Interview with Kendra Moreno
Hi everyone! I have the pleasure of being apart of Kendra’s permanent ARC team so I absolutely had to jump at the chance for a quick interview for the blog! First a little bit about Kendra:
Kendra Moreno is secretly a spy but when she’s not dealing in secrets and espionage, you can find her writing her latest adventure. She lives in Texas where the summer days will make you melt, and southern charm comes free with every meal. She’s a recovering Road Rager (kind of) and slowly overcoming her Star Wars addiction (nope!), and she definitely didn’t pass on her addiction to her son (she did). She has one hellhound named Mayhem who got tired of guarding the Gates of Hell and now guards her home against monsters. She’s a geek, a mother, a scuba diver, a tyrannosaurus rex, and a wordsmith who sometimes switches out her pen for a sword.
If you see Kendra on the streets, don’t worry: you can distract her with talks about Kylo Ren or Loki.
#LokiLives #BringBackBenSolo
Now I hope you guys enjoy and be sure to follow her everywhere,
Website: kendramorenoauthor.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraMoreno
Facebook Reader Group: www.facebook.com/groups/KendrasWorldofWonder
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kendramorenoauthor
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@kendramorenoauthor
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kendra-moreno
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/17522026.Kendra_Moreno
finally don’t forget to grab your copy of her newest book Eight Second Hearts today!
Amazon:
now enjoy the interview!
❤️ Carrie
What started your writing journey? What made you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer from a small age. In the second grade, my teacher asked us to write a story and illustrate it. She ended up laminating it and binding it for me to give to my mom. I think my mom still has it to this day. Mrs. K sat me down and told me that she couldn’t wait to see where I go. I wish I could thank her. If you’re somehow reading this Mrs. K, you’re awesome! I was also a voracious reader and that helped further settle into my writing journey. I wanted to write the stories I wanted to read even back then, and so I do so now.
Do you plot your books or just start writing and see where it goes?
I used to think I wasn’t a plotter, until I became one. Every book I write has a plan and an outline before I start. It helps me keep on track. Sometimes, the story takes a different turn from my outline though. Characters can sometimes have a mind of their own.
What interested you in a cowboy why choose?
Funny enough, I only started writing cowboys because my bestie, K.A. Knight, demanded I write her some! I’m from Texas, so I know cowboys, and they don’t always live up to the hype of our fictional men. After years of her asking for cowboys, I finally gave in and wrote some. But I knew if I was going to write them, I wanted to do something different and very much me. Which is why the cowboys are men we love to drool over. WhyChoose was a given only because I wanted everyone to have plenty to choose from their favorite!
Do you have a favorite scene or book? and why?
Everytime I get asked this question, I think everyone expects me to say one of my fairytales, but my favorite book, or series really, is probably my most unknown ones. My steampunk books are definitely heart projects, the ones I had to write down on paper because I desperately wanted to read them. The Clockwork Almanac series and the Valhalla Mechanism series are both gaslamp fantasies and they have my whole heart. Clockwork is WhyChoose and Valhalla Mechanism is menage so they’re still very much me. They both play with mythology and are big adventures. I just really love them and hope more people read them one day.
What character that you’ve written so far has been the easiest and who has been the hardest to write?
Oh man. The easiest and hardest character to write is probably the same one, weirdly. Fable Everhart from Honey Bee Hearts. She’s the easiest character because she’s so fun and bright and into cosplay, and that’s a world I know. I’m such a huge geek and love cosplay and renfest and all things like that, and it made it super easy to write her most of the time. But she’s also the hardest because of her struggle with grief. We’ve all experienced deep levels of grief in our lives and Fable goes through it. I put her through her worst nightmare and then slowly had to write her out of it. I know I made everyone cry with that book, but I promise I cried just as much writing her story. It was brutal and beautiful all at once.
Eight Second Hearts explores complex characters with different timelines for growth and change. Have any of your character’s traits or backgrounds been based on personal life experiences? If so, which character and how did it make you feel to write that experience out.
I like to think little pieces of my soul and my experiences end up in my books whether I plan for them to or not. In Eight Second Hearts specifically, while the experiences of the characters aren’t exactly my own, there are pieces in there inspired by real life. As mentioned before, I’m from Texas. I’m also a POC author. Racism is still alive and well in all places, but here in the south, it still is very prevalent. It can be a strange experience, too, because it’s not always blatant. Sometimes, it’s just the looks you get where someone tries to figure out what box you belong in. Sometimes, it’s words that have no business being said to another person. So, yes. Some of my experiences definitely slipped in, because racism and sexism is still there, especially in things like the rodeo circuits. It felt dishonest not to have it in there, because there should be attention on it. Both Indie and Ram deal with racism in this book in different ways and they handle it with grace. Sometimes, that’s all you can do even if a situation isn’t fair. But it made me feel good giving them their happily ever after. And Ram? He’s gonna get into that Rodeo Hall of Fame. You best believe he’s gonna make it.
What was the biggest challenge in writing Eight Second Hearts if any?
Eight Second Hearts was actually pretty easy for me to write, only because I felt like I knew all the characters so well before I ever put pen to paper. I think the biggest challenge was Tripp Savage, though, if I had to name something. I wanted to show a realistic struggle with alcoholism, and hope I did that well even if it’s not the main storyline. Tripp deserves his chance at happiness, and I’m so happy I get to give him that.
What is something you always hope readers take away from your books?
You are always enough. You are always loved. No matter what life throws at you, you are not alone. A theme we see again and again in my books is Found Family, and while it took me a while to realize it, I know it’s because we’re always searching for that home, that place that feels like we belong. I hope when you read my books, you know that you are always enough for the right people, that you’re never too much for them either. You deserve your own happily ever after.
Anything you can spoil about book 4?
Oh! Good question. I won’t spoil anything but we’ve seen mentions of who the FMC is already in the first three books. Since the book’s up for pre-order already, it’s not really a secret who Valerie Dacatur is, but in case you missed it, we’re going into the world of country music, y’all! And yes, it’ll still be WhyChoose.
Do you have anything else in the works besides the next Green River Hearts book?
I always have so many things in the works! But specifically, I’m also working on a paranormal monster romcom in a shared world. You’ll be seeing Bewitched By The Phantom in The Bewitching Hour Shared World from me soon and it’s completely different from the Green River Hearts series. I’m also currently working on a secret Romantasy project with a secret co-author. Shhh! We should be revealing that soon!
Comments
Post a Comment