MY BOOK ADDICTION AND MORE PROUDLY PRESENTS…..

KELLY RAE !

Good morning Kelly,and welcome to My Book Addiction and More.

Thank you so much for having me, it’s a pleasure to be invited to chat with My Book Addiction and More.

*All images and book information from the author’s website*

MBA&M: Please tell our readers a few things about Kelly Rae?

I’d love to; let’s see I am a mom first and foremost. My son, Triton, is nine and constantly keeping me on my toes. He is also my favorite person in the world. We currently live in southern California, but I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love movies, mostly romance and shoot ‘em up bang-bang types. I can’t watch scary movies, because I laugh and ruin it for everyone else. And if you catch me on a good day I will make you a pasta sauce that will knock your socks off!

 

MBA&M: What made you decide to write “What if…”?

I started writing this book before my son was even born. Then life took over for a bit and I lost focus on writing. Then one day my son and I were talking about his dreams (being drafted into the NBA) and I thought what better way to show him that dreams are possible than to do it for myself. Triton knew I wanted to be a writer and so I went for it, full force. I just decided it was time to live my own dream, so I finished What If… and started the work of polishing, for publishing.

 

MBA&M: Why is “What if…” close to your heart and what was the challenges in writing this title?

I think since it’s my first published work there is bound to be a level of closeness that will surpass all other books I write. However, there is also the element of forgiveness that is key to me. Things happen in life and we take on blame that is not ours, sometimes shaking that undeserved blame is very difficult. I love the journey that Katie takes to forgive herself and move forward. I think it was actually a lesson I learned while writing the book and forgave myself for a few things in the process.

 

The difficulty for me was letting go of the story, letting it out into the world where it will be reviewed and judged and not just my little baby anymore.

 

 

MBA&M: What are some of the issues for today’s aspiring authors?

I think one of the biggest issues currently is deciding whether to wait for a traditional publishing contract or to self/indie pub. This new ability has made a lot more options available to aspiring writers. For a long time it was very important to me to have a NYC, big six publisher pick me out of the blue and publish my book. The trouble is that it can take a long time to be SEEN by someone in the big six. You will face many a rejection by agents and editors before anyone in NYC will take a serious look at your work. J.K. Rowling wasn’t noticed until she had already published the first Harry Potter book on her own, so it doesn’t mean you aren’t a solid writer. It’s a very subjective business, just like reviews and readers themselves. Not every agent or pub house is going to think you or your work, works for them. You can choose to wait for the nod from New York or even a smaller press…or you can DIY. Self-pubbing is also a risk and will take time to build a readership, but for some at least it’s time spent being published. My best and only advice is to research all of the options you have and decide what works for you, personally. Writers are making a success in both veins of publishing. So, research and then write, write, write!

MBA&M: I see you are considered a bit of a daredevil by your friends, tell our readers some of the things you have “dared” to do?

Oh, this is a fun question! Let’s see, I swam with sharks in Waikiki, I bungee jumped off a crane, zip-lined in Catalina. In addition, on a slightly milder scale, I’ve been in hot air balloons, helicopters and raced on the back of a motorcycle. The motorcycle one I wouldn’t do again – not even protection between me and cement and I have to skin I enjoy my skin. But there are still a few items on the dare devil list J

MBA&M: Who would you say is your biggest “supporter” and why?

My biggest supporter is my son, because while I was finishing What If… and working on getting it published, he agreed to move away from California to a small town in Oregon. It was a place where it would be cheaper to live and I had family to help, while I worked on the book. It was a pretty big sacrifice for a seven year old, at the time. Nevertheless, he did it for me and someday I will return the favor and do whatever it takes to make his dreams come true. Here is to hoping that whatever it takes involves a waterfall and rappel ropes. J

 

MBA&M: Please tell our readers where to find you and where “What if…” is available?

What If… is currently for sale in ebook and paperback on Amazon and Barnes&Noble and ebook only on Smashwords, Itunes, KOBO and Diesel.

 

Kelly, do you have anything you would like to add today?

*Thank you for having me and taking the time to stop by and learn a bit about me and What If… One lucky person who makes a comment on this blog today will win a free copy of What If… via Smashwords coupon so you can download to any ereader or laptop you might have.* I hope you enjoy reading What If… should you decide to pick up a copy. Have a wonderful day!

Thank you for spending time with us and our readers today! Thank you so much for having me and I wish everyone a blessed day of living or planning their dreams!

Visit Kelly at:   www.kellyraebooks.com

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What If…

                           Authored by               Kelly Rae  

                                        Cover design or artwork by   Steena Holmes  

“Katie, are you listening to me?” Chris demanded with a stomp of his feet, like a child.

“Chris, I don’t believe you, I know what I saw. Don’t treat me like a fool I’m… ” Just then a mixed color of lights were projected onto the house and Katie turned to see a sheriff car pulling into the driveway, headlights on with red and white lights flashing but no sound. When the deputy got out of the car, her knees gave out and she just about hit the deck. He was here for her, she could feel it down the pit of her stomach. Chris had been right behind her and caught Katie before she fell to the ground. Katie was screaming stop, go away, and in her head but nothing was coming out of her mouth. She closed her eyes, willing the scene to be different when she opened them again. She felt like a small child hiding from the boogieman, if she couldn’t see the deputy then he couldn’t see her, right? She would open her eyes to find him gone in five, four, three, two…

“Katie, are you ok?” Chris was yelling at her, for how long she couldn’t be sure. She opened her eyes and there was the deputy, almost right in front of her now. Her mouth wasn’t working; her throat felt dry and closed up, swollen like a bad sore throat but with no pain. Numb. Sometimes in life we know things. Instantly. A sound, a smell, or just a feeling in the pit of our stomachs alert us to changes in life’s vibrations that we cannot understand on an intellectual level: they are intuitions. For Katie, this means she knows exactly what’s happened to her father before the deputy tells her, knows he’s been in an accident, and knows it’s not okay. In fact, she knows it’s far from okay. After her visit to his bedside at the hospital that night, she will never see him alive again-the first man she ever loved. And after her father’s funeral she is determined to never again see Chris Staller either-the first boy she ever loved.

Fast-forward ten years and Katie is now a beautiful, successful, and driven woman in her late-twenties. But her father’s death and Chris’ betrayal have clouded every relationship she has had since that night. From potential romantic partners to her closest friends, she has kept everyone around her from getting too close. Working through these intimacy issues while maintaining a stellar career reputation, however, has been a challenge-but challenges are Katie’s lifeblood. She rises to every occasion and always comes out on top.

When Katie pays a visit to her old high school, however, she runs into Chris, now a dedicated PE teacher who pines for the one he let get away: her. An upstanding member of the community and a much better man than he was a boy, Chris is determined to win Katie back at all cost. But Katie is less than receptive to the idea, and when he lays down a challenge, she is determined to come out on top again.

A fun, funny, and poignant journey from first love through finding life’s path, Kelly Rae’s debut is a sweet love story that serves as a reminder to the healing power of forgiveness. Learning to follow the heart is a lesson everyone must learn, and her unadorned prose underscores the emotional terrain of that passage with powerful simplicity. Full of extraordinary grace and warmth, What If…will fill your life with hope and an inner knowing of life’s positive force.

Available at:

 Amazon and Barnes&Noble and ebook only on Smashwords, Itunes, KOBO and Diesel

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**Thanks, Steena Holmes for my cover and website and the editing team at The Authors Red Room**

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**GIVEAWAY ALERT**

*Sponsored by the author*

**See the above comment from the author for the giveaway**

We are offering 1 copy of “What if…” by Kelly Rae. *Giveaway will be a smashword code* Giveaway will run from today June 14 until July 1,2012.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

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Thank you for spending your time with us and our guest today! Please spread the word!

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ENJOY!