Kacey is one of the bubbliest authors out there, which is the exact opposite of the heavy topics she covers in her books. I think most people that follow Kacey fall in love with her energy. Personally I find it mind-blowing trying to comprehend everything she's been through, but let's meet her.
So Kacey, what was it that started you writing?
My first book, "KELLCEY", is a memoir. It’ s about being victim of a sexual aggression and the consequences.
I started writing because I was absolutely unable to speak about what had happened to me, so my counsellor, my therapist and my mom said I should try to write something, Hence, I started writing, but in my mind it was only something like a diary.
In any case, it proved to be helpful, a way to heal. One day, my counsellor asked my permission to read what I did, and it’s her who said I should try to publish it because it could be helpful to other victims and survivors.
Jeez. I mean, jeez 🤯 Taking the decision to publish such a personal and traumatic experience is unbelievably brave. Apart from the fact you're amazing, have you ever been contacted by readers who have shared their own experiences, including letting you know how your book has helped them?
Yes! And that’s what makes me happy. Several women contacted and told me that reading Kellcey had been helpful... others said they once shared the same experience and were happy that I did write and publish this. Even male readers see this book positively.
That's phenomenal! I mean, for such a terrible thing to have happened, what an amazing way to handle it and move on. I can understand why you published this first book, but you've since written another. Can you tell me about that?
It’s an academic essay based on the research I did at university. It involves a sociological, anthropological, historical, economical, and genetical analysis with the purpose to show that both genders are indeed physiologically different but equal in skills and intelligence; hence, empowering women is not a question of ethics, or justice, but a cornerstone of social resilience, stability, and progress.
Now that's very interesting. I guess a lot of people reading the blurb might think you're just fighting back, against what happened to you, but it's a fascinating idea to say hey, are we different and investigate that academically instead.
I'm guessing you compiled a load of data and then somehow had to translate that into being a coherent book? I can't imagine how you did that! Was it a case of planning chapters and then slotting in research, or was it more organic and you split up the work as you went?
I would answer both. I, of course, had a scheduled plan, necessary because it was driven by the several disciplines I needed to go through to develop my analysis. Sometimes, however, new findings pushed me to follow a direction I wasn’t initially aware of.
And how about how you published them both? Did you go down the traditional route or self-publish instead?
KELLCEY was first published traditionally, but when my contract ended, I decided to self-publish it with Amazon. Since I was happy with it I decided to do the same with (His)Story of Women which I self-published on the same format.
Excellent. Okay, my final question, what does the publishing future look like for you? Is there another book on the horizon?
Yes! My next book will be different though: it'll be my first historical novel.
Oohh, that's exciting! Tell me more!
It's the story of a young Athenian woman (Vth century BC). The idea is to give a critical description of the lives of women in ancient Greece.
I already read several classics, like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Thucydides, Plutarch... plus several academic essays and analysis, mainly about the Athenian society in the age of Pericles, but I still have plenty of reading to do to have a clear idea of what daily life was in ancient Athens.
Because of the density of the research and reading I still have to do, and knowing that there’s little information about women’s daily lives, it will certainly take another year or two! But it’s a beautiful challenge!
Wow, it sounds amazing. You obviously love research, and I get the feeling your prose is going to be so rich with everything you've learnt, but how about the story itself? Do you think you'll follow several different women and multiple point-of-views, or will it be one? And will this straddle into men too?
There’s only one heroine, and her name is Kalista (meaning the ‘most beautiful’ in ancient Greek). I chose this name because it starts with a K, and it’s easier to identify with her!
There are of course many characters (some real, like Pericles or Socrates...) and some not, but she’s the main character. We follow her, from her birth and childhood, to her marriage (age 14!), and later follow her life as a married woman in ancient Athens.
I don’t know yet, but something in my head told me that, because she belongs to a noble and educated family, she’s fond of philosophy, like Aspasia (Pericles’ concubine) and find a way to escape the gynaeceum thanks to philosophy....
I can't wait to read this! If you'd like to find out more about Kacey then please visit her website here where she also has a great blog and the links to her socials (please note, her X account has been hacked, so don't follow her there!).
If you enjoyed this post, then press here to get all the latest updates emailed directly to you via follow.it (You can unsubscribe at any time). Thank you!
