Author Interview with Australian Author Kelly Louise Jarris

Author Interview with Australian Author Kelly Louise Jarris

Welcome to Author Services Australia, Kelly Louise Jarris, and welcome to our author interviews! If you could start by introducing yourself to everyone, let them know where you’re from and some of your interests and hobbies.

What inspired you to start writing?

I have been writing from a very young age. Always making up rhymes and little stories. I’ve always been more comfortable writing things down than articulating what I’m trying to say out loud. Becoming a mother inspired me to pursue my love for Children’s books. I love how kids use their imaginations.

What is your preferred genre to write in?

Children’s Picture Books. I enjoy working with talented illustrators and watching how their skills can bring my words to life. For me, It’s the best part of creating a book.

Author Kelly Louise Jarris

What is your writing process?

Ideas are the key to starting my writing process, and they can come from anywhere from an autumn-colored leaf on a Sunday walk to a sweet comment made by one of my boys to life experience. These can be turned into a story. Once I have the idea, I tend to either make a storyboard of where I want the book to go. I usually just write until I’m done, put it away, and then go back to it. If I like it, I then run it by editors and my mentors and go from there.

What is one thing you wish you knew now that you didn’t know when you started writing?

I think imposter syndrome is real. The number of rejections or manuscript assessments that come back with constructive criticisms is valid but can sometimes be a little disheartening. I write knowing my target audience. I have learnt to just be myself. Everyone has different stories to tell, and these are all mine.

Which book is your favorite and why?

I love, I think I just saw Santa, by Howard Rees. As a shy little kid that didn’t want to read much, I loved the element of surprise and the smart way the book uses the illustrations to tell the story. Recently I adore Stellarphant by James Foley. It’s what we all go through as authors. rejection and judgment. In the end the character just goes and does it on their own and succeeds.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Howard Rees, Mem Fox, and Margaret Mahy.

What are you working on right now?

My next book is in production. We are around five pages off the illustrations being finalised and I’m really looking forward to it coming out. It’s about pregnancy and seasons. A book that can be enjoyed by an expecting mother or a sibling expecting a new family member. It’s a perfect book for a keepsake or a baby shower gift. It follows the seasons and a mother’s journey of her baby growing.

What’s next for you as an author?

I adore doing this for the love of it, but I guess my ultimate goal is to be part of a traditional publishing team. I’d love to see my work in the Scholastic Book Club, just so my seven-year-old can stop asking me where mum’s books are in the catalogue. In the meantime, I’m determined to keep going. I’ve got another two manuscripts ready to go so I’m more than happy to get them out there and keep producing my own work through Kljbooks.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’d love to be published traditionally and to be part of a team. I’d be happy to win a few more awards and have the next two of my manuscripts out, which I’m working towards after this next one is finalised.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview, Kelly Louise Jarris! Please take a minute and check Kelly Louise Jarris out on the links below! If you would like to do an author interview, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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Author Name: Kelly Louise Jarris

Genre/s: Children’s Picture Books

Author Website: https://kljbooks.com/

Social Media Links: Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon Author Central.

Best Link to Where People Can Buy Your Book: Booktopia

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