For today’s Author Spotlight, I’m joined by the wonderful Keira Andrews! We talked about focusing on emotions, loving the push and pull of hate to love, and putting the finishing touches on a historical fantasy duet.

Over to you Keira…

First things first, please introduce yourself!
Thanks for having me here, Charlie! I’m Keira, and I celebrated my 15th publiversary in M/M romance this year. The genre has grown so much since I started, and I’ve been writing full time since 2013. My books span a variety of genres in M/M–contemporary, historical, paranormal–anywhere ideas strike. Happy endings are always guaranteed! 

Tell us a little bit about your writing style.
Hmm. It doesn’t tend to be too flowery, and I focus on emotions as well as compelling and unique plotlines.

Describe your books in only three words.
Sexy, varied, satisfying.

What are you working on right now?
I’m putting the finishing touches on a historical fantasy duet releasing in October. The cover reveal is coming soon!

Out of all your books, which one are you most proud of?
So hard to choose, but I think Semper Fi. My late father helped me with the WWII-era research, and I think it’s a moving story of love against the odds and finding a happy ending even if it couldn’t be loud and proud. Queer love in the past was just as strong.

What or who (or both) has influenced you most as a writer?
Probably fanfiction. I started reading and writing it around 2000, and it was so intensely satisfying to have queer content at the forefront with sex and romance. I love giving readers what they want.

What inspired you to start writing?
As a kid, I would jot down stories about my fave soap, Another World. So I suppose that was fanfic too!

What’s your writing process like? Do you have a typical “writing day”?
I usually write in the morning after exercising, or sometimes before. But I’m not a night owl anymore, so the earlier the better.

What comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
Bit of both. It really depends on the book, but they usually go hand in hand.

What’s a book that you wish you’d written?
A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. Such a perfect blend of plot, characters, and romance.

If you could only write one trope for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Hmm. Probably hate to love. I just adore the push and pull and slow burn of emotion.

What would be your three desert island books?
I can’t choose only three!

If one of your books could be made into a movie/TV series, which would you choose and who would you cast?
I’d chose A Forbidden Rumspringa and the other books in my Amish gay romance series. I can imagine Dylan O’Brien as Isaac. I’m not sure about David, but I think the story would make an awesome TV show if I do say so myself.

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?
No secret passions! But I enjoy watching TV, movies, and sports such as figure skating and tennis. I also love reading and walking, though not at the same time. 

Finally, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
I can’t say I’ve ever really considered it, but I’ll go with T-Rex. They make a statement!

After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, KEIRA ANDREWS discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

For more information on Keira and her work you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, Bookbub, her website, and her newsletter. You can also join her Facebook group, Keira Andrew’s Romance Readers, for more news and updates.