On this episode of The Porchlight, Bethany interviews her friend and fellow author, Lynne Kelly. As a former special education teacher and now a sign-language interpreter, Lynne has always loved words. She also loves animals, and they have been the catalyst for her debut middle grade novel, CHAINED, as well as her latest book, SONG FOR A WHALE, which Publishers Weekly called "a finely crafted novel." Lynne lives near Houston, Texas with her adorable dog, Holly. You can find Lynne online at lynnekellybooks.com and on Twitter @lynnekelly.
During the interview, Bethany and Lynne discuss the importance of feeling heard and the longing for connection and community that is a universal feeling and also one of the themes of SONG FOR A WHALE. To help all children feel seen and heard, Lynn does school visits and has spoken at both schools for hearing children and those for the deaf community, who have been delighted to see themselves represented in Iris, the main character in Lynne's book. To make sure her novel was authentic, Lynne worked with two sensitivity readers who helped her best convey the deaf experience. One of these readers also came up with the book's fitting tag line, "Make waves about something." In the episode, Lynne also discusses how she works with her agent, Molly O'Neill, and the background that led them to one another. Bethany and Lynne delve into the benefits of critique groups and the importance of fostering relationships with other industry professionals at conferences and workshops. Enjoy this episode of The Porchlight today!