K.L. Brady, local Maryland author of The Bum Magnet, is an alumnus of the University of the District of Columbia and University of Maryland University College, earning a BA in Economics and MBA, respectively.
She graciously took time out of her busy schedule to talk about her debut novel, The Bum Magnet and her writing inspiration.
I absolutely prefer women's fiction or chick lit, even though the term chick lit is a bit tabu in the literary world. The reason is because Charisse's story, a woman caught in the pattern of picking the wrong men, is universal. Women of all races, ethnicities, etc., can understand and empathize with that experience. So, to pigeon-hole it as African-American I think does the story, and stories like it, a disservice in terms of reaching wider audiences.
Charisse, the main protagonist of The Bum Magnet, is an independent woman and real estate agent, but she's also dependent upon the men in her life. Does she resemble some real life friends or do her relationships mirror personal experiences you or someone you know have had?
I always say that as writers, there will always be a bit of truth in our fiction and the same holds true for The Bum Magnet. Although the story is largely fictional, there are certainly bits of truth in it. For example, she hit forty and went through an emotional upheaval. I hit forty last year and decided I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Also, I think there are also some universal truths for women in general, particularly in dealing with the men in their lives, their emotional baggage (admitting you have some), and really just taking a look in the mirror when you see that you're repeating bad patterns. I've known many women who have gone through that stage in their lives and many are still in denial. I'm not in denial...anymore.
I had an Oprah “aha” moment one day last summer. I was coming up on my fortieth birthday, feeling like I’d reached some level of success in my life, but my career didn't really fulfill me. As I got to thinking about what I wanted to be when I grow up, it just hit me that I wasn’t living my best life. I’d always wanted to be a writer. I’d been writing in my diaries and journals since I was maybe seven or eight years old. I’d always let the fact that I didn’t have a degree in English or any fiction writing experience keep me from starting. I pushed those negative thoughts out of my head and decided to give it a try.
I shopped it around to some agents for a while and got rejections. But instead of letting it get me down, I took the negative comments and used them to fix my novel. Then, I created my own imprint, LadyLit Press, and published it myself. By the time, I got to the version that I published, I was getting multiple requests to read the full manuscript. If I had kept querying, I have no doubt that I’d have found someone to take me on, but I just decided that I didn’t want to give the publishing industry the power to determine my worth as a writer. So, I hired an illustrator to do my cover, a former acquisitions editor from Simon & Schuster to give it a final editorial review, and I put it out myself. It’s a lot of work because you have to become your own publishing house, from writing and editing to marketing and distribution. But it is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done and it never feels like work.
Being a D.C. native, was including elements of Washington, D.C., a must for your novel? And which elements of D.C. life were important for you to include?
Absolutely. I've lived in this area for most of my life, it's what I know, and I love it here. Although The Bum Magnet is set in some of the high-rent districts in P.G. County, like Mitchellville and Fort Washington, one of the future projects I'm working on is set almost entirely in Washington D.C.'s high-rent districts, like Georgetown and Tenleytown.
For more of this interview with author K.L. Brady, return on Wednesday, March 3. For more information about K.L. Brady, visit her Website.
Comments
Great interview! I'm in my 30s, and I still don't know exactly what I want to be when I'm grown up. :)
I wonder if we ever do know what we want to be when we grow up?
Anna, I'm in the same boat! Great article!
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