I Pray Hardest When I'm Being Shot At BLOG TOUR!

I am so excited to be taking part in this blog tour, from the minute I heard the title and saw the cover I KNEW this was one I wanted to read. A true story of love and war...right up my alley!

I am excited to share Kyle Garrett with you, he is an amazing writer with a great story to tell and I highly recommend his book to you!

1. At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’m honestly not sure. When I was a little kid, I used to write stories about comic book characters, and I just never seemed to stop writing. Eventually when I got to college I had to pick a major, so I went with English, with a minor in Creative Writing. It’s just something I’ve always done, and I’ve slowly but surely incorporated it into all aspects of my life.

2. What would you consider to be the best book you have ever read?

Wow, that is a hard one! I subsisted mainly on comic books and fantasy fiction when I was younger, really up until college, at which point I read mainly short stories. I’m going to have to cheat a little and give two answers for this one! It would be impossible to understate the impact “Catcher in the Rye” had on me as a teenager. I know that’s probably a cliché, but it’s true. I’d also rank the graphic novel “Maus” up there as well – just a devastating book.

3. What do you think is the sole purpose of books?

I think the sole purpose of books is to entertain. That word actually gets a bad rap. People tend to think that something that’s entertaining has no depth, that it’s just fluff. But that’s not the case. Even the most complex, esoteric book is, in some ways, entertaining, or why else would anyone keep reading? There’s always some entertainment value, whether you’re reading to learn or reading to escape.

4. How would you convince a young person to pursue writing?

I think the best way to develop an interest in writing is by reading. Few things can inspire creativity like a good book.

5. Do you have a specific writing style?

I think people would probably refer to my style as “conversational.” I try to mix up the point of view that I use from story to story, but I think even when I’m writing in the third person, I’m still fairly conversational.

I write in a wide variety of genres, so the only real unifier among my work is my voice.

6. How did you come up with the title?

The title is actually a quote from my grandfather. The full story is in the book, but the short version is that he said it as a joke after my grandmother had said grace.

7. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

From the feedback I’ve gotten, it seems that different people take different things away from the book. Ultimately, I think thematically the message is one of appreciating those around you, particularly the generations that came before you. I know, for me, it took me a long time to get to the point where I was no longer self-absorbed and could really think about my family.

8. What was the hardest part of writing your book?

There were a few really emotional moments in the book, and writing about them made them (and kept them, in one case) very fresh. I shed a lot of tears writing this book.

9. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keep writing. It’s really a ridiculous thing to do, to be honest. Very few writers ever get to the point where they can live on their work, so in the end most of us are simply doing it because we love it.

10. Who would play you in a film of your life?

Well, the celebrity I have most often been mistaken for is Zach Braff, so I’ll go with him.

My review of this FANTASTIC book coming later today!