Interview with Kathleen Stone

Kathleen Stone has been a freelance writer since 1999 and now writes full time. Her work has appeared in Doll World Magazine, Apolloslyre.com, The Lake County Journals, Trails.com; USA Today (travel), Livestrong.com (lifestyle), Essortment, eHow, Answerbag, Examiner.com, Suite101 and YahooVoices. She is the author of Whispers On A String and the Head Case Rock Novel Series, which includes Head Case and its sequels, Whiplash and Haven. She also has short stories published in the Secrets: Fact or Fiction I & II anthologies.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website:  http://www.kathleenstone.org
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/kstonewriter
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/kathleenstonewriter

About the Book

What happens when your soul is bound to another before you were ever born? Lonny and Roo have been best friends since they met in high school in 1975 at the age of fourteen. Same last name, same birthdate, they were attached at the hip; rarely was one seen without the other. Together they navigate through their emotional high school years, but nothing prepares the naive teenagers for the real world ahead of them. Now on the cusp of their fiftieth birthday, Lonny finds Roo broke and alone and convinces her to leave with him on a cross country road trip from New York to Las Vegas, hoping to set her on a new path in life. Told exclusively by Roo, follow the friends back and forth through their unique relationship — experience the loss of innocence, career and life choices that separate and unite them, and unspeakable events that nearly destroy them. It’s a love only they understand, as well as the unbreakable bond that forever ties them together. Is it possible they are only capable of loving each other?

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Amazon → https://amzn.to/329vHMV

 

Can you tell us what your new book is about?

My new book, Whispers On A String, is about the lifelong friendship between Lonny and Roo, who met each other at the age of fourteen just entering high school in 1975. Their souls are bound to each other, best friends with the same birthdate and same last name. Nothing prepares the naive teenagers for the real world ahead of them, and many things fight to keep them apart, but they always find their way back to each other. Fear and insecurity keeps them from revealing their true feelings for each other, and unspeakable events nearly destroy them, but they share an unbreakable bond that forever ties them together.

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

Lonny and Roo are shy, awkward teenagers when they meet at the age of fourteen. Roo is a redhead covered in freckles and Lonny is a long-haired guitar player who only plays in his room. They both come from nice, wholesome families and are unprepared for the real world ahead of them. As best friends they share everything together — their insecurities, their fears, their deepest secrets. But the one thing they’re too fearful to share is their feelings for each other, and it haunts them for most of their lives.

Your book is set in Chicago and Los Angeles. Can you tell us why you chose this location in particular?

Whispers On A String is set in the suburbs of Chicago and Los Angeles. I chose the Chicago area because it is one that I am familiar with, growing up in its northern suburbs, and Los Angeles was chosen because that’s where Lonny’s career path takes him when he joins a rock band to become their lead guitarist.

How long did it take you to write your book?

I began writing this book in August 2018 and finished in March 2019, so seven months total. It’s the first book I wrote as a full time writer and it was refreshing to have something written so quickly. When I was working full time I would squeeze writing in whenever I had free time, so it seemed to take years to finish anything.

What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?

Quitting my job of twenty-three years to become a full time writer was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it was definitely pivotal in changing my writing life. While it’s still scary and unpredictable, I have the freedom to write all day every day and that’s all a writer ever really wishes for.

What kind of advice would you give other fiction authors?

No matter what, never give up!  Never stop writing and never be too fearful to put your work out there. There will always be an audience for your unique piece of art, and with hard work you will gain your own personal following who can’t wait for your next novel.