Above anything, I’m a reader. And I cut my teeth on writers from the South. I love the descriptions of the zany characters and the sense of home. I wrote something I wanted to read.
Kalan Chapman Lloyd – 21 May 2015
The Back Flap
“Old habits never die. They just get harder to justify.”
– Home Is Where Your Boots Are
Heartbreak. Home. Gunshots.
Former small town girl turned big city lawyer Lilly Atkins has tidily checked off her adult to-do list.
- Prestigious law degree
- Flourishing legal career
- Designer wardrobe
- Well-bred fiancé
In a moment of cliché, her list gets whipped out the window. And run over a few times.
She heads home to Brooks. Where the creek is cool and the gossip is always hot.
With nothing better to do, Lilly sets up shop to work off her broken heart. Before the paint can dry, her former flame, Dr. Cash Stetson, shows up requesting representation. For his divorce. Two new clients involve a possible negligent homicide and the desecration of human remains, both cases stemming from the local hospital. Run by Cash. When her not so unrequited love’s wife turns up dead, Lilly begins to wonder if the former bad-boy is up to no good.
About the book
What is the book about?
Home Is Where Your Boots Are is the first in the series, “The MisAdventures of Miss Lilly.” It follows attorney Lilly Atkins as she comes back home to her small hometown in Oklahoma after a very public failed engagement in Dallas. Her hometown seems to think her being a fancy lawyer means she can solve all their problems, legally and not so much. There’s romance. There’s intrigue. There might be vigilante justice.
One editor calls it a kaleidoscope of stories with a sassy edge, a southern vibe and a smart, scrappy rebelle of a heroine.
When did you start writing the book?
On a rainy Saturday ten years ago, while studying for the LSAT.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first draft was finished in two years, during law school. I didn’t realize what a “draft” a first draft was and it took me another few years to get it polished to its deserved glory.
Where did you get the idea from?
I heard voices. And decided to write them down. The idea took a while to develop. The first chapter I “heard” and wrote described where Lilly and Cash meet again for the first time. Home Is Where Your Boots Are was meant to be a romance, initially. The more I started adding in characters, it became more about them. And this town. And the more Lilly and Cash interacted, the less likely they ever were to end up together.
Above anything, I’m a reader. And I cut my teeth on writers from the South. I love the descriptions of the zany characters and the sense of home. I wrote something I wanted to read.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
To make Cash somewhat likable. I knew he was, but I didn’t necessarily like him. And to not overplay my hand with too many one-liners. And dialogue was hard at first. Writing it was cheesy on paper the first time. I found that the age-old editing trick of reading out loud really helped this part.
What came easily?
The characters. The town, which is a character on its own. I just love these people. They almost write themselves and their antics.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I will swear in a court of law all my characters are created from fiction. As far as I know, Brooks, Oklahoma does not exist. I only wish I could be as cool as Lilly Atkins. I will say this: I grew up in a small town; Tahlequah, OK, where the creek is cool and the gossip is always hot. I have a best friend who scares the crap out of me, a sister that could’ve been Cher, and I’ve dated a LOT of guys who have a LOT in common with Cash. But I’ve never shot any of them.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I feel like they’ll start playing the Oscar music with this list. Dixie Cash for making outlandish normal. Ernest Hemingway for the staccato. Eudora Welty for that darkness, making one short story almost constant foreshadowing. Margaret Mitchell for detail. William Faulkner for meticulous word parsing and painstaking edits. Whoever really said “kill your darlings”. Mary Kay Andrews, Janet Evanovich, Susan Elizabeth Phillips for laugh out loud humor. Julia Child, Jess Walter, Dorotha Benton Frank, Tilly Bagshawe. Country music songwriters. Cue the elevator music. There are so many more. Especially from my childhood.
Do you have a target reader?
Yep. Me. I’m a reader who loves sharp writing and interesting details, along with subtle themes. I want to be able to take this book on vacation and laugh out loud, and then think about possible teaching moments during the ride home.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I’m a sketcher. Ideas pop into my head and I always have a notebook handy. Or I record dialogue on my phone. Then I’ll later come back and write around it. I write every day, even if it’s just a few sentences. I usually have major writing purges once or twice (meaning nine hour writing days) to get it finished so I can make sure I know where it’s going. Then I go back and fill in any holes.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I desperately wish I did. I have tried, but the books take on a life of their own, and the outlines generally get thrown out the window.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Both. If I think of something or see something while writing, I’ll go back and fix it. I usually sleep on it before I give to my first editor and if anything stands out I’ll change or add. Once it hits content development I usually wait on those comments to do a deep dive.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Yes. Two! One for content and development and then another for final copy edits.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Absolutely! I can find inspiration almost anywhere. The obvious source for this series is old-school country music like George Strait, the Bellamy Brothers, Conway Twitty. But Lilly’s a bad-A and sometimes only Taylor Swift and Britney Spears will do. Newer country for some sentimental moments, like Carrie Underwood. And always The Eagles. Home Is Where Your Boots Are has its own playlist, which you can find on my website. www.kalanchapmanlloyd.com
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes. And had a few bites early on, but nothing turned into a good working relationship.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Lilly just doesn’t fit. She’s a contradiction and it’s hard to put her on one particular shelf in the bookstore. She cusses. She talks about Jesus. She solves crimes. She kind of has romantic encounters. She shoots people. She rescues people. I found it difficult to really put her in a box, and it’s my experience that traditional publishers feel better if their new authors fit easily into something.
I wanted to be “traditional” because when I started, the self-publish/indie idea still had somewhat of a stigma, and I was worried I didn’t know what I was doing. But with one failure under my belt, I’m older and wiser. I’m also very much married to the concept of this book series and as a control freak, want to see my vision come to fruition.
To answer the question: it was gradual, but the deciding factor was when I realized that Lilly was too unique for her to get a deal without compromising who she was and what the series is.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Professionally done. I knew what I wanted and researched other covers to make sure the basics fit into mainstream, but at the end of the day a professional designer finalized it.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I absolutely have a marketing plan. I have “winged it” before and failed miserably, thinking that people would fall in love with these people. This go-round, I’ve got new strategy and vision.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Don’t settle. Remember you were a reader first and make sure your product is as good as it can be. Nothing more frustrating as a reader than to be in the middle of a good story and be hit with a misspelled word.
Have a clear concept. Know your characters, know your work and don’t let anyone tell you what you should do with them. Hire professionals to execute your vision. But make sure it’s your vision, not a shoddy version of what someone thinks it should be.
Work. I’ve discovered after a big fat failure (see my blog. #shamelessplug) that the hardest work is after the first draft. Make sure you have a product to stand behind and keep pushing it out of the nest.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on a ranch in Northeastern Oklahoma. I showed goats at the county fair and spent most of my days reading books on the bus to various sports activities.
Where do you live now?
I live in the big city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. My first week in the city, there was a domestic dispute in my condo complex, a fire that took out the building next to me, and a pigeon pooped in my hair. I wanted to go home. I sucked it up, shot the pigeon with a bb pistol, and stayed.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’m an attorney and author from Oklahoma.
I enjoy big hair, Supreme Court Decisions on Intellectual Property, hats, the sound of construction and the feel of brand new sweatshirts.
I attended Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa College of Law and have been a member of the Oklahoma Bar since 2008.
What are you working on now?
Final polish of These Boots Are Made for Butt-Kickin’ which is out in June 2015. Deep in the writing of So Many Boots, So Little Time, the third in The MisAdventures of Miss Lilly series, available summer 2016.
I’m also finalizing a memoir, Mo(u)rning Joy, out in October of this year.
The MisAdventures of Miss Lilly is here for the party! Until she runs out of trouble to get into.
End of Interview:
For more from Kalan, visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or like her Facebook page.
Get your copy of Home Is Where Your Boots Are from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), or Barnes & Noble.