Writing my blog allowed me to vent, evaluate my life and the world around me, and ponder the big questions. It also gave me space to make fun of myself (I’m OCD and have low self-esteem) and showcase my quirky family and wonderful (but silly) collies.

Emily Kemme – 12 November 2022

The Back Flap

After ten years of blogging, Emily Kemme began to notice a change in her posts. Voicing her individuality had evolved from what some people labeled a troublesome personality trait into self-assurance, which she now applies daily to a variety of situations. Whether it’s managing wayward collies, home remodeling, cooking dinner, or raising young adults with a strong sense of who they are and where their life path could take them, this book offers humor, solace, and solid advice.

It Starts With a Fish tracks the progress of a woman discovering her voice, from the point-of-view of a lawyer, housewife, and an insecure mom, who knows she has ideas to share with the world. Written with incisive wit and often self-deprecating humor, this is a carefully selected anthology of stories from Feeding the Famished, the blog that created a platform for Kemme, who today is an award-winning novelist and freelance writer.

About the book

What is the book about?

After years of being asked to publish my Feeding the Famished blog posts, I decided to do it as a pandemic project. It Starts With a Fish tracks the progress of discovering a (writing) voice, from the point-of-view of a lawyer, housewife, and an insecure mom who knows she has ideas to share with the world. Written with incisive wit and often self-deprecating humor, this is a carefully selected anthology of stories from the blog, which created a platform for me. Today I am an award-winning novelist of two books and a freelance journalist.

Writing my blog allowed me to vent, evaluate my life and the world around me, and ponder the big questions. It also gave me space to make fun of myself (I’m OCD and have low self-esteem) and showcase my quirky family and wonderful (but silly) collies.

When did you start writing the book?

I started the blog in February 2011, writing weekly posts (and recipes) that tapered off as my career grew. I began working on the book in February 2020.

How long did it take you to write it?

Although the blog posts were written, I first needed to select the ones that would flesh out a theme of personal growth and raising children (with the hope they’d someday develop into decent human beings). That required re-reading a lot of the posts (there are over 250) and distilling that number down to about 40. Each selected post was edited (my writing style has developed and changed over the 10 years since I began). The initial process took a year, in part because I was also working on other projects, but then there was the editing. In all, it was a little under 2 years.

Where did you get the idea from?

I’ve long admired anthologies from columnists like Erma Bombeck and Russell Baker. I thought my blog posts might fit along those lines.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Looking at a post with a critical eye to see where I can improve it. I also included photos in blog posts to help tell stories, which aren’t in the book. I needed to incorporate those pictorial ideas in the text to fully convey a message.

What came easily?

It was fun to re-read my previous work and see how my writing had developed over time.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I often write about my family, but there are also those (unnamed) people who you meet that you model ideas on.

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?

John Irving for his bold quirkiness; Jonathan Franzen for his courage in telling family stories and delicate situations; Wally Lamb for touching on mental illness and human frailty.

Do you have a target reader?

Anyone who has a family; people who are parents (raising children). I think the stories are universal in that they address our common humanity and how to be honest with ourselves and others about the fact that no one is perfect.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

Before I write anything I thoroughly research the topic. But I also jot down notes (sometimes at 2 in the morning, definitely a pain in the neck!) when I’m relaxed and the ideas flow in. I write best in the later afternoon (after first taking a brief nap), and totally believe in editing, editing, editing.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I jot down ideas and put them together for a story. It gets reworked many times until the flow is right.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go. Typically, my novels were edited about 30 times before I even turned them over to a professional editor. For my journalism, I edit as I go and then do a major edit before filing for publication.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No. I need quiet to write. It’s just me and the black depths of my brain.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I didn’t submit this book to agents.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Publishing is a process in and of itself. This is my third book; the first two were completely self-published. I am thoroughly enjoying working with a competent publisher who has taken a lot of the work I did with the last two off my plate. It’s hard to predict what the next book’s publishing format will take.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

It was done professionally by the publisher.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Marketing is essential and entails using social media platforms, word of mouth, scheduling media interviews and book signing events. I’m going off of what I’ve learned from past experience and learning more as I go with this one.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Trust in yourself and be prepared to sit at a book signing event and only sell two books. But then there are other (amazing) days when you’ll sell 40 and your mind will be reeling. The main thing is not to give up. Writing books is hard work; selling them is tortuous.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Greeley, CO

Where do you live now?

Greeley, CO (I lived in Boulder during college and then Denver for 8 years during my post-graduate training and when I worked as an attorney).

What would you like readers to know about you?

I like to cook (the blog also has recipes I developed), road bike, hike and play with my dogs. Traveling is very important to me because you can only write about a locale if you’ve been there and smelled it. Smell memory is pivotal.

What are you working on now?

I’m a regular contributor to the Greeley Tribune, a newspaper in a town of 112,000. I write a weekly food column for the newspaper, feature stories, and another food column for a digital product, The NoCo Optimist. I also write food and feature stories for NOCO Style Magazine, a regional magazine covering Northern Colorado.

I have another novel in progress, and depending on the success of the Fish anthology, may produce more of those from Feeding the Famished.

End of Interview:

For more from Emily Kemme visit her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Get your copy of It Starts with a Fish from Amazon US or Amazon UK.