Interview with Kelley York

Today, we sit down with Kelley York, author of HUSHED – an amazing YA thriller and unconventional romance. Within young adult, Kelley enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres from contemporary with a unique twist, psychological thrillers, paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves stories where character development takes center stage.

What inspired you to write Hushed?

Archer. I love writing broken, damaged characters. HUSHED was my second book, and in my first, I hadn’t gotten to write anyone who was really, really damaged. I had several other ideas/works in progress going at the time, and abandoned them all to dive into HUSHED once I had the first few chapters and realized I was hooked.

Archer is a tortured soul and an interesting character, do you see him as the ‘bad guy’ or the ‘hero’?

Neither. I see him as a confused guy in need of help. If I had to pick a ‘hero’ of the story, it would probably be Evan. None of HUSHED would’ve been possible without him. Archer and Vivian likely would have continued on their path to self-destruction, until Archer either got caught for the murders, or became so overcome with guilt he couldn’t take it anymore.

Which character profile came to you first, Archer, Viv or Evan?

Archer. Vivian came next, and Evan followed. But I had this solid idea of Archer in my head before I even started on the other two.

Was there any particular scene/chapter that was your favorite to write?

I loved Evan and Archer’s ‘just bones’ scene, as well as Archer’s confrontation with his mother at the funeral. Really, any scene with Archer and his mom was fun to write. I’m not sure why.

Would you want to write a sequel, perhaps explore Evan and Archer’s relationship?

If I were to write a sequel, it wouldn’t at all be a thriller. I doubt it would be a very interesting book. I have given some thought to writing something short, though, just to follow up and let everyone see how the boys are doing.

Which books are you reading right now?

I just finished Ilsa J. Bick’s DROWNING INSTINCT. I haven’t opened up another YA book just yet, though I’m sure I will this week. If non-YA stuff counts, I’m reading a biography on Brian Epstein (manager of The Beatles), which was an early Christmas gift from my wife and I love it.

What’s next on the agenda?

I can’t say too much. It’s another LGBT book, though not really a thriller in the way that HUSHED is.

Tell us one thing about Kelley York that we won’t be able to find on the Internet?

Umm. My handwriting changes. All the time. If you look through anything I hand write, you’ll see where my style of writing will completely and totally change from one paragraph to the next. It drives me crazy.

Visit the site on December 17, for our full review of HUSHED.