Get to know Kelsey…

Kelsey Sutton has done everything from training dogs and making cheeseburgers to selling yellow page ads and cleaning hotel rooms. She lives in northern Minnesota and received a BA in English from Bemidji State University. When Kelsey is not writing or trying out a new career, she can be found in the park with her dogs, ordering a coconut mocha at the local coffee shop, or browsing a bookstore. Look for her new book, THE LONELY ONES, coming out in 2016! For more info, visit her blog.

Quirky Questions 

What is the best thing about getting old?

I guess the best thing about getting older is growing more certain in who I am and what I want out of life. Of course, I’m not sure these are things we ever truly figure out, but at least now I’m not constantly worrying about what other people think or fulfilling their expectations.

What do you miss most about being younger?

Someone else paying the electricity bill! We had so few cares back then and we had no idea how lucky we were.

What is one thing you refuse to share?

My books. For a reader, this probably sounds horrible, but I’m so weird about my collection. They’re still in pristine condition, organized alphabetically, etc. And every time I loan one out to someone, I never see it again. Or, in one case, it was returned to me with coffee all over it. Lesson learned.

What is a song that you could listen to all day, every day, on repeat? 

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. I’ve listened to it so many times I could say the lyrics in my sleep. I keep telling my friends that this is the song I want them to play at my funeral, my wedding reception, my first child’s birth. They call it “Kelsey’s Life Song”. 

What do you do too much of? 

Netflix. Stupid Netflix. 

What do you do too little of?

Getting out of the house, I think. I’m usually writing or reading or spending time with my dogs, to the point where it’s been a few days and I realize I haven’t seen any of my friends. 

What book (either because of its length or subject) intimidates you? 

The Stand by Stephen King. People kept telling me how good it was, so I went out and bought it, but I still haven’t picked it up. It’s just so big! And what if I don’t like it? Whenever I start a book, I feel obligated to finish it, and how much would it suck forcing myself through a story this huge? But I know I’ll get to it eventually. It might just take a few years.

What was your favorite meal when you were growing up? 

Same as now. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. 

Writing Questions

How do you balance your personal life and your creative endeavors?

Unfortunately, I don’t. If I’m having a social life, my writing suffers. If I’m immersed in a manuscript, my friends never see me. I haven’t figured out how to balance them out yet!

When do you feel the most energized?

Weirdly, after I’ve taken a shower. Seriously, whenever I’m blocked or dragging my feet, I stand under some hot water for a few minutes and when I come back out, I’m ready to sit in front of the laptop again. Don’t ask me why.

What is your typical day like?

I wake up late, browse the internet for way too long, read a little, then write. Usually only a few hundred words, which is why it takes me so long to finish a manuscript. Then I’m back on Netflix or reading that book again. Rinse and repeat.

Can you visualize a finished product before you begin a book?

Not really. I almost always know the beginning and end of a story, and a few points in the middle. But I don’t plan out my books, so getting to those points is as much a journey for me as it is for the reader.

Do you feel that you chose your passion, or did it choose you?

While I don’t like the idea that we can’t choose our own fates and paths, I do believe writing was something that was inside me since childhood. I was writing stories every day after school, while Arthur played on our ancient television. I never stopped, and it’s hard to say whether it was something I was meant to do or something I just love doing. I guess all that matter is that I am.