Guide to categories: Author Interview – an interview with an author

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Book Info

Title: A Bird in the Snow

Series: The Feyfolk Trilogy (Book 2)

Genre: YA Fantasy, Christian Fantasy

Release Date: September 9, 2023

Content Warnings: Mentions of pre-marital sex; mentions of abortion

Purchase A Bird in the Snow on Amazon

About the Author – M.C. Kennedy

M. C. Kennedy fell in love with fantasy at nine years old after reading The Lord of the Rings. She now strives to reflect her Creator by dreaming up fictional realms that point readers to His truths in the real world. When she’s not roaming through fanciful forests, struggling to understand Greek and Hebrew, or geeking out over one of her many fandoms, she loves to connect with readers on her website or her various social media platforms.

Links:

Instagram: @mckennedy.author

Facebook: M. C. Kennedy, Author

Pinterest: M. C. Kennedy

Goodreads: M. C. Kenendy

Website: mckennedyauthor.comNewsletter: https://hustling-painter-5596.ck.page/4c3187e992

An Author Interview with M.C. Kennedy

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I wrote my first story when I was about eight. Entitled “The Best Easter Ever,” it was about a girl whose entire family (except her sister) died from scarlet fever and had to be placed into an orphanage, where she finds friends just in time for Easter and realizes that things were never as bad as they seemed.

Needless to say, that one has long since been lost to the abyss of the trash can.

Eight-year-old me didn’t know it was easily the worst story ever, though, and I decided then that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. I started dozens of stories over the years, finally completing my first novella when I was about sixteen. The writing bug bit hard then, and I’ve been writing seriously ever since.

When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?

I currently work for a university campus ministry in England, which is basically a glorified internship involving Bible studies and meeting potentially spiritually-interested people. As part of my job, I also run an evangelistic-focused social media strategy. (So when people ask what I do, I tell them I get paid to stay out late and make Instagram posts. Not a bad deal, really.)

In my free time, I’m likely either reading, crafting (usually knitting), or taking a walk. (I’ve been known to do all three at the same time. Gotta get those steps in somehow!) I’m a huge nerd and spend far too much time pretending to be a Jedi or dreaming about the best way to simply walk into Mordor.

What is your favorite genre to read? What about that genre draws you?

My favorite genre to read is fantasy! The thought of mystical worlds where anything is possible first captured my imagination as a nine-year-old, and that childlike belief in magic has never really gone away. I love how fantasy teaches us to believe in things we can’t see. So much of my understanding of biblical things has come from reading fantasy!

What is your favorite thing about this time of year?

Autumn technically doesn’t start until the 22^nd of September, but in my mind, it’s already here, so I’ll talk about it instead of summer. Because autumn is my favorite season! I love the cool crispness of the air, the changing colors of the leaves, the decline in bugs—everything about it makes me so happy! The first breath of autumn always makes me want to go on an adventure. So I re-read Lord of the Rings and am more or less satisfied.

What historical figure do you admire and why?

William Wilberforce is one of my historical heroes. I admire his tenacity in sticking to what he believed, even when it was unpopular and it didn’t seem like he was making any headway. His perseverance to see the slave trade abolished in England is so inspiring! And even more important, he was a dedicated Christian. His faith drove his politics, and I love that. (Also, I’m distantly related to his wife, so I claim him as a kind of cousin.)

How does your faith play out in your writing?

Faith is central to my writing. Every one of my stories has a central theme that points to some key biblical truth. For example, A Bird in the Snow, my lately-released novel, is built around the theme of no sin being too great for God to forgive. I want my readers to always come away with a deeper understanding of who God is, what He does, and how they can relate to Him.

As a former K-12 school librarian (and since this blog is geared toward school librarians) I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson! I found this series last year, and I’m so sad I never read it when I was a kid. It’s an epic adventure filled with biblical themes. I recommend it to pretty much everyone!

Young Author’s Days were an important part of my work as a school librarian. What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?

Keep writing. Even if you don’t like what you create, keep at it. Everything can be a learning experience; what you’re writing now is practice for what you’ll write next. If God has given you a love for writing, then He plans to do something with it. So keep at it and don’t get discouraged!

Thank you so much for joining me today. My readers and I always look forward to learning more about author’s lives.

Giveaway

There will be two giveaway winners–1 U. S. and 1 international.

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bc7fb7dd3/?

Prizes:

U.S.

–1 paperback copy of A Bird In The Snow

–3 themed bookmarks

–1 character card

International

–1 ebook copy of A Bird In The Snow

–3 printable themed bookmarks

–1 digital character card

Summary of A Bird in the Snow

Can even the worst mistakes be forgiven?

Ean Cochall has lived in the wilderness for two years, providing for the needy by day and assassinating rogues by night. It’s all in pursuit of one thing: justice. So when he’s approached by a mysterious figure and asked to kill a fae accused of crimes against the Gwyns, he readily accepts.

Murrin has fled to the wilderness to hide from someone who seeks her life. She has the name of a fey who can protect her: Ean Cochall, leader of the outlaw band the Green Company. What she doesn’t know is that Ean already knows about her–and he was just hired to kill her.

As dark secrets come to light and old ghosts rise from the dead, will Ean uncover the truth? Or will his own mistakes come back to haunt him, making justice something not even he wants to achieve?

Read more Author Interview posts