Michigan Author Shares Her Story

Enjoy this Q & A with Michigan author Kelechi Uchendu. Her book, Bully Friends, is part of our collection.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

• I am the founder and CEO of Kay Kay’s World, LLC. Kay Kay’s World, LLC includes Kay Kay’s Fashion (a fashion brand that has been featured in British Vogue and other media outlets) and my website Kay Kay’s Way. I graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Political Science Pre-Law and a specialization in Environmental Studies in 2013. I then graduated from Vermont Law School with my JD in 2016 and my LLM in 2018. I also have a Master’s degree in Business of Fashion from LIM College. I am the author of Bully Friends (a non-fiction book that is sold in retailers around the world and around the United States of America like Books-A-Million and Walmart.com). 

How did you become a published author?

• I dealt with bullying by some of my peers and some of my friends in middle school and high school. For several years I had wanted to write a book that discussed bullying in friendships that would help people. When I was forced to stay at home during the covid pandemic I now had the time to write Bully Friends. The book was published in July 2020, but  I started researching publishing companies and editors as far back as the end of 2019. It was during that time that I became really serious about becoming a published author.  

Tell us about your book.

•  Bully Friends is a non-fiction book that discusses bullying in friendships (which is a form of bullying that is not often covered by the media, even though 30% of young people have been bullied by a friend). Bully Friends is also an interactive book that allows the reader to journal their response to a question at the end of each chapter. 

What advice would you give to other writers?

•  I would tell them to go for their dreams no matter what obstacles they have to overcome. I would also tell them to make sure that they present their work in a professional manner.  That means that they should always hire a reputable editor and illustrator to work on their book. 

What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

•  People would be surprised to learn that I traveled to every continent (including Antarctica) before the age of 22. I also camped out on Antarctica and that was the coldest I have ever been in my life!

What are your favorite books?

• I love the Pretty Little Liars series. I was obsessed with that series when I was in high school.