KAMILAH - Kelley Rene - One Free Book

Welcome back, Kelley. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon? My word for 2020 was clarity. I asked God for clarity in the direction He wanted me to go with my writing. I really struggled with not writing to market, not writing cutesy RomCom, or other whimsical stories. I now see more clearly that my calling is to give a voice to those who don’t have one. A voice for the voiceless.

Tell us a little about your family.

My hubby and I have recently become empty nesters. All five of our children have flown the coop, searching and settling into adulthood. Now that we live near the beach, they’re happy to visit as often as possible. That was our plan all along. {Insert maniacal laughter}

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how? Writing has changed my reading habits in that I choose to read outside of my normal favorite women’s fiction genre. It can be a struggle, but I am really intrigued by what others enjoy reading. Sometimes I’m surprised by a book I otherwise wouldn’t have picked up.

What are you working on right now? The fourth novella in my European Collection will finish out this project. I hope to have it done by summer and compile the four into a paperback anthology.

What outside interests do you have? I’m an avid crocheter, bike rider, beach goer, and people watcher. I’m also very involved in Toastmasters International, currently working toward Distinguished Toastmaster.

How do you choose your settings for each book? I don’t really choose my settings, often they choose me. A simple stroll outside, trip to the mall, or flight to a new location can inspire a story.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why? This was the hardest question for me to answer. There are so many historical people I’d love to meet. Aside from Jesus, I’d really like to spend an evening with Mother Theresa and glean from her experiences and wisdom. I would love to hear stories of her life in her own words and from her perspective.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels? That I couldn’t just write books, I'd have to market them as well. I love creating new characters and plot twists, but the fun ends and the work begins when I hit publish.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now? I do not have to live in the past. It doesn’t define me. He is enough. All I need to do is lean into Him.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

Don’t wait to get started. Every word written is a building block toward becoming your best writer-self.

Stop thinking you’re not a writer. If you put words on a paper, you’re a writer.

Never give up on your dream. Believe in yourself.

Tell us about the featured book. Kamilah is the third book in the European Collection, a series of novellas inspired by true experiences while my family and I lived in Europe. It is the most true of all the stories in this collection, and it is the one nearest and dearest to my heart. I think of Kamilah often.

Please give us the first page of the book. A tall woman wrapped in an olive-colored headdress stood across the street, her right hand rested on the trunk of a blue sedan. She held my gaze when our eyes met. I considered waving her over. Bargain hunters were already pilfering through the American toys that littered our front yard, dampened by morning dew. Weeks of preparation culminated in my annual yard sale, and our basement had never looked so empty. Would one more shopper make much difference?

“Where do you want the clothes?” My preteen son, Jacob, dropped a large trash bag at his feet.

“Over there’s as good as any.” I pointed toward a bare spot in front of a hydrangea bush weighted down by lush blooms.

Souvenirs from Barcelona, London, and Rome had accumulated on dressers, nightstands, and in closets. Two kids per room meant double the stuff, so regular purging made space for upcoming birthday and Christmas presents.

A tired wooden table surrounded by four matching chairs rested near the street, designed to lure looky-loos eager to carry off American goods.

An early riser rifled through a bucket of penny toys, lining up a row of Hot Wheels cars at the start of a race. Red dots stuck to bigger toys marked prices in euros. Everything open for negotiation, sold to the highest bidder. Anyone interested, really. It all needed to go. Leftovers would be loaded into the Suburban and donated.

I accepted a few coins in exchange for a bouncy ball, a stuffed bear, and a handful of miniature vehicles.

“How much?” A businessman, visibly pleased with his English, fingered a child’s plastic desk. Black permanent marker in several spots evidenced the hours of fun the desk had provided my own children.

“Ten euros.”

The man turned over the dainty chair, inspecting its underbelly. “My daughter will love this on her birthday.”

I winced. Had he noticed the scribbles running across the drawers?

He handed me a blue bill. With the chair tucked into the desk and both hoisted over his head, he trudged toward his BMW.

Casually rearranging the wares into the space the toddler desk had occupied, I noticed two women take seats at the worn kitchen table. One was the woman watching from the street earlier.

“Amerikanische?” Dark eyes trimmed by near-perfect brows dominated the woman’s almond face. Olive fabric hid her hair and spilled over her shoulders.

I nodded before suddenly becoming aware of poor OPSEC—never identify yourself as American. Kind of difficult when I talk and walk like one, or so I had been told.

“Wie viel?” How much?

I pointed to the red sticker indicating 100 euros.

“Funfzig, bitte?” Fifty, please? Bargaining was expected, but at nine in the morning, there was plenty of day left in which to sell. I decided to play hardball. “Nein danke. Einhundert Euro, bitte.” No, thank you. One hundred euros, please.

The pair studied the table once more and methodically pulled each chair out, squatting to examine the wood with eyes just inches away. Covered in layers of cloth, they swayed like apparitions in and out of the yard-sale goods. They migrated back to the table-and-chairs set and gave it one last look before crossing the street to the blue sedan.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.kelleyrene.com. Visitors can sign up and receive a free short story there.

On FB: www.facebook.com/imkelleyrene

On Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/imkelleyrene

On Instagram: www.instagram.com/imkelleyrene

On Twitter: www.twitter.com/imkelleyrene

Thank you, Kelley, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I know they will love it as much as I do, too. I really love the cover, Kelley.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. https://amzn.to/3sZWWa0 - The book is only available in a Kindle edition right now.

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