Tena StetlerAuthor of Paranormal Romance/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries With Magic Spark!

Aug 8th Interview – K.K. Weil Author of Some Whisper, Some Shout

Give a warm welcome to K.K. Weil, author of  Some Whisper, Some Shout  to be released on August 16, 2017!

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about K.K. and  Reed from Some Whisper, Some Shout.

KK, I see you’ve brought friends with you.  

Yes indeed, this is Reed, a talented musician, the hero and Jolie, the hard-working heroine of Some Whisper, Some Shout.

Wonderful.  Reed, do you mind answering a few questions?

Ask away!

What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you? I would say losing my father had a lasting impression on me. I made a lot of mistakes after he died; mistakes I’ve tried hard to fix. But I’m learning that sometimes doing better isn’t as easy as it sounds.

 What do you most value? I used to think my music was the thing I valued most. Since I started spending time, with Jolie, though, I’ve learned that my music alone isn’t worth a whole lot. She’s more of an inspiration to me than my beloved saxophone ever was by itself. So if I have to think of the thing I most value, I’d have to say it’s having someone who’s perfect for you to share the things you love with.

What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? I want a woman who looks outside of herself and her needs to help others. Someone who might not realize that the things she sees as weaknesses are actually strengths. Someone who makes my existence better just by being present. In short, Jolie.

What do you consider most important in life? Now? After everything I’ve learned? I’d have to say honesty and accountability.

 What is your biggest secret? Ha, well, I’ve been keeping so many for such a long time, now that everything with Jolie is out in the open, I hope never to have any secrets again.

Your turn  on the hot seat Jolie. LOL

Who are you really? I think I’m someone with only a few desires. For my family to be safe, for the less fortunate to have more and to spend my life with someone who will take care of me while I take care of him in return.

Who were the biggest role models in your life? My grandmother, Mamie, is definitely my biggest role model. She taught me to be strong and confident and to see the best in people. I used to think I had nothing in common with her, but Reed has helped me to see that I’m more like her than I thought.

What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with? If you would have asked me that question a year ago, I would have said, without pause, that dependability and predictability were the most important qualities in a man for me. But there is so much more to life than what I thought before. While those things are still important, I now realize that dependability takes on many shapes, and what you think you need isn’t necessarily what’s best for you. I want a man who will be there for me, unconditionally, to grow with and change with. And I think I’ve found him.

  What kind of man would you never choose? A man who was dishonest down to the core.

What is most important to you in life? First, my family. Second, helping those less fortunate.

What is your biggest fear? That my brother will struggle with mental illness for the rest of his life.

KK, Tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult?  Do your characters always act as you expect? Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?

Writing Some Whisper, Some Shout was both a joy and a struggle. I’m a pantser, so while I had a good idea of the premise and where I wanted the story to go, I didn’t know exactly how I was going to get there. There were so many joys – first, creating the main characters…Jolie was easy for me but Reed took more work. Since much of his story has to do with him hiding a secret, I had to figure out a way to let us get to know him without giving too much away. Once I was able to tell Part 2 of the story from his point of view, the pages just flew off the computer. Writing about Jolie’s creperie was so much fun, too. I love the boardwalks on the Jersey Shore and ever since I went to Paris, crepes have been a favorite of mine. Combining the two and coming up with funny names for the crepes was a blast. Third, one of my characters, Mamie, is based off of my own grandmother (though exaggerated). Coming up with lines for her was really a joy. Sometimes I could see my grandmother speaking when I wrote the dialog.

Now the struggle, if I can call it that. Some Whisper, Some Shout revolves around two major issues – mental illness and homelessness. After a lot of research on both topics, it was important to me to portray things correctly. Jolie’s mission in life is to feed the hungry, but she had to make it clear that, while she was friendly with these people, there was no way she could understand the hardships they’ve experienced. I also wanted to be sure to make her a reliable narrator. As someone whose family suffered with mental illness, her perspective on the subject was very important. While these are challenging topics, writing about them makes me love working even more.

Tell us a little about Some Whisper, Some Shout.

Devices. Jolie’s got tons of them. Coping mechanisms that ensure she’s not falling victim to the mental illness that’s taken hold of both her brother and father. Helping the homeless gives Jolie much needed consistency. But when a stranger struts into her Jersey Shore creperie, writing cryptic songs on napkins and then disappearing, her world becomes anything but routine.

Reed can play the soul out of his saxophone, but he’s hiding something. Why else would he reveal so little about himself, or plan one secluded, albeit eccentric, date after another? And what’s in that backpack he carries everywhere? Then again, with her distressed brother missing, an estranged mother returning home, and a feisty grandmother acting weirder than usual, Jolie can’t decipher whether her suspicions are valid or dangerous delusions.

When inexplicable slashings of the homeless occur in her otherwise safe town, Jolie’s devices begin to fail.

Can we have a sneek peek between the pages of Some Whisper, Some Shout? 

 

“Come here.” Reed took my arm and pulled me toward him. Then he eased my shoulders down so I was sitting in his lap, straddling him. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?” It was such an obvious stall tactic I would have laughed if I weren’t so sad and embarrassed.

“Jolie.” He watched me and waited for me to speak with that same expression he wore the first time he spoke—as if he already understood me. It made no sense. It was impossible, but it made me want to open up to him in ways I never did with anyone else.

“You must think I’m…”

“Crazy?” He chuckled.

That word. That word that I despised, that struck my last nerve. “No, not crazy.” I stood from his lap, but he was too fast. He held my hips in place until I sat back down on him of my own accord.

“Okay, not crazy,” he said once I was back where he wanted me. “How about stunningly beautiful?” He kissed my lips tenderly.

“I’ll take that one.”

“So do you want to tell me now?”

“I thought you said I didn’t have to,” I said, but, oddly, part of me hoped he’d push.

“You don’t.” He brought his face away from mine and waited for me to lead the conversation. He wouldn’t shy away from the topic. If I didn’t want to talk about it, I’d have to change the subject. For the first time, I wanted to discuss Tristan with someone other than Mamie.

“My brother is sick.” I couldn’t look Reed in the face. Instead, I found a small chocolate stain on his shirt that he must have gotten from one of Mamie’s pastries, and traced over it with my pointer. “He’s got”—I hadn’t spoken the word in so long I didn’t know if it would still fall from my lips—“schizophrenia.”

Reed sighed against my finger. “I’m so sorry, Jolie.”

“He was diagnosed at nineteen as soon as he started exhibiting symptoms. We knew what to watch for because, well, because my father had it too.”

He took my hand and brought my fingers to his lips, holding them there. I fought to keep the tears from my eyes. I’d already broken down once tonight. I didn’t plan on doing it again

Where can we get Some Whisper, Some Shout? Amazon and The Wild Rose Press.

About the Author:

K.K. Weil grew up in Queens, but eventually moved to New York City, the inspiration for many of her stories. Weil, who attended SUNY Albany as an undergrad and NYU as a graduate student, is also a teacher. She enjoys writing her own dramas and lives near the beach in New Jersey, where she is at work on her next novel.

It was wonderful having you with us today.  Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Some Whisper, Some Shout. I look forward to reading your novel.

 

 

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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Crepes, Homelessness, Jersey Shore, K.K. Weil, Metal Illness, Romance, Some Whisper Some Shout, Suspense by Tena Stetler with 20 comments.