Lets Welcome Holly Kerr to the blog today, she is visiting and chatting about her book Baby! Baby? Baby!?
Thanks Holly for being here today!
Overview!
Thirty-five-year old kindergarten teacher Casey Samms has always dreamed about having her own baby. With her copy of A Young Woman’s Guide to the Joy of Impending Motherhood on her bedside
table, Casey has been steadily wading through the pool of eligible bachelors for years—with absolutely no luck. Now as she bids farewell to a cheating boyfriend and to dating in general, Casey just needs to figure out how to get pregnant without having a man in her life.
Casey immediately discounts her male friends as potential fathers and decides to pursue having a baby the artificial way, even though her sister and friends do their best to try to talk her out of it. But Casey is determined to see her dream come to fruition and begins looking at every male as a potential donor. Just when she is beginning to give the word desperate an entirely new meaning, an old ex-boyfriend, David Mason, saunters back into her life. All Casey has to do now is try to convince him that he is the one who can help her become a mother.
As Casey prepares to realize her lifelong dream, she is about to get the surprise of her life—a surprise that changes everything
table, Casey has been steadily wading through the pool of eligible bachelors for years—with absolutely no luck. Now as she bids farewell to a cheating boyfriend and to dating in general, Casey just needs to figure out how to get pregnant without having a man in her life.
Casey immediately discounts her male friends as potential fathers and decides to pursue having a baby the artificial way, even though her sister and friends do their best to try to talk her out of it. But Casey is determined to see her dream come to fruition and begins looking at every male as a potential donor. Just when she is beginning to give the word desperate an entirely new meaning, an old ex-boyfriend, David Mason, saunters back into her life. All Casey has to do now is try to convince him that he is the one who can help her become a mother.
As Casey prepares to realize her lifelong dream, she is about to get the surprise of her life—a surprise that changes everything
Guest Post with Holly Kerr!
Thanks for letting me do a guest post.
One of my favourite aspects of Baby! Baby? Baby!? are the relationships between the characters. Casey is an interesting character in her own right but for me, adding in the deep friendship with Cooper, her loyalty to her childhood friend Brit and her obvious affection for her sister Libby brings a deeper sense of who she is.
I loved writing the dialogue between Casey and Cooper. I've always had close male friends and Cooper is a mixture of all of them, combined with the older brother I've always wanted. Cooper takes on the role of Casey's conscience at times and is able to reel her in when she's gone too far. Because Casey's feelings for Cooper have always been platonic, his confession that he once had feelings for her was almost as much as a surprise for me as it was for Casey! I hoped Cooper admitting he had been in love with her would show how irresistible Casey can be to others.
I really enjoyed writing Brit as well. I made her out to be a bitch with a heart of gold hidden behind her designer trappings and so over-the-top she was just plain fun to write. Like Cooper, Brit was also based on a real person, she who will not be named, but luckily my friend wasn't nearly so hard to take. But doesn't everyone have a friend like Brit? Someone you share a history with, years of shared experiences and unforgettable memories? It's difficult to give up someone like that, which is why Casey refuses to let go of Brit despite her complete self-centeredness! It also explains Casey's reluctance to let go of her dream of being a mother. If she can't let go of Brit, then how can she give up on wanting baby?
Casey's relationship with Libby was the one which hit closet to home for me. Unlike Casey, I am the younger sister, so I had to imagine the big sister thoughts. But I didn't have to imagine the sibling rivalry that Casey experiences since both my sister and I have freely admitted to having such thoughts. Hasn't every sister? But Libby and Casey share such a bond because they both endured the transformation of their mother. With all of Casey's immaturities and jealousies towards Libby's life, at least she handles Terri-with-an-i better than her sister.
Casey is definitely a flawed character but I think her relationships with others help make her the lovable mess she is!
Hope you enjoyed reading!
My interview with Holly!
Tell us about yourself?
The first thing you need to know about me is that I am the mother of 3 amazing, wonderful, fantastic kids. Because of my kids and my hard-working husband – who is great as well – I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom, which is the reason why you’re reading this interview – I had the time to write Baby! My kids had daily naps long after they grew out of the need for them, just so I could have time to write! Baby! is my first published novel, but I have a few more I’ve written that I’d like to see published, one I’m writing now and one I want to write and am working on characters for. I also volunteer at my kids’ school quite a bit as well. I help with editing the school newspaper, which is incredible because I get to encourage kids to work on their writing skills. I’m also the editor of my church newsletter, which is an interesting fit because I’m not the typical church type. I wrote a little sex scene that took place in a church, for goodness sake and I keep waiting for someone to keep it and suggest that maybe I’m not the best person to edit the newsletter…
Since my book has been published I’ve also thrown myself onto the social media bandwagon with a vengeance. I now write 2 blogs – one about me, books and writing, and the other about observations of a small town. They’re a lot of fun. In my spare time, I love to read, watch movies, play in the kitchen, play in the dirt and spend time with friends and family.
How did you come up with this story?
I came up with this story just after my daughter was born. I had been writing chick lit before but with my pregnancy and birth being such a good experience for me, and my life changing so much with a new baby, I wanted to include that in my writing. I came up with Casey and I liked the idea of how her relationships had such an impact in her life and way of thinking but when she felt so strongly about something, she didn’t listen to anyone.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on another chick lit novel right now. I finished the first draft during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and now I’m doing extensive revisions! I hope to have a finished draft by the spring. It’s called Coming Home and it’s about a woman who returns to her small-town home after a major melt-down and has to learn how to get along with her quirky sisters and ghost mother again.
What character was the hardest to write and what one the most fun?
I think J.B. was the most difficult to write. I saw him as a bit of a bad boy, sort of a player, but I needed to make him sweet and sympathetic so he would be likable. He’s much more lovable now than in my earlier versions. The most fun to write were Brit, because she’s so over-the-top and I let my bitch flag fly for her, and the back and forth with Casey and Cooper. I want their relationship!
Do you have a favourite comfort read?
My favourite comfort read is either Jilly Cooper’s Rivals or the last Harry Potter book. Rivals is big and bouncy with all these awesome characters and the Deathly Hallows is – well, it’s Harry Potter and I love those books. I love books that transport you to another world. It doesn’t have to be fantasy or sci-fi – although I like those too – but just a different world than what I’m used to.
If you could live in any book what one would you choose and why?
I had to really think about this one and decided I needed to change it just a bit. Instead of living, I’d really like to visit England when King Henry VIII held the throne. I love history, reading historical fiction and the Tudors fascinate me. I love Phillippa Gregory’s books, so I would pick the Other Boleyn Girl to visit. I’d love to experience what it was like being a woman during that time and the intrigues of court life.
Author Bio:
I live in Toronto with my husband, 3 amazing kids, and cat Sebastian, who has a supporting role in every book I write. Since Baby! Baby? Baby?! has been published, I’ve focused on writing more and have started two blogs; one about my views on books, writing and other stuff, and one on my observations of Bethany, a small town in Ontario. I’ve been busy working on a new chick lit novel and hope to see it published by the spring. I also volunteer at my children’s school by helping put out their newspaper and encouraging kids to write has become one of my favourite pastimes! I also love hanging out at the cottage with family and friends in the summer, all things Star Wars related and opening the pages of a brand new book.
Connect with Holly!
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