Kristin’s Comments (group member since Sep 12, 2013)

Kristin’s comments from the "The Others" by Kristin Bryant group.

Thanks so much Buena!! I am working on it as we speak!

Thanks guys! Next time I do one, I'll make sure to put it here. Thanks so much for the support!!! I really means the world to me.

Hey Bonnie!
Great question!
I have two little boys- 2 and 5 years old, and I am extremely nervous about them turning into young adults too quickly!!! Yikes!
First, I love the young adult genre because it sort of represents the most cool-yet-tumultuous time in human life- becoming an adult. It is fraught with mistakes and firsts and all sorts of crazy situations that a 40-something would know better than to get mixed up in. It is when possibilities are endless and big decisions are made. For those reasons, I think I'd always like to write to the YA audience.
This book is a little bit unique because the main characters are a little older than your average young adult main character. There is actually a VERY new genre just starting to gain traction called "new adult", where the main characters are in their mid-twenties.
I wrote the majority of this book when I was about 27, so Ryen, the main character is is my same head space. He is mid-20's in my head. Actually, in one part, I do believe I mention that Ryen is 27 or 28. Savannah is younger, she is about 22. Claire and the boys are mid-twenties as well.

The idea came first. I was doing laundry one day while my son was taking a nap and the strangest idea came to me out of nowhere. "What aliens were coming to Earth to find evidence of their savior?"
It came so out of nowhere and so clearly, I actually dropped my laundry basket on my feet. It was such a strange idea, I wasn’t sure what to do with it at first. It took me a little bit of time to put pen to paper and start outlining a story around it, especially because I had never thought of writing a book before. The more I thought about it, the easier it was to connect it with that scripture. :)

Definitely! It is probably impossible to divorce your real life from your writing completely. I've had friends and family tell me they've had fun finding parts of my life referenced throughout the novel.
Three characters come to mind:
Aurik was loosely based on Gordon B. Hinkley (Mormons in the house!)I love Hinkley's way of being so unabashedly sweet one moment, but able to shake you to your soul the very next with his powerful words.
I used to live in Tonga, so it was easy to write Chase and Mateo. They are both based on two very fun guys I met and hung out with while I lived over there. Believe me, they were the best kind of guys to be stuck on an island with. They could make anything fun!
I grew up loving the music of Les Miserables. Even before I really could grasp the meaning of the Broadway recordings from the musical my mom always played, I fell in love with the song, "A little fall of rain", sung by Eponine and Marius. It wasn't until I grew up that I understood how heartbreaking that scene was. Emani's character is loosely based on Eponine's plight in love, always the runner-up to the hero's heart. That was an homage to her, one of my favorite literary characters.

Tammy wrote: "Hi! I'm Tammy and I'm from a small town in Idaho. I love to read just about everything. Wide genre for me. I'm a sign language studies major and a massage therapist. I love, love, love people! Favo..."

Tammy wrote: "Hi! I'm Tammy and I'm from a small town in Idaho. I love to read just about everything. Wide genre for me. I'm a sign language studies major and a massage therapist. I love, love, love people! Favo..."

Tammy, I love it. The Bible DOES have a little bit of everything for everyone. Intrigue, murder, power struggles, everything!

Hi everyone!
I'm Kristin, the author. I live in North Orange County with my husband and two little boys. This is my first published work, which is unnervingly cool and just plain unnerving at the same time. I am half-way through my battle with breast cancer, but I'm on the easy half (done with chemo!). I don't know if I have a favorite book now, but my FIRST favorite books were the Ramona Quimby books. I hope to some day have a little girl to read them to. I think Ramona's drama would be lost on my boys. Welcome everyone!

Debbie wrote: "Hi, I'm Debbie from North Ogden, Utah. I am the only sibling of Kathy, the moderator. I'm the lucky grandma of 10 wonderful grandchildren. I love to read to the them, so I have been reading the ..."

Hey Debbie! Thanks for joining us! I like to say that this is sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi. In fact, I don't really like traditional sci-fi. I hope you find this a fresh take on the genre. Thanks for being here!

Valerie wrote: "Hi Everyone, I'm Valerie and I'm from Mason Michigan . I'm not sure I have a favorite book, I just love to read. I didn't learn to read until I was in the 7th grade! And
I have never stopped read..."

Oh, I am a sucker for TLC shows! I've been jeeping and mudding just a couple of times when I went to college in Utah, and boy was it fun! How great to live in a place where it sounds like you can do it often. Thanks for being here! :)

Allyson wrote: "Hi Y'all, I'm Ally. I'm from Decatur, Alabama. I'm a music therapist and presently work with a geriatric population. I believe strongly in the power of music to heal. I was a voice major so I love..."

Hi Allyson! Welcome! I love the idea of music therapy. When I went into the hospital for my mastectomy surgery, they had a touch and music therapist come to the waiting area and it helped so much. Good to meet you!