Guest Blogger: Kristy Kiernan!

April 5, 2010 By 10 Comments
I am thrilled to have the amazingly talented Kristy Kiernan here today as a guest blogger!  Her newest book, Between Friends, comes out tomorrow (look for my review then!)!   I will also have an interview with Kristy on Wednesday, so stay tuned!!  So, without further ado, I’ll turn it over to Kristy!
Guest Blog — Crazy For Books by Kristy Kiernan
I love, love, love the name of this blog. I heard this phrase a lot growing up. We moved around quite a bit, and books were the friends that I could pack right up and take with me. Of course, when your best friends are books it’s probably inevitable that you’ll become a writer.
And, appropriately enough, my third novel is titled, Between Friends:
A provocative new novel about birth, death, and the stuff in between, from the award-winning author of Catching Genius.

Thanks to modern reproductive technology-and the gift of her friend Cora’s eggs-Ali Gutierrez is the mother of a fourteen-year-old daughter. Now, yearning for a second child, Ali asks Cora’s permission to use another of the frozen embryos that have been stored away in anticipation of this decision. But Cora has a secret that could not only change Ali’s plans for the future, but tear apart her life right now.

Like Cora and Ali, I had great human friends, too, but I never gave my books up for them. I was often teased for being the “bookworm,” and even occasionally the “you think you’re so smart” girl. Despite having an active social life that revolved around the beach and not going to school as often as possible, reading always set me apart. 
I read while walking down the street, while at stoplights, while in class, at the dinner table, while brushing my teeth, drying my hair. But it wasn’t until my reading became a major issue during a break-up that I realized how a large part of the population viewed my reading.
Between Friends 
I’d been working all day, and my boyfriend and I were supposed to go out to a movie that night. When I got home I had plenty of time, so I sat down with Bonfire of the Vanities, and, wouldn’t you know it, I got lost in the book and time got away from me. When he got home there was no way we were going to make the movie on time…and the Great Break-Up of ’89 was under way.
Apparently my reading had gotten in the way of what would have, otherwise, been a perfect relationship. Among the many examples: reading in the stands at his softball games, reading at his parents’ house, reading before bed, reading in bed, reading in the car, reading before a movie, reading during his friend’s wedding reception.

(Okay. I could see where that last one might have been perceived as a bit rude. But it was the reception, not the ceremony, for heaven’s sake, and I had no interest in doing the Funky Chicken or the YMCA dance.)

Finally, being Crazy For Books had really gotten me in trouble. 

But, even in the midst of the break-up, even in tears, I realized that, well…he was an idiot. What he was really saying was that my entire world didn’t revolve around him and he couldn’t handle it. And in the aftermath, while he moved out and I turned to books for solace, I vowed to find people who loved me, not in spite of, but because of my Crazy For Books life.
Cora and Ali in Between Friends were lucky to find the kind of friendship they did, and in this new world of book blogs and online writing communities and social networking, we’re lucky enough to be able to find people who share our interests. 
Blogs like Crazy For Books, introduce us all to new books, but also to new friends, and I thank you for letting me hang out here today to chat about that.

About Kristy:

Kristy was born in Tennessee and raised on the beaches of southwest Florida. She developed a love of reading as a child, devouring Nancy Drews and Trixie Beldens at a disconcerting clip, and graduating to whatever anyone left lying around when she ran out of girl detective stories.

She knew she wanted to be a writer at a young age and, with the support of her husband, finally pursued publication in her thirties. 

Her first novel, Catching Genius, was published in 2007 by Berkley Books and went on to become a word-of-mouth hit with reading groups.

Her second, Matters of Faith, was an IndieNext Notable Selection and won a bronze medal in the Florida Book Awards.

Her highly anticipated third, Between Friends, will be published in April 2010, and is currently available for pre-order.

She lives with her husband in southwest Florida and still spends as much time as she can reading on the beach and daydreaming about the story she’ll write next.

Matters of FaithCatching GeniusBetween Friends
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Comments

  1. Juju at Tales of Whi says:
    April 5, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    I have been meaning to try her work. She's going to be in Orlando soon.

    Reply
  2. Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com says:
    April 5, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    I have been meaning to try her work. She's going to be in Orlando soon.

    Reply
  3. Kay says:
    April 5, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    I loved the story of Crazy Reading! LOL It's really true isn't it that many people just don't get avid readers? I know that until I found the internet and other readers just as "nuts" as I was about reading. I felt like I was "not quite right". In any case, I don't feel that way any longer. Thanks for sharing, Kristy!

    Reply
  4. Teresa says:
    April 5, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    I'm looking forward to checking this one out. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Jenny says:
    April 5, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    Great post!! I'm guilty of reading at my in-laws' house all the time… I hope they don't mind, lol!

    Reply
  6. Julie Kibler says:
    April 6, 2010 at 12:00 am

    My husband loves to read (almost) as much as I do, and there isn't anything sexier than a man who's crazy for books, too! Great story, Kristy! BETWEEN FRIENDS is a wonderful novel and you guys should definitely check it out.

    Reply
  7. Allie says:
    April 7, 2010 at 12:19 am

    I can't wait to read Between Friends. I've heard really good things about it.

    Reply
  8. SweetPeaknits says:
    April 7, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    Between Friends sounds great. On my to read list, I think.

    Reply
  9. avisannschild says:
    April 8, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    I read while walking down the street too!

    I love the way she tied her post to your blog name!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Author Interview: Kristy Kiernan! says:
    September 20, 2011 at 11:16 am

    [...] miss the first two days of Kristy’s feature here on my blog?  Head on over and read her Guest Blog about how she is Crazy for Books and then check out my book review of Between [...]

    Reply

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