Meet…
Kim Kendall, an Early Childhood Education major, who is emerging as an author, under the pen name of Miss Kim.
Why she is
interesting…
If you ask Kendall what the most important aspect of writing is, she would say, “discipline.” Kendall refers to her writing as a workout.
“It’s just like when you start to exercise, you have to stay disciplined and do it everyday,” Kendall said.
Although she is an Early Childhood Education major, she has always had a passion for writing. Her daughter and autistic son inspired her to take the route of education.
Kendall said she likes her major and hopes all that she has learned will help her write a children’s book. However, her main goal is to become a well-known author, expanding her books to film and theater.
She recently accomplished her first dream.
Her book, “Sweatin,’” came out on Black Friday of last year. Its described as a “soap opera in a book.” The characters are easy to relate to because it shows the journey and reality of love, loss and life, according to Kendall.
Although “Sweatin’” took 10 years to complete, she is already working on the sequel to debut in April. Along with the second book, she is also working on a special project that will be announced later. She believes it’s a fast ride, but is ready to embrace what is thrown at her.
“I’m going to make lemonade out of lemons,” she said.
This Dayton native hasn’t lost the passion or fire, even when her mom told her to give up her dream. She credits E. Lynn Harris for the spark that started her love of writing.
“We won’t know until we try; if one door closes, another one will open,” Kendall said.
Her book tour kicks off this June in Atlanta. You can also find her book, “Sweatin’” in the library on campus, as well as on Amazon and Kindle.
Kendall said, even though life gets in the way, she makes time to sit down and write. She said the most rewarding moments are when readers come up to her to talk about her book.
The readers get so caught up in the story that its like the characters are speaking to them, she said.
She believes the only way to make your dreams a reality is to do the work. One piece of advice Kendall gives to all young writers is, “in order to write a book, you must sit down and write. Get it written first — then you can focus on the next thing.”
If Kendall has any spare time, you can find her spending moments with her three granddaughters, who are referred to as, “sugar baby”, “honey baby” and “sweet baby.” She is known as their “sugar mama.”
For more information on her journey, find her on Facebook (Kim Kendall), Twitter (@kkendall87), and Instagram (@kkendall87).