Ask the Author: Kelsey Bryant
Answered Questions (19)
Kelsey Bryant
Yes! That is a goal in the works this year. I'd also love to see them on my shelf. Thank you for asking!
Kelsey Bryant
Great question, Erika! When I heard A Very Bookish Easter was going to happen, the first classic book that came to my mind was The Secret Garden because of its theme: a garden springing back to life and helping the characters become better and healthier. So yes, in The Prayer Garden, I wanted to reimagine and enhance that theme by focusing on how Christ gives us new life.
Kelsey Bryant
Good question! I'm not 100% sure because Jane Eyre gripped me right from the start and wouldn't let go, but I suppose I did think that The Secret Garden would make a fitting classic for the theme as well. Now I have it in mind for another story I plan to write in the future. :)
Kelsey Bryant
I created an atmosphere that I am familiar with, which in some ways actually contrasts with Jane Eyre. Autumn in Texas is much warmer and brighter than northern England, for one thing, and there's nothing inherently creepy about my heroine's surroundings. But I wanted to show how we can relate to a favorite book even in a totally divergent setting. There is a small mystery that my heroine, Erin, discovers, and her employer is mysterious in similar ways to Mr. Rochester, so in those ways at least, Erin's story inherits the atmosphere of Jane's story.
Kelsey Bryant
Good question! I don't quite know why, but I immediately thought of a Thanksgiving story inspired by Jane Eyre when I began brainstorming something for this Bookish collection. The story came together so quickly in my brain that I couldn't seriously consider any other classic to use. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, so I was thrilled to write something inspired by it.
Kelsey Bryant
Good question, Angeline! Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, and she is one of my favorite literary characters. Because this novel is so vast, my story is more "inspired by" Jane Eyre than a retelling, so I had to narrow my focus to only a few elements. What captured me most about Jane Eyre's story was her aloneness, and I could easily see how that would fit a story about a Thanksgiving where a person doesn't have family to celebrate with. I'd also been wanting to write about a young woman who had to make her own way in life, and so this novella was born.
Kelsey Bryant
I enjoy several modern day authors quite a bit. Probably the one who currently influences me the most as a writer is Lisa Wingate. Her writing style is rich without being old-fashioned or wordy; her plots are just what I like---intricate and intriguing and personal without depending on action-suspense or romance, although there is some of both. She writes about meaningful things, and her books always leave me feeling satisfied.
A few other modern day fiction authors whose works inspire me include Bodie Thoene, Nancy Moser, Douglas Bond, E. Kaiser Writes, Elisabeth Allen, Sarah Holman, Terri Fivash, Stephen R. Lawhead, C. S. Lakin, and Alicia A. Willis. I know I'm forgetting some more, and I will probably encounter others, but that's a short list to start with. :)
A few other modern day fiction authors whose works inspire me include Bodie Thoene, Nancy Moser, Douglas Bond, E. Kaiser Writes, Elisabeth Allen, Sarah Holman, Terri Fivash, Stephen R. Lawhead, C. S. Lakin, and Alicia A. Willis. I know I'm forgetting some more, and I will probably encounter others, but that's a short list to start with. :)
Kelsey Bryant
Writing is not my full-time job. I am also a copy editor, a martial arts instructor, and have another part-time job or two (all of which I enjoy and feel blessed to be able to do). By making the most of each minute and hour of my day, no matter what else is going on, I try to fit in time to write every day, whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening. I consider even a few paragraphs worthwhile progress. This works as long as I know what I want to write that day and eliminate distractions.
Kelsey Bryant
Since I love names, I also love naming my characters. I have hundreds of names in my head and a strong opinion or association about most of them. When I'm creating a character, I'll run through my mental list of names (or, if the character is from the past or a different country, a name website such as Behind the Name that has specific lists of historical and foreign names), and try out options until one seems to fit the character like a tailored suit.
Kelsey Bryant
Yes, pretty much! When I had just learned to print but not spell, I would pencil letters across the pages of a notebook as if they wrote a story. I wrote and illustrated little books with stapled pieces of paper when I was about five or six. I wrote stories for years, though it took me until high school to actually finish anything of length. Throughout my whole childhood, one of my biggest dreams was to be a published author.
Kelsey Bryant
My own life isn't very mysterious, but the unexplained disappearance of a toy figure has niggled at me since childhood. He was the father to a family of other Playmobils, and when he was somehow lost, they were sadly incomplete. In their world, I made up a story of how he had disappeared without a trace (I even drew a missing person poster) and how they had to carry on without him. It remains an unsolved mystery, so perhaps an ideal book would be about this family man's disappearance, only with closure at the end. (Oh, the things that stick with you!)
Kelsey Bryant
Thank you for asking! This series is called the Vintage Jane Austen. Six authors are retelling Jane Austen's six novels in 1930s America. I am writing the Sense and Sensibility story, Suit and Suitability, which is scheduled to be published in April. It really is a lot of fun! Visit vintagejaneausten.com for more details. :)
Kelsey Bryant
Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. I admire Elinor's strength and courage in the face of tough family circumstances, and I identify with her calm rationality. Although Edward isn't a very popular hero, I like him a lot. Elinor sees something in him, after all! But I have a soft spot for shy, quiet, unpretentious people, and I also think he acted with honor and courage when he could have given in.
Kelsey Bryant
I've actually started a new story about Marielle and her mom. It will probably turn out shorter than the others, but I'm excited to develop it further. Hopefully I will be able to get far enough along to start posting information about it soon!
Thank you for your question!
Thank you for your question!
Kelsey Bryant
My favorite literary genre is the classics, but since I can't very well write a classic, my other favorite is historical fiction. I am in the middle of writing two historical novels right now. One is set in Great Depression America and the other is set in Regency England. Although it is a bit more difficult to write historical because of the research involved, I ultimately enjoy doing it more than contemporary.
Thank you for your very good question, Saphraneet!
Thank you for your very good question, Saphraneet!
Kelsey Bryant
Thank you for your question!
The reactions were fairly similar. I think Marielle, being a younger person (age 14), reacted more like I would have when I was her age. She was more in awe and took things a little more strongly than I did when I visited. For example, she disliked busy, modern London more. She could also more easily put herself back in time, such as when she imagined Jane Austen in Chawton.
The reactions were fairly similar. I think Marielle, being a younger person (age 14), reacted more like I would have when I was her age. She was more in awe and took things a little more strongly than I did when I visited. For example, she disliked busy, modern London more. She could also more easily put herself back in time, such as when she imagined Jane Austen in Chawton.
Kelsey Bryant
Good question! Suit and Suitability is set in the US Depression. Before I ever started the story, I felt it needed to be set in a Midwestern factory town, because it seemed like neither a rural story nor a big city one. My attention drifted to Ohio partially because of the American Girl Kit books (the character from 1934 who lived in Cincinnati, OH), and I settled on Canton, OH, because I have relatives who live there. I figured they might be able to help me out with research questions.
To answer your second question, I was blessed beyond my expectations by resources and traveling. One great book I read about 1930s Canton is called The Secret Gift by Ted Gupp (which was a Godsend). I also stayed in Canton for a few days to do onsite research. The researchers at the McKinley Museum were very helpful.
To answer your second question, I was blessed beyond my expectations by resources and traveling. One great book I read about 1930s Canton is called The Secret Gift by Ted Gupp (which was a Godsend). I also stayed in Canton for a few days to do onsite research. The researchers at the McKinley Museum were very helpful.
Kelsey Bryant
Currently my most recent book is England Adventure, book 2 of the Six Cousins series. I got the idea for the characters to take a trip to England when I heard about a fantastic Jane Austen-themed tour and wished I could be on it! I put together my own dream tour of England for this book, added a driven plot (which was the hardest part to craft), and England Adventure was the result. Praise God, a couple years later I was blessed to take the real Jane Austen-themed tour myself! I felt like I was living part of my book.
Kelsey Bryant
I am currently working on a 1930s retelling of Jane Austen's 1811 classic Sense and Sensibility. Sense and Sensibility is one of my absolute favorite books, and the 1930s is one of the most fascinating historical time periods I've ever studied, so I'm having a blast!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more