An Interview with J.L. Kirby
J.L. Kirby is a pen name for sisters Jacqueline and Lauren Kirby. Jacqueline lives in New Jersey with her husband, Mike, and daughters Emma and Lorelai. She runs a marketing agency, First & Vine Marketing.
Lauren lives in South Carolina with her husband, Tyler, and their cat, Meadow, DJ’s sister. Lauren teaches third grade and loves working through writing prompts with her students.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Jacqueline was babysitting and had a few scratches on her hands from playing with DJ and the kids asked about it. Every day after that they wanted to hear stories about DJ and play ‘scratchy cat.’ Thus, the book was born.
Describe your dream book cover.
The book cover that we have is our dream book cover. The house in the image is a graphic of our childhood home, so it’s really special to us to see that memorialized as it was, since we no longer own it.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Jacqueline started her professional career in sports, with a seven-year stint in the NFL, which is where she met her husband. She’s also worked in fashion and now owns a boutique marketing agency. Lauren is an elementary school teacher and uses prompts from our books for creative writing lessons.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
Both of us have always loved to write. When we were kids, Jacqueline would write and illustrate books to read to Lauren.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
Just start! The first round doesn’t have to be perfect and neither does the tenth but keep going.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
DJ is a little cheeky and we think it’s important for kids to get to be kids while they can and remember that it’s good to be a little silly.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.