Emily Kimelman Does JET Kindle Worlds!

Russell: How did you come to be interested in the JET Series Kindle World?

Emily: Sean Fitzgerald, the acquisitions editor for Kindle World, got in touch after reading my Sydney Rye series. He felt that Sydney Rye and Jet would have a lot in common. After reading the first Jet book I agreed and decided it would be really fun to write a novella with these two powerful female characters. Turns out I was right. IT TAKES TWO was a blast to write.

Russell: Tell us how your story links to the JET Series. Characters, setting, specific event? Is there any crossover or meetings between your characters and any of the original characters?

Emily: My novella takes place about two weeks before Jet fakes her own death. Her and Sydney Rye are on opposite sides, with Jet responsible for assassinating someone Sydney Rye is charged with protecting.

Russell: The JET Series books are fast-paced action and adventure stories. What genre(s) do you explore in your story?

Emily: IT TAKES TWO is a face-paced action and adventure story. My Sydney Rye books fit into that same genre, however, they are written in first person and I followed in your footsteps, writing IT TAKES TWO in third person.

Russell: The JET series has been set all over the world… the Middle East, Asia, South American, the Caribbean, etc. Tell us about where you set your story, and why?

Emily: My story starts in Peru and ends up in Istanbul. I love to travel and usually set my books in far off, exotic locations where I’ve spent some time. My Sydney Rye books take place all over the world as well so it made sense for both these characters that they’d be in a few far flung locals.

Russell: Tell us a little about your main character(s). Why do you think readers will like him/her/it?

Emily: My main characters are Sydney Rye and her dog, Blue. People like Sydney Rye because she is tough but vulnerable. And because her sense of justice is awesome. People like Blue because he is the best dog to ever live. He is obedient, a fierce protector, brilliant, an amazing cuddler and adorable. What’s not to love?

Russell: Did you decide to include any of the main characters from JET (Jet / Maya, Matt or Hannah?) If so, Why?

Emily: I included Jet because her and Sydney have so much in common. I couldn’t wait for them to meet.

Russell: What major theme comes across the clearest in your story? Is this a theme found consistently in your other works? Please market those works here! 

Emily: The major theme in IT TAKES TWO is justice which is also one of the most central themes in my Sydney Rye series.

Russell: Share some of your story about becoming a writer. Long version or short version. You decide.

Emily: I am very dyslexic, to the point that I had to attend a special school in order to learn how to read, so my Dad read aloud to me until I was 1 1 (when all the squiggles finally started looking like words). I fell in love with books in part because my Dad really made them come alive. Also, since I couldn’t read for so long I was really obsessed with books by the time I figured out how to read. The first book I read myself was an Agatha Christie and the mystery genre has been my thing ever since… though now I like a lot more violence in my stories.

Because I had so much trouble learning how to read it never occurred to me that I could be a writer. After I graduated high school I took a few years off and traveled the world working as a photographer which is when I figured out I didn’t actually want to be a photographer. So I went to college and wasn’t sure what to study despite my friends and family encouraging me to write, until one day I read a really bad book. It was so bad that I thought, you know, I can do better than that. And so I did.

Russell: Do you have a background related to your writing? Interests? 

Emily: In the first book Sydney Rye is working as a dog walker. I have experience working as a dog walker. In fact, walking dogs is something I still do today, though no one pays me anymore.

Besides my fascinating foray into the world of dog walking I’ve worked as a photographer, bartender, waitress, and as an intern at a Private Investigation firm. But I spend most my time and energy planning my next trip. Travel is my favorite thing to do. My husband proposed to me in JFK long term parking (get it “long term”). We are dedicated to having lots of adventures around the world and that’s what we’ve worked on for the last decade or so. In fact, my Sydney Rye series is kind of just a big excuse to travel. The books take place all over the world… so obviously I need to do my research.

Russell: What are you working on next, aside from the novella in the JET Series Kindle World?

Emily: My seventh Sydney Rye book, SHADOW HARVEST, launches on 8/8 and I’ve started writing the eighth.