Sunday, April 24, 2016

Interview with Kristy Woodson Harvey


Today I'm thrilled to share with you an interview with a very talented author Kristy Woodson Harvey. She has two novels out Dear Carolina and Lies and Other Acts of Love which just came out. She was wonderful to answer all my questions. I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did. 

Also be sure to check out a Guest post about her favorite book (here)

On to the Interview
Mandy - When did you decide to become a writer?
Kristy - I decided I wanted to be a journalist when I was in high school. I had an internship at my local newspaper that led to a weekly column. I went to journalism school and did a lot of freelance writing, but writing a novel was a bit of a random idea. I decided I didn’t have anything to lose (but a little time!) so I went for it. And I’m so glad I did! I feel like I have found what I was meant to do.

Mandy - Do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
Kristy - Computer! I’m a very fast typer (thank goodness…) so sometimes I’ll try to create voice memos when I’m driving and then transcribe them. But what I think sounds good when I’m saying it sounds awful when I write it down! I think there’s some sort of magic that happens when my fingers are connected to the keyboard.

Mandy - What does your writing space look like? 
Kristy - I have this beautiful office with a gorgeous marble desk, but I’m a full-time mom, so, quite honestly, I write anywhere and everywhere! At soccer practice, Starbucks, in the car when my son falls asleep… I sort of fit it in where I can so I’m so very lucky that I don’t need to be in a certain place to make it work.

Mandy - If Dear Carolina was made into a movie who would play Khaki, Jodi and Carolina? 
Kristy - (Dear Carolina has been optioned for film—we haven’t announced it yet, so shhhh ;)—, so I’m going to hold off on these because we might be able to have real answers in a few weeks!

Mandy - What do you do to take a break from writing? 
Kristy - Honestly, writing is my break from everything else! It is my “me” time and how I unwind.

Mandy - Do you have an author your look up to? 
Kristy - Oh, wow. Yes! So, so many of them. Elin Hilderbrand has been one of my idols for years, and I have been lucky enough to meet her several times—and she wrote the most beautiful endorsement for LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE. I also got to meet Jennifer Weiner, which was incredible. I love Patti Callahan Henry and have gotten so much great guidance from Kim Boykin, Ann Garvin, Sonja Yoerg, Eileen Goudge, Cathy Lamb, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke… The list goes on and on. I have found authors, as a whole, to be incredibly generous and so supportive.

Mandy - Why should we read Dear Carolina?
Kristy I have been so blown away by the way readers have connected to DEAR CAROLINA. It has been such a joy to hear people’s stories about the ways in which they created their families, and I consider that a huge gift. But I think people should read it because there are some serious topics at hand but, overall, it’s a light, feel good read with a little romance thrown in. Life can be tough sometimes, so I always appreciate a book that makes me happy.

Quick fun questions

Coffee or Tea or something else? Tea!
Heels or flats? Heels.
Physical or Ebooks? Physical.
Sweet or Salty? Sweet.
Harry Potter or Twilight? Twilight.
Dogs or Cats? Dogs.

Mandy - Where is the best place to find you? 
Kristy - My author site is kristywoodsonharvey.com and my design blog is mydesignchic.com. I’m on Twitter and Instagram at @kristywharvey and on Facebook as Kristy Woodson Harvey. I have an author page, but feel free to friend me too! I LOVE connecting with readers. It is one of the most fun parts of this incredible job!
(website/social media)

Mandy - Anything you want to say to your readers? 
Kristy - Just a big, huge, loud, bellowing thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can’t write without readers, and you have overwhelmed me with your love and your passion for DEAR CAROLINA. I can’t wait to hear what you think about LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE!

Be sure to check out both of her books

Dear Carolina 
Add to (Goodreads)

One baby girl.
Two strong Southern women.
And the most difficult decision they’ll ever make.

Frances “Khaki” Mason has it all: a thriving interior design career, a loving husband and son, homes in North Carolina and Manhattan—everything except the second child she has always wanted. Jodi, her husband’s nineteen-year-old cousin, is fresh out of rehab, pregnant, and alone. Although the two women couldn’t seem more different, they forge a lifelong connection as Khaki reaches out to Jodi, encouraging her to have her baby. But as Jodi struggles to be the mother she knows her daughter deserves, she will ask Khaki the ultimate favor…


Written to baby Carolina, by both her birth mother and her adoptive one, this is a story that proves that life circumstances shape us but don’t define us—and that families aren’t born, they’re made… 

Lies and Other Acts of Love 
Add it to (Goodreads)

Dear Carolina was praised as “Southern fiction at its best.”* Now author Kristy Woodson Harvey presents a new novel about what it really means to tell the truth . . .

After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies. 

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancĂ© and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even through her grandfather’s declining health.

But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves . . .

Find Kristy 

Bio
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the author of Dear Carolina. She blogs at Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be the catalyst for creating a beautiful life and loves connecting with readers at kristywoodonsharvey.com. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's school of journalism and holds a Master's in English from East Carolina University. She is a regular contributor for The Salisbury Post, Domino magazine and Houzz. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and three-year-old son.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Kristy as much as I did. 

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