Thanks for joining us. If you're drinking a hot beverage, you might want to hold onto your mug before taking a sip because KJ's honesty may result in giggles. She's a lot of fun and I can't wait for her debut to enter the world. 

Congratulations on The Book Proposal! It’s almost here!
KJ: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. 
Happy to be here!
 
It’s an accomplishment to write a book, but when it’s out in the world, it’s success. I think it’s important to recognize our achievements. You’re planning on a book launch party at a comedy club, which is pretty cool. How did you decide on how to celebrate? Who’s invited? 

KJ: I love your optimistic outlook!  I'm always so busy that I have a really hard time stopping and smelling the roses, so to speak. The launch party was my way of forcing myself to do exactly that. It would be easy to be flippant about it, but the planning process has been a lot of work, and honestly, I put an awful lot of thought into it.
​
Most book launches are done at bookstores or in conjunction with libraries. Unfortunately, in my area, there are not a lot of bookstores to choose from. This is surprising since I live in a suburb of NYC, but it's true. We do have tons of libraries, and I thought about reaching out to my local branch to partner on an event but, I don't know. I'm pretty old school about libraries. I have all this reverence for them - they're these lovely, huge buildings that house literature.  What I wrote is like this very silly, funny, sometimes sexy, sometimes downright gross thing that could not be further from "appropriate" for your typical library crowd.  I envisioned a loud, funny event, and while libraries are a lot of things, I don't think most people would choose "loud" or "funny" as adjectives to describe their libraries. (I could be wrong, here. I'm wrong about a lot of things.)  It just felt like it would be more natural - more on-brand - to do something at a comedy club.  And then I thought, what if I turned it into a fundraiser?  I run a non-profit that teaches dyslexic kids to read, and also works with adults who need help with literacy skills. How cool would it be for me to take the proceeds of my debut book launch event and donate them back to an organization that creates tomorrow's readers? 

Also, to be completely transparent, I am a total chicken about reading out loud - and I figured that if I hosted an event at a comedy club and arranged for some legit top-notch talent, then I could just be, like, the opening act - which takes away a lot of the pressure of the evening so I could just enjoy myself as well. And no joke, I found the best comedian. Her name is Liz Miele (totally recommend you check out her YouTube specials), she's from Brooklyn which is where my book is set, and she has dyslexia. Once I got in touch with her agent and booked her, I realized it was going to be an incredible celebration.
The whole world is invited to come to my launch party!  It's not exclusive to anyone!  The venue seats 200 and so far I've sold 65 tickets, so I'm feeling pretty good about that!  Hoping to max it out! (Details are on my website if any of your readers would like to come! It's $25 per person which includes a signed copy of the book. 
 
I’m honored that I read an advance copy of The Book Proposal and loved it. Not only for a great story, but the snappy banter and humor. I’m curious, how much of Gracie’s character is you?

KJ: Ha! That's a great question. If you're asking me whether I shart when I'm jogging, the answer is no. I have a weak bladder, so I pee when I run, thank you very much. Gracie and I have some personality traits that are similar, but we also have some pretty major differences, too. For example, I am a workaholic where she's a procrastinator. I am really good at managing my finances, and Gracie can't figure out that (most) authors need day jobs. But many of her traumatic childhood tales are fictional retellings of moments from my youth, yes. Mrs. A is 100% based on the mom of my best friend from the third grade. Sweetest woman you'd ever want to know but man, did she constantly try to overfeed me. The high school stuff is also based on my life but just amplified. What's really fun is that people who have known me since childhood will recognize some of the stories. It's like having a bunch of inside jokes in print, immortalized forever. 

Gracie suffers from writer’s block, an author’s fear of not being able to write anything new. Have you experienced it and if so, for how long and how did you get out of it?

KJ: Hm. While I suffer incessantly from time management issues (not enough hours in the day), I don't think I've suffered from actual writer's block, to be honest. I certainly have moments where I'm not sure where a story is going or how to get from point A to point B. When that happens, I have a number of techniques that help:
1) Going on a long drive. I clear my had and just brainstorm, and usually something cool comes out of it. But when I say long, I mean long. We have a summer home that's 5 hours away, so it's on those drives that I'm able to get into a creative headspace. 
​
2) Talking plot points out with my husband. He alpha reads everything I write, so that gives me someone to bounce ideas off of who will tell me if something won't work. It's really hard for beta readers and critique partners to tell you, "Hey, that idea is like a wine glass full of garbage juice," but my husband will give it to me straight, so now the poor guy is stuck reading rom-coms for all eternity!  Anyway, we like to take walks together, and we'll hash out ideas while we do a lap or two around the park behind our house. It's a nice way to connect because after almost 15 years of marriage, you run out of things to talk about besides the kids and money. 
 
3) Watching stand-up comedy is actually one of my favorite things to do. There's so much you can learn about how to deliver a punchline in a story, how to tie stories together, etc. Plus, it just feels so good to laugh. If I can put together an anecdote - a flashback, for example - and position it in my manuscript in a spot where it makes me laugh out loud and moves the main plot line forward - ugh, that's just gold. There's nothing like it.

I’m excited to start my blog with an author I enjoy reading. Stephanie Eding. She is a mom of three and an author
of young adult and women’s fiction. I caught up with
her while her youngest was napping to talk about her
​new book, Said No One Ever. 

I love the title! How did the title come about?

Thank you! I actually have to give full credit to my
editor for this one. Titles are a struggle for me, and I
could never come up with anything for it. I just
nicknamed it “Free Range” the entire time I worked on
it because it was my take on a woman who felt trapped
in her own life going free-range for once. I turned the
book in, and Deb had a title for me in no time. Better than
​I could come up with!
​
I really enjoyed The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale and am excited to read your second women’s fiction/romcom book. I love the plot. As someone who knows nothing about caring for a farm, I can only imagine Ellie’s challenges. Where did the inspiration for this story come from? 

Despite the fact that Ellie’s trip goes completely haywire, it’s actually my dream vacation. I started out daydreaming about a quiet space in a tiny home with the gorgeous Montana backdrop and got the craving to turn it into a book setting. I live in a small rural community, but have zero farm experience. That doesn’t stop me from frequently telling my husband we’re selling everything to become farmers. J I had a good time imagining how *I* would handle the chores around the farm and then finding out how it was *actually* done. I’ve also been dying to write a book about a spicy grandmother because I’ve been so blessed by my relationships with my own grandmothers, as well as some other amazing women who treated me like a granddaughter. Marilyn might be my favorite character I’ve written yet!
I know you’re a busy mom, that alone is a balancing act. When do you write, where do you write, and do you have a schedule?

I’ll admit that I’m definitely in slow motion in this department right now. My youngest is 19 months old and into EVERYTHING! My main writing time happens during her naps or if I have any energy left when the kids go down for bed. It’s actually a nice break in my day to light a candle, grab a cup of coffee, and sit at my dining room table to be creative for a bit. There are days when I can’t do it, and I give myself grace then too. Other days, writing time really energizes me and is exactly what I need.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a hobby or activity you enjoy doing? 

​When the weather is warm, my favorite thing to do is take long walks or sit around a campfire. I could do that every night of my life! During the colder months, I love hot drinks and curling up with my favorite funny sitcoms. Currently, I’m re-watching New Girl because it never fails to make me belly laugh!

What genres do you like to read? What are you reading now?  

I actually read a lot of nonfiction. I love an inspiring biography, (recently read Amy Carmichael’s story, which was incredible!) and self-help books always motivate me. I do mostly audiobooks these days that can follow me around the house while I chase kids and clean. Right now, though, I’m reading Lucy Gilmore’s The Lonely Hearts Book Club that just released, and I don’t want to put it down! Highly recommend!

Thank you Stephanie! 
​

On the back cover...

Said No One Ever 

ELLIE REED’S SELF-ESTEEM can’t take any more of her family’s constant criticism. In a final effort to branch out on her own, she leaves the city to get some fresh air on a farm in central Montana. Barn animals can’t give unsolicited advice, after all. But when Ellie arrives at the Airbnb to her spunky elderly host, Marilyn, getting carted off in an ambulance, Ellie’s attempt at a quiet getaway takes a wild turn.
Suddenly Ellie finds herself the unqualified caretaker of Marilyn’s isolated farm—and all the family drama that comes with it. If only she could convince Marilyn’s handsome and stubborn grandson, Warren Oliver, that she doesn’t have any designs on the property. Caught between two rival men competing for control of the farm, navigating Marilyn’s outrageous requests, and trying to salvage what was supposed to be her new lease on life, Ellie might have to embrace the adventure in order to change her destiny…