📚 A Bookish Chat with 'TELL HER SHE CAN'T' Author Kelly Lewis @gokellylewis @tellhershecant #Interview
Kelly has been called a “dame disruptor” by Adventure.com, a “travel veteran” by Brit + Co, a “badass female founder” by Huffington Post, and “The woman making travel better – and safer – for all women” by The Muse. Lewis and her work have also been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Shape Magazine, Elle, AFAR, Culture Trip, CNN, Travel + Leisure, and more.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: www.tellhershecant.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gokellylewis & www.twitter.com/tellhershecant
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gokellylewis & http://www.facebook.com/tellhershecant
Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?
Tell Her She Can’t: Inspiring Stories of
Unstoppable Women
was created as a quickfire idea, by a slow burn learned.
Like many strong women I know, I
grew up under some not-so-great circumstances. Nonetheless, I became an
entrepreneur of several six-figure businesses and traveled to every continent
on the planet in the process.
I’m perhaps famously stubborn
in my family and friend circle, and one night,
in the bath (where all great ideas visit), I was thinking about the way I grew up, and I kept hearing a voice in my head saying, “Tell Her She Can’t” over and over – and I just thought: that’s totally my motto!
I’ve always been the kind of person who wants to achieve things that other people say I “can’t” do (sometimes because they said I can’t).
Unfortunately, a lot of people in my childhood told me that I can’t. I heard almost every day that I was fat, ugly, weird. To get through it, I had to learn how to turn that negativity into fuel — and in doing so, I ended up catapulting myself into the most beautiful life in adulthood.
As it turns out, I’m not alone.
How would you describe your
book’s ideal reader?
The ideal reader for this book are women who have been told that they aren’t the right person to achieve the dreams that live in their hearts.
What part of the book was the most fun to write?
This book involves interviews with 35 women who have overcome adversity to achieve the things that other people said they “couldn’t” do. Those interviews were so much fun to do! Their stories have motivated and inspired me, and the takeaway tips I learned from each of these women have been invaluable.
How did you come up with the
title?
Bathtub inspiration!
What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?
It’s probably no surprise that the world is constantly trying to tell women what they can and can’t do. What really did surprise me, however, is how often these words come from educators and guidance counselors — the people who should inspire and help nurture our ambitions and creativity.
The women in my book really had to believe in themselves to get through this, but in doing so, they achieved some truly phenomenal things.
What advice would you give to a writer working on their first
book?
First, believe in your book and your message and that you are enough to write it. Next, develop a writing practice that you do every day, like clockwork. I wrote every day from 9 am to 1 pm, over the course of five months.
How do you use social media as an author?
Religiously! Social media is a huge way for me to connect with readers. I love the connections we can make now just online. I’m most active on Facebook and Instagram, and least active on Twitter, which is probably not typical of authors but hey, it works for me!
What other books are you
working on and when will they be published?
Tell Her She Can’t will be a series, so I’m currently working on book #2 in our series: Tell Her She Can’t Choose: about women who have had to make difficult decisions amidst sticky situations.
Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?
Naysayers are everywhere, but you can’t let them extinguish the light and power that is you. Throw it all as kindling to the fire of your resilience and burn, baby, burn.
If you could spend a day with
another popular author, whom would you choose?
Can I say Oprah? Because Oprah. ;)
Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
Thanks much for the opportunity!
Title: TELL HER SHE CAN’T: INSPIRING STORIES OF UNSTOPPABLE WOMEN
Author: Kelly Lewis
Publisher: Go Girl Publishing
Pages: 210
Genre: Nonfiction / Inspirational
BOOK BLURB:
Who says you can’t?
Tell Her She Can’t is the manifesto for every woman who has been told she isn’t strong enough, smart enough, or capable enough to excel-and the motivational anthem for those who have succeeded despite doubt.
Entrepreneur Kelly Lewis shares the true stories of 35 inspirational women who overcame the naysayers to achieve “impossible” dreams.
Tell Her She Can’t is packed with motivational stories of adventurers, changemakers, and prevailers who have taken on the world to become pioneers in their fields or challenged gender stereotypes to build million-dollar businesses. These inspiring women transformed adversity into a springboard for empowerment and success-and you can too.
A powerhouse guide for every modern woman and girl, Tell Her She Can’t invites you to blast past the gatekeepers of “can’t” and become unstoppable.
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