Kelly Andria is the
pen name of two very close friends who decided to write a story to make people
laugh. The two authors, although different in many ways and viewpoints, have a
lot in common. Both Greek Americans coming from conservative vibrant families,
they learned to speak and act as they believe. Fair but always kind. Their
passion for art, food and romance led them to become authors of a comedy that
redefines the “boy meets girl” norm. The
wacky one of the group knew that they had the stories in them. The other half
quickly became convinced as their quirky characters took shape and form and
gained a voice of their own.
For the release of
this novel, the two friends are doing a Super Book Blast Tour with Goddess Fish
Promotions, which takes place on March 14th. For this reason, they are awarding a $25.00 GC for either Barnes and Noble or
Amazon, winner's choice, to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
The more comments you leave, the higher your chances
on winning this fine prize!
Book Blurb:
Gallery owner Nellie,
a giving yet neurotic New Yorker, brings together a mismatched cast of
characters in the opening of Ryan Whittaker’s debut, a phallic show. Little does
she know that she is setting the scene for odd and unpredictable relationships,
much like Shakespeare in Midsummer Night’s Dream. The frenzied, magical mix-up
is an outrageous farce with a deep moral message: there is a RIGHT place for
everyone in this world and love and friendship cement us in it.
The Art of Change is a funny, smooth reading romance, which deals with bridging differences in gender, education, social milieu, in an insane but pragmatic, modern fairytale, set in New York City. The twists of the plot are written without an ounce of cynicism but simply acknowledging that life is neither here nor there, neither black or white and all can be dealt with in real friendship and love.
Excerpt:
Monroe
Burton looked at the art show invitation on his dresser. Ryan Whittaker: The
Manhunt: The Elusive State of Happiness.
He didn’t
know whether it was the age of the artist—a brash twenty-eight years— or the
forthright sexual innuendo of the title placed above the painting of the
phallic symbol in chiaroscuro that aroused his curiosity. An artist with an eye
for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary . . . isolating and bringing it to
another level of meaning. Voyeurism with humor. Instantly, he decided to
attend.
“I’m so
tired of installations, photography, video and performance art, ad
nauseam—enough! I need paintings. I am definitely ending my gallery tour with
this show tonight,” he told himself.
In addition
to the immediate interest sparked by this exhibit, Monroe had a soft spot for
the gallery owner, Nellie Adams, a forty-something recent divorcée who had
opened her own gallery, 911, despite all odds. Judging from her previous shows,
it was clear she promoted budding artists, controversial views, and outsiders,
irrespective of profit and possibility.
Nellie
reminded him of older times, when art used to be ART and not another commodity
or a way of exhibiting wealth and power. Over the last thirty years, the
majority of art had become tied to social causes and issues. It had become so complicated.
But, hey, he thought, if that’s what sells . . .
Yet how
exhausting and uninspiring it is for an art critic to review works such as the
latest he had seen and simply refused to write up: a woman between two huge
pieces of Styrofoam toast, a human slice of salami, supposedly symbolizing the
pressure and subordination of the female by the male, the family, and career.
He was drained, tired, and weary of reviewing works he thought were less than
junk. He had kept his standards high, his views fresh, and the art world
appreciated his precise dissections and fair criticism. Even if the readers
sometimes didn’t agree with the review, they would always enjoy it!
Monroe
picked up the elegant card and turned it over in his hand.
Now, global
art . . . maybe? Tonight he wanted to unveil an artist who moved within realms
like bioengineering or human issues—like AIDS! Now there was an idea: sex
awareness with a twist. Yes, this young man from Oregon just might be sending
this message. It was something Monroe wanted to believe.
Buy Links:
So how did you guys start writing together?
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
Good Morning!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting me today! It's much appreciated! To answer Andra's question we talked about writing for quite some time, and then one day decided to see if our partnership would work....and it seems that it did :)
Thanks for asking,
Kelly
Glad to have you here, and let's hope lots of people leave comments!
DeleteHow long do you need to finish a book together?
ReplyDeleteJibriel.O at web dot de
Hi Jibriel,
ReplyDeleteThis first book took forever! We will be faster next time as we learned so much this time :)
Nickie - thanks so much for hosting! Much appreciated!
Kelly