AUTHOR'S CHAT
INTERVIEW WITH ELLA CURRY EDC CREATIONS E-MAGAZINE
Conversation With Ella Curry
Ella: Where are you from? How did you start your writing journey?
Camille Kleidysz: I was born and raised in California. I moved to New York City to attend college, and that is where my writing journey began. New York City is truly my muse. The different layers and textures of the city are truly inspiring.
Ella: Who are your two main characters and what do you like most about them?
Camille Kleidysz: My two main characters in the Nazareth Heights series are Lacey Santiago and Adrianna Williamson. They are two best friends who named themselves the L.A. sisters in the third grade. At an early age they both loss their fathers. Lacey Santiago’s father was murdered in the Bronx when she was a young girl and Adrianna Williamson’s father was a drug addict and abandoned her when she was only eighteen months old. Through their tragic circumstances at a very young age they discovered a strong bound when they were just little girls and they became like sisters. Their loyalty to each other is beyond impressive. And beyond their friendship they are both very flawed characters, even though they are Christians, they are really confused about so many issues in their life. They are having a hard time grasping their true identity.
Ella: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
Camille Kleidysz: The main message that I am trying to convey to my reading audience is that it is not where you live, but it is how you live. The four teenagers in my book are from a very impoverished area in the inner city called Nazareth Heights. Statistics basically had already written their life’s story and it always begins like this, “inner city kids are more likely to”…. and unfortunately the word “succeed” does not follow. What follows is usually something very negative. The Faithful Four decided to take control of their destiny and set a goal for themselves to overcome their negative environment. I also would like my readers to know that there are times when you will have no one to encourage you, and that is the time when you have to encourage yourself.
Ella: What advice would you give a new writer? Would you change anything about your journey?
Camille Kleidysz:The advice I would give to new writers is to really have a strong creative identity. Find your unique voice. Do not look to the left or the right when you are creating. Everything that you compose should be authentic and come from your heart and soul, do not become concerned about what other authors are writing, or what is going to be popular and sell. God gave you unique stories to write. Do not be ashamed to share them.
I would not change anything about my literary journey, and it is truly a journey and a process. I have enjoyed the process because I have learned so much.
Ella: Share with us your latest news, events or upcoming book releases.
Camille Kleidysz: I am set to release the second installment of my inspirational novella series entitled Spiritual Eyes. I have received a great response from people that have read the novella. I’ve always wanted to write a novella, and the people that have read it loved the fact that the book is fairly short. They also fell in love with the main characters of the story Kai and Roman, and requested that I continue their relationship. So “Spiritual Eyes” is actually going to become my first Christian Fiction romance series.
I have also created an Inspirational Devotional Blog: called Guiding Light Devotionals.
I love devotional books and sometimes when you're at work you cannot always crack open a book and read while your working, so I wanted to create a place where people could just click on their computer and read a quick devotional thought for the day.
Camille Kleidysz: I was born and raised in California. I moved to New York City to attend college, and that is where my writing journey began. New York City is truly my muse. The different layers and textures of the city are truly inspiring.
Ella: Who are your two main characters and what do you like most about them?
Camille Kleidysz: My two main characters in the Nazareth Heights series are Lacey Santiago and Adrianna Williamson. They are two best friends who named themselves the L.A. sisters in the third grade. At an early age they both loss their fathers. Lacey Santiago’s father was murdered in the Bronx when she was a young girl and Adrianna Williamson’s father was a drug addict and abandoned her when she was only eighteen months old. Through their tragic circumstances at a very young age they discovered a strong bound when they were just little girls and they became like sisters. Their loyalty to each other is beyond impressive. And beyond their friendship they are both very flawed characters, even though they are Christians, they are really confused about so many issues in their life. They are having a hard time grasping their true identity.
Ella: Ultimately, what do you want readers to gain from your book?
Camille Kleidysz: The main message that I am trying to convey to my reading audience is that it is not where you live, but it is how you live. The four teenagers in my book are from a very impoverished area in the inner city called Nazareth Heights. Statistics basically had already written their life’s story and it always begins like this, “inner city kids are more likely to”…. and unfortunately the word “succeed” does not follow. What follows is usually something very negative. The Faithful Four decided to take control of their destiny and set a goal for themselves to overcome their negative environment. I also would like my readers to know that there are times when you will have no one to encourage you, and that is the time when you have to encourage yourself.
Ella: What advice would you give a new writer? Would you change anything about your journey?
Camille Kleidysz:The advice I would give to new writers is to really have a strong creative identity. Find your unique voice. Do not look to the left or the right when you are creating. Everything that you compose should be authentic and come from your heart and soul, do not become concerned about what other authors are writing, or what is going to be popular and sell. God gave you unique stories to write. Do not be ashamed to share them.
I would not change anything about my literary journey, and it is truly a journey and a process. I have enjoyed the process because I have learned so much.
Ella: Share with us your latest news, events or upcoming book releases.
Camille Kleidysz: I am set to release the second installment of my inspirational novella series entitled Spiritual Eyes. I have received a great response from people that have read the novella. I’ve always wanted to write a novella, and the people that have read it loved the fact that the book is fairly short. They also fell in love with the main characters of the story Kai and Roman, and requested that I continue their relationship. So “Spiritual Eyes” is actually going to become my first Christian Fiction romance series.
I have also created an Inspirational Devotional Blog: called Guiding Light Devotionals.
I love devotional books and sometimes when you're at work you cannot always crack open a book and read while your working, so I wanted to create a place where people could just click on their computer and read a quick devotional thought for the day.