JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
K.L. Brady, author of The Bum Magnet
(LadyLit Press)
(One of the first ten people to comment on K.L. Brady’s author interview, after the special comment, will win a free copy of The Bum Magnet.)
Congratulations, Natalyne! She won a free copy of The Bum Magnet by K.L. Brady.
Real estate agent Charisse Tyson seems to have it all: a great job, a dream car and a McMansion in “high-and-mightyville”. Everything in her life is just right…except the Mister. While lamenting the break-up with her most recent “the one” during a holiday meltdown, Charisse realizes she has a type when it comes to men: players, players…and more players.
A magazine article motivates her to swear off men and examine the complex roots of her romantic fiascoes. Laugh loud and often as Charisse discovers whether her choices in men reflect more than a penchant for good looks, great sex and bad judgment.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write The Bum Magnet?
K.L. Brady: The story came to me in an epiphany as I was reading a self-help article about dieting. I laughed to myself because I thought, “How many of these dang articles have I read?” They give you 12 steps, and the first I do in my mind is negotiate. “Well, I don’t have to walk two miles a day, maybe just two blocks” or “I can eat vegetables three times a day, but I’m going to eat them with fried chicken.” Yet, I still expect to lose 112 pounds.
So, I thought I’d write a story about a woman who attracts players. She knows it’s a pattern in her life that she needs to stop. She sees a self-help article about emotional baggage and toxic men, and one of the suggestions is a “man diet.” Just like a dieter that drives past the McDonald’s, stops for “one little Big Mac” and knows full well she should go home and eat a carrot stick, the main character Charisse stops for a big “something else.” That’s how her journey begins.
JP: Many women tend to question their decision-making capabilities after suffering a string of bad relationships. What does The Bum Magnet offer in terms of insight for women in this predicament?
KLB: I think the most important thing The Bum Magnet offers women in this predicament is accountability. It tells women to stop pointing the finger at men and start looking inside yourself to see what issues you have going on that repeatedly draw you into these types of relationships.
It also tells women that it’s okay to call yourself out on the carpet and laugh at yourself. At the end of the day, the point is to get to the root of the problem and deal with it, whatever that problem is.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to The Bum Magnet getting out to the public?
KLB: As a debut author that most people don’t know from a can of paint. My success is really going to come from generating buzz via word of mouth. I’m doing all the signings, book fairs and events that I can squeeze into my schedule. Hopefully, the book will make it into some book club reading selections.
I have been getting such wonderful feedback from the readers so far. It is really overwhelming to think that I put something into the world that so many women relate to. Hopefully they will spread the word, and I’ll build some momentum.
I’m very passionate about writing and was equally passionate about telling this woman’s story. Sometimes I think as authors we become so passionate about “our art” and “our story” that we tend to be stubborn when it comes to taking suggestions.
As a new author, I feel like I grew pretty quickly. I have learned how to process criticism, not take it personally and incorporate the suggestions which really ended up helping me make my work the best that it could be.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish The Bum Magnet?
KLB: I know many authors who write elaborate outlines and give a lot of structure to their stories. Right now, I just transcribe the voices in my head. They wake me up in the middle of the night, say what they have to say and I write it down.
I’d say it took me about 8 to 9 months to finish the book. I wrote the first draft in about four months because I was trying to beat the deadline for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. That helped me get it finished.
Over the following four to five months, I put the book in critique groups and shopped it with agents who gave me feedback about what needed fixing. Then I hired a former editor from Simon & Schuster to give it a final overall editorial review. That was it.
JP: What’s next for K.L. Brady?
KLB: More writing. If there’s anything that I regret in my life, it is suppressing my love of writing for so many years. Now that I’ve accomplished my first goal, I just plan to keep writing until I can’t write anymore.
Writing gives me more enjoyment and fulfillment than I’ve gotten from anything else I’ve done in my life. I can only pray that God will give it wings and let it fly.
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