Kismet is a free read, so rather than have the usual buy links up, below you'll find two fund raiser
links. One is for a homeless youth charity called Lost-N-Found Youth. Not every kid is lucky
enough enough to have the support of a loving family, and LGBT youth are much more likely to
face abuse and being kicked out on the streets. Lost-N- Found not only help youth out by providing
shelter for as many as they can, but help youth get back into education and into society as
contributing members. They also provide legal assistance where necessary, food, clothes, and so
much more.
The other link is for a couple who are writers in the LGBT romance genre. Following emergency
brain surgery, TJ and Eric have been traveling a long, hard and expensive road. Things are
beginning to look up, with Eric soon to come home to TJ and their new home. They could still use
the help and continued support of caring people though. I ask that those of you following the blog
tour please consider contributing an amount to at least one of these causes, no matter how small or
insignificant you feel that donation would be. Pennies all add up into dollars, after all.
Thank you,
Lillian McKinnon
http://lostnfoundyouth.org/support-us/donate/
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/eric-arvin-support-fund/11687
To Read Kismet visit:
Interview
Lillian McKinnon is a young adult writing young adult fiction. In addition to her ongoing fantasy
serial, Kismet, she has also recently completed her first full length novel and is in the midst of
writing another. She took the time to stop by and answer an few questions.
1. Okay, so, young adult writing young adult. Exactly how old are you?
I'll be 13 in August.
2. What made you decide to write?
I'm home educated, or what in the US is called homeschooling. This year Creative Writing was part
of English Composition, and I thought, forget writing aload of short stories, I'll write a book and be
done with it. It was much more appealing, especially as I got free reign to write whatever I wanted
to. Then, as I writing that book, I discovered Cody Kennedy's serial Fairy on his blog. He inspired
me to try my hand at that too, and so Kismet was born.
3. Why the LGBT genre?
Why not? When I first decided to write my novel, I got a lot of advice from professional authors
we know, who all said to me, “Write what you know personally, what you don't know research,
research research, and just let the characters tell you their story.” So I did. Let me tell you, once you
think of a story theme, the characters come knocking on the door to your brain, and they don't shut
up until you've written it all down. My characters happen to be gay with straight friends. I am kind
of sad people think that matters.
4. What are some of your favorite books?
I really enjoyed reading The His Dark Materials trilogy, Harry Potter, The Time Quartet, the
Little House on the Prairie books, Geoff Laughton's By the Creek, Omorphi by Cody kennedy,
Jamie Mayfield's books Waiting for Forever, all of Mia Kerick's young adult stuff, man, it's too hard
to pick out just a couple of favourites. I either really like a book or hate it. I also read a lot of
manga. I'm a huge manga fan and collect Vampire Knight, Sailor Moon, Sailor V, Itazura na Kiss,
Saturn Apartments, Twin Spica, Bleach, Yotsuba&!, Fruits Basket, Moon and Blood, Wedding
Peach, and Chi's Sweet Home.
5. When not writing, what are some of your hobbies?
I love to draw and if I come across a pencil and any sort of paper, I start sketching. I also draw
on my Macbook using the trackpad and mouse. I'm into photography too, and love playing on
Photoshop with the pictures I take. I also like going for long bike rides, hiking, swimming,
kayaking, karate, and abseiling though I learned the hard way to NOT look down. I plan on doing
the Duke of Ed and plan on adding surfing and scuba diving to that list as part of completing the
requirements for the award.
Playlist
Lillian Playlist
When I write I like to listen to music that relaxes me and keeps me feeling upbeat. I'm not really
into a lot of contemporary music, actually preferring music from the 1960's era. I do like some
modern stuff, but it tends to be niche music. The first time my friends access my playlists or come
over and hear it through my speakers, they ask me, “Who's that? That is so cool!” Then they
introduce me to stuff on their lists they think I might like based on what they've heard. I like that
because they discover music they won't have heard otherwise and so do I. Below is a small
sampling of my actual playlist.
<iframe
src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:11133609000:playlist:5UoYXMQYppESAZBh9h
GnCm" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>
Lillian McKinnon is the pen name for a rather sassy not quite 13 year old home educated girl who
lives and plays in the Northwest region of England. She doesn't like being told she can't do things
because she's a kid, and woe betide you if it's because she's a girl. She's active in Scouts and is avid
about karate. She also enjoys long bike rides, photography, kayaking, abseiling, canoeing,
swimming, and is somewhat of an artist. She probably reads far too much, with bookcases full of
novels and manga, a Kindle with an ever growing library, and online serials she avidly follows. She
also has a fondness for vintage American sitcoms and modern sci fi and fantasy TV shows. When
not reading, doing her educational assignments, writing, or indulging in her other hobbies, she
spend time gaming with her younger brother, as long as he's not annoyed her too much that day.
Skill she would most like to learn next: surfing.
No comments:
Post a Comment