Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving ‘80s kid. She grew up in a family who frequently relocated. By graduation, Keely lived in 8 states and attended 14 schools. Keely’s many adventures include: being an exchange student, recording with a former Beatles producer, being chased through the New Mexico desert by a rattlesnake, jumping out of an airplane at 14,500 feet, and sleeping under the open sky in the Australian outback.
Keely is a bass guitarist and plays on worship teams and for solo artists. She is married to singer/songwriter John Martin Keith, and they frequently perform and tour together. When she isn’t writing stories or playing bass, Keely enjoys dancing, having coffee with friends, and sifting through vintage books at antique stores.
Keely resides on a hilltop south of Nashville with her husband and their daughter, Rachel.
For more info, visit her at www.keelybrookekeith.com
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Savanna: Welcome to The Engrafted Word, Keely. Congratulations on your upcoming release, Uncharted Redemption. I sure enjoyed it! 🙂 What do you hope readers will take away most from your stories?
Keely: I try to tell stories that are comforting, thought provoking, and encouraging. I hope readers get to the end of my books feeling like they’ve gone on an adventure and they’re better off for it.
Savanna: Can you tell us what first sparked the ideas for Levi and Mandy’s story?
Keely: I always wanted to write the stories of several siblings and as I was writing Lydia’s story in The Land Uncharted, it became obvious that Levi carried so much baggage it affected his every movement. Though they’d been through the same tragedies, Levi saw things differently from Lydia and it made him bitter. Also a big chunk of his baggage was his unfulfilled longing to be with Mandy and even though she seemed superficial at first, there was much going on beneath her pretty surface. I wanted to mine the depths of them both for Uncharted Redemption.
Savanna: After reading your first book, I know I couldn’t wait to dive in to the second one. 😉
I love the playlists you included on your website. How fun! If you had to pick just one song to describe each of the books in the Uncharted Series, what would they be?
Keely:Â Love is Waiting by Brooke Fraser for The Land Uncharted
How Emptiness Sings by Christa Wells for Uncharted Redemption
Fire and Dynamite by Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors for Uncharted Inheritance
Savanna: Fun! Now I’m going to have to go look those up. 😉
Can you name an author who challenges and inspires you?
Keely: Wow—just one? The answer to this question changes with whatever I’m currently reading. At present Eleanor Catton’s writing captivates me. Her command of language inspires me.
Savanna:Â What is one of your most unforgettable moments from your writing career to date?
Keely: When I received my first publishing offer, my husband was so happy he got a little teary eyed. Man tears—especially happy man tears—are always unforgettable.
Savanna: Aww, love that! 🙂 Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Keely: I just approved the final edits of the third book in the Uncharted series, Uncharted Inheritance. I’m super excited about this story; it delivers some long-awaited answers in this series.
And I’m currently writing the founders’ story—those who’ve read The Land Uncharted know what I’m talking about. No title yet. It’s all new characters, but a familiar history. I’m taking my time with it and loving every minute of writing it.
Savanna:Â Wow! That sounds great, Keely. Thanks for being my guest this week. Have a blessed 2015!
GIVEAWAY!!
Keely has graciously offered to give away a copy of Uncharted Redemption. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉
Thanks for entering! Contest is open only in the U.S. and ends Feburary 24, 2015. The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody! 😉
Keely is a new-to-me author. Her UNCHARTED Series sounds fantastic. 🙂
I subscribe and follow.
psalm103and138[at]gmail[dot]com
Hi Caryl! Thanks so much for visiting. Yeah, this series is definitely worth reading! 😉 I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Keely writes wonderfully. The entire setting and plot is captivating & I am excited to finish the series. 🙂
Me too, Ana-Maria! We’re glad you could join us for the giveaway. Have a great week and Happy Reading!
It is always exciting to run across a new author. Thank you for sharing!
mauback55 at gmail dot com
Isn’t it fun, Melanie? So happy you could join us. Hope you get to check out Keely’s books real soon. 😉
I love CS Lewis, Francine Rivers, and Susan May Warren, to name a few. They each inspire me in different ways, which is what I need!
Great authors, Kathryn! Thanks for sharing with us. Good luck in the giveaway. We appreciate you stopping by!
Keely – how interesting you were born in St. Joe. That is where my husband’s family is from and I grew up across the river in Wathena, KS.
Hi Angela! It’s a small world, isn’t it? I grew up just a few hours from St. Joe myself. 😉 Thanks for visiting! Good luck to you in the drawing.
Love to discover new authors,
I love getting to know them as well, Rhonda. So glad you could stop by. Happy Reading!
I really enjoyed your interview. I love the first sentence that says “I try to tell stories that are comforting, thought provoking, and encouraging.”
What a wonderful goal!
I look forward to reading your book.
Becky
I totally agree, Becky! I think that’s a wonderful goal for any author. Glad to hear you enjoyed the interview. Good luck in the drawing!
Charles Dickens inspired me.
Yes! 😉 Thanks for stopping by. Good luck in the drawing!
I really like the sounds of this book, can’t wait to read it.
Great, Cheri! I hope you’ll get to read it soon. Have a great week!
It’s me again, Savannah! Beth Moore inspires me to do better!
Hi Joan! It’s great to see you here again. 😉 Yes, Beth Moore has encouraged me a lot as well. Have a great week, my friend!
I have not heard of this author before. Thanks for introducing her to us. Max Lucado’s books are always encouraging.
Thanks so much for joining us, Edward. I hope you’ll check out Keely’s unique stories and enjoy them as much as I have. 🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
Keeley’s books sound great! And I’m definitely going to be looking up those songs later – I’m very intrigued. 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win!
Hi Sarah! It’s great to see you stop by. Enjoy those tunes! 😉
This book and allof her books soun very inspiring. I know I would very much enjoy reading this!
Definitely check them out, Deanne. 🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m always happy to see you’ve stopped by. Good luck!
I have been so blessed to be an influencer for this series. I can hardly wait to read the third in the series and then a book about the founders. Excitement, excitement, excitement.
Yay, Robin! I know, doesn’t the book about the founders sound amazing? 😉 I’m so glad you stopped by!
Thanks for the great interview! Keely’s series sounds very intriguing and I look forward to checking it out. Keeth (spelled a little differently) was my maiden name so I’m even more excited to read her books.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the interview, Jennifer. We appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. 😉 Good luck in the giveaway. Hope you love the series!
Thank you for having me on your blog, Savanna. It’s been fun!
Thank you all for commenting and for your interest in my books. Congrats to the giveaway winner!