Jeff's Blog

    Today I’m honored to share my blog space with the inimitable Cody Kennedy, whose presence in mm fiction and LGBT YA literature has inspired and awed many unsuspecting readers. Cody’s most recent book, Slaying Isidore’s Dragon, released April 9^th, and Cody’s here to talk about it and answer a few nosy questions.

Q: Cody, thanks so much for visiting my blog. It’s an honor to be your host.

A:  Thanks for having me, Jeff. It’s an honor to be here and I am flattered that you’re participating in the book tour for Slaying Isidore’s Dragons.

Q: Can you please take a moment to talk about Slaying Isidore’s Dragon? What’s the story about, and what do you expect readers will enjoy most about the story and/or characters?

A:  Slaying Isidore’s Dragons is a story of hope, triumph, the healing power of love, and learning to live after surviving abuse. While the story is a romance, it is also nothing short of a teen Bourne Identity. There is mystery, intrigue, espionage, and lots of high action including shootouts and helicopter rescues. Above all, it’s a ‘feel good’ story and I hope when readers turn the last page they’re left with feelings of hope and triumph. *looks around* Is my Hollywood showing?

Q: How’d this whole writing thing get started for you? Are you one of those people who’s always loved to write, or was it a passion you discovered recently?

A:  I was fortunate to have been raised by a prolific author and have been writing since the age of seven. It’s ingrained in every fiber of my being and, plainly stated, a day doesn’t go by that I don’t write. I begin to twitch if I don’t write daily and lose what little I have of a personality. If I’m not in my office, or sitting in a meeting from hell, or on a conference call that won’t die, I’ll write on anything. Pleadings, sticky notes, other people’s documents and pads of paper. If nothing is within reach, it only goes south from there. My hand, my arm, the front of my shirt. I’ve ruined a jacket or two. The odd looks I receive are the norm for me so it’s all good.

Q: Can you please tell us about your backlist, the books you currently have available? Is there one among them of which you’re most proud?

A:  My very short backlist? *chuckles* Sure. Safe is the story of an Italian boy named Nico, and Caleb’s desperation to keep him safe. His dad is ‘old school’ and rules with an iron fist—literally. In the end, and with the help of his parents, Caleb does protect him but not before he suffers at the hands of his father. Omorphi is about Christy, a boy from Greece, who has come to America to begin a new life after years of abuse. He meets Michael, an utterly ordinary guy living a charmed life, and they fall in love. They face nearly in surmountable odds when a homophobic teammate of Michael’s turns violent and one of Christy’s abusers comes to America to claim him, yet they triumph over both. I like all my books and can’t choose a favorite, but can say that I identify most with Christy in Omorphi. My personality is most like his.

Q: Why the specific focus on YA? Do you plan at any point on branching out to other sub-genres?

A:  I write different genres under pseudonym and in different venues. I don’t only write novels, but also screenplays. Truthfully, I would not have written these young adult works were it not for the wonderful boys for whom I advocate. Child sex trafficking has increased seven hundred and fifty percent in the U.S. since the economy collapsed and somewhere between forty-nine and sixty percent of those youth are boys. It’s reached epidemic proportions and we desperately need resources for them. I hope my books help in some small way. That said, I hope to publish adult MM romances in the next twelve to eighteen months, but a large part of that is dependent upon my hectic real life work and writing schedules.

Q: What’s next? Any upcoming projects you’d care to tease us with?

A:  I’m in the process of completing Tharros, the sequel to Omorphi. It will take Christy and Michael through prom, graduation, and the beginning of college. Following, I’ll write an action-adventure historical piece about the Arno river flood of 1966 in Italy. Florence is one of the art centers of the world and the flood destroyed priceless art and books. Once the waters receded, they employed the youth in the city to help restore art and books. They were called mud angels and I’ll write a book by the same name.

Q: Talk about Cody for a bit. Tell us about yourself, your passions, quirks, and eccentricities? What sets Cody apart, makes you unique? See if you can shock us.

A:   *bursts into laughter* There is absolutely nothing interesting about me. I’m old, I’m a recluse, and live with three parrots. Instead of the cat lady, you’re speaking with the bird guy today. Seriously, man. I’m boring. Sorry to disappoint. If I had to guess what the thing people find most interesting about me it would be that the combination of Christy and Isidore’s stories are my story. They are not imaginations of my figment. They are based on very real, cruel events. To wit, my dedication to helping abused boys.

Q: Thanks for stopping by. Would you care to share the information about your blog tour? Where do we go next? And please give us a link to your blog and social networks.

A:   Slaying Isidore’s Dragons is available in print and ebook from Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press Amazon   GooglePlay   Barnes & Noble   OmniLit/ARe   Beam-eBooks in Europe   Ingram Books for Libraries and Schools

Stop by my Blog with questions or comments, or simply share what’s on your mind. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter @CodyKAuthor, Medium, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+, Ello, Goodreads, & read my free serial story, Fairy!

    Today I’m honored to share my blog space with the inimitable Cody Kennedy, whose presence in mm fiction and LGBT YA literature has inspired and awed many unsuspecting readers. Cody’s most recent book, Slaying Isidore’s Dragon, released April 9^th, and Cody’s here to talk about it and answer a few nosy questions.

Q: Cody, thanks so much for visiting my blog. It’s an honor to be your host.

A:  Thanks for having me, Jeff. It’s an honor to be here and I am flattered that you’re participating in the book tour for Slaying Isidore’s Dragons.

Q: Can you please take a moment to talk about Slaying Isidore’s Dragon? What’s the story about, and what do you expect readers will enjoy most about the story and/or characters?

A:  Slaying Isidore’s Dragons is a story of hope, triumph, the healing power of love, and learning to live after surviving abuse. While the story is a romance, it is also nothing short of a teen Bourne Identity. There is mystery, intrigue, espionage, and lots of high action including shootouts and helicopter rescues. Above all, it’s a ‘feel good’ story and I hope when readers turn the last page they’re left with feelings of hope and triumph. *looks around* Is my Hollywood showing?

Q: How’d this whole writing thing get started for you? Are you one of those people who’s always loved to write, or was it a passion you discovered recently?

A:  I was fortunate to have been raised by a prolific author and have been writing since the age of seven. It’s ingrained in every fiber of my being and, plainly stated, a day doesn’t go by that I don’t write. I begin to twitch if I don’t write daily and lose what little I have of a personality. If I’m not in my office, or sitting in a meeting from hell, or on a conference call that won’t die, I’ll write on anything. Pleadings, sticky notes, other people’s documents and pads of paper. If nothing is within reach, it only goes south from there. My hand, my arm, the front of my shirt. I’ve ruined a jacket or two. The odd looks I receive are the norm for me so it’s all good.

Q: Can you please tell us about your backlist, the books you currently have available? Is there one among them of which you’re most proud?

A:  My very short backlist? *chuckles* Sure. Safe is the story of an Italian boy named Nico, and Caleb’s desperation to keep him safe. His dad is ‘old school’ and rules with an iron fist—literally. In the end, and with the help of his parents, Caleb does protect him but not before he suffers at the hands of his father. Omorphi is about Christy, a boy from Greece, who has come to America to begin a new life after years of abuse. He meets Michael, an utterly ordinary guy living a charmed life, and they fall in love. They face nearly in surmountable odds when a homophobic teammate of Michael’s turns violent and one of Christy’s abusers comes to America to claim him, yet they triumph over both. I like all my books and can’t choose a favorite, but can say that I identify most with Christy in Omorphi. My personality is most like his.

Q: Why the specific focus on YA? Do you plan at any point on branching out to other sub-genres?

A:  I write different genres under pseudonym and in different venues. I don’t only write novels, but also screenplays. Truthfully, I would not have written these young adult works were it not for the wonderful boys for whom I advocate. Child sex trafficking has increased seven hundred and fifty percent in the U.S. since the economy collapsed and somewhere between forty-nine and sixty percent of those youth are boys. It’s reached epidemic proportions and we desperately need resources for them. I hope my books help in some small way. That said, I hope to publish adult MM romances in the next twelve to eighteen months, but a large part of that is dependent upon my hectic real life work and writing schedules.

Q: What’s next? Any upcoming projects you’d care to tease us with?

A:  I’m in the process of completing Tharros, the sequel to Omorphi. It will take Christy and Michael through prom, graduation, and the beginning of college. Following, I’ll write an action-adventure historical piece about the Arno river flood of 1966 in Italy. Florence is one of the art centers of the world and the flood destroyed priceless art and books. Once the waters receded, they employed the youth in the city to help restore art and books. They were called mud angels and I’ll write a book by the same name.

Q: Talk about Cody for a bit. Tell us about yourself, your passions, quirks, and eccentricities? What sets Cody apart, makes you unique? See if you can shock us.

A:   *bursts into laughter* There is absolutely nothing interesting about me. I’m old, I’m a recluse, and live with three parrots. Instead of the cat lady, you’re speaking with the bird guy today. Seriously, man. I’m boring. Sorry to disappoint. If I had to guess what the thing people find most interesting about me it would be that the combination of Christy and Isidore’s stories are my story. They are not imaginations of my figment. They are based on very real, cruel events. To wit, my dedication to helping abused boys.

Q: Thanks for stopping by. Would you care to share the information about your blog tour? Where do we go next? And please give us a link to your blog and social networks.

A:   Slaying Isidore’s Dragons is available in print and ebook from Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press Amazon   GooglePlay   Barnes & Noble   OmniLit/ARe   Beam-eBooks in Europe   Ingram Books for Libraries and Schools

Stop by my Blog with questions or comments, or simply share what’s on your mind. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter @CodyKAuthor, Medium, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+, Ello, Goodreads, & read my free serial story, Fairy!