partners for help. Often they offer up just the right piece of advice or ask the perfect question to reset a blocked moment.
And if none of this works – I call it a day and go grab a good book to read or go do laundry. There is always an abundance of both in my house!
Of course this only works if you have some ideas and manuscripts on standby that can jump in during an emergency. That’s why I jot down ideas all the time. I’m always grateful to have those backup stories to work on. I pop ideas into a note on my phone the minute they come to me and then I transfer them over to a computer file titled “story ideas”. I love being able to lean into those files when I feel stuck.
Another great resource to fight through writer’s block is a critique group. If you really want to bust through a blocked moment with a manuscript and the thought of putting it aside for a few days seems tragic, I reach out to my critique partners for help. Often they offer up just the right piece of advice or ask the perfect question to reset a blocked moment.
And if none of this works – I call it a day and go grab a good book to read or go do laundry. There is always an abundance of both in my house!
Kelly Carey
More picture books that I hope young book lovers will be reading soon.
I have files and files of picture books in various stages along their journey. Some have gone through dozens of revisions and are waiting for more changes; others are out on submission hoping to catch the heart of an editor or agent. And still others are just few words jotted down in a word file waiting for me to fill in the entire story. Depending on my mood and the time I’ve allotted for writing each day, I will work on any of these projects.
The two projects I'm most excited about this month are a manuscript featuring two trolls who have lost the love for their homes. It's a spit-ball sneezing, sand jigger sucking adventure that puts a new spin on The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. I also have a meta-fiction story that features the slapstick antics of two Abbot & Costello like narrators arguing about how to tell a story. Both of these stories feature humor and working on them always makes me laugh. That's a good day at work!
As a rule I try to work on a revising one existing picture book every month and drafting a new picture book every month. Some months I’m better at hitting that goal then others, but I keep aiming for that level of productivity. I rely heavily on my 24 Carrot Writing community to hold me accountable and to encourage me along. I'm very grateful for their help on this wonderful kidlit writing journey.
I have files and files of picture books in various stages along their journey. Some have gone through dozens of revisions and are waiting for more changes; others are out on submission hoping to catch the heart of an editor or agent. And still others are just few words jotted down in a word file waiting for me to fill in the entire story. Depending on my mood and the time I’ve allotted for writing each day, I will work on any of these projects.
The two projects I'm most excited about this month are a manuscript featuring two trolls who have lost the love for their homes. It's a spit-ball sneezing, sand jigger sucking adventure that puts a new spin on The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. I also have a meta-fiction story that features the slapstick antics of two Abbot & Costello like narrators arguing about how to tell a story. Both of these stories feature humor and working on them always makes me laugh. That's a good day at work!
As a rule I try to work on a revising one existing picture book every month and drafting a new picture book every month. Some months I’m better at hitting that goal then others, but I keep aiming for that level of productivity. I rely heavily on my 24 Carrot Writing community to hold me accountable and to encourage me along. I'm very grateful for their help on this wonderful kidlit writing journey.
Kelly Carey
The best thing about being a writer is creating a book. There is something wonderfully permanent about a book.
I love that my words will always be safely tucked inside a sturdy cover and embellished with beautiful illustrations. I love knowing that, at any moment, little hands could open those pages and the words I wrote can connect with the heart and soul of a reader. That’s a gift I will forever be grateful for!
I love that my audience is children. Kids offer their undiluted honest opinions with a candor and enthusiasm that is thrilling. If they love your book, they will gush and cheer. Reading my magazine fiction stories in classrooms and seeing kids smile, or hearing them laugh at funny parts, or comment seriously about how the story made them feel or think- that is gold! I have read unpublished pieces to kids and they offer up advice, or comment on why they didn’t like something in a refreshingly innocent way. When negative comments come from sparkling eyes, and squishable cheeks – it’s always welcome!
And I love the KidLit community. The booksellers who create wonderful children’s reading spaces and events for kids, the librarians who offer up books to young readers with an eagerness that feels sacred, the editors and publishing teams who pull bits of creativity together to create these wonderful finished products, and the illustrators and writers who are so willing to dive into their own imagination and pull out pieces of themselves and share them with young readers – it’s just a fabulous group to be a part of.
I love that my words will always be safely tucked inside a sturdy cover and embellished with beautiful illustrations. I love knowing that, at any moment, little hands could open those pages and the words I wrote can connect with the heart and soul of a reader. That’s a gift I will forever be grateful for!
I love that my audience is children. Kids offer their undiluted honest opinions with a candor and enthusiasm that is thrilling. If they love your book, they will gush and cheer. Reading my magazine fiction stories in classrooms and seeing kids smile, or hearing them laugh at funny parts, or comment seriously about how the story made them feel or think- that is gold! I have read unpublished pieces to kids and they offer up advice, or comment on why they didn’t like something in a refreshingly innocent way. When negative comments come from sparkling eyes, and squishable cheeks – it’s always welcome!
And I love the KidLit community. The booksellers who create wonderful children’s reading spaces and events for kids, the librarians who offer up books to young readers with an eagerness that feels sacred, the editors and publishing teams who pull bits of creativity together to create these wonderful finished products, and the illustrators and writers who are so willing to dive into their own imagination and pull out pieces of themselves and share them with young readers – it’s just a fabulous group to be a part of.
Kelly Carey
I actually run a one-day workshop for aspiring writers (you can find information about this workshop at www.kcareywrites.com) and I offer three main pieces of advice. They are write, find your squad and read. They may seem simple, but they are not.
So many folks get stuck at the “thinking about” phase of becoming a writer. To get over that hurdle aspiring writers need to build intention and structure around their writing. This can mean committing to writing at least twenty minutes a day or devoting a specific day a week to writing. I’m partial to Writing Wednesdays – it has that nice alliteration. Your writing dream needs a concrete plan and goals. For help with that check out www.24CarrotWriting.com – this is a goal setting blog I host with three fellow authors. It is full of good advice and help as you kick off your writing journey.
Then I tell folks to find your squad. So much of writing is a solo practice but it is also riddled with self-doubt and tough rejection. You’ll need a support group of like-minded writers to keep you on track. Search them out at SCBWI, at local writing groups like The Writers’ Loft in Sherborn, MA, or online – like through www.24CarrotWriting.com.
Finally, you will need to read in the genre you want to write in. So if you want to write picture books, read picture books. If you have a middle grade novel you want to write, read middle grade books. And you need to read the books not as a reader looking to be entertained, but you’ll want to approach the books like textbooks. Learn from the skill of the authors; dissect what works and doesn’t work and how the author crafted the story. And you’ll want to track what you read – I do this using my Goodreads library – so you have an idea of what is already in the market and how your manuscript can fit.
So good luck on your writing journey!
So many folks get stuck at the “thinking about” phase of becoming a writer. To get over that hurdle aspiring writers need to build intention and structure around their writing. This can mean committing to writing at least twenty minutes a day or devoting a specific day a week to writing. I’m partial to Writing Wednesdays – it has that nice alliteration. Your writing dream needs a concrete plan and goals. For help with that check out www.24CarrotWriting.com – this is a goal setting blog I host with three fellow authors. It is full of good advice and help as you kick off your writing journey.
Then I tell folks to find your squad. So much of writing is a solo practice but it is also riddled with self-doubt and tough rejection. You’ll need a support group of like-minded writers to keep you on track. Search them out at SCBWI, at local writing groups like The Writers’ Loft in Sherborn, MA, or online – like through www.24CarrotWriting.com.
Finally, you will need to read in the genre you want to write in. So if you want to write picture books, read picture books. If you have a middle grade novel you want to write, read middle grade books. And you need to read the books not as a reader looking to be entertained, but you’ll want to approach the books like textbooks. Learn from the skill of the authors; dissect what works and doesn’t work and how the author crafted the story. And you’ll want to track what you read – I do this using my Goodreads library – so you have an idea of what is already in the market and how your manuscript can fit.
So good luck on your writing journey!
Kelly Carey
Actually, if I had an army of robots to do everything for me and I could sit on a chaise lounge with no chores ever again, I would still write. I just love it. When I open that blank page and the house is quiet, and I can just create, the time flies. When I finish a good writing session, I’m giddy.
Since really committing to the dream of being a writer, I see inspiration in everything. It’s like I plopped on some special writing glasses and now I see stories everywhere. The toddler in line with a parent at the post office, the meatball that was sadly dropped under a lunch table, the squirrel perched on a rock wall - they are all asking for their story to be told. And I really want to tell them all. And I would if I had an army of robots to do everything for me. So until that happens, I write as often as I can.
Since really committing to the dream of being a writer, I see inspiration in everything. It’s like I plopped on some special writing glasses and now I see stories everywhere. The toddler in line with a parent at the post office, the meatball that was sadly dropped under a lunch table, the squirrel perched on a rock wall - they are all asking for their story to be told. And I really want to tell them all. And I would if I had an army of robots to do everything for me. So until that happens, I write as often as I can.
Kelly Carey
How Long Is Forever? is my debut picture book published by Charlesbridge and illustrated by the talented Qing Zhuang (https://www.qingthings.com/ ). I’ve been publishing children’s fiction stories in magazines for over ten years, but this is my first book and I’m excited to share it with readers. I wrote this story in 2013, sold it in 2017, and it will be released in April of 2020. The road to book publication has felt like forever!
The inspiration for this story happened when I was a teenager. My friend and I were in a car when a song we loved came on the radio. I squealed, “Turn it up! This is the best song ever.” My friend’s Dad scoffed and replied, “Really? This is the best song ever?”
That exchange stuck with me and became the kernel that launched the interaction between young Mason and his Grandpa in How Long Is Forever?. Mason is waiting for the first blueberry pie of the season and it’s taking forever. At least that’s what Mason thinks, until Grandpa asks him to prove it and sends Mason searching the family farm to find the meaning of forever. I loved the idea that what can seem like the best song ever to a teenager or what can feel like forever to an eight year old can be very different for an older adult.
By the way, my friend’s father was right. Thomas Dolby’s, She Blinded Me With Science was clearly NOT the best song ever! And Mason is going to find out that waiting for a blueberry pie to bake is not forever.
The inspiration for this story happened when I was a teenager. My friend and I were in a car when a song we loved came on the radio. I squealed, “Turn it up! This is the best song ever.” My friend’s Dad scoffed and replied, “Really? This is the best song ever?”
That exchange stuck with me and became the kernel that launched the interaction between young Mason and his Grandpa in How Long Is Forever?. Mason is waiting for the first blueberry pie of the season and it’s taking forever. At least that’s what Mason thinks, until Grandpa asks him to prove it and sends Mason searching the family farm to find the meaning of forever. I loved the idea that what can seem like the best song ever to a teenager or what can feel like forever to an eight year old can be very different for an older adult.
By the way, my friend’s father was right. Thomas Dolby’s, She Blinded Me With Science was clearly NOT the best song ever! And Mason is going to find out that waiting for a blueberry pie to bake is not forever.
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