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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Catching up with Kelly Simmons...plus a book giveaway


Today we welcome Kelly Simmons back to CLC. Her latest novel, Not My Boy, published last week and she has two copies to share with one lucky reader (the second copy can be given to a family member or friend to read together)!

Kelly Simmons is a former journalist, advertising creative director and the author of six novels sold in a dozen countries: STANDING STILL and THE BIRD HOUSE (Simon & Schuster) ONE MORE DAY, THE FIFTH OF JULY, WHERE SHE WENT, and NOT MY BOY (Sourcebooks).

She teaches in the Drexel University MFA program, and is a member of WFWA, Tall Poppy Writers and The Liars Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping fledgling novelists.

Additionally, she co-helms the weekly writers podcast “Liars Club Oddcast.”

She was born the same day as Dorothy Parker. Coincidence? She thinks not. (Bio courtesy of Kelly's website.)

Visit Kelly online:

Synopsis:
When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next-door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighborhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her son and the shadows that trail them. But when a young girl goes missing days after they unload their final boxes and her son is quickly thrown under suspicion, Hannah must do whatever it takes to protect her child.

Even if that means pointing the blame her sister's way instead.

With investigators swarming and neighborhood scrutiny closing in, the divide between two sisters grows. As one fiercely defends her husband, the other shields her boy from the crime, keeping quiet the secrets that might unravel it all.

And all the while, one young girl has vanished, and someone is to blame. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?   
Compliments and comments, usually from book club members who have flagged sentences on the page, really warm an author’s heart. My favorite one of all time is:  “I want a tattoo of that sentence on my arm!”   The sentence was, “in all things, I blame the husband.” 

What did you learn from writing your previous novels that you applied to Not My Boy?
My novels all have a narrow focus — I like to really drill down into one family’s, or one couple’s, story — I like to go deep, not wide. But I know readers enjoy minor characters, too; and in NOT MY BOY, I enjoyed keeping in mind subplots for the “other” characters. 

If Not My Boy were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?
I think some of Taylor Swift’s new album, which feels like it was set in a forest, would work nicely. 

What is something you see as a silver lining from the pandemic?
Writers seemed to be slightly better suited to pandemic life than others. We're used to working from home, motivating ourselves, burrowing in and ignoring the world for long stretches of time. So there were months at a time that did not seem wildly different to me. But one big difference — my adult kids spent lots of time visiting us for long stretches. I enjoyed being able to talk to them, walk with them, and recommend books and recipes and TV shows with them. It was like being on retreat with fun, young co-workers. Until they made a mess and didn’t do their dishes. Then they were like bad coworkers who steal your yogurt. 

What is a new year's resolution you made that you hope to keep this year?
Well, for starters, I’m doing Dry January, so we’ll see how that goes before I commit to the rest of the year!

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
My top two in 2020 would be Dear Edward and Writers & Lovers. But, occasionally, there’s a book that everyone in my family likes  — a rare thing indeed. This year, that book was In Five Years

Thanks to Kelly for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here




Giveaway ends January 17th at midnight EST.

20 comments:

  1. This book sounds like a good thriller.

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  2. I'll be giving the other copy to my mom, because she is as big of a reader as I am!

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  3. I will give it to my friend Sara because she loves thrillers.

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  4. I will give the book to my sister who appreciates all the books I send to her.

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  5. I will share the book with a friend who loves these kinds of stories.

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  6. Thanks for hosting me -- my sister is so scared that I've written about her in this book, haha!

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  7. I will share this book with my dear friend of 55 yearsand book -reading buddy, Janis. We love to get together for lunch and discuss books and do a little shopping.

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  8. I will share this book with a members of my book club.

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  9. Karen B
    I'm in assisted living and will put the second copy in our library for other residents to enjoy.
    kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com

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  10. I would give the second copy to my friend in Michigan. She's loves to read and we have similar tastes in books.

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  11. I will share the book with my neughbor.

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  12. I will give the other copy to my mom so we can read together.

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  13. I will give the other copy to my mom so we can read together.

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  14. I will send it to the school where I used to teach and let the teachers pass it around.

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  15. I would love to read your book and I also rank In Five Years as one of my favorites from last year.

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  16. I would give it to my neighbor. She likes to read.

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  17. I would give the copy to my sister; she often likes to borrow books from my library. :)

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  18. I will give the other copy to my friend Connie, we like the same kind of books.

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