Author Bio:
A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing erotic romance. She got up each morning to create characters who kill people, fall in love, become drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they spend a lot of time in the bedroom, if you know what I mean. One day Dee wanted to write a sweeter romance and she “created” Anne Krist. Anne writes happily ever afters that don’t involve so much bed time but are full of emotion and romance. Her first book, Burning Bridges, is the book of her heart.
Later, Dee developed still a third personality, Jenna Stewart, who writes historical ménage and shifter stories. Whew! All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website.
What inspires you to write?
I enjoy reading all kinds of books, not just romance. But romance itself is what inspires me to write. I believe in true love. I can't sing worth beans, can't dance, don't paint or sculpt, but I've been told I have a talent for storytelling. What else can I do but write about romance? I want others to read my books and do what I do when I'm happy with a book–laugh, cry, sigh, smile. Think about it long after I've finished.
Tell us about your writing process.
I have tried outlining so many times. It's just not me. But I do use various outlining techniques. I use a character chart to detail physical characteristics, a character interview to make sure I understand who I'm writing–it firms personality in my mind–and for a new series I will be starting shortly, I am using photos that resemble the characters as I imagine them. I've never done that before.
Other than those things, I just write as the words come to me and I straighten out boo-boos or mismatches when I edit. I usually line edit a chapter as I finish it and fix any holes I see, and then do a full edit when I'm done. I still need beta readers, though. In the past, my good friend Pat did read throughs. She is a good friend and therefore fierce in her editing, lol. I didn't get by with anything. Now my wonderful Aussie pal and fellow author, Jan Selbourne, is a beta reader for me and I am for her. I got the better part of that bargain because she's an amazing author. I think every writer needs an additional pair of eyes on their work. None of us catches every mistake!
I love a good plot, and certainly I try to make mine believable and with a good flow and such. But for me, characters make a book. They are what I focus on and strive to make real. I love characters I'd like to sit and have a cup of coffee with!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
LOL! I was going to say that in the previous question and thought, "Dee/Anne/Jenna, people will think you're crazy." So now I will admit I talk to MYSELF, so I talk to my characters. Or I should say, I have internal conversations AS my characters. So, kind of in the same way I carry on a silent conversation about what I might fix for supper or how I hate having to go out and scrape the snow off the car, I think about what my characters would think in those same situations. Then I write it down and later I edit it out, lol, or maybe revise it. Does all of that make sense?
I know there are wonderful authors who say their characters guide what they write or they tell the author which book to write and such. My characters do not do that. My characters are more like subs and I'm the Dominatrix. They do what they are told. For their own good. 😉
Actually, I love my characters and I think by the end of the book they love me, too.
Who are your favorite authors?
For someone who became a romance author, I never read traditional romance when I was growing up. I was maybe in my 40s when I started reading today's romance. So… I love anything Terri Osburn or Jasmine Haynes writes, and the same is true for paranormal/adventure romance with Terri Schaefer's books. I just finished Stateless, the first book I've read by Meli Raines. She would keep me up reading (had to buy the other two in the series immediately). I try to read every one of Linda Castillo's Amish books and I think I might already have read all of Suzanne Brockmann's SEALs.
I loved Tom Clancy's early works and any of Nelson DeMille's work. They have both kept me up, as did the first Outlander.
I just checked my Kindle, and I have a plethora of Lauren Blakely and Sawyer Bennett for spicy reading, and Laurie Breton for police and FBI procedural books (she's so good!). Jeff Carson's Colorado sheriff books are great and so is the Joe Dillard series by Scott Pratt. I love the books my friends at Black Velvet Seductions write–Behind the Clouds is a great historical love story by Jan Selbourne, the Sea of Love series by Alice Renaud is wonderful for paranormal romance, and the Risking Love series by Callie Carmen is perfect for contemporary romance. There are so many authors and books I love!
I'm sorry! This was obviously a bad question for me. I'm kind of easy to please. If the characters and writing are really good, most any author will keep me up reading.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I never set out to be a writer. I did it because my husband was working as a consultant for a firm in South Carolina. We wouldn't be there long, so instead of my looking for a job hubby suggested I write a book. No one had ever said I COULDN'T write a book, so I sat down and wrote one. A month later, we looked on the Internet for publishers and found Liquid Silver Books. I didn't know they were looking for erotic romance (writers, don't be like me. Read the publisher's requirements!), but the publisher emailed back and said she liked my writing and if I ever decided to write something with more spice to please keep her in mind. I thought, "I can do that!" and a month later I sent her another manuscript with bedroom time, if you know what I mean. She accepted the book and that was how I ended up in erotic romance and published. Until then, I didn't know there was such a thing as erotic romance…
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Gosh, when I think of the changes publishing has gone through in my lifetime, it's staggering. I remember buying hardcover books. I remember packing and moving hardcover books, lol! No more. I have only maybe 15 paperback books on my shelves because everything else I read is on the Kindle. My husband bought me an eReader produced by RCA in 2000. We updated when RCA sold to another company in 2005 or so, and I'm now on my second Kindle. What I know is, people will read, whether they have to do it on a 2×3 inch phone, a tablet, or on Google glasses. I believe the big publishing houses missed the boat when eReaders like the Kindle and Nook became popular for reading, and changes will continue coming fast and furiously. We all have to adapt or readers will find ways to move on without us.
What genres do you write?
As Dee: Erotic romance and sub to that, paranormal, space opera, adult fairy tales, contemporary; As Anne, regular romance; as Jenna, menage, shifters, historical
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Anne Krist Home Page Link
Follow Anne Krist On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
