Interview with Lee Kelly

Below, you’ll find out about the carnival that Lee Kelly and I both love, some truly excellent restaurant recommendations (we have very similar tastes it seems,) and learn about Lee’s favorite parts of being a writer.

Lee Kelly on Philadelphia

What is your connection to the Philly area, and if you went to school here, where?

I grew up in Havertown, in the Delco area/suburbs of Philly, so my recent move to Blue Bell last summer was a “coming home” of sorts, although there were many stops on both coasts before I settled back in PA!

As mentioned, I grew up in Havertown and went to a grade school that no longer exists called St. Denis (it had the area’s best fun fair, a carnival that would go on for a couple weeks in May over my birthday, which I always loved. I think the tradition continues on under the school’s new iteration, Cardinal Foley). For high school, I attended Merion Mercy, a private all-girls school about fifteen minutes away from home.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Philly area?

Ooh this is tough: I love White Dog Café in Wayne—the mushroom soup is to die for, and the décor just so fun. I also love Rosalie in the Wayne Hotel, Nectar in Berwyn, and Adelina’s in Chestnut Hills. Also, Cin Cin in Chestnut Hills, Blue Bell Inn in Blue Bell . . . I’m cutting myself off now.

What is your favorite hidden gem in the area?

I’m sure many people know about this place, but it’s new to me, a restaurant called Terrain, in Devon. It feels like you’re eating in the middle of this secret upscale greenhouse. The food’s great, too.

What is your favorite memory of this area?

My sister-in-law recently got married at Water Works in the city and it was probably the most gorgeous wedding I’ve ever attended, just a total testament to the beauty of Philadelphia and Boathouse Row. 

A lot of my earlier favorite memories are actually of the shore, which I do consider part of this area, even though it’s in Jersey—it almost feels like an annex to Delco and the Main Line, because so many people vacation there. Building massive sandcastles on the beach with my whole family involved, wandering the boardwalk at night with my cousins as awkward teens, bringing my own kids to favorite places like Kessel’s and the Seashell Museum . . . Ocean City is definitely a home away from home for me.

What do you love most about the Philly area?

The people. Philadelphians tend to be no-nonsense, funny, and relatable. I’ve lived many other places and I’ve yet to find another city with people so approachable and authentic.

Lee Kelly on Reading

What sparked your love of reading?

Immersing myself in new worlds. Escaping to entirely new realms where I somehow felt both seen and empowered through a vicarious experience.

What are some of your favorite reads?

I always say that The Phantom Tollbooth was my favorite book as a child: it was the first novel I’d experienced that featured a completely different, wildly imaginative new world. 

As an adult, I absolutely loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, for its characters as well as its deep exploration of the redemptive powers of play, as well as Carrie Soto is Back, which just speaks so perfectly to what it means to be an athlete.

What is the last book you read and love?

I’ll add a very recent read, Deep Cuts, a spry, coming-of-age story set against the early Aughts music scene. As the protagonist and I were both 22 in 2002, the entire ride felt so wonderfully nostalgic.

Where is your favorite place to read?

I guess I would say “in bed,” as that’s where I do most of my reading, but I especially love reading when I’m traveling. Sometimes waking up in a hotel room early and going out to the patio and just sneaking in a chapter or two feels like cracking open the day in such a satisfying way, transporting yourself from one vacation to another. I also love to read on the beach, but I get hot easily and uncomfortable fast, so have to take lots of ocean breaks ;). 

What’s on your nightstand?

On my nightstand now is Jeanette McCurdy’s memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, as well as a book I’m reading for research, The Noble Hustle. My current audiobook is You Are Fatally Invited. I’m enjoying them all. And I tend to do that, rotate between a memoir book, a fiction book, and then an audiobook, just so I can always be diving into something.

Lee Kelly on Her Job

What inspired you to become an author?

My old bio used to say, “Lee Kelly wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to hold a pencil,” and I think that’s true. I honestly don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be an author. I started writing stories almost immediately after I started reading stories, and those pastimes have felt inseparable ever since (though it took decades for me to be able to actually finish a novel).

What is your favorite part of your job?

This depends A LOT on my mood. Sometimes I absolutely love prepping for events, attending conferences, talking live about my books around release… and sometimes the thing I’m most excited for is a wide-open, quiet afternoon for research and brainstorming. 

That said, some things that I always love… I often end my co-writing sessions with Jenn Thorne feeling so invigorated. There’s something so satisfying about creative collaboration for me, throwing around ideas and really building something with someone else, like two kids in a sandbox. And when I’m writing solo, there’s nothing like that feeling of “writing in flow”: where you’re so in sync with your story that it feels like you’re living it, versus writing it.

I once heard the YA author Meg Rosoff liken the elusive sensation of “writing flow” to the phenomenon of “throughness” in horseback riding, when you achieve a speed and cadence in your story where the story becomes a true extension of self. “Flow” might come along once or twice a week for me—though the more time I spend in my story, the more I tend to achieve it. What’s cool is, when I read back over those flow-driven passages, they often feel unfamiliar, as if they came from a different part of my imagination. 

Can you tell me about your new book?

My latest release came out last November, a historical mystery called The Starlets, about two Hollywood rivals forced to go on the run after discovering untoward activities happening on set. But next up is My Fair Frauds (December 2nd), which is a cross between HBO’s The Gilded Age and the Paul Newman-Robert Redford movie, The Sting. It’s a long, delightful con set against upper-crust New York and I hope you’ll check it out!

Jenn Thorne and I are also working on the final edits of an upmarket mystery set in the 1980s comedy world, which hasn’t been announced yet (hopefully soon)!

What is the biggest challenge you face as an author?

Believing in myself and my ideas, especially at the early stages. It’s incredibly easy for me to doubt a project before it takes its shape—I liken it to continually watering a pot of dirt before there’s a sprout. It’s just pure faith and willpower driving you forward, belief that one day you will fix the stilted words and bad dialogue and plot holes, and it will bloom. 

What is the most surprising thing about being a writer?

That it never necessarily gets easier lol! Writing is definitely a vocation. I feel like I’m still learning and am continually surprised by what I struggle with and don’t know and what I want to work on and where my latest interests bring me. It’s a constantly evolving process. I guess I didn’t realize that when I set out, but that’s also what always keeps it interesting.

Lee Kelly on the Great Coffee/Tea Debate

And most importantly, coffee or tea? Tell me your go-to order!

Coffee always! I absolutely love it and drink too many cups a day. My favorite at home is two shots of espresso over ice with a little bit of cold foam or almond milk. If I’m out, I tend to spring for a cappuccino. 

Epilogue

I’ve enjoyed both The Starlets and With Regrets because of the way that Lee melds genres to create completely unique stories. I can’t wait to read more of her books in the future. Have you read any Lee Kelly books?