Braxton Citizens' News

Preorders for Kelsey Whitney’s
first novel have begun

By Shirley Shuman
Kelsey Whitney recently finished writing her first novel. in the end, which will be published June 21, is currently in preorder status from the independent publisher. Whitney explained that she spent almost two years writing the book and declared that she found the whole process “fun.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed writing,” she said, “after I got started. At the time I did begin it, I was a dental hygienist and couldn’t work because of the pandemic. I had seen an Instagram post from
one of my favorite authors announcing that she planned to host an online writing workshop.” Whitney enjoyed the workshop and from there began writing. The author can’t actually pinpoint the source of
the idea for the novel. “One day I was thinking about a scenario for the book and decided it would
be fun to write about. It was,” she noted.
After she returned to work, her position demanded six days a week. As a result, she began
writing before sun-up on Sunday morning. “This time before church worked for me,” she explained

The title of the book came from a phrase that a prominent character uses frequently. The basic story line evolves after a man discovers a photo of his parents and another couple shortly after his father dies.
The picture, taken in the 1980s, triggers the remainder of the plot “which is a retelling of his parents’ lives during the 1980s” and is told by two other narrators.

Asked to describe the type of novel she has written, Whitney said, “It’s more of a contemporary
romance.”
Whitney is married to Luke Whitney, a Braxton native. Her mother-in-law, Erica Whitney, worked for the
Braxton Citizens’ News for some time. Those interested in pre-ordering in the end may do so from the
publisher’s website: www.dunepressandco.com The price is $20.