The Literary Vixen presents…
Joining us today is Kenzie Graves! Her debut, She-Wolf and the Beast: A Rejected Mate Retelling (Love is Grimm Book 1) released on October 31st 2021.
What inspired you to start writing?
I always wanted to be a writer ever since I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I was about 11. I tried many times to write a story, but never seemed to be able to complete it. Then when I was about 21, I had a dream that was extremely vivid and I sat on that idea for four years. I was in a group chat with two indie authors in 2019 and they encouraged me to get that idea on paper. So, I finally did after I had my son in October 2019, and published the story in June 2020!
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I have been told that I tend to write the FMC’s best friend to always be extremely sassy. In every book that I have written, this has happened. That and every animal counterpart I write is very sassy and tends to want the FMC to do things to the MMC.
How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?
I actually tend to go through the emotions with my characters. If they are making a joke, I am laughing at it. If they are angry at another character, I am angry along with them. When their heart breaks or suffering from a loss, I am holding back tears as I type out the words. My characters are a part of me, so I experience everything that they go through as I type out the words.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I have written 11 books so far, and I would have to say Little Red Wolf has been my favorite. It was the first book that I wrote spicier scenes than normal, and it broke me out of my shell. The FMC and MMC were so fun to write. They truly loved each other from the moment I created them, and it was so easy to write their story because of it.
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I would have to say Patricia Briggs and P.C Cast. Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series was the first series that was Urban Fantasy and a little PNR that made me only enjoy stories that had some form of magic or paranormal creature inside of it. Both authors are incredible with their world building, character arcs, and amazing storytelling that I aspire to have in my own stories.
Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
Every so often I get a reader who reaches out to me. Not too long ago I had a reader join my group and post in it that Little Red Wolf got her out of a reading slump and it made my life. It truly keeps me wanting to write when I hear from my readers. I love when they post in my group or PM me on messenger!
What book is currently on your bedside table?
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I watched the show and I hear the books are monumentally better, as books usually are, and I want to read the details that the show missed.
Do you have any new series planned?
I do! After Love is Grimm, I have a whole new world planned of 5 different kingdoms and in each kingdom the FMC will go through their own journey of rejection and finding mates that truly love her and will support her. Some may have some enemies to lovers thrown in, too.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
My current series are standalones, so I’ll go with She-Wolf and the Beast. I’d say Bella Thorn for Isabelle, Dove Cameron for Abby, Dylan Sprouse for Colin, a young Johnny Depp for Garrett and Liam Hemsworth for Aiden.
What advice would you give to other authors?
I would have to say learn your genre, build your readership, and have an understanding of how to market within your genre before you even start writing. I didn’t, and it has been a struggle. I am learning as I go, which is the hard way, and it will make your life easier if you learn those things before you jump into publishing.
What is the one thing you want people to know about you and your books?
It is my passion to be an author. I’ve wanted to do this since I was eleven years old and becoming a bookworm. I’ve always been someone who loves to help others, and I see this as my way of helping others I don’t even know. If I can provide you an escape from reality when you need it most, then I did what I set out to do. I hope to make someone’s day by reading the worlds and characters I have created just like the authors I read growing up did for me.
Thank you Kenzie Graves for chatting with me! I will include her information down below. Check out She-Wolf and the Beast today!
~Synopsis~
A rejection. A deal. A curse that needs to be broken.
After being rejected at her birthday party, Isabelle Crane banishes her Fated Mate from the pack. Garrett refuses to accept that fate.
Garrett attacks the pack, causing Isabelle’s father to seek help from the Alpha of the Sanction, Aiden Black. Only, The Beast keeps her father captive and Isabelle trades his life for hers. The Beast accepts in hopes that Isabelle is the key to breaking his curse.
As Isabelle adjusts to her life in a new pack, Garrett lurks around the territory. He wants to reclaim Isabelle and doesn’t care who he hurts to get her back.
If you like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Jaymin Eve’s Shadowbeast Shifters, you’ll devour She-Wolf and the Beast!
Find out how this fairytale retelling mixes with wolf shifter romances by reading it today!
This is a standalone within a series, 100k words full-length dark paranormal romance novel. Content is 18+ with sexual and adult content.
Kenzie Graves is a paranormal romance author within the dark, rejected mates, and why choose subgenres. She is a mother of two and two fur-babies. Her love of reading evolved into her love of creating her own worlds and characters for others to enjoy!
The Literary Vixen 