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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Visit with Kelly Moran (+ Giveaway!)

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author and book reviewer Kelly Moran to Brant Flakes! Her latest novel, Summer's Road, will be released by The Wild Rose Press on March 25th. Welcome, Kelly!

Can you tell us the premise of your new book?
SUMMER'S ROAD is a single title contemporary romance set in a small, fictional town in South Carolina. It's not only a story about finding love right in front of you, but about home, grief, friendship, and forgiveness.

Here's a blurb: After her father’s death, Summer Quinn realizes just how alone she feels in the world. With no family to fill her life now, she finds comfort among friends, but yearns for true love, contentment, and family. When her boyfriend, Matt, suggests they raise their relationship to a higher level, Summer jumps at the chance to get everything she’s always wanted. Only, she doesn’t expect the heat arising between her and her best friend, Ian – a man who never seems to settle down. A man the complete opposite of what she’s looking for. But when her estranged mother reappears after twenty-eight years, Summer’s world completely flips upside down. As secrets from her family’s past and Ian’s true feelings for her emerge, Summer’s now faced with choices she’s not sure she can make. The rest of her life’s happiness hinges on her confronting a past she’d rather deny and legitimately opening her heart to love, even if it’s not where she expected to find it.

What's one scene from this story you loved writing and why?
This whole book was a pleasure writing, even with the obstacles. Normally the sex scenes are the most difficult (though fun) for me to write, but in this case, it was so rewarding. There was a monumental fight, which led to a few things said they both meant to keep quiet, and then...bang. Finally. It was exciting because you know from page one these two should be together, and yet you know why they aren't.

Name 3-4 of your favorite musical artists/groups. Did you use any musical references in your novel? If so, do they play a significant role?
I've never been a real follower of musical groups. I tend to hear a song and like it, but could hate everything else that artist did. My personal tastes tend to lean toward country and rock, though on my musical playlist I have everything from Frank Sinatra to Kermit the Frog, and Lady Antebellum to Chris Daughtry. There were two songs that hit home for me and really inspired SUMMER'S ROAD, both of which were, "Collide," by Howie Day, and "The One," by Gary Allen. "Collide" was mentioned in the novel during a scene as being played in the background.

What's one piece of writing advice you've found valuable on your journey to publication?
There's a lot of advice I've received through the years that was utterly helpful--how to properly submit a manuscript, internal vs. external conflict, when and how to avoid clichés. The best advice I got, and I still pass on to others, is to never give up and never stop learning. This market changes by the minute, and what one editor hates another will adore. If your mind is open, dreams do come true.

Do you pay attention to book reviews? If so, has there been any particular review that made your heart do a little dance?
A lot of writers tend to not read reviews of their books. I'm a sadist, I have to. I like to know what was liked or not-so-well received about the books. My first big review came about a self-published romance I wrote in 2007 called WHEN THE LEAVES STOP FALLING, from THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW who said, "A deftly written story." That meant a lot to me because it wasn't a book through a mass market publisher, just me trying my hand at this dream of mine. Currently, I was overjoyed at a cover review quote from NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Caridad Pineiro, who said this, "SUMMER'S ROAD is a compelling story about the long road to finding true love." It made me feel like all the work I put in was worth it. That I was on the right track.

What’s next for you? Is there a new book in the pipeline?
I'm working on a non-fiction memoir that someone contacted me about back in August. I don't normally write outside of romance or children's books, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity as it was once a high profile case. It's near complete, and then we'll start submitting. That's about all I can say for now on that. I'm also halfway through a romantic suspense called THE DRAKE HOUSE, and my second children's book called ALL THE COLORS OF MY FEELINGS.

Thanks so much for being here today, Kelly! And, for those of you interested in learning more about her new novel, check out the book's page on Kelly's site here, which has trailers, reviews and an excerpt. Amazon link (for paperback) is here and more buy links will be coming soon!

Kelly has graciously offered to give away an ebook copy of SUMMER'S ROAD to one commenter below!! The winner's name will be posted on Thursday morning -- good luck!

24 comments:

Edie Ramer said...

Kelly, your books sounds fascinating. I love books about choices. And how great to have a quote from Caridad Pineiro.

Great interview!

Unknown said...

Big thanks to Marilyn for having me. It's an honor!

Just wanted to let commenters know that you don't need an e-reader like Kindle or Nook to enter. The book will be emailed to you and you can read it right on your PC.

Here's the Amazon buy link, which is finally up (Kindle edition not up yet)--
http://www.amazon.com/Summers-Road-Kelly-Moran/dp/1601548788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300195641&sr=1-1

XO

Unknown said...

@ Edie, so glad to see a fellow WISRWA here. I was so excited to get that quote, yes indeed. Thanks for coming by!

XO

Marilyn Brant said...

Edie, good morning! Kelly's story is a lovely one and, yes, that quote from Caridad Pineiro is awesome, too ;).

Kelly, it's wonderful to have you here today :). And I'm so glad the Amazon link is up -- thanks for posting that! I checked TWRP site last night and saw it in the "coming soon" list, so we can probably expect that to be available there next week, right? Wishing you all the best with this new book!

searchergrl said...

This looks like a wonderful read.. always a pleasure to read a good one :)

Unknown said...

@ Marilyn-- yes, I do believe you can preorder it from the publisher now as well as Amazon.

BTW-- Marilyn so graciously preread the book for me. Ever so grateful for that! She gave me a great quote, which you can read on my site.

Unknown said...

@ Searcher Gurl-- thanks for the interest and for popping in. Nice to meet you. xo

PoCoKat said...

Thank you very much for the opportunity to win an ebook of this wonderful book.

pocokat AT gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

@ Kat-- thanks for the interest!

Carol N Wong said...

Thank you for the giveaway. Would really like to read your book.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

@ Carol-- glad to see you over here, friend! Thanks for the interest. xo

Marilyn Brant said...

Kelly, it was a delight to read your book ;).

*Waving* to everyone who's already stopped by!

Searcher Gurl, PoCoKat and Carol~thank you all for visiting ;). It's very nice to see you here!!

The Reading Frenzy said...

Kelly, great preface for a romance, secrets and best friends, great combination. good luck it sounds like a real winner.

deb

Marilyn Brant said...

Deb~so nice of you to stop by today! Hope you're having a great one :).

Unknown said...

@ Deb-- thanks. It's a hard premise, friends falling in love, but I think there's enough conflict. Hope you like it! xo

Sarah Butland said...

I know this book is fantastic as I've been fortunate enough to read it in advance! (of course don't include me in the contest to win the ebook)

Kelly continues to peak my curiousity on her non-fiction book but I can't wait until I read her next fictional romance! She's turning me into a romance fan one great story at a time.

Unknown said...

@ Sarah-- aw, thanks. I promise I'll be able to say more on the nonfiction soon. xo

Robin said...

Congratulations, Kelly! Summer's Road sounds terrific - right up my alley!

Thanks for the introduction, Marilyn!

Marilyn Brant said...

Sarah, it's wonderful to meet a newly converted romance fan! Glad you came by ;).

Robin, you are most welcome -- thank YOU for visiting and, as always, for being so supportive! xo

Unknown said...

@ Robin-- Thanks. I sure hope you like it! Thanks for coming by. xo

ImageNations said...

Great interview, great responses. Congrats Kelly and wish you all the best in your writing career.

Unknown said...

@ Nana-- thanks so much for coming by, and you keep up the great poetry. xo

Marilyn Brant said...

Hi, Nana! And I'm seconding Kelly's thanks to you for coming by. I'm so glad you enjoyed her interview ;).

Okay, it's time for the drawing -- will be back soon with the winner's name... Good luck, everyone!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the opportunity to possibly win an e-book. I work in a library and love reading new authors, because patrons are always asking for recommendations. Look forward to the opportunity. Thanks!