Are You Okay? The Carryover of Kindness was the winner of the Sexuality/Relationships category of the 2022 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author A.S. Drayton.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Are You Okay? The Carryover of Kindness was published in November 2021.
What’s the book’s first line?
Of course, Chapter 1 starts with the line “Are You Okay?”, but Chapter 0 starts with the line “It was a typical Thursday night on a college campus, when I heard the words that would alter the course of my life forever.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
“Are You Okay?” follows Anthony; a freshman college student who finds himself discouraged after stumbling in his dogged search for happiness. Meek and pessimistic, he wanders through the darkness aimlessly. Then, a single moment of kindness opens a new path before him, though where it leads, only time will tell. This is a journey of love and fear through nightmares both real and imagined. A book that begs the question: Why do we wish for the things we want?
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I wanted to write a story for my children that may help them during a period in their lives when they may be too afraid to ask me questions, or feel that I won’t be able to relate. A story that shows them how I became who I am, and why kindness and introspection are so important.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Well since it is a memoir, I guess my main character reminds me most of me (haha). As for my most distinctive trait in the story, I’d have to say it’s my golden retriever level of loyalty.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
It is a book that makes a point to highlight the importance of not only self reflection, but pushing yourself beyond your believed limits; something we all need. It also demonstrates the effects our actions can have on someone’s life, even long after we have left it. Lastly, it’s the story of a black sheep that doesn’t feel he belongs within the culture he was born into, so I think a lot of people can relate to that.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
I think Miles Brown could play a good younger me. I would hate to make him cut his hair though (haha)
Is this the first you’ve written?
This is actually my second book. My first was never published, titled “Book of Love”. It is a book of poems, stories, and songs that was a gift to my wife when I asked her to marry me.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I try to spend at least an hour a day (including weekends) actively writing, outlining, or editing my stories.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part about being indie is obviously the unrestricted freedom to create what I want, but that comes with the hard part of being a single person in a sea of other authors and trying to convince the world my books are worth the 10-15 hour commitment.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would definitely consider it, especially for my fiction works, as long as I was able to maintain certain rights and creative freedoms in how my stories are told. A publisher could only help me reach even more readers in the long run, so why not try it out?