Hello, Visionaries! Today I've got an interview with teen author Kylie Beevers! She is relaunching her book Rise of the Livingwood the first book in The Livingwood Chronicles! I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour!
So without further ado, here's the interview!
Hello Kylie! I am so excited about this interview and so happy you could join me on Writers’ Vision today! Hey y’all!! Thanks for having me on this wonderful blog! I’m super stoked to be here!!
Tell us a little bit about you!
I’m a young teen who strives to show my faith in Yeshua, our Messiah. And I long to show others the love that He showed us and to search for Truth. I believe we are all called to strive for that Narrow Road and that He called us Chosen through the His overwhelming, never ceasing grace. I’m a young author passionate about bringing clean, morally sound reads into the Middle-Grade audience. I also love to encourage young writers seeking to nurture that spark of imagination in themselves, as well as preparing for the next generation and their book content.
What inspired you to start writing?
I’d like to say a lot of things inspired me to start writing, but I think the most prominent thing was not a‘what’ but a ‘whom’: my dear Mum, who raised me to read clean and beautiful literature. She strengthened and encouraged me through her never ceasing prayer.
Also, S.D. Smith, author of the Green Ember series, helped in sparking a story and a passion for writing Middle-Grade content. I believe that was God’s hand.
How did you come to the decision to self-publish? And would you do anything differently if you could go back?
The main reason I chose self-publishing was because I couldn’t afford traditional publishing. To be honest, I still can’t. KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) was easy and affordable. I have to give credit where credit is due however and admit that most of the work I did on KDP was not done alone. I needed a tremendous amount of help. And I’m forever grateful for it!
I don’t think I ever will wish to go back and do things differently; I’m here for the season by God’s timing.
Could you tell us a bit about your writing journey and how you’ve improved your craft over the years? Namely, since first releasing The Livingwood Chronicles?
Well, for starters, when I first started writing I had no experience in writing a novel. I had written some shorter pieces in the past, but this was the first real big jump in a writing career. Not to mention I also was in a sticky situation when I first started writing. I was in a moving process. So, with boxes stacked high, myself seated on a wooden crate in front of a computer I compiled the first bits of the Rise of the LivingWood (which at the time, was The BlackWoods; the total opposite of the vibe I was going for). I continued writing throughout three different locations before settling down where I am now, at a beautiful farm in Northern Michigan. It was here, and there, that I made a strong commitment to writing to the Middle-Grade genre and focusing on God-glorifying literature.
Originally, Rise of the LivingWood was not going to be published. It was for a school project, but over time, it grew. It became a flame. It became a passion. And with that spark of encouragement and the talents of my amazing family, it became a solid life goal.
What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given? And who was it from?
Do not give up.
Do not give up.
I’ve heard this over and over and over again from several people in my life and its the one piece of advice that has stuck strong. So many young writers will start writing and then quit, thinking that they don’t have the skill or something along those lines. Do not quit and write for the glory of Elohim.
Do you have any advice you’d give to someone looking at self-publishing?
Do LOTS of research. And don’t be intimidated by asking for help from your parents, other authors, and your peers. Make sure you’ve considered all the specifications before making a solid decision. Make sure you realize the commitment. Carefully consider the next steps. Self-publishing and traditional publishing are not entirely different; they each have specs that you have to take into mind. Self-publishing is a wonderful outlet for most (not all) people looking for a quick and easy way to get their story into the world.
And do you have any advice for new authors, or authors just looking for good advice? Yes! I do!!
First, don’t give up! I mentioned it before, and I mean it! If you feel you have a story to share, write it! Write without fear! Write for the glory of Elohim.
Second, don’t be afraid to mess up. All, and I mean ALL authors mess up. We have millions of typos, thousands of grammatical errors, and hundreds of sentences that just don’t flow right. Don’t be afraid to mess up. It’s bound to happen. And most of the time, it is for the better of the story and the growth of the person.
This is a Second Edition of The LivingWood Chronicles what did that look like?
At first, I was just going to fix some simple grammatical errors that someone pointed out to me. But one thing led to another and my illustrator did a re-do of the interior artwork, and then finally we changed the cover to fit the animated Middle-Grade genre better.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I’ll be finishing the LivingWood Chronicles trilogy, and probably do some spin-offs. After that, I have plans to finish some early readers and other Middle-Grade stand-alone’s. That’s my goal; to serve the younger Middle-Grade audience.
I was also featured in HiS (Heard in Silence Anthology) produced by none other than The Sisters Three themselves! Super excited about that!
And lastly, can you tell us a bit about your writing process? Absolutely! I am a very slow writer/ typer compared to most. I need, generally, an hour to finish 1,000 words. It varies however quite dramatically when I don’t have snacks, the perfect set-up, my writer's mug filled to the brim with blue Gatorade, and my playlist jamming in my earbuds. So, I first settle down, breathe, say a quick prayer, and type away as fast as I can!
Thank you so much for joining me today, Kylie! It’s been such a pleasure to interview you!
Thank you! It was an absolute honor to be featured here!!! God bless!
About the Author
Kylie Beevers is a young teen striving to bring clean, morally sound reads to the middle-grade audience. Her debut novel, Rise of the LivingWood, is an epic saga featuring a battle of wolves and wit, foxes and faith. When you can’t find her writing stories that ring with truth, you can find her in the middle of the woods, engrossed in the spectacular works of Creation (generally wielding a dagger or a sword or whatnot). She loves to encourage young writers seeking to nurture that spark of imagination in themselves as well as to prepare for the next generation and their book content. Follow Kylie on her blog and GoodReads: Blog - livingwoodchronicles.com
Blog Tour Schedule!
Wednesday, March 8th: livingwoodchronicles - Blog Tour kickoff
Thursday, March 9th: Our Writers Vision - Interview (You're here!) Mayim Guerra - Review
Friday, March 10th: Lady Bluebird - Interview and Spotlight
Tuesday, March 14th:
Annabelle Batie - Spotlight
Lillian Keith - Spotlight and interview
Wednesday, March 15:
Micah Collier - Spotlight
livingwoodchronicles - End of Blog Tour
Wasn't that a great interview? Kylie had great advice for authors just starting out, or any authors. Be sure to check her book. Oh, and I forgot to mention it's illustrated as well!
Also, Heard in Silence is an Anthology my sisters and I put together with some other amazing authors and it will be releasing later this year! Let us know your thoughts in the comments! We'd love to hear from you!
I better not give up then😂 I don't think I want to write for a living, but I would like to be a good writer should the occasion arise.
This was a great interview! Nice questions Kaytlin! And I loved your answers Kylie!
I love how you turned a school project into a series! And I think the cover for your first book is really neat!
That's some great advice, Kylie! The new cover is just awesome, and I can't wait to see the new illustrations. Also I'm super impressed that you kept writing even in the middle of a move!