Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Bellamy.
Hi Kaitlin; we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I had always planned on a “traditional” publishing career path. I had grown up in and around the publishing industry, with my mom working for one of the big names in Sci-Fi and Fantasy at the time, and we all knew I could make it if I found the right agent. The right publisher. The right path. However, after my mom passed away, things changed. She had never gotten a chance to read more than my first book. I never got to see myself published. The fear of dying with my own story unfinished, the regret of her never getting to see who I would become as an artist, all of that changed me. It pushed me forward in a way nothing else ever had or could. In 2018 when I had my health scare, and we thought I might have the same cancer that had taken her life two years previously, I decided I was done waiting for the right path, and I instead carved my own. Since then, I have finished and self-published five books and two novellas, and I am not slowing down any time soon. At every turn, my health gets in the way. Family emergencies. “Real job” issues. But something absolutely stubborn within me took hold during that first big scare that pushed me through all of it. My path may be harder than I ever planned, but I am glad I took it.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There has been nothing smooth about my self-publishing journey. I’ve had to fight against not only the world but myself. Since I published my first book, I have discovered three new chronic health issues to add to a lengthy list of disabilities. I have been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. My father passed away only four years after I lost my mother. I lost my full-time job. I have had injuries, surgeries, and cars repossessed, all of which, as you can imagine, get in the way of an excellent creative schedule for a self-published and self-motivated author. In addition, there are a host of new skills I’ve had to learn that I never anticipated. Marketing has been a fresh challenge, and finding a way to manage my time efficiently when I am my boss. Finding ways to help promote myself and my work is brand new, especially in an era of ever-changing social media. I have had to experiment, and fail, a lot over the past few years. And while I love when things go right, I am equally heartbroken when things go wrong. It slows me down more than I’d like, and depression worsens when the cracks start showing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I love to tell people that, in general, I specialize in storytelling! That seems fairly broad, but it is true. Because I’m not just writing a book. I’m not just building a world. I’m trying to tell a story, no matter what medium I choose, that draws the reader/listener/viewer in.
My unique career background sets me apart there, as I have been a professional actor and performer for most of my adult life. I don’t just write from the perspective of an English major spinning fantasy tales. I write like I imagine my words being spoken, performed, and played out. And I create that immersion based on how I think the arts make people feel. The greatest compliment I get, over and over from my readers, is that I make them feel the world of my stories in a way no one else does. It’s not just about the smells. It’s about how the smells make you feel. What a scent like cinnamon, written on the page, would make someone remember. I’ve made a magic system in my world that takes all these unspoken pieces of human existence that are fairly universal and makes them tangible and real in a brand-new way. I’ve started expanding those things into other mediums as well. My books are now a custom line of candle scents. I made a series of musical ambiance tracks on YouTube for my readers to listen along with. I’ve got interactive maps, a game system, and whole worlds of untold stories that feel comfortable, cozy, and familiar. And all of that comes from my own experiences. I know how light-catching fabric can make someone think because of all the time I spent watching dancers on stage. And watching the audiences react to them. I understand how characters should interact and behave from an acting standpoint more than a written one. And that, according to my readers, makes every page more real to them.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
I have made my social media presence as wide-reaching and varied as the storytelling platforms I use. I have started streaming worldbuilding on my Twitch channel. I have a mentorship program and behind-the-scenes extras on Patreon. I teach and create on YouTube or speak at public events whenever possible! I have a Ko-Fi where people can commission their own stories in my world. One such commission eventually became one of my published novellas, allowing the fan who requested it to become part of the canon of my world. I am always looking for more ways to make The Mapweaver Chronicles accessible, tangible, and wonderful to all who would like it to be! You can find me on every platform as @ChaosPixieMagic.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChaosPixieMagic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaosPixieMagic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaosPixieMagic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQCBXTYcQZoxs7hyS0wNHVA
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/ChaosPixieMagic
