One of my favorite events of the year is coming in fast! I will be in front of the Franklin Public Library from 10 am to about 4 pm. It will depend on the amount of traffic and/or whether I sell out. At about 2:30 pm, I will read the prologue from Destiny, so if you wish to see me read live, make sure to stop by! I might read a scene from Never Alone too, depends.
I will be there with a friend of mine, who has a spicy Werewolf series, so if you like those kinds of stories, he will be selling an extremely limited number of copies of the first book.
Also, I have added a “writer’s corner” to my website. I have had lots of teens and adults asking me about resources for writing, so I’ve added some things to a tab. It’s not complete. I have to add some things and so forth, but I’ve added the basics for now. Hopefully, that will help.
Pop Culture Corner -Politics
I want to take a minute to reaffirm something: I don’t talk politics. With all the awful things happening, I felt the need to explain why.
It’s simple: Most of the series I loved I can’t even look at now because the authors went on political rants that make me disgusted and not want to give them another penny. Not always because I disagree, but because of their attitudes. There are several musicians and actors/actresses as well who go on these insane rants, showing who they truly are, and I can’t stand it. Unless I am listening to very specific things, I don’t want the real world in my books, music, video games, etc. And when one does things like saying, “If you are this [political view] stop listening to my music!” I will gladly do so and not look back. I am tired of being lectured about this and that. Video games alone are getting garbage both ways. Either they come in and retcon stuff and scream not inclusive enough, or if you play video games you are a bum, or it’s making everyone more violent, etc.… ENOUGH. Hot tip: People would listen more if you didn’t insult them for their hobbies, just saying. Also, Social media does more to make people violent than video games ever had, as one who knows lots of gamers and watched the rise of Social media.
I don’t talk politics with fans as a general rule. I talk to a select few people in my family and friend circles; that’s it. So please, if you come to see me, talk to me about the series, and don’t ask me about real-world politics. I want to be like Dolly Parton and keep things fun. If something goes down and I feel moved to talk about it, I will, but it will be rare. I point to a certain horror book writer and the disgusting things he’s done as a prime example of what I will not do.
I want my books to bring joy and escapism, to return to the real world ready to tackle it now that you’ve had a break. Yes, I write Latter-day Saint characters for representation in a small way, but that’s not the main reason. I am one, and I enjoy writing about characters who are too. It’s not to convert, just to share. Which is a tremendous difference from some of the current books that are being published. It’s all for show. They are shallow in the end. No real story just “look, we have this, this, and this! Are we so cool because we have these characters and sex scenes!”…blah, blah, blah. Most of it is annoying; the rest, getting on the disturbing side.
I was a teacher, and I left education because it was not a great place to be anymore, and some of what has happened since I left my last job…well, I wasn’t surprised at what I was being told.
So, understand my Dragon Hearts, I won’t talk politics outside of what is in the stories themselves. I have had my heart punched too much from political discord that I don’t wish to do it to my fans. It’s that simple. I will not lecture about morality (I’ll talk philosophy with fans; that is perfectly fine), and I’ll answer SOME questions about my faith, but keep it civil. I am not an apologist, and I am not an expert in Church history nor an official representative. I won’t tolerate certain things that fans have asked other authors. A great example is when someone asked Stephenie Meyer (Twilight saga) about what Edward does when Bella is on her period. Nope. Things like that? No. Be respectful, and you will get respect back. Plain and simple.
That’s all for now.
Lots of Love to all,
Dragonninajwriter
Kathleen L Shay 