Today, for my second June spotlight, I’m very excited to welcome new author Kiki Clark who’s here to tell us more about herself and her brand new novel, The Second and His Bonded. Kiki is also one of the authors taking part in the MM Class 19/20 Short Story Giveaway, which launches today, so it’s absolutely perfect timing!
Over to you Kiki…
First things first, please introduce yourself!
Hi! I’m Kiki! I’ve been reading MM romance for years and romance for even longer (like, probably started younger than I should have but my parents didn’t pay close enough attention to what I brought home from the library). I’ve always loved great love stories and wanted to write my own and this last January I was finally able to say I’d done that with the publication of my first book, The Alpha and His King.
Tell us a little bit about your writing style.
So far the novels I’ve published have all been paranormal romances, but I do have a contemporary short story available to my newsletter subscribers. I love fluffy contemporaries and complex world-building of paranormals so I’ll definitely be writing both.
Describe your books in only three words.
Intense. Hot. Fun.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest release?
Absolutely! I published the second book in my Kincaid Pack series last week, The Second and His Bonded. The main characters were introduced in the first book and were fan favorites so I was a little nervous about doing their story justice but it’s been really well received. *wipes brow* Phew!
Out of all your books, which one are you most proud of?
Wow. Why not just ask what kid is my favorite? (LOL jk, I don’t have kids–this is worse) Um, probably The Alpha and His King because it’s my first and will always be special to me for that reason.
What or who (or both) has influenced you most as a writer?
You probably mean stylistically or genre-wise, but I’m going to say who has had the most influence in general. Lucy Lennox. Most readers don’t see all the stuff she does behind the scenes to help other authors. I’ve learned soooo much just by listening to things she says. Having her beta read my second book? Icing. On. The. Cake.
What inspired you to start writing?
I don’t even know. LOL I only ever remember wanting to do it. Wanting to share stories that touched others as much as books had touched me my whole life.
What’s your writing process like? Do you have a typical “writing day”?
I’m still pretty new so I wouldn’t say I have a process yet–definitely still figuring out what works best for me. But when I’m working on a project (which I’ll start a new one next week), I try to spend at least two to three hours after I get up sprinting (for non-writers, sprinting is when you write as much as you can during a specific timeframe) and then I generally spend more time than I should on social media or doing other admin stuff (scheduling posts, responding to emails/messages, updating my expense sheet–you know, the more glamorous stuff 😉 ).
What comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
Plot, almost always. Usually an opening scene. Though the story I’m starting next week was sparked by a profession mentioned on FB by a reader as something they’d like to read more of.
What’s a book that you wish you’d written?
I honestly can’t really think of one. There are things I wish I’d written so I had the royalties from them LOL but nothing that I loved so much that I went “Man, I wish this were my book baby.”
If you could only write one trope for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Oooh, tough one. I’d say… age gap (or May/December) because it’s my favorite trope to read and with it I could still explore a lot of things. 😉
What would be your three desert island books?
Frog by Mary Calmes
The Half of Us by Cardeno C.
Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon
If one of your books could be made into a movie/TV series, which would you choose and who would you cast?
I’m going to cheat and say the Kincaid Pack but give casting for book two only LOL I haven’t come across anyone who embodies the MCs from my first book yet. But for Bennett, I’d cast Morris Chestnut, and for Kieran, I’d want Adam Rodriguez for Kieran.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Do you have a secret passion or hobby that we don’t know about?
When I’m not writing, I’m generally reading or watching TV. Though lately I’ve been working on a puzzle–which I thought would be fun but has been really hard because the image is a lot of black LOL Oh and I like to bake and cook.
Finally, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
How does one choose such a thing!? Ummm… Brontosaurus!
A small town Michigan girl, Kiki has enjoyed reading since she first picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as a child. After that, she devoured everything she could get her hands on and dreamed of one time writing her own books that touched people’s hearts.
In her early twenties, she discovered LGBTQ romances and had a realization: these were her people and this was where she belonged.
Nearly ten years later, she’s proud to finally join the ranks of authors releasing character-driven, emotionally satisfying books showcasing that everyone deserves to find love.
You can find her on BookBub, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, and her website (where you can also sign up for her newsletter), as well as her Facebook Reader’s Group: Kiki’s Korner.
