WPS Author Interview Day 25: Kelly Brocklehurst

WPS Author Interview Day 25: Kelly Brocklehurst

Welcome to day _ of the Wonderland Pride Spotlight author interviews! Today I am interviewing Kelly Brocklehurst. To see all of the spotlight posts created by my lovely community, head over to the hashtag #wonderlandpridespotlight over on Instagram! 

Kelly's Books

• Price Manor: The House that Remembers
• Carnival: 500 Fiction #13 (part of this anthology)

The Interview

1. Are you LGBTQ+? If so, how?

"Yes. I’m asexual and biromantic, though I’m still figuring out where on the ace spectrum I am, which means the way I identify could change."

2. What books of yours have LGBTQ+ representation, and what rep do they have?

"My debut novella, Price Manor: The House That Remembers, has a bisexual main character. The short stories I’ve had published in various anthologies also have bisexual main characters."

3. Why do you think LGBTQ+ rep in books is important?

"LGBTQ+ people need to see themselves represented in books. I have read so many books that would have changed my life if they had existed when I was a teen/an adult in my twenties and didn’t know I was allowed to explore my sexual orientation and how I experienced sexual attraction. It’s important for people who don’t identify as LGBTQ+ to see queer characters because it normalizes queer experiences and creates understanding and empathy."

4. What got you into writing?

"I loved writing when I was a kid, but I never realized it was something I could actually pursue until I got to college. Originally, I planned on majoring in journalism, but I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn’t for me. After much consideration, I ended up majoring in creative writing. That experience really showed me that writing fiction was something I could do, while setting realistic expectations (e.g., I could write and submit stories to publications, but I would need a full-time job to support myself in the meantime)."

5. Who is a queer figure you look up to?

"There are so many, but I’m narrowing it down to two who have had a huge impact on me. The first is indie author Spencer Hamilton, who is a close friend of mine. He’s an incredible author and human, and he inspires me to be a better person.

The second person is Sim Kern, who is an author and activist for Palestine. The work Sim does is incredible and has changed the way I view activism. Similarly to Spencer, Sim’s work inspires me in ways I never had imagined."