Interview with Kay Morris-Robertson

Author of A to Zee Across America

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Was born in Manchester, UK currently live in Sydney, Australia.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

The nature of my work has given me the opportunity to live and work in many countries, and I have not lived in my hometown for over 20 years now. My business deals with large scale projects in technology, people and construction.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

The idea of A to Zee Across America was born out after the sudden death of my husband, aged just 32. The nature of his death was quite traumatic and I was diagnosed with PTSD, which my employer at the time didn’t handle very well. The book and the journey across America A to Zee helped me over 3 years to slowly recover and figure out how to re-start my life after these tragic events. Proceeds of the sale of the book going to PTSD, grief and cardiac charities.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

The book is essentially a travel guide, but the destinations chosen were driven by 3 simple Rules: 1) I had to follow the alphabet in order a,b,c and so on. 2) No major towns or cities would feature in the book 3) America voted, and wherever got the highest votes is where I went next, even if is was thousands of miles away. I did this mainly in an RV I bought, it took 3 years, I visited every state a number of times and clocked up thousands of miles.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I believe anyone who has an interest in travelling the US, or has dreamt about doing it coast to coast, national parks or Route 66. The story of the book and how it came to fruition is not obvious to the reader, but if you read some of the articles surrounding the journey I hope the reader can relate and feels like they too go on the journey with me.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

As I met many people on my journey all across the US, they all told me “you should right a book”. My journey from one destination to the next could take days of driving, so I would use my phone to record the transcripts and write them later when I got chance. As a result and with my PTSD symptoms, I have very little recollection of writing the book. In fact sometimes I re-read it and get surprised at some of the amazing things I did and saw.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Travelling alone across America in your 30’s in hindsight could appear brave, or even crazy thing to do. My PTSD was a good companion at these times because I took risks, was on heightened alert and had no fear. Looking back, I think writing about this too would have been helpful for others who might be facing depression, suicide, anxiety, trauma. I do this now by talking to people, being open and relating my experiences to theirs. We hope to have a film project off the ground soon that covers all aspects of the story.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I believe the story and the book relates to all walks of life. But in particular, if it helps one person going through a difficult time, that is reward enough for me. Plus a single sale means funds for the charities involved.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

When you publish a book or your story becomes known there are alot of companies and people who will make contact to help you promote it. I would suggest caution and know exactly what services you are getting before proceeding.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

The pure nature of my journey meant it almost marketed itself, but I was smart enough to develop a website, facebook page and actively stay in contact with the hundreds of people and businesses I met. Each time I went through a town or city, I ended-up doing some kind of local story or radio because people were genuinely interested in what I was doing.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Due to the scale of the topic there was so much information I could provide, I found it hard to write concisely. I developed a template of how I would write each place, using snippets of information not generally found somewhere else. Allowing the reader not to be overwhelmed and to research further if interested in a particular topic.

When do you think you will write your next book?

If I did write the next book it would probably be about my story around the journey, not just the journey itself. Think I will see if the film comes to fruition and maybe that would be the right time.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

A mixture of self and publisher. Found both easy to undertake.