Kennerly Clay
Author Interview - Kennerly Clay
Author of Calling of Ancestors: Finding Forgotten Secrets in My DNA
In Calling of Ancestors: Finding Forgotten Secrets in My DNA, the author discovers through DNA testing more than one mystery about her genetic ancestry.
Genetic connections and genealogical research lead Kennerly on a fascinating quest to uncover forgotten family secrets in her paternal lineage. What gets revealed tells a different family story than the one handed down. The author soon finds herself confronting racism within her family while also exploring her own deep-seated biases at a time when much of the U.S. is trying to come to grips with the effects of racial injustice.
In this insightful and powerful story of discovery, the author asks readers to consider the causal relationship and generational effects of the ugly legacy of slavery and long-term racism on its descendants, to this day.
Author Interview - Kennerly Clay
Author I draw inspiration from: Mary Karr
Author Interview - Kennerly Clay | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: Living room chair
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Though I'm not a religious person, the first character that comes to mind is Jesus. Wouldn't that be a trip? Who wouldn't want to be in an elevator with Jesus? The book, the Bible, of course - myriad co-authors.
Author Interview - Kennerly Clay | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: Although I've been writing professionally for many years, it's taken a while to know what I wanted to say--in a book. But my siblings and I had been talking about putting our letters and memories together about my father and I would write it as a book. One January 1 a few years ago, I finally started putting pen to paper and the Story of My Own Life started coming out. It's been an insatiable drive ever since, to complete my memoir.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Good old-fashioned paperbacks for me. Love the sawdusty smell of the pages. Although I just got a Kindle for the first time ever and I'm enjoying having more access to more books all the time. It makes me read more.
The last book I read: I just reread Mary Karr's "The Art of Memoir" and I'm currently reading "Tilting" - a memoir by Nicole Harkin, and "Speak, Memory" by Vladimir Nabokov, because Mary Karr talks about it all the time
Author Interview - Kennerly Clay | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Pen and paper for first 300 words of just about anything. Then I'm all about technology.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Beverly Donofrio - Riding in Cars with Boys - the author played by Drew Barrymore in the movie of same name - I always related to the vibe of that movie and character and DB has always felt like a BFF
Author Interview - Kennerly Clay | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Forensic genealogist
Favorite decade in fashion history: 1930s/40s
Place I’d most like to travel: Bhutan
My signature drink: Coffee
Favorite artist: I'm a traditionalist - fine artists like Caravaggio masters of light and dark and human form
Number one on my bucket list: finish my memoir, for now
Anything else you'd like to add: If you have the slightest curiosity about your ancestry, I encourage you to explore it. Get curious about who came before you and what transpired. It's been a fascinating and illuminating journey for me and I'm excited to share my story with others.
Find more from the author:
FB: @lettersfromeastofnowhere
I: @chowanisms
Author Bio: Kennerly is a content writer/marketer whose words demystify everything from travel to health. "Calling of Ancestors: Finding Forgotten Secrets in My DNA" is her first ebook, a recently released Kindle Single, and she is working on a memoir "Letters from East of Nowhere - Daddy's Words to Live, Drink & Die By" due out in 2022.
