I asked, you asked, now I'm answering!
I sent out a questionnaire a little bit ago and gave you guys the options to ask questions, give opinions, and request that I write a certain trope and I'm so excited for the results of this for so many reasons!
First and foremost, I asked about which unfinished series you'd like to see get written and published ASAP (Task Force 779, Neighbors Novels & Power of Vashchenko) and I must admit, I was surprised by the results! The majority selected to have the Neighbors Novels before anything else! I would have been happy with anything really because I'm excited to write all the books, of course. But I especially love the Neighbor books. Reed and Hope are one of my fav couples and I'm thrilled to tell you that I HAVE begun writing Luca and Peyton's book, Reclusive Neighbor. I don't have a release date yet, and I likely won't choose one until the book is with my editor. But they're ALL coming! Pinky promise!
1 Zoe asks "How your crazy neighbours going?"
Honestly, they're still nuts but they've stopped using our driveway as their own so there's that.
2 Lara asks "Can the Adair Legacy books come out sooner lol...half joking lol 🙂"
Girl, if I had Broken Princess written and ready, I'd do it because both Tortured Duchess & Killer Prince are done, and I'm nearly finished with Delicate Dame... So early releases maybe? Anything is possible!
3 Laura asks "How did you get started writing and what is your inspiration for your books?" Double whammy! I have always loved literature of any kind. In high school I wrote a children's bullying book that was picked up by a publisher for a charity event at the local children's hospital. It was an exclusive deal I asked for because I was 16 and didn't want to carry the weight of what that could have turned into at the time. I have regrets about not leaving it published, but it raised such a good amount of money that leaves me so proud! That same year, I wrote a 300 page fan fiction store about the TV show Smallville for a final mark in my ELA-30 class. It passed me! Woohoo! But now, with romance, it was pure boredom. Waiting for a book to release and being a stay at home mom, I had some spare time. Inspiration I get from literally everywhere. Conversations, grocery shopping, watching TV shows, sometimes my husband or older kids are like hey, this would be cool. It just really depends on my mood.
4 Megan asks "Is there any chance that some of your books listed for next year will be released early. I am going through K L Donn withdrawls and hate waiting :)"
First of all, I love hearing this. I really needed it lately, so thank you! Secondly, I never say no! Will it happen to a release in 2021? Probably not, but if I can get my life together, I might early release a couple for 2022 ;)
5 Kerry asks "If we send you energy drinks can we get books sooner? The wait is a killer. LOL"
Again, thank you! And, sadly, no. Because I don't drink energy drinks, saw a video with a tape worm in a can and NOPE! BUT, coffee is always a plus! Send coffee, it might help! I promise next year, there is very short wait times between books and I'm even working to squeeze more in there!
6 Michaela asks "Please tell me you are going to finish the series Power of Vashchenko soon? It was my favorite book I can’t wait to see Nikolai or Madelyn’s and Kodiaks book 🥰"
Yes! They are coming. I'm hoping to surprise live release them close together. I adore Emmy and Viktor and love the boys, so writing them is a priority to me! When I know more, you will too!
7 Beth asks "Do you love me? Haha"
DUH!
8 Beth also asks "Do I annoy you??"
Not even a little bit!
9 Amy asks "Whats your writing process ?"
This is such a great question with a very simple answer! I don't have one. HA! Although, actually, I guess I do. I don't do a lot of plotting. I have ideas and know where I want stories to go, but very rarely do I know how we're going to get there. I always like to have a title picked before starting, and a cover helps with inspiration but sometimes both of those things change before anyone is even aware that I'm writing that book and sometimes, like with Unchained, it changes a week before release too! I'm very much a go with the flow kind of girl. I let the characters tell me what they want, and like Supernatural, I'm their vessel!
10 Tiffany asks "Will you be writing Vashchenko books soon? Bc the first book was a teaser!!!!!"
I couldn't agree more! Yes, they're coming. I've been working on Nikolai's book for a bit now, kind of a side project, but I don't know if he'll be first or Kodiak.
11 Stephanie asks "What got you into writing? How do you come up with your tropes?"
Boredom is the first answer. Waiting for books to release 7 years ago was torture! As for tropes, readers. Kind of. I've always written what I wanted to write, however I pay attention when I see readers asking in book groups for recs, and asking authors to write a certain storyline (Possessive Neighbor was brought about because of this.) Readers opinions mean so much to me, to most authors really, and while I will always stay true to myself and go where the story tells me to, I will always listen to you as well.
12 Amanda asks "Where do you pull your inspiration from?"
Everything. And I do mean that literally. I have the first book in the Uncontrolled Heroes: Next Generation series coming that was inspired by an episode of Criminal Minds. Carver was also inspired by a Criminal Minds episode. And suddenly things make so much more sense for him lmao
13 Nina asks "Do you plan to write more paranormal?"
I do. I've spoken, very briefly, about a shifter series I've been working on for a while but that's not all. I'm also working on the Alpha Squad series, which is a spinoff of Task Force 779 & Saving Their Princess, and will feature Callista, she was the mage in STP. So there will be a bit more of that in there as well as empath/telepath stuff. I need to do a lot of research before diving into that though.
14 Lynne asks "How do you stay so motivated? You are amazing!"
The answer is simple: READERS! You guys keep coming back for more. You ask for more and I couldn't deny you if I tried!
15 Suzana asks "Will Task Force have a spin-off or second generation?"
You must have read Nowhere to Run recently! Yes, they will have a spin-off (Alpha Squad), you've met two of the hero's for that series already in Saving Their Princess (if you've read that book of course), and you'll get more acquainted with them in the next Task Force 779 book, Dangerous Affair (Nix's book). As for a next generation, I never say never. HOWEVER, if I do, it won't be for a few years.
16 "I'd love to see your books in KU if even for a limited time after they release. I know several others who'd read them but can't afford to purchase."
I received a few comments like this, nothing wrong with them at all! I do intermittently add a series to KU. Usually after it's complete because I know KU readers are also really big binge readers too. I don't have any currently in KU (outside of the two with publishers), so if ever you want a book or series in KU, shoot me an email, or message, smoke signals, whatever you're comfortable with, and you never know, it might happen! I don't release to KU directly after release for a various amount of reasons but the biggest one is that I have a really good readership on Apple Books and Kobo as well and I'd hate to deprive them of a book they were looking forward to but missed at release. Some don't know this but once a book is put into KU it can't be sold elsewhere. As someone who used to only be able to read off one retailer, I get the frustration of readers who don't use Amazon. I also understand reading on a budget and how KU is so friendly for those who need that. But legit, just shoot me a message to be like, hey KL, is this book or that series going to KU anytime soon?! And I promise to consider it! Having also said all of that, Lumberjacks Surprise – my sexy Christmas story coming on Dec 20 – IS releasing directly into KU!
17 "Will there be more Love Letters?"
Right now, no. I didn't want it to feel like I was writing the same letters over and over for each book, so I thought it would be good to stop at Dear Steele, since I had planned to when I first started anyways. But, like I say above, I never say never!
18 Sonia asks "Was there any one thing that helped you know you wanted to write books?"
Honestly, no. I've always loved writing, even poems in high school. For years being a mom forced my love of reading to the side, then I won a Kobo ereader from a Mother's Day contest and I discovered ebooks. Writing was natural when I finally decided to.
19 Jessica asks "Do you work outside the home?"
I don't. I had my first child when I was 18 and was a stay at home mom from the time I was about 4 months pregnant because of complications. After that, I did find employment when my daughter was 18 months and worked for a little over a year, until the company I was with closed and I was laid off. I never went back to work because I was 6 months pregnant with my second child and people in Canada (at the time) really didn't like hiring pregnant women. Since then I've been at home.
20 Jessica also asks "What's your favourite music?"
I like a lot. Some people I listen to often though are: Halsey, Eminem, Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, Kane Brown, and Bebe Rexha. You can find my Spotify profile and see all my playlists too.
21 Tiffany asks "Will you ever write any paranormal romance?"
I think I answered this already, but yes, I do. Just need about ten more hours in a day to get all the books written that I want to lol.
22 Heather asks "How do you come up with the plots for your books?"
I say this a lot when I get asked this, EVERYWHERE. So many things give me inspiration. Music, movies, every day life, seeing readers say they wish there were books with this or that vibe. Life is in inspiration when you live in a fictional world for as long as I do!
23 Awilda asks "How long does it takes you to come up with a story line for your books?"
This is a tough question. Sometimes the story strikes and I write until I finish. And sometimes it takes me months to come up with a story line that I feel is unique enough to publish. I've never just wrote whatever and called it a day. I like to make sure that the context is true to me and my style before even starting the book.
24 Jenn asks "Do you like to collab with other authors?"
I love releasing in collaborations! Working with other authors to make sure everyone succeeds is such a pleasure. Team work makes the dream work baby! HA! As for writing with another author, I've never done it. I always joke that I'm such a control freak that I don't know if I could but it's true. I am a control freak and I don't know that I would want to ruin any of the friendships I've made in this industry because of it. Maybe one day, if it's with the right person and at the right time I might give it try. For now, the closest you'll get is how I'm writing the Mafia Made world with EM Shue.
25 Katie asks "What is your favorite genre to write, and why?"
Hmmm I'm not sure I have a specific favourite. The majority of my books fall into a contemporary category with others mixed in with it. I didn't do it on purpose but I find I like it because it gives me the opportunity to focus on the couple, their emotions.
26 Sass asks "Does your inspiration come from personal experiences?"
A lot of the times yes. There is a little piece of me in every heroine I write. I retell my own story so frequently that I've been working on my own book. A fictional version of course. The characters will have different names but the abuse I lived through, the life I endured will be told through them.
And that's all for the questions and comments. There were so many amazing ones too. If you don't see your specific question here, it's likely because I was asked multiple times. I tried to answer all of them and address a few comments. I want to say a huge THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments you guys gave me. It gave me a confidence boost I didn't realize I needed but I'm so grateful for.
The tropes and genres you guys asked for, I WILL be incorporating a ton of them into future books. I'm not sure if you know this or not but on the HOME PAGE of my website I have every book listed with the trope or genre it falls under. I will always keep it up to date (which I have to do since I have a couple new preorders). When you go to a books page, it will also give you the tropes that book falls under. I'm so excited for the website overhaul I did. Have you seen it yet?
If ever there is something you're curious about, I'm an open book! Contact me anytime and I can't promise to have an exact answer, but I'll do my best!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this survey and anyone who is reading this now, your support means everything to me!
Also check out my PRINTABLES page for some fun things. I'll be adding more colouring pages soon because I get asked for them so often!
XOXO,
Krystal.
