Like many authors, Kelly deVos found her way to writing on the heels of another career—in her case, as a graphic designer. She queried her first novel for several years without finding a home for it, but never gave up on her dream. Kelly says, “I’ve been very fortunate to make a lot of great writer friends who inspired me. It can be a lot easier to keep going when you’re not going it alone.” Amen, sister…and welcome to the blog!

Congrats on the release of your debut novel, FAT GIRL ON A PLANE. What’s it all about, and what inspired you to write it?

Thank you! FAT GIRL ON A PLANE is the story of high school senior, Cookie Vonn, who wants to be the next great American designer but feels that the fashion industry won’t accept her unless she loses weight. The book follows her across two timelines, before and after the major weight loss she falsely believes will solve all her problems. It’s about the disparity between how society treats thin and fat people, and how to learn to love yourself in spite of all that.

I was initially inspired by a real-life experience. I was on my way to a photoshoot in Salt Lake City when I was forced to buy a second seat on the plane. That happened right at the moment when I was looking for something new to write about and, for me, there was this collision of fat shaming, fat phobia and the world of beauty. And I just thought, “Hey! This is what I want to write about.”

In your bio, you write that you are “a passionate advocate for body positivity and fat acceptance.” What does this advocacy work entail—and what are some barriers that you’ve encountered along the way?

I’ve been trying really hard to support other writers who have books with body positive characters and to push for increased fat representation where ever I can. In real life, I try to confront fat shaming when I encounter it. One of the biggest barriers that I’ve encountered is that there is still so much misinformation about fat people out in mainstream culture. I think there are still lingering harmful stereotypes, particularly that people are fat because they are lazy or lack personal discipline. Even though research continues to debunk those ideas, I worry that the message isn’t getting out to people who really need to receive it.

Can you talk about your work in the beauty and fashion industries, and how it relates to your decision to write FAT GIRL ON A PLANE?

I’d been working as a graphic designer for quite a while in the professional beauty industry and also for a company that manufactured licensed eyewear for many top fashion brands. As a fat woman, I was struck by the fact that so many of these companies didn’t want to represent anyone like me in their marketing materials. But they did want to profit from people like us. One of the things that I don’t think gets discussed nearly enough is how many fashion brands make their money. A lot of top companies don’t make the majority of their profits from the actual clothes they sell.

Instead these companies make lucrative licensing deals with manufacturers of fragrance, eyewear, leather goods and even homewares. And fat women are targeted as buyers of many of these products. So you have this situation where a fashion brand creates a “lifestyle” image that is all about being thin and then uses that image to sell products to fat people. It’s like these companies shame fat women and then profit off their insecurities. That’s something that I wanted to talk about when I wrote my book.

This is your debut novel, but although you hold a degree in creative writing, you’ve also had more than one career before you found your way to becoming a novelist. Can you share a bit about your winding road to publication, and what kept you going when things got tough?

I grew up wanting to be a writer. In college, I was originally a creative writing major but I lacked confidence in my skills and decided to switch to design. Since then, I have worked as a graphic designer, mostly in the professional beauty industry. Many writers have day jobs and I am very, very lucky to have one that I really enjoy. But as much as I really like graphic design, I always felt like something was missing.

About six years ago, I realized I wanted to return to writing. I returned to school, finished my creative writing degree and began working on my first novel – an unpublished teen detective mystery. I revised and queried that book for several years and it was, at times, difficult to keep going. I am very lucky to have a lot of support from my family and friends. I’ve also been very fortunate to make a lot of great writer friends who inspired me. It can be a lot easier to keep going when you’re not going it alone.

What are your greatest dreams as a writer? Your deepest fears?

My greatest dream is that I’ll be able to publish books. I love to write and feel like I really want to continue to develop my skills as a storyteller. My deepest writing-related fear is finding my book in one of those 50¢ book bins at the grocery store. The books in that bin always look so lonely to me. I’m trying to prepare emotionally in case that happens!

ABOUT THE BOOK

From debut author Kelly deVos comes an unforgettable novel, told in dual Fat and Skinny perspectives, about smart fashion, pursuing your dreams, and loving yourself.

High school senior Cookie Vonn’s post-graduation dreams include getting out of Phoenix, attending Parsons and becoming the next great fashion designer. But in the world of fashion, being fat is a cardinal sin. It doesn’t help that she’s constantly compared to her supermodel mother—and named after a dessert.

Thanks to her job at a fashion blog, Cookie scores a trip to New York to pitch her portfolio and appeal for a scholarship, but her plans are put on standby when she’s declared too fat too fly. Forced to turn to her BFF for cash, Cookie buys a second seat on the plane. She arrives in the city to find that she’s been replaced by the boss’s daughter, a girl who’s everything she’s not—ultrathin and superrich. Bowing to society’s pressure, she vows to lose weight, get out of the friend zone with her crush, and put her life on track.

Cookie expected sunshine and rainbows, but nothing about her new life is turning out like she planned. When the fashion designer of the moment offers her what she’s always wanted—an opportunity to live and study in New York—she finds herself in a world full of people more interested in putting women down than dressing them up. Her designs make waves, but her real dream of creating great clothes for people of all sizes seems to grow more distant by the day.

Will she realize that she’s always had the power to make her own dreams come true?

Preorder:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/fatgirlonaplane

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fat-girl-on-a-plane-kelly-devos/1125453908?ean=9780373212538

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Fat-Girl-on-Plane-Kelly-Devos/9780373212538

Changing Hands: https://www.changinghands.com/book/9780373212538

!ndigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/fat-girl-on-a-plane/9780373212538-item.html

About Kelly deVos

A third generation native Arizonan, Kelly deVos can tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about cactus, cattle and climate. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. Kelly is represented by Kathleen Rushall of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Her debut novel, FAT GIRL ON A PLANE, will be published on 6/5/18 by Harlequin Teen and her work has been featured in Normal Noise and 202 Magazine. Kelly is also a passionate advocate for body positivity and fat acceptance.

Website: http://www.kellydevos.us

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KdeVosAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellydevos/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15236443.Kelly_deVos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellydevosbooks/