Authorpreneur Dashboard – Kelli Warner
Not with the Band
Teens
Drama. Jerks. Another new school. Those are three things Kassidy Perry vows to avoid her senior year of high school. Unfortunately, it looks like the Universe didn’t get the memo. When her mom marries the football coach from a rival high school, Kassidy’s forced to move (again), enroll in a new school (again) and adapt to life with three stepbrothers, including the school’s star quarterback who’s barely said two words to her. And what’s up with her incredibly hot-yet-cocky neighbor who’s developed a weird habit of climbing the trellis to her bedroom’s balcony? Nothing about her senior year is turning out the way Kassidy planned—and that’s before a revealed family secret drops the biggest bombshell yet. Jordan Lawson could care less about football, even though he’s starting his senior year on the radar of college recruiters. He just wants to play music with his band, win a national contest with a record label and pursue his dream of being a musician. When those plans are threatened, his saving grace lies in the hands of his new stepsister. But how can he ask Kassidy for a monumental favor, when he’s partly to blame for derailing her life? And what if getting what he wants puts her dreams in jeopardy? In her debut YA novel, Kelli Warner weaves a humorous and relatable story about finding your way in a world you can’t control—and what happens when the people you least expect turn out to be the ones you need the most.
Book Bubbles from Not with the Band
Family Secrets
Family secrets have a way of crawling their way to the surface and Kassidy’s mom has been keeping a doozy of a secret from her daughter. Jordan’s unexpected intrusion into this conversation between his dad and stepmom is the first sign that something is up. The first indication that Kassidy’s life is going to change is ways she never imagined.
The Beginning of Something Beautiful
I enjoyed writing this scene because this is where Kassidy and Jordan’s relationship begins to transition. Their parents’ marriage forced them together as stepsiblings and housemates, but they soon discover that they have more in common than they think. It’s the beginning of a friendship that will come to mean more to them than they ever imagined.
The "Bad Boy" aka Lucas
Lucas was a great character to develop. On the surface, he appears to be the typical school jock, the class clown, the I-really-couldn’t-care-less kind of guy. But there is so much beneath his exterior that he manages to keep from those around him. When Lucas meets Kassidy, he begins to reveal his inner demons, and she discovers that his “bad boy” persona is really hiding a broken soul.
Butterflies
The feelings of first romantic attraction are unforgettable! When I think back to the first boy I had a true crush on, I remember feeling just like this, that giddy sensation that your heart could bust right out of your chest simply because he’s near. It was a little nostalgic to channel those memories into the creation of Kassidy’s relationship with Lucas. But every good story needs a little romance!
Looking Fear in the Face
The fear of failing is, well, let’s face it, scary. More so maybe for teens who often feel insecure in so many ways. Kassidy has spent her whole life excelling at soccer, and now she’s being asked to sing in public—which is nowhere close to being in the same zip code as her comfort zone. Fear of failing is part of life, but by taking this risk and singing with Jordan’s band, Kassidy begins to forge relationships that she comes to rely on when life throws her a real curve ball.
Room at the Table
I grew up in a very welcoming family and there was always room at the table to feed one more hungry kid. When I became a mom, that tradition continued and the answer to the question, “Can so-and-so stay for dinner?’ was always, “Sure.” It’s a great way to get to know your kids’ friends.
Hello, Fall
I’ve always enjoyed fall and having spent nine years as a soccer mom, that season was always about the game for our family, rain or shine.
Parental Pressure
If you’ve ever been a sports parent, then you know that part of your job is to encourage and challenge your child. But sometimes, the best intentions can do more harm than good. Jordan’s dad believes his son has a shot at playing college football, and he’ll do what it takes to help his son succeed. There’s just one problem: Jordan doesn’t want to play football in college. He wants to pursue music with his band, only he can’t seem to find a way to break the news to his father for fear that he will disappoint him. Sometimes, being a parent of a teenager can be just as hard as being a teenager with parents!
The Competition
Personally, I am not musically inclined, but I like to imagine that I could be. Don’t we all? The idea of having Jordan’s band qualify for a music competition came to me while I was binge-watching episodes of The Voice with my daughter. I began to wonder: What if Jordan gets so close to his dream, only to have it derailed? And what if the one person who can rescue him is barely speaking to him? These questions developed into an endearing story of how two near-strangers discover they have more in common than they think. Sounds like the makings of a great song!
Dare to Dream
Have you ever had a true passion you longed to pursue, only it wasn’t in line with what other people expected of you? This is the dilemma that I chewed on as I created the character of Jordan in Not with the Band. I was watching a football game at my high school alma mater when the pieces began to fall into place. What if a talented high school quarterback on the cusp of nailing a full ride to college—much to the delight and expectations of his father—couldn’t care less about the game? And what if his real passion was to play music with his band, only he didn’t feel he could share it with his family for fear that they would dismiss it as a frivolous dream?
A Different Point of View
As a reader, I adore stories that are told from the perspective of two characters. As an author, creating a dual point of view novel is quite challenging but SO much fun! Typically, in young adult books, the story is told by two characters who, at some point, become romantically connected, but in Not with the Band, I made a deliberate decision that I would let this story unfold through the perspectives of Kassidy and her stepbrother Jordan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of stories with a little toe-curling romance woven in (Ahem, have you met Lucas? He makes his endearing entrance in chapter one). And while I believe that Kassidy and Lucas’ relationship is important, and it gets plenty of attention throughout the book, I promise, I felt that this story was best told through Kassidy’s and Jordan’s eyes. There’s something about this step-sibling relationship that endeared me to these characters, and as their story unfolded, both Kassidy and Jordan made it clear to me that they needed to be front and center. This brother-sister relationship is pivotal, not only in how Kassidy and Jordan grow and change and view their world, but how they come to recognize and value the institution of family and the connections they have with one another.
