Hi, Keira! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Can you tell everyone about yourself and how you got started writing?
Thanks so much for having me, Sarah! When I was a kid, I’d always make up elaborate stories for my favorite soap characters. I was writing fanfic and didn’t realize it! As an adult, I wrote more fic for various shows, and then branched out into publishing original novels in 2006 with Love Match, about two male pro tennis players who fall in love.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a writer?
Now that I’m able to write full time for a living, my fave part is the freedom to set my own schedule and work from anywhere I can bring my laptop. I also love bringing the stories in my head to life. The worst part is all the sitting I do. I really want to get a treadmill desk.
Ooh, that's a good idea! I have to set a timer so I make sure to get up every so often when I'm working.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other writers?
Take criticism and learn from it. Never stop learning.
Do you prefer silence or to have music on when you’re writing? What kind?
I write in silence or to the soothing drone of my white noise machine, depending on how noisy my neighbor is being.
Your books are very sexy and extremely moving, and the characters are fleshed out and relatable. How did you find such a great voice in M/M romance?
Thank you so much! I think part of it is that there’s more freedom in M/M to break gender stereotypes that are often present in M/F romance. I also really love the themes of coming out and the struggle for acceptance and freedom. Not all my characters are initially closeted, but obviously the fight for LGBT acceptance around the world is ongoing. I love giving gay characters their happy endings after all the years of tragedy in gay books and movies.
Is there any advice you’d give to M/M authors specifically?
Be respectful of the LGBT community, of course. I think just make your characters as real and relatable as possible. I suppose that goes for all genres!
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| Torrance Coombs as David |
I have a friend who writes Amish romance, but I think yours is the first I’ve seen in the M/M subgenre. How’d you get the idea for A Forbidden Rumspringa?
I was chatting with Jay, who runs the Joyfully Jay M/M review site, and she mentioned that she got a lot of search hits for “sexy Amish men.” We joked that there was an underserved demographic out there! But then I thought about how tough it would be to be gay in the super restrictive Amish world, and Isaac and David’s story blossomed from there.
I just have to fangirl for a moment—right after I finished A Forbidden Rumspringa, I immediately bought A Clean Break and A Way Home. David and Isaac’s story kept me coming back for more, and I found myself rooting for them. Their families (both in the English and Amish worlds) make for a great supporting cast too. Okay, now a real question: Who did you picture as David and Isaac?
I’m so glad you enjoyed David and Isaac! Thank you. In my head, Dylan O’Brien from Teen Wolf and Maze Runner was Isaac, and Torrance Coombs from Reign was David. Dylan’s hair is darker than Isaac’s, but he was the inspiration. And Torrance has those killer blue eyes.
Great casting! That's part of the fun of writing, I think.
I just finished Valor on the Move and really enjoyed it! Part of why your books (including the GAR series) are so engrossing is the amount of research that goes into them. I picture you spending hours looking up details on Amish life and what it’s like to live in the White House. What’s your research process really like?
Pretty much exactly like that! Taking out a ton of books from the library, googling, and watching documentaries and movies.
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| Dylan O'Brien as Isaac |
My new book, If Only in My Dreams, is out November 19. It’s a new adult Christmas romance about two former BFFs who haven’t spoken in years but are forced to drive cross country to make it home for the holidays. I just started an untitled novel about a boy bander who quits a world tour in Australia and rents a private jet to fly home. Of course it crashed on a desert island, and he and the pilot must join forces to survive. They also just find themselves strangely attracted to each other!
I can't wait to pick those up!
Where can we find you on the interwebs?
Website: http://www.keiraandrews.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2Z-G5
Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiraandrews
Where can we find your books?
Website: http://www.keiraandrews.com
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/keiraandrews
Here's the blurb for A Forbidden Rumspringa, the first in Keira's Gay Amish Romance series!
When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?
In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.
Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.
Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?
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Thank you so much for stopping by, Keira! Everyone, go check out her books--they're all awesome!
xoxo Sarah
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