Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m twenty years old and I have wanted to write a book since I was in Elementary School. I live in Kansas City, Missouri, and am currently a daycare teacher. So far, I have only written one book, but I plan for it to be the first in a series.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called The Impure. I was inspired to write it after going through a rough patch in my life and I realized that I wanted to help people. If I could write something that may help even one person, whether they identified with something that I wrote, or it gave them some sort of escape from their reality, then I wanted to write it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think that they are unusual but they may be. I carry a notepad with me everywhere I go, but I still usually just make notes on my phone. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night and I’ll write for an hour or so. One of my favorite habits is talking to my best friend before I sit down to write. I find a lot of inspiration in her.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always loved authors like J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, and Suzanne Collins. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Hunger Games are favorites of mine, and all those books are currently on my shelves at home. Of course, our favorites influence us; when I decided I was going to write a book I went back and those are the books that I looked at.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the sequel to The Impure. I hope to have it finished and published sometime next year.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I post a lot on Social Media, this being my first book I don’t believe that I have a perfect method, I’m still learning and I hope that by the time I’m starting to promote my second book that I’ll have improved my strategy.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love, don’t give up, and continue to follow your dreams. I never thought that I would actually finish this book. I had hope, of course, but I didn’t want to dare to believe that within a year of starting the project that I would be a published author.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This is a really hard question because I want to say it is something extremely profound, but in all honesty, it’s the simple that people say that often resonate with us the most. I was once told to do what I was afraid to do. Do what scares you. If you never try, you’ll never know what could have happened.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote.
What’s next for you as a writer?
For now, I’m going to keep writing The Impure Saga. I plan to have at least four books in that series. After that, we’ll see what happens.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Bible
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
3. Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse
4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Author Websites and Profiles
Kaitlyn Pennington Website
Kaitlyn Pennington Amazon Profile
Kaitlyn Pennington’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
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