Young Writer Interview: Kylie Beevers
Hey there readers! I’m back with the fourth installment in my Young Writers Series – an interview with Kylie Beevers. Kylie reached out to me recently to join her book relaunching tour.
You can find her book, Rise of the LivingWood, here on Goodreads.
Hi, Kylie! Why don’t you tell us a little bit about you and your writing journey up to this point! What inspired you to start writing?
Well, first off, my name is Kylie and I’m a young teenage author striving to deliver clean, morally sound content to the middle-grade audience. I want my stories to not only glorify Christ but also be approvable for the parents too! My writing journey up to this point has been kinda free flowing. In the past, before writing my debut novel, I wrote some shorter early-readers but none of them stuck as the LivingWood Chronicles did. I believe that’s God’s hand! My inspiration came from my dear Mum, who raised me in clean and beautiful literature; and S.D. Smith, who wrote the Green Ember series. His story created a spark in me, which was nurtured into a flame and a roaring passion.
You’ve already got a book out there – that’s exciting. Tell the readers a bit about your story and why you chose to write that particular one!
Rise of the LivingWood (the one currently going on relaunch) is an animal protagonist book, meaning the characters in the story are featured as humans would be, much like S.D. Smith’s books, the Chronicles of Redwall, and the Warrior series. It’s a middle-grade fiction fantasy, revolving around the adventures of Bramble, who is just your ordinary fox scrounging the forest floor with his Da, Mum, and kit brother before he is thrust snout first into the warrior life. For his whole life, Bramble has known the LivingWood to be a safe, secure place. A place where he and his family live in peace with no threats. But one day Bramble encounters his Uncle, whom he had no idea even existed, and now he’s got no choice but to trust his gut and blaze a trail into a battle he has to fight. It’s a saga (which will be a part of a trilogy) featuring wolves and wit, foxes, and faith. I suppose I chose this story over the others because it was the only one that seemed to be by God’s hand at the current moment in time. I have to give credit where credit is due however and say that I did have a TON of help from my family with every part of the process.
In what ways does your faith influence your writing?
Oh! Good one! My faith influences my writing a lot. I want my book to be God-glorifying, and one of the constant questions in my mind is this: would Elohim approve of my book? Some of the things I’m very careful of is precise language, clean content, positive relationships between most of the characters, and an uplifting message of hope. In the text of Rise of the LivingWood, God is mentioned several times as Creator, Elohim, or Yahweh; most of the characters pray or act out their faith in some manner or other.
What does a typical writing setup look like for you – when/where do you write best?
The most common writing setup for me is sitting down at our kitchen counter with my writer’s mug, several snacks set up around me (I can not focus without snacks!), my slew of writing journals, and my music blaring in my earbuds. I’m generally a really slow writer, maxing out at 1,500 words per hour, and it lengthens if I don’t have gummy bears. The best writing times for me are either from 11:00-1:00 or 2:00-3:30. After that, I just can’t pay attention.
Are there any stories (books, movies, etc) that especially influence your writing?
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith (I know, I’ve mentioned him a few times here), Nova by Chuck Black, and The Dragons Among Us by Ted Dekker.
Do you have any advice for other young writers?
Yes!! Don’t give up. Don’t give up! So many writers give up because they don’t have the skill or something like that. Don’t give up. Instead, persevere. Writing takes time. Writing takes gut. But writing is a form of praise. Don’t give up. Write for the glory of Elohim. Persevere.
Thanks for your time, Kylie!
Thank you so much for having me on here Abby! It has been an honor!! God bless!
Kylie Beevers is a young teen who strives to show her faith in Yeshua, our Messiah. She longs to show others the love that He showed her and to search for Truth. She’s a young author passionate about bringing clean, morally sound reads to the middle-grade audience. Her debut novel, Rise of the LivingWood, is an epic saga featuring a battle of wolves and wit, foxes and faith. When you can’t find her writing stories that ring with truth, you can find her in the middle of the woods, engrossed in the spectacular works of Creation (generally wielding a dagger or a sword or whatnot). She loves to encourage young writers seeking to nurture that spark of imagination in themselves as well as to prepare for the next generation and their book content.
About The Author
Abby
Abby is a teenaged writer who loves using her words for Jesus, to seek and point out beauty in the ordinary. When she isn't writing, you can find her jamming on her guitar, which she fondly calls "Raymond Fender the First", sitting on porches, or reading.
Good interview. My library does not have the other two books you mentioned Kylie. But I did put the rest of the green ember series on hold. I need to finish those😂