Dishing it up with Kiki Howell

Please welcome Kiki Howell to my dishing it up series. Ever since she was young, Kiki Howell has loved to listen to a well-woven tale with real characters, inspired plots, and delightful resolutions. Kiki could spend hours lost in a book, and soon she knew that creating lives, loves, and losses with just words had to be the greatest thing that she could do. To that end, she pursued her study of literature and writing, earning a bachelor’s degree in English. She then followed in a Master’s program in Creative Writing.


“After a long break having my boys, I finally just had to write again. And, as soon as I gave the stories the space, they entered it. It’s both awesome and humbling to find the words in my mind become characters on a page and create their lives.”

She has now had over twenty stories published between five different small presses. She could not be more thrilled or grateful to see her creations polished and out in the real world. Please look around. Although, a bit of caution, most of her stories tend to hang out on the graphically sexy side of town.

Kiki resides in the Midwest with her incredibly handsome and talented, singer/songwriter husband and two children. When she is not writing, she is spending time with her family, reading, baking or knitting.

Her biggest dream is to have a novel she writes be made into a movie that her husband creates the soundtrack for, and then cruise to Alaska with her family on the money they make.

JET: Thanks for coming by Kiki. Can you tell us about your most recent book?

Kiki: Sure! It is an angel and demon erotic romance called, A Questionable Hero.  Here's the official book blurb:

Born of a mortal woman but raised in Hell by the demon that sired him, Abdamas is a Halfling—proof incarnate of the war between good and evil that exists in each of us. Shaebiel is an angel warrior earning her ultimate salvation in Heaven by fighting demons like Abdamas who are in search of human souls on Earth.


In the heat of a raging battle , Abdamas sees Shaebiel and wants her. When the blade of another demon aims for her, Abdamas is injured himself trying to save her. Shaebiel can’t believe a demon has rescued her from certain death and takes her questionable hero home with her to heal him.


As they both fight and surrender to their desires, the conflict around them continues, and there is Heaven and Hell to pay for their actions. Through divine intervention they are offered a gift. But Hell is nowhere near finished with either of them, and the stakes are getting higher and higher.


Can a questionable hero sacrifice enough to redeem himself in the eyes of Heaven so that he may claim the love of an angel?

Genres: Urban Fantasy (Angels and Demons), Erotic Romance
Adult Content Warnings: Explicit Graphic Language and Violence
from kNight Romance Publishing

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE KINDLE EDITION FROM AMAZON

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE NOOKBOOK FROM BARNES & NOBLE


JET: What drew you to erotic fiction?

Kiki: Actually, I was doing a writing exercise that said to write in a genre you are not comfortable with. I took not comfortable to mean not familiar having just read my first erotic romance story at the time :) After writing two stories, my husband read them and encouraged me to submit them just to see what kind of response I would get. I got a contract for both stories, so I got more comfortable with the genre and now have over 20 stories written in it.

JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?

Kiki: The constant waiting. I never realized how impatient I was until you have to wait for everything: to hear about submissions, if contract to wait for publication dates, to wait for reviews, etc. I have become addicted to checking my emails! LOL

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?

Kiki: Getting a cover quote for my novel Torn Asunder from NY Times Bestselling Author, Hannah Howell, and author I had loved reading for some time and met online. To have an author I admired read and like my book was amazing!

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?

Kiki: Authors, I couldn’t say for sure, but growing up I read a lot of ghost stories or paranormal mysteries. As a kid I was a big fan of Nancy Drew. As I got older and got into my mom’s romances, I found my genre combo!

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?

Kiki: I always had the dream, but life intervened. So, I got started late, once my children were in school full time and then there was the years of excuses after that, of course ;)

JET: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?

Kiki: Done? Well, I better plead the fifth on that one! LOL But, I have bought a lot of Wiccan books, non-fiction, and recently bought a non-fiction book on Sex Magick. That is some interesting reading.

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?

Kiki: Wow, I am so not good at picking favorites! Several of my stories have something that drew me to write them in the first place, and a lot of those reasons are very different. I think I really enjoyed writing my angel and demon story, and was also pleased with it when it was done (doesn’t always happen that way – sometimes you continue to question if they are really done). I kept joking after finishing A Questionable Hero that it took me days to figure out how to get a demon into heaven! LOL

JET: Any advice (from a writer’s standpoint) for the novices out there?

Kiki: Stay true to your story, don’t question it as you write it constantly wondering what a crit partner or editor will think. Your story will be the better for it.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten. . . starting with:

JET: Paper or Plastic?

Kiki: Paper

JET: Steak or Tofu?

Kiki: Steak

JET: Beach or Mountains?

Kiki: Mountains

JET: Country or Rock-n-Roll?

Kiki: Rock-n-Roll

JET: Leather or Lace?

Kiki: Lace

JET: Angels or Demons?

Kiki: Halfling! LOL

JET: Paper or Digital?

Kiki: Paper

JET: Silent Film Classics or Cheesy B Rated Horror?

Kiki: Cheesy B Rated Horror

JET: Twilight or True Blood?

Kiki: True Blood

JET: Coffee or Tea?

Kiki: Coffee, but stupid stomach makes me drink tea :(

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?

Kiki: I actually have a lot of stories out there right now, awaiting the decisions of editors. What I hope is next is a contract and thus release of the first book in my Hidden Salem series.

JET: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Kiki Howell and her work at the following places:

Website: www.kikihowell.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kikihowell

Facebook Fan Page: http://twitter.com/#!/KikiHowell

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/KikiHowell

Kiki also loves to hear from fans! Email her at howell.kiki@gmail.com


Next Friday I’ve got Robert Browne dishing it up about his new release Paradise Prophecy – a kick ass thriller with an Angel-Demon twist and glimpse into Milton’s Paradise Lost! Swing in and say hi!

Until then,

Ciao.

JET