Walnut Springs Press March Madness Sweet 16 Questions-Kelly Nelson

The Keeper's Calling from Kelly Nelson is young adult time-travel that's guaranteed to take you on one fantastic journey

What is your favorite line, scene, or character from one of your books and why? 
It is a tie for me between the opening line of The Keeper's Callingng when Chase Harper thinks, "I would look back on that summer as the defining moment of my earthly existence. Everything prior fell within the realm of normal. Everything to follow didn't..." and the line, "Slowly I turned into the wind. And for the first time in more years than I can remember, I cried." The first line draws me in, letting me know this high school senior's life is about to take a drastic detour. The second makes my heart ache for the rough and tough teenage boy who has lost someone worth shedding tears over.

Why do you write in the genre you do? 
I write romance, because I firmly believe there is nothing in life more enjoyable, more fun, or more invigorating, than falling in love, and nothing is more satisfying  than staying in love.

What are you working on next? 
The Keeper's Quest- the exciting sequel to my first novel (The Keeper's Calling), along with a contemporary LDS romance.

Do you map out your stories beforehand or do you let the characters direct the story? 
I've done both. I mapped out book 1 of The Keeper's Saga (The Keeper's Calling), but then the characters propelled me along through books 2 & 3 of the series.

In one word describe the best thing about being an author. 
The exhilaration that comes from creating characters, their lives and their stories.

In one word describe the worst thing about being an author. 
The never ending waiting. Being an author is bursts of activity and excitement sprinkled between long periods of waiting.

When did you know you wanted to be an author? 
I first wanted to be an author when I was 15, but the dream got put on the back burner while I took care of the necessities of life. I resurrected the dream in 2008 and set to work making it a reality.

How do your beliefs shape how/what you write? 
Because of my strong LDS beliefs, I want what I write to reflect my high moral standards and to encourage others to live them as well. I believe literature and other forms of media can be entertaining while still being clean and uplifting.

What's the last book you finished? 
The last book I finished reading is Count Down to Love, by Julie N. Ford.

What's on your nightstand now? 
The List by Melanie Jacobsen (I'm reading the finalists in the romance category for the Whitney Awards).

Which author (dead or alive) would you most like to have lunch with? 
I'd love to visit with Stephenie Meyer over lunch.

Book you read that you wish you hadn't. 
The Time Traveler's Wife.

Book that changed your life. 
Most definitely The Book of Mormon.

If they were to make a movie of your favorite book, who would play the leads and why? 
Since I wrote what I would most want to read, I'd have to say The Keeper's Calling, 

with Liam Hemsworth as Chase Harper 

and Channing Tatum as Garrick. 

And while I'm at it, I might as well have Taylor Swift take the female lead as Ellie, then I'd have a power-packed cast. :) 

Book you most want to read again for the first time. 
Rarely do I want to read a book again, but Deathwatch, by Robb White, I'd want to experience again for the first time.

What book would you give to a child? 

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, one of my all-time favorites.