June’s featured author is Kelly Brady Channick
Ms. Channick writes this amazing young adult mystery series, where the characters have such realism and personal growth throughout. I love getting lost in her world of Asbury High. She is truly becoming a fabulous author and storyteller.
Let me introduce our featured author Kelly Brady Channick.
Personal
What made you want to become a writer?
I’d have to credit my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Jackson, for truly instilling a deep, lifelong love of learning and investigating new topics. Not only did we read and write creatively, but he truly encouraged me to pursue writing—while having fun with it.
Which author(s) do you read the most?
JK Rowling is my favorite, but my most frequented authors are Stephen King and Agatha Christie.
Do you play a musical instrument or sing?
I wish—although my husband is a talented bassist.
What type of music do you listen to?
My favorite bands/singers are the Beatles, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Queen, and Smash Mouth—so whatever that genre ends up being.
What is the worst job that you have ever had?
Probably working at the 34th Street Market in Ocean City. My coworkers and bosses were great, but the pay sucked and wasn’t worth the rude customers.
Where do you go to relax?
Out for a run.
Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in an un-haunted cottage?
Unhaunted cottage—I’d love to live in the woods and be outdoors. I also need sleep, so the haunted would not work.
What is your go-to recipe or restaurant?
Chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies is my recipe, for sure! And Bashful Banana in Ocean City is my favorite restaurant of all time.
The Bashful Banana looks like such a fun place. You can check it out online HERE.
Would you be willing to share your recipe for those cookies? They sound amazing.
Writing Style
What do you love most about your writing process?
I love how it allows me to enter into a different world for a while.
Do you have a writing schedule?
Nope. It used to be during my oldest’s nap schedule (he’s 4 now), but with two other kids, I write when I can carve out time.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym, or do you?
Nope!
What comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
The plot—and usually the ending. I love mysteries, so I tend to have an idea about the ending scene and work around that.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
I love this question, because before writing a complete series I would’ve said I have full control, but now I know it to be a good mixture of both. In Asbury High there were multiple characters who grew and matured, or even shrunk and went away, in a way I didn’t envision from the start.
Do you choose the character names based on how they sound or their meaning?
In this series, I chose names I always loved the sound of. But, interestingly enough, I have some other works in progress where the names are based off of their meaning.
How much ‘worldbuilding’ takes place before you start writing?
I actually like to map out/draw the entire setting before completing a manuscript. It helps me iron out details.
What is your favorite cover out of all your books? Why is it your favorite?
The first! I love how my main four sleuths are all featured and the little Easter eggs slipped in all over. It was also my first published book, so that was special too.
This is my favorite too. I like that the characters are present and show their personalities.
Book/Series
How did you come up with the title of this series?
My favorite book store, Sun Rose, is located on Asbury Ave in Ocean City, NJ, so I kind of created the town name as a tribute to that.
How do you come up with the crimes for your stories?
In this series, I wanted to make each book feature a little bit more serious of a crime than the previous book. Therefore, I ranked crimes from 1-7 as I viewed them on “harshness”—clearly ending with murder!
What is your favorite part about working in the Young Adult Cozy Mystery subgenre?
I love cozies! I actually didn’t know there was a cozy genre until about 5 years ago, and that’s when I realized how perfectly aligned my books are with this genre. Additionally, I love young adult novels, as I think those years are where a deep love of reading is really cemented..
How did you find the setting for this book/series?
It’s actually loosely based off my hometown of Ocean City, NJ.
Will you miss the characters from the Asbury High series?
Yes! I wish I could write them forever!!
Do you have any other books coming out this year or next year?
I do not have any more coming out this year, but I have two completed, stand-alone crime/mystery novels. They are both adult and non-cozy, but both are books with wonderful, intelligent, daring, and sometimes goofy characters.
Find Kelly on the web:
Asbury High Young Adult Cozy Mystery Series
Giveaway
Prize: 2 Winners ~ 1 ebook of winner’s choice of Asbury High YA Cozy Mystery Series books
It was wonderful to get to know Kelly Brady Channick better. Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to reading your next books.
Until the next time,
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