Second City: Debut novel by Tallaght writer Chelsea
Author, Chelsea Keogh, is entering the world of writing with the publication of her first novel ‘Second City’, on June 2. Passionate about fantasy and romance, the 24-year-old Tallaght native decided to combine the two genres of literature in her first novel, reports Sihame Saady.
The story is about Lara Miller, a bounty hunter, who must spy on Roman “an arrogant, rude and infuriatingly attractive man” for Gideon, a powerful criminal.
As the pages turn, we discover that the hatred the two heroes feel for each other turns into romantic feelings; giving rise to fiery scenes that can easily remind us of the Fifty Shades trilogy or the After saga.
The author explains this artistic direction very freely: “The enemies to lovers’ genre is huge right now. It’s really a favorite of mine when it comes to romance novels. There’s just something so fun about two people who think they hate each other but they’re really just extremely attracted to one another.” Because of the burning passages, the book is intended for readers over 18.
The Covid pandemic was a real inspiration for Chelsea Keogh, who had the courage to write and self-publish her story through the Kindle Direct Publishing application. “It was a personal choice. I could have tried the traditional route but that can take years”, she explains.
“It wasn’t so much the rejection element that turned me off traditional publishing, it was the loss of control. With self-publishing every decision is mine, I don’t have anyone else wanting to change things or do things a different way. I just wanted to do it myself, my way.”
She admits that “it’s a double-edged sword” because sometimes it’s difficult to do everything herself. In addition to artistic freedom, the platform’s business model also appealed to the young author, who doesn’t have to pay anything for the publication of her book in return for a share of the profits at the end with Amazon.
To deal with the issue of promotion, she uses social networks and swears by TikTok.
“One viral video could kickstart your career. It’s also the best way to connect personally with readers or other authors. Everyone is right there at your fingertips and you can talk to them and see what they’re looking for,” she explains.
The famous social network platform has also seen the emergence of a sub-community for book lovers only, ‘BookTok’. According to the young lady, “this network is the biggest thing for readers and authors right now, so it’s definitely at the top of my priority list”.
‘Second City’ is available in pre-order in paperback and ebook format on Amazon.
To find out more about the author Chelsea Keogh, you can find her on Instagram @chelseaburke, TikTok @secondcitybook and on her website.
