Ever wonder about authors who can take you from the young adult to beginning of
adulthood? Today, our Sherri
Morris talked to Brigid
Kemmerer about her latest novel, THICKER THAN WATER..
"THICKER THAN WATER is Brigid Kemmerer's first book released since her
Elemental series. Told in both Thomas and Charlotte's point of views, their
story begins at a slower pace but gradually escalates. Brigid Kemmerer is a new
author for me so I don't have any of her previous work to compare to. However,
it has been awhile since a book has been able to suck me so far into it I just
couldn't stop reading. THICKER THAN WATER did that for me. Brigid Kemmerer's
writing style has a wonderful, captivating flow to it. She includes surprises
and plot twists I did not see coming and created characters the reader can
easily fall in love with. I cannot wait to get my hands on some of her other
books!" from her review.
You started writing in high school. What started you down this path and
who influenced you during this time?
I always loved reading when I was a kid, and I actually started writing even
earlier than high school. I used to love reading YA urban fantasy, and in the
early โ90s, there just wasnโt much of that. Anytime I found something new, I
would practically read it in the car on the way home. I honestly think I started
writing books because I wanted more to read in that genre. My mother was a big
influence in my life, too. Not because sheโs a big reader or writer herself, but
because there was never any question in her mind that I could accomplish what I
set out to do.
All writers are readers. What book(s) has/have influenced you the
most?
I love books that make me feel something strongly, because they make me sit up
and pay attention and want to be a better writer. Some of my favorites:
CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET
by Sophie Kinsella โ the first book where I realized a man could be a little
broken on the inside
SHATTERED GLASS by
Elaine Bergstrom โ one of my favorite books/series ever, I loved reading about
the Austra family dynamics
OF METAL AND WISHES
by Sarah Fine โ I read this in manuscript form and every time I closed the
book, I wanted to go work on my own to see if I could create something that
beautiful
THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin de Becker โ this
book is nonfiction, and I recommend that every woman read it โjust because.โ But
as a writer, this book gives chilling insight into the psychology of fear and
how dangerous people use that to their advantage.
Itโs always interesting to get a peek into how a writer creates the
story. What is the hardest part of writing for you? What is the easiest
part?
The easiest part is when Iโm in the first round of revisions. The whole book is
written, and itโs time to clean it up and make it perfect. The hardest part is
when the weather is nice and my kids are begging me to take them to the park,
but I need to park my butt in a chair to write.
THICKER THAN
WATER is a wonderful title; itโs evocative and speaks to major themes in the
novel. How did you come up with the title for your new book? Were there other
working titles before this?
My editor actually came up with this one! Another working title was FLESH AND
BLOOD, and I FEEL YOU.
What advice would you give to a new young writer?
My mantra is, โAllow yourself to suck.โ A lot of writers (me included) get
caught up in our heads, afraid to put words on the page because weโre worried no
one will read them, or if someone does read them, theyโll think itโs
bad/stupid/lame/dumb/whatever. But none of that matters in the drafting stage.
Itโs fine if itโs crap: no one else has to read it. Just start getting words on
paper. Thereโs a delete key for a reason.
If you could do it all over again, would you change any of it? Why?
Nope! Hindsight is 20/20, and we all have second thoughts about any decision,
but when I think about things I would have done differently, I realize that
would change other things that I wouldnโt have done
differently, soโฆ I think weโll just keep things as they are. :-)
BRIGID
KEMMERER is author of the YALSA-nominated Elemental series, which Kirkus
Reviews calls โrefreshingly human paranormal romanceโ and School
Library Journal describes as โa new take on the supernatural genre.โ The
story of these four gifted teenage boys spans five novels and three e-novellas.
Her latest novel, THICKER THAN
WATER(Kensington, December 29, 2015), a paranormal mystery with
elements of romance, subtly moves from YA to New Adult through the story of a
recently orphaned boy, Thomas. Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her
husband and four sons and also works full-time as a financial adviser. Visit her
at brigidkemmerer.com.
Thomas Bellweather hasnโt been in town long. Just long
enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his
new stepdadโs cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary
suspect.
Not that thereโs any evidence. But before Thomas got to
Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty
years.
The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little
sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet
curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her friend was the
other murder vic. And sheโd like a couple answersโฆ
Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth
Thomas would die to keep hiddenโฆ
New author to me, too...thanks for the intro...this sounds well worth reading! (Kathleen Bylsma 7:05pm December 28, 2015)
This Author's name sounds vaguely familiar to me, but I'm not familiar with her work. Her book sounds really good, and I've put it on my TBR list. I'm glad that you brought her to our attention, and I'm looking forward to reading her book!! (Peggy Roberson 6:16am December 29, 2015)
This Author's name sounds vaguely familiar to me, but I'm not familiar with her work. Her book sounds really good, and I've put it on my TBR list. I'm glad that you brought her to our attention, and I'm looking forward to reading her book!! (Peggy Roberson 6:16am December 29, 2015)
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