Big 4 with Cels: Kelley York

Kelley was born and raised in central California, where she still resides with her lovely wife, daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she does fantasize about moving across the globe to Ireland.) She has a fascination with bells, adores all things furry – be them squeaky, barky or meow-y – is a lover of video games, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she’s a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or maybe a mermaid. Within young adult, she enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres from contemporary with a unique twist, psychological thrillers, paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves stories where character development takes center stage.

1. You have your debut young adult thriller “Hushed” due to be released on December 6th 2011 (congrats!). From the blurb it certainly seems to be filled with malice, murder, love and revenge. Can you tell us a little about who Archer is and how he has reached this pivotal point in his life?

Archer is a very intense guy whose biggest flaws are his unwavering sense of loyalty and his fear of rejection. He grew up struggling to make the people around him happy, and that desire to protect and be noticed intensified as he got older. His insecurities mixed with how people (his parents, Vivian, even his peers) treated him have led him to develop a very skewed moral compass.

2. The subject manner of your novel is quite dark and twisted and shows human nature at some of its worst moments. How hard emotionally was it to bring the story to life?

I get very attached to my characters, so there were parts of HUSHED that broke my heart to write. There’s one particular defining moment in the book—the exact scene wherein everything changes for Archer—that took me awhile to get just right because I would get so emotional anytime I tried to work on it. I could hurt when Archer hurt, and I could love when he loved…and I could be frustrated when Evan was frustrated, haha.

3.  Being new to the publishing world, are there any tips you found worked particularly well for you that may help other aspiring authors?

Listen very carefully to the advice you’re given. Be it from critique partners, agents, forum members, or whoever. But learn what advice to take and what to leave. (I’m so specific, huh?) Also, patience. HUSHED didn’t find its home until I was ready to put it aside. Sometimes it takes awhile.

4. Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

Archer. Definitely. I’m a sucker for my most emotionally fragile and broken characters, and he fits that perfectly. There isn’t a single character in HUSHED whose voice is as vivid and real to me as Archer’s.

Kelley’s website: http://www.kelley-york.com/blog

Hushed – Synopsis:

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another – Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants…And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hushed-Kelley-York/dp/1937044742

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hushed-kelley-york/1033904538