Please give a warm welcome to Kalia Duff
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a gothic ball of fluff from Kentucky. I have a sliiiiight tattoo addiction, and I’m a little OCD crazy. All the color coding… I also work full time in the IT world, I get to tell people to turn it off and on again *inserts IT Crowd meme here*
Have you always wanted to become a designer/blogger?
I’ve always enjoyed making things pretty, even if it’s a spreadsheet. I got back into the swing of design when one of my friends wrote her first book. Since I’m IT, she asked if I could make her some teasers. It kind of evolved from that. I became a blogger by accident. I was on a lot of ARC teams, then I started to BETA. I got tired of trying to find all my links for reviews, because you know, OCD an all, so I started a blog to house everything. When I first started, I had a website that I used for both designs and blog. My blog kind of exploded, so my friend and I had to separate the site into two subsites.
As I started doing more with my design work, I wasn’t able to review as much as I was, so my blog morphed into a place for readers and authors. I love helping authors have a place to promote their works. I still review, and I have a few others who will post reviews in my group as well.
What was your inspiration for your current work?
I enjoy fantasy because there’s so much you can do with it. Plus, it kind of blends with my personality. I like things dark and creepy, but with a splash of color. So when I’m trying to come up with something new, I tend to go more goth/fantasy because I find beauty in the weird.
What are you working on next?
I’m currently editing/proofreading some stories, as well as working on some formatting. I generally will work on a design on the weekends or if I’m working from home that day. It’s relaxing to have my Photoshop available to me between projects at work. As for my blog, I have daily themes throughout the week, mostly to allow authors a chance to showcase their work, or I run a feature a few times during the week… Plus side to doing design, I get to make all the pretties in my blog group.
Do you have any quirks while working?
I can’t focus in silence, so I usually have metal playing. I can’t function on a single monitor, even my laptop has a second screen attachment. And I have to be in the dark. My husband is all, ‘The Lights!’ and I’m all hissing and trying to hide from the lights.
What are your hopes for the future?
I would love to be able to do design/blog as a full time job. I really hate the commute.
Do you have any advice for new designers about the author world?
Network with people, in groups. A lot of the people I work with have become fast online friends. And it’s nice to have a group of people to bounce ideas off. Sometimes I get stuck, and one of my friends will be like, ‘Do this thing. I wanna see what you can do with this idea,” so it’s pretty fun. For anyone who is thinking of doing a blog. Do the thing. You got this. I went back and forth for a year debating if I should or not. But I said, ‘fuck it, I’mma do the thing,’ and I did the thing. I started out as an ‘itty bitty book blog’ back in the summer, and my group continues to grow every day. It’s really awesome to see.
I love being a part of this community and get to talk to readers and authors on a daily basis. Advise wise – if you do social media, do a group. I started with a FB page and basically spent the first 3 months talking to myself. I still do because I’m constantly sleep deprived, but you know. There’s more people to see my ramblings now.
Do you have anything to say to your followers?
Um. I lurve your faces.
Physical retractable banner for book conventions
Contact links
Helle Gade 