Writer Kelly I. Hitchcock joins me today to chat about her new humorous women’s fiction, Community Klepto.
Bio:
Kelly I. Hitchcock is a literary fiction author, humorist, and poet in Austin, Texas. She has published several poems, short stories, and creative non-fiction works in literary journals, and is the author of the coming-of-age novel The Redheaded Stepchild, a semi-finalist in the literary category for The Kindle Book Review’s “Best Indie Books of 2011”, and Portrait of Woman in Ink: A Tattoo Storybook. Her newest novel, Community Klepto, is patiently awaiting its debut in June 2022, courtesy of She Writes Press. She is world-renowned among a readership of five people and growing. She is a regular contributor to Moms Don’t Have Time to Write.
Raised by a single father in the small town of Buffalo, Missouri, Kelly has fond memories of life being broke as shit in the Ozarks that strongly influence her writing and way of life. She’s a graduate of Missouri State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. She has six-year-old identical twins and a full-time job, so writing and picking up Legos are the only other things she can devote herself to.
Welcome, Kelly. Please tell us about your current release.
Ann Josephson is a twenty-five-year-old sociopath whose compulsive kleptomania manifests itself in the most unlikely of places: the community center where she works out every day. The walls of the community center insulate her from the terrors of the outside world, which include her freelance work as a graphic artist; her socialite parents, who pay the better part of her living expenses; her therapist, who devotedly punches the clock; and the dark void of romantic relationships.
As Ann battles the inner demons that plague her millennial psyche, she must also battle the fiends that plague her at the gym: the loudly grunting beefcake who can’t be bothered to drop his weights at a reasonable volume, the naked old lady in the locker room using a towel as butt floss, the housewife in yoga pants that obviate the need for yoga wheeling her double stroller up and down the indoor track. Set in suburban Kansas City in the early 2010s, Community Klepto—a droll combination of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Choke—makes incarnate the characters and shenanigans that go on in every gym in the world.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was training for my first (and only) marathon in Kansas City and spending a lot of time in the gym. I would observe how many people would just leave their stuff – keys and coats but even iPads and wallets – just sitting in a corner or a cubby out of sight. That’s how I got the idea for Ann, the klepto who steals everyone’s stuff at the gym. I also drew a lot of inspiration from my fellow gym-goers (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and the book became a sounding board for all the things I thought but could never say out loud.
What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m writing what started out as an idea for a satirical romance (which was why I named my main characters Desdemona Furtado and Rourke Petersen), but now that I am 30,000 words into it, I think it’s just a humorous romance that still pokes some fun at the traditional romance genre. It’s a story about a widow with three children who teaches high school biology and finds love in the form of the high school’s mysterious new groundskeeper.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I was six years old and wrote and illustrated (poorly) my own edition of The Lady and the Tramp on notebook paper, bound into a book with twist ties (I think my mom still has it somewhere). That part is true but, in all seriousness, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t identify as a writer. Even as a young kid I was always in my own head making up stories and writing them down when got home. Most of them were really bad. Some of them are still really bad.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I still have a day job writing test plans which is not nearly as fun, and I have two young children, so dedicated writing time comes at a premium for me. I typically write a few days a week in the evenings after my kids go to bed. Sometimes I fall asleep sitting up with my laptop in my lap while doing so.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if I have one anymore! I was a smoker in a previous life, and I wrote my first novel while chainsmoking. When I quit, I swore I would never be able to write again, but obviously I found a way to come out of retirement at the ripe old age of 23. Nowadays I do find it easier to write with a glass of red wine next to me, but I end up knocking it over more often than not while trying to keep my eyes on the screen and one hand on the keyboard. I don’t even write at a desk anymore, because I am at a desk all day.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a writer, except for a brief period in eighth grade when I wanted to be a defense attorney (I was a weird kid). Growing up in a poor rural area, all I knew was that I wanted some path to living and working in New York City and it seemed like that was where every author I enjoyed lived. Ironically, I got farther away from New York, not closer.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Yes, I did finish the marathon. The medal still hangs on a wall in my office and my knees hurt every time I look at it. I’ll be having book events in both Texas and Missouri, and you can find all the details on my website.
Pull quotes:
“…devilishly fun… A clever, endearing, and funny tale of one woman’s missteps and her efforts to atone.” –KIRKUS REVIEWS
“In this quick-paced read, Hitchcock creates characters who are well developed and humorous. She weaves complex psychological topics with a lighthearted, romantic story line in a way that proves to be both entertaining and thought provoking.” –Booklist
Thank you so much for featuring me!