Ask the Author: Kelly Duff
Answered Questions (6)
Kelly Duff
Usually, I'm inspired by a cute boy I see in a movie. My mom used to call me boy-crazy, and I guess I'm still that way. Music also plays a huge part in my inspiration to write. The right soundtrack can motivate my storylines and create a background for the characters' interactions.
Kelly Duff
I grew up around cars. My dad was in the business (service manager for many dealers), our neighbors had a variety of muscle cars, and I grew up in the 80's so it's appropriate to have some sort of admiration for cars. Smokey & The Bandit was one of my favorite movies and my dad actually drove that Trans Am when he worked for a Pontiac dealer. So it made sense when Danica Patrick came into popularity that I was intrigued. A woman in a male-dominated sport. Truth be told, five years ago when I was looking for a story for a male bodyguard character, having the female lead as a race car driver seemed like an interesting fit. A few years ago I had the opportunity to tour the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and while the story needed a lot of work, I knew I was on to something. I have yet to ride in an actual race car, but hopefully someday.
Kelly Duff
Write as much as you can even when you think you're writing garbage. Learn as much as you can about the art of storytelling, but just as important, take the time to learn about the business side of publishing.
Kelly Duff
I'm currently working on a novel I started (yikes) 20 years ago. The heroine has baggage (her dad just died, her mom doesn't approve of her life choices, she's estranged from her best guy friend who she sort of married when they were drunk in Vegas) and the hero, who spent the better part of the last five years caring for his brother, is trying to move on with his life. It takes place in the music industry, something I have some experience with having worked in radio.
Kelly Duff
I get to live out careers I know I'll never have when I write about my characters. Sami Jo is a female race car driver. I don't think anyone with a brain would let me drive 200 mph, but being able to do it on the page can be just as exhilarating. Plus, it's like having a relationship with a hunky hero when you write about them ;-).
Kelly Duff
I listen to a lot of music and often find inspiration there. Sometimes, just watching movies with actors I like help rouse the muse. For example, despite how horrible his character was for most of the series, Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones inspired the physical look of the bodyguard in my recent novel. The hero in my current work-in-progress was inspired by Timothy Olyphant in the movie Go (minus the part where he was a drug dealer, LOL). Cute boys equal imagination!
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