Show Notes

THE AQUAMARINE SURFBOARD

I’m so excited to introduce you to Kellye Abernathy, whose debut middle-grade novel, The Aquamarine Surfboard, hit shelves in January of this year.

Kellye is a dear friend and critique partner, and one of the most amazing people I know. If you’ve been with me a while, you might remember her from Episode 40 of the show.

Kellye is a former business executive happily transformed into a writer, yoga teacher, and practical life skills advocate for trauma survivors. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education.

In our interview, we talk about how we’ve been connecting over books since the moment we met, how her life experiences impacted the characters and events in The Aquamarine Surfboard, the way the books we read in middle school influence and shape us, and the way Kellye wants her book to inspire readers.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER

• How Kellye’s early years set the groundwork for the characters she creates today.
• The mutual friends Kellye and I shared in our growing-up years!
• The authors who influence Kellye’s work – sometimes in ways she doesn’t recognize until after the words are on the page.
• The challenge of figuring out where The Aquamarine Surfboard belongs on the bookshelf – and how that challenge ties her to one of her favorite authors, Madeleine L’Engle.
• The world of Dipitous Beach, and all the people who live there.
• The setting that inspired The Aquamarine Surfboard.
• Kellye’s writing process.
• The project Kellye is working on now.