We chat with author K.L. Speer about Bones, which is set in a post-apocalyptic survivalist world and follows a young woman with a healing gift who is forced to confront the horrors of her past and a love that will change everything.
Hi, Kelsey! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! Thank you for having me on the Nerd Daily! I am an author and artist living in Minneapolis, Minnesota with my husband and two kids. I grew up in the remote mountains of Montana—where the Bones Series takes place—but I fell in love with Minneapolis twenty years ago and never left. I’m passionate about removing the stigma around mental health and writing flawed, complicated characters. I love animals, tattoos, and most of my home décor is technically Halloween decorations.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved reading my entire life. I read practically everything in our little town library. My parents bought a huge set of The Great Illustrated Classics, and I read all of them multiple times. I still remember the looks I would get from adults when I told them, at age ten, I was reading books like Moby Dick and A Tale of Two Cities. I started writing stories when I was a kid and had my first novel all planned out at twelve years old.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Little House on the Praire series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson — the first book I read that wove mental health and trauma into a story.
Your latest novel, Bones, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
A study of emotional damage.
What can readers expect?
Think The Last of Us and The Walking Dead, but with magic instead of zombies. This is a survivalist post-apocalyptic story about a woman called Bones who has the power to magically heal everyone but herself. Bones is deep in a survival mentality, struggling with ptsd, trauma, and guilt, and running from a past full of secrets. It gets dark, but that darkness highlights the power of love and found family.
Where did the inspiration for Bones come from?
I actually created the character Bones for a ttrpg I played with some friends in 2013. After the game wrapped up, I couldn’t let her go. I wanted to go deeper with her as a character. So, I started writing stories about her for my own enjoyment. I had been obsessed with the early 2000’s dystopian era, so I knew it had to be a post-apocalyptic setting. The focus on mental health and trauma came from my own battle with severe depression at the time. I wrote through an attempted suicide, hospitalization, and years of therapy and outpatient clinics. Writing Bones the character became a form of therapy and helped me process a lot of what I was going through.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I do love writing Bones the character. Through her (and extensive therapy), I’ve learned a lot about mental health, trauma responses, and what complex PTSD does to a developing brain. That probably doesn’t sound enjoyable, but it was comforting in a way. I love writing her interactions with the crew, especially Sam. Writing friendships is just as fun as writing romantic relationships in my opinion.
I also weirdly love research. I have had to pull myself out of a research hole about things like soap making, radio towers, particle physics, gruesome injuries, and all sorts of medical related things. My search history probably reads like a serial killer doomsday prepper.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
So. Many. Challenges. My own mental health was a big one, but I think it helped that I wasn’t writing this story with the intent to publish it. It was simply something I loved doing. It wasn’t until 2020 when the pandemic hit and I had my second baby that I began to really shape the story of Bones into something more intentional. But I also had a newborn and a pre-schooler. So, while my oldest was at pre-school, I wrote on my phone as my baby nursed or slept in my arms. When he was a toddler, we graduated to the couch where he would perch on my shoulders as I typed on my laptop and brushed away goldfish crumbs.
However, my biggest challenge has always been finishing something. I was finally diagnosed with ADHD in 2023 when I was 36, and with the help of medication, I completed writing Bones. It was a monumental achievement, and I still can’t quite believe I’ve completed two, almost three books!
What’s next for you?
I’m working on book 3 of The Bones Series, Ashes. Next up will be book 4, the final book in the series. After that, I have a dozen more ideas and half-written manuscripts from over the years that I’m excited to explore more!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
It’s difficult for me to split my attention (aka hyperfocus) between writing and reading, but I read as much as I can! I’ve made my way through the Dungeon Crawler Carl books 1-8 this year, and I’ve loved them. I’m currently reading Unburied by Gloria Bottelman, which is the second book in her Dark Brilliance Duology. I highly recommend it if you enjoy those black cat characters like Bones!
I have an insane TBR (don’t we all?), but I’m really looking forward to reading more books by the indie authors I’ve had the pleasure of meeting like The Song of Sunrise by Monica J. DeLoy, Wings of Ash & Flame by Jocelyn Bleu, Saving Sophia by E.S. Portman, The Knowing Witch by M.M. Parks, and Of Flames & Fallacies by Courtney Whims…just to name a few! I’m also excited to finally get to some of the other dystopian books like Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe, Conform by Ariel Sullivan, and Because I Killed Him by Edith Birde.
