Guest Blogger C. Kennedy: Why I Write the Kind of Stories I do

Omorphi-400x600My very special guest today is my good friend and fellow author, C. Kennedy.  Cody’s first Harmony Ink Press novel, Omorphi, was released yesterday, September 19th.  Omorphi (which translates from Greek as “pretty”), is a beautiful and heart-rending novel about how love can heal even the most wounded of souls.  But don’t get me wrong, Omorphi is anything but depressing!  This isn’t a story about abuse, it’s a gorgeous and uplifting story about recovery.  I have no doubt that you don’t “get over” the kind of abuse pretty Christy has endured in his short life, but with Michael’s love, Christy’s future is a bright one.  I loved this stunning book, and I know you will as well!

So without further ado, please welcome Cody Kennedy, who is here to talk about Omorphi and what inspires him to write stories like it.  Don’t forget to check out Cody’s Omorphi Blog Tour Contest instructions at the bottom of the post!  -Shira

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Hey, Shira, thank you for having me on your gorgeous blog! It’s great to be here!  Omorphi is a story about a young man’s fierce determination to heal and forge a new life after long-term abuse.

You asked me why I write the stories that I do. My Author’s Note at the end of Omorphi sums it up best:

This novel wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the real life Christys who endure and struggle every day to survive and heal. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you.

Until you have endured the violation of abuse, whether by a single act or a chronic condition of suffering, you cannot know the meaning of self-loss. It isn’t only the obliteration of all of your belief systems; it is also the annihilation of your human worth and the unrecoverable larceny of your self. Painful beyond description in myriad ways, debilitating, and tragic, abuse – including bullying – leaves everlasting, invisible scars.

Abuse is not only fostered by secrecy, it depends on it. Tell someone. There is hope and there is help and, no matter what anyone tells you, it’s okay to ask for help.

For those of you finding yourselves trying to understand an abused friend or family member, please keep an open mind. Imagine how hard it is for them to reorganize and come to terms with what has happened to them. The abuse suffered by Christy in this story is based on real events. The best thing you can do is to listen. You may be the only one in the world they can turn to.

One final note. If you are a victim of abuse, please remember that abuse does not define you. Never judge yourself by what others have done to you.

Thank you for reading Omorphi.  If you want to help a friend who is suffering any kind of abuse, read this: http://harmonyinkpress.com/reach-out-and-help-a-friend/

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Omorphi by C. Kennedy from Harmony Ink Press September 19, 2013

High school senior Michael Sattler leads a charmed life. He’s a star athlete, has great friends, and parents who love him just the way he is. What’s missing from his life is a boyfriend. That’s a problem because he’s out only to his parents and best friend. When Michael accidentally bumps into Christy Castle at school, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Christy is Michael’s dream guy: smart, pretty, and sexy. But nothing could have prepared Michael for what being Christy’s boyfriend would entail.

Christy needs to heal after years of abuse and knows he needs help to do it. After the death of his notorious father, he leaves his native Greece and settles in upstate New York. Alone, afraid, and left without a voice, Christy hides the myriad scars of his abuse. He desperately wants to be loved and when he meets Michael, he dares to hope that day has arrived. When one of Michael’s team-mates becomes an enemy and an abuser from Christy’s past seeks to return him to a life of slavery, only Michael and Christy’s combined strength and unwavering determination can save them from the violence that threatens to destroy their future together.

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About Cody:

Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Cody Kennedy doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Cody contemplates such weighty questions as: If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Cody can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary.

Find Cody:

Cody’s Blog – http://www.ckennedyauthor.blogspot.com/

Cody’s Free Serial Story, Fairy – http://www.fairybycodykennedy.blogspot.com/p/about-fairy.html

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CodyKennedyAuthor?ref=hl

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5816900.C_Kennedy

Twitter @CodyKAuthor

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September 9th – Pre-kickoff post – Cody is a Featured Author on True Colorz and answers questions about penning Omoprhi

September 15th – The Novel Approach – Pre-release Q&A with Cody and a chance to win an ebook copy of Omorphi

September 18th – Author Will Parkinson – Will holds nervous Cody’s hand the day before Omorphi’s release because he promised to and Cody talks about Omorphi’s Cover and Bringing Omorphi to Life

September 19th – Mrs. Condit & Friends Read Books – Cody writes Perils and Pitfalls of Post Production Public Relations and a SECOND chance to win an ebook copy of Omorphi!

September 19th – Smile, Somebody Loves You – Announcement post and Cody shares Omorphi Trivia with Beverly and Tamara

September 20th – Author Shira Anthony – Why I write the kind of stories that I do by Cody

September 21st – Author Jamie Mayfield – Why Omorphi and A Broken Kind of Life are Same but Different

Also on September 21st – Harmony Ink Press on Facebook: Meet Cody Kennedy and Jamie Mayfield

September 22nd – Cody’s Blog – Tony Edmondson, Fan Extraordinaire, interviews Cody

September 27th – Author Wade Kelly – Character Interview with Christy Castle

September 28th – Author Iyana Jenna, Fairy Fan Extraordinaire, Q&A with Christy Castle

September 29th – Author Zoe Lynn – The Notes Behind Omorphi’s Play List

October 4th – Sid Love’s Blog – Why the title Omorphi?

October 5th – Author Madison Parker – What makes Omorphi unique?

October 6th – Author John Ames – Q&A with Michael Sattler

October 11th – Boys on the Brink – Omorphi: Writing Sex and Violence in Young Adult works

October 12th – Author Jamie Fessenden – Cody shares Omorphi Trivia with Jamie

October 15th – Granny Irene – A week in the Life of Christy Castle before Michael

October 18th – Author Sara Alva – A week in the life of Michael Sattler before Christy

October 19th – Author Sam Kadence – Cody Talks About Writing Action and the Suspension of Disbelief

October 20th – Cody’s Blog – Omorphi’s One Month Anniversary Trivia Contest and a SECOND chance to win an ebook copy of Omorphi – In order to enter this contest you must:

1) have visited and commented on each stop on Omorphi’s Blog Tour – please be sure to leave your name and email address in your blog comment. “Anonymous” comments won’t qualify; and

2) you must correctly answer the trivia questions posted on Cody’s Blog by placing your answers in the comments section beneath the questions; and

3) along with your answers to the trivia questions, you must leave a comment about Omorphi’s Blog Tour.

The winner will be selected by Kismet, Cody’s greenwing macaw.

To make things even more exciting, a new contest will begin on October 21st on The Novel Approach Reviews Blog to win an ebook copy of Cody’s novella, Safe, due out October 24th from Harmony Ink Press!

9 comments

  1. Wade - Reply

    Wonderful thoughts. So happy for you Cody. And it is the part where you say “based on real events” that I know will kill me. I WILL read it, but I’m intimidated by it. *takes deep breath*
    Hugs to you my friend. 🙂

    • shira - Reply

      You shouldn’t be intimidated, Wade. It really isn’t a book about abuse, and the references to abuse are not front and center. It’s about loving and allowing yourself to be loved. And about healing through love. Really a beautiful story! -Shira

    • Cody - Reply

      {{{Wade}}} Don’t be intimidated. Truly. The story is much more about hope, healing, and courage, and I only write happily ever afters, so you KNOW the story is going to make you smile. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. KerryP - Reply

    The message within this story is IMPORTANT! Hope and healing.
    This is an awesome story and worth every moment I spent reading it! It will make you believe that you are going to be okay.
    Thank you Cody Kennedy for bringing this book to life, then giving it to the world.

  3. Patricia Nelson - Reply

    What a fantastic, awesome book! I’ve been there and this story offers real hope. =}

  4. Damian Bloodstone - Reply

    Great post about the book and the issues we all face in life, in reality. Your story offers hope to those that need it. It is the relationship I can wait to read about. Wishing you great things, Cody. 🙂

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