Hey, Kelly! Great to have you on the blog, thank you so much for joining me. Please introduce yourself and your books, and include one fun fact about you (or three very boring facts).
Hi, I’m Kelly Morgan, indie author and indie publisher at Bright Headed Publishing, LLC. I write bold, authentic stories that tackle identity, self-worth, and the messy middle of life. My books include Weight For It, a raw look at the weight-loss journey and what it does—and doesn’t—fix, and You Sound White, which blends narrative storytelling and social commentary on language, race, and authenticity.
Fun fact: I’m also a physician recruiter by day, and I somehow manage to balance corporate life with publishing, writing, and building community for indie authors.
They sound like fascinating stories. What tropes are in your book(s)?
- Weight For It: transformation journey, found family/support system, self-discovery.
- You Sound White: identity struggle, cultural commentary, resilience, “fish out of water” (navigating different worlds).
Characters are the cornerstone of any book, so please, describe your main characters in five words each.
- Weight For It: Determined, vulnerable, witty, conflicted, evolving.
- You Sound White: Sharp, observant, unapologetic, resilient, complex.
Fill in the blanks: [Your book/series] is [book or film 1] meets [book or film two] with a dash of [whatever].
- Weight For It is Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Insecure with a dash of Eat Pray Love.
- You Sound White is Jackie Collins meets The Hate U Give with a dash of Dear White People.
Great combinations! Now, for a slightly sillier question: If your book were scratch-n-sniff, it would smell like…
- Weight For It: a mix of sweat, fresh fruit smoothies, and hope.
- You Sound White: coffee, paper, and just a hint of bourbon.
Plenty of authors dream about having their books adapted for TV or film. If that happened for your books, who would you love to play your characters? Dream casting: If my book were made into a film or TV show, these are the actors I’d like to play my characters?
- Weight For It: Someone with the depth and humor of Issa Rae.
- You Sound White: Kerry Washington or Gabrielle Union to capture the sharp resilience of the main voice.
Authors spend a lot of time thinking aobut their stories, but if you could step into your book and join your own stories, would you? Why/why not?
Absolutely. Because both books are deeply rooted in me, stepping into them isn’t just hypothetical — it’s something I’ve already done.
Writing Weight For It and You Sound White required me to step into vulnerable spaces, relive emotions, and face parts of myself that weren’t always easy to confront.
So, not only would I step into my stories, I did step into them to write both books. That’s why the characters feel so real and why the themes resonate. They come from a place of truth, and walking through them again — even the messy, uncomfortable parts — would be a reminder of the growth, resilience, and self-discovery that writing has given me.
I love that you're bringing so much of yourself into your wooks. I'm sure you still did plenty of research for them, though, so what’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched for a book?
For Weight For It, I researched the entire weight-loss industry — especially weight-loss drugs — and realized it’s a billion-dollar machine. That research gave me a deeper understanding of how much money is tied to people’s insecurities.
For You Sound White, I didn’t need to research at all. My own life became the canvas — the blank page that the story grew from. Everything in it comes from lived experience.
Next, I'd like you to let your main character speak for a sec: Hey! Be honest; what do you think of your author?
- Weight For It MC: “She’s relentless. She makes me do the hard, uncomfortable work instead of letting me take the easy way out. But I know it’s because she believes in me.”
- You Sound White MC: “She’s loud in her own quiet way. I think she puts pieces of herself into me, even if she pretends she doesn’t.”
Oh, it's so easy to accidentally put yourself into your characters. All right, if I can have Kelly back now please, I'd love to hear some lines from your books. So, please share:
Weight For It
- First line: “I killed and buried an old friend today.”
- Last line: “I smiled because I knew I would never be the before person again. I was the after person. I must admit, it felt good. The end.”
- Favorite line: “But this time, goodbye meant forever––no more bullshit. I killed my friend and there is no coming back…ever!”
- A line without context: “I could have sworn I heard circus music…”
You Sound White
- First line: “The sun beamed into the small kitchen window of Tallulah’s 2nd floor apartment as the open window allowed the morning breeze to flow in.”
- Last line: “‘I know just the place,’ he said, then put the car in drive.
- Favorite line: “Don’t let anyone steal your light, Lula. People will try. They’ll call you names or tell you you aren’t good enough, but it isn’t true. They see your light and want some of it, but they can’t have it, so they try to dim it or put it out altogether.”
- A line without context: “You can quit trying to sound so white; everybody already knows who you are.”
Wonderful! Thank you so much for joining my today, I've really enjoyed learning more about you and your writing. Before you go, one final, very important question: Where can people find you and your books online?
brightheadedpublishing.com
Available through IngramSpark, Amazon, and indie bookstores.
Instagram: @bhplcc, @weightforitbook, @yousoundwhite
YouTube: @brightheadedpublishingllc7004
Spotify: The Author’s Mic
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Kelly Morgan
Author |
Host of Author’s Mic |
Bright Headed Publishing
https://linktr.ee/BrightHeadedPublishing
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brightheadedpublishing@gmail.com