Welcome SciFi Author, Kayelle Allen

I am honored today to be hosting a fellow author and good friend of mine, Kayelle Allen. She’s the author of some of the most innovative heroes and villains one could ever conceive of. This lady’s imagination humbles me . . .

Her latest release is Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire

When the immortal Pietas is marooned on a barren world with no food and few survival tools, he knows it could be worse. He could be alone. But that’s the problem. He’s not.
Half a million of his people sleep in cryostasis, trapped in their pods and it’s up to Pietas to rescue them. Before he can save his people, he must take back command from a ruthless enemy he’s fought for centuries. His brutal, merciless father. Immortals may heal, but a wound of the heart lasts forever…

Amazon and in print. Free on Kindle Unlimited http://amzn.to/2ABIcCI

Today Kayelle has agreed to let me ask her a few questions so maybe we get inside the mind of an author who creates “misbehaving robots” and “warriors who purr.” So let’s get started . . .

What is your best marketing tip?

Write more books. Subsequent books sell earlier books. When readers discover you and fall in love with your stories, it’s common for them to buy other books in a series. If they love your style, they are likely to buy all your books. No one else can do that for you. Book two sells book one. Book three sells books one and two and so on.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

I couldn’t name Pietas “John” and have it be the same character. The name makes them who they are. If it doesn’t sound right to me, I can’t use it. It must be something I can type as well. I save time on long names by using autocorrect in MS Word. For example, Luc Saint-Cyr — I write out the letters of his last name as s t c y (without spaces) and it autocorrects them to Saint-Cyr. I was going to write it out the way I do to show you, but Word kept changing it. I have multiple characters and other words whose names are unique. I use autocorrect for nearly all of them. When I need a name, I Google baby name sites. I will also look up a word that portrays their character or an aspect of their being and use something from a thesaurus or made up from another language. For example, Alitus came from the word “elite.” I chose Pietas because as a child, I’d read a book with a character named Piet and the spelling fascinated me. It wasn’t until after I’d published the first Bringer of Chaos book that I discovered the word Pietas is also one of the Greek virtues. How ironic is it that the virtue refers specifically to devotion for family and fathers. Pietas detests his father with every part of his being. So I’m going to have his father claim he named him that because he wanted a son who would respect him — and what a disappointment Pietas is. These two cannot be in the same room without a fight or unkind words — for good reason. I won’t spoil the story by explaining. But bottom line, to me, names are vital.

Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?

I wear a fingerless glove on my right hand when I’m writing. Originally, it was to protect my hand from the mouse and from rubbing the heel of my hand against the table. I spend so much time on the computer that it irritates my skin otherwise. I’ve used it for so long that now I find it difficult to write anything unless I’m wearing a glove. Somehow, it went from a matter of protection to a ritual. I put on the glove and I’m ready to write. Weird, I know.

Do you have a favorite conference to attend? What is it?

I have never missed an OutlantaCon. I live near Atlanta and it’s held there, so it’s an easy reach. This is a scifi and gaming convention with a queer bent. I was a guest author their first year and it was so much fun I wanted to go back the next. I’ve been a guest every year. A few years ago, they presented me with an honorary lifetime membership. There’s a small writer’s track, gaming, films, cosplay, and a wonderful dealer’s room. www.outlantacon.org

Have you ever been in trouble with the police?

No one ever believes this story, but it really happened. I was in the eighth grade and one day the cops came to the school and took me to the station. And what was I questioned about? They asked me if it was true that I could fly around the room. See? I told you. No one believes me. It turned out that a young girl had gotten into trouble with her father so she told him that another girl and I had forced her to do whatever it was. I never found out. At the time, I had a reputation of being a goody-goody. I never got in trouble. Maybe she thought it wouldn’t go any further. But it did.

Her father questioned her (apparently none too nicely, because she made up this whopper) so she said we had taken her into the girls’ room at school and flown around the room. We supposedly told her we were alien witches who had come to this planet to kill the president and take back secrets. Honestly, I am not making this up. Now, it happened to take place just two years after the Kennedy assassination, so the police figured a threat on the president ought to be followed up. So they pulled me in and questioned me. Of course, I had no idea what they were talking about. I didn’t find out until later why they thought I could “fly” and the rest of the story.

My parents heard what had happened and righteously stormed into the station demanding to know why the cops were questioning their minor daughter without counsel or them being present. We were issued an apology. Still, the story is so completely out there that no one believes it. But yeah, that’s the sole extent of my “trouble with the police.” Although I did get a ticket one time for an illegal U-turn. Does that count?

Wow, with experiences like that, Kayelle, no wonder you have an incredible imagination! Thanks so much for visiting my blog today, and best of luck with Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire. I’m on my way over HERE to download it right now!

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She’s a US Navy veteran who’s been married so long she’s tenured.
https://kayelleallen.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook https://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
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Claire Gem writes contemporary romance and supernatural suspense. You can find out more about her at her Website or Amazon Author Page.