Author Interview: Kelsey Bryant

 Having enjoyed the Six Cousins series over the holidays, I asked author Kelsey Bryant to join me on the blog for an interview. She kindly said yes! Below, she answers all my questions regarding the series, and also gave me some new books for my TBR list. 

Author Interview: Kelsey Bryant

Can you tell us what books you’ve written? Any that you’re working on?

I’ve written …

Family Reunion and England Adventure, books one and two in my Six Cousins series;

Suit and Suitability, a 1930s retelling of Sense and Sensibility (one of my favorite books ever!) and part of the Vintage Jane Austen series;

The Road to Bremen, a children’s chapter book that is an expanded retelling of the fairy tale “The Bremen Town Musicians”; and

The Promise of Acorns, a contemporary story inspired by Jane Eyre that was published in A Very Bookish Thanksgiving novella collection and will soon be published as a standalone.

 

I’m currently working on a novella for another holiday novella collection, A Very Bookish Fourth of July, that will be published this summer. The title is undecided as of yet.

 

 

I want to start by focusing on Family Reunion. Did any of the events in the book happen to you in real life? And do you have an extended family like Marielle’s?

A couple of minor events are inspired by real life, but mostly it’s the locations and what I imagined happening there. Certain spots where the Austins live are inspired by my home area in Central Texas, especially the town, the wildflowers, the river, the pecan trees, the boulders, and the woods.

 

My extended family on my dad’s side is similar to Marielle’s, as my grandparents had four kids and ten grandchildren (four boys and six girls, like the Austin relatives). But my cousins and I are much more spread out in age and location, and we didn’t have family reunions like the one in the book. I always wanted to have one like it, though!

 

I know you went to England in real life, and there is an incredible amount of detail in your book England Adventure. What parts of the book mirror your trip, and what parts are different?

The majority of my trip to England was part of an official tour that focused on historical clothing, but I went to some of the same locations that my book’s characters did. Jane Austen’s House in Chawton is the place of my heart, just like Marielle’s. Lacock Village, Bath, and many of the London spots are also places I visited. Marielle and her cousins toured England with English friends of the family, but most of my trip happened either with only one American friend or with the tour group of ten or so. Although my trip had its share of snags, we had no teenage girls with us, so it was drama-free. :)

 

How is Marielle like you, and how is she not like you? Are there ways you’re like any of the other cousins?

Marielle is most similar to my fourteen-year-old self—shy, unsure of herself in some ways, yet set in her opinions in others. We’re both whimsical nature-lovers. We were also both homeschooled, but she’s far more advanced in literature than I was at her age. I’m not nearly so shy or timid now as Marielle. I think there’s a bit of me in several of the other cousins … Emma’s striving for perfection, Caroline’s randomness (which only manifests in me when I’m at my most comfortable), Reanna’s melancholy and dreaminess. Kailey and Abby are quite different from me, but I know enough of their point of view to write them.

 

Could you see yourself ever writing other stories about the cousins?

Yes! I’ve started a third book, but it’s been “on the shelf” for a few years now as other projects distracted me … but the plot is pretty well planned and the location is set in stone: Prince Edward Island.

 

Finally, what are some books about homeschoolers you’ve enjoyed reading?

There were never enough of these when I was growing up! But my favorites were the Homeschool Detective series by John Bibee. Since then, I’ve encountered several books about homeschoolers that I’ve enjoyed: There Was Always Laughter in Our House by Sarah Holman; The Sparrow Found a House by Jason McIntire; Dawn Chandler by Eliza Noel; 24 Days before Christmas by Rebekah Jones; and Grandmother’s Letters by Rebekah Jones.

A writer and copyeditor, Kelsey Bryant draws inspiration from the Bible as well as the great classics. When not working with words, she studies Hebrew and teaches martial arts.