Author Interview with Kristen Dutkiewicz


1.    Day: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on? For Example, Hemingway’s house.
Kristen: I wish I had a better answer for you with this one! I have not been on any, unfortunately!
 
2.    Day: If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
Kristen: Fantastic question! If I could live anywhere in the world, I would choose to live in Italy or Greece because I have never been overseas and would love to be more culturally aware.
 
3.    Day: Picture this: You feel uninspired while you have sat at the computer for an hour without conquering any words. How do you get your creativity flowing?
Kristen: My first step would be to walk away from the computer. Most likely, I would go for a walk or do some sort of physical activity!
 
4.    Day: Are you a plotter or a Pantser?
Kristen: 100% a plotter!
 
5.    Day: What is your most unusual writing quirk?
Kristen: All names have to mean something to me. Every character’s name has a meaning!
 
6.    Day: What is your favorite genre to read, and why?
Kristen: I LOVE thrillers because nothing gets me more excited than a surprise twist.
 
7.    Day: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
Kristen: Because I write all genres, I would hope readers knew what best would meet their interests with my works.
 
8. Day: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Kristen: Keep going 😉
 
9. Day: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Kristen: My laptop!
 
10. Day: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Kristen: Turtles have always been my favorite so I have to say that.
 
11. Day: How many published and finished books do you have?
Kristen: Over ten published on Kindle Vella as well as in paperback and with Kindle Unlimited. 
 
12. Day: What does literary success look like to you?
Kristen: Success to me is simply being able to share my writings with the world.
 
13. Day: What’s the best way to market your books?
Kristen: Social media has worked the best for me.
 
14. Day: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Kristen: Google is my best friend when writing books!
 
15.   Day: How many hours a day do you write?
Kristen: It varies, but I would say, on average, two to four.
 
16. Day: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Kristen: I do.
 
17. Day: What was your most harrowing scene to write?
Kristen: There are some tough ones in my novella, The Texts From Last Night.
 
18. Day: What is your favorite time to write, and why?
 Kristen: I love writing first thing in the morning before I get too busy and when the house is quiet.
 
19.   Day: Do you feel like it’s most important to have A) Strong characters B) Mind-blowing Plot twists or C) Epic settings?

Kristen: Why not all three? 

20.   Day: Can you give a shout-out to a fellow author?
Kristen: Colleen Hoover has been a recent inspiration for many of my romance books. Thanks, CoHo!
 
Top Three Kindle Vella works:
 
I’m Still Me
What started as annoying yet non-threatening quickly changed every aspect of LeeAnn Taylor’s life. Engaged to her high school sweetheart and a successful Kindergarten teacher, LeeAnn loved her life. As she hugged her students farewell on their last day of school, she felt a tingling sensation on her nose and assumed it was a side effect of her emotions. Two months later, she had a diagnosis: multiple sclerosis. Luckily, LeeAnn was a fighter. And she would not have to fight alone.
  
Too Late
Sandy Palmer just wanted one drink at the bar after a long day at work. She never asked for attention. She never asked for the guy across the bar to order her a second drink. She never asked for him to touch her. And she never asked for the guy in the corner to intervene… Don’t miss this steamy story about two strangers who met in a bar.

 
Mystical Missy and Her Life of Magical Events
Missy never asked to have magical powers, but when she survived a fire as a baby, with no burns or marks, this was only the start of her magical abilities. Follow the journey of mystical Missy as she discovers a new power each year of her magical life.

 
 
Top Three Paperback/Kindle Unlimited works:
 
You Don’t Look Sick
In 2014, Kristen’s world flipped upside down when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while working as a Kindergarten teacher in her mid-twenties.

Through this book, join her as she finds her path to health and journey to living the best life possible! Included with her personal story of how she was finally put on the proper medication are ten words of advice for those living with MS, more details about this autoimmune disease, and suggestions for what not to say to people with invisible illnesses.

This is a personal and TRUE story told by a girl who survived a tough year of fighting for the right to be treated.
 
The Clover Girls
Four best friends.

Follow Zoey, Catherine, Allison, and Valerie as they survive their high school years, marriages, careers, and life choices, all while having each other to lean on.

Zoey’s parents struggled to keep their marriage together while raising four children, and Zoey swore when she grew up, she would never be like her mom.

Catherine was the only one of the four friends to stick with track and field when entering high school, and her parents believed this would be her ticket into college and a future.

Allison had to work extra hard to maintain passing grades but found herself in a school play and dating the boy in school everyone wanted.

Valerie was determined to be noticed by anyone, and she finally found a connection with someone after years of just trying to fit in.

That was before… Where are they now?

People and plans have a funny way of changing with time.

Told from alternating timelines, readers will get to know all four characters on an intimate level and soon feel like they have been their personal friends for years.

We all grow up, but do we have to grow apart?

Some friendships are meant to last through all the ups and downs, and this is one of those friendships.
 
 
All the Stages
Every romantic relationship can be broken down primarily into six stages.

This is the love story of Alaina Hall and Billy Mulligan, a couple who experienced all the stages.

Alaina first met Billy when he transferred to her elementary school, and while it took a few years to solidify their relationship, once they began dating, it was pure bliss.

But no one is perfect.

After high school, Billy and Alaina attended different colleges. Late one night, Alaina was awoken to a phone call from Billy, in which he said three little words: “I messed up.”

Spoiler: This is not the ending to the story.

Every story must come to an end, though… What will be their ending?

For more by Kristen Dutkiewicz, check out her LinkTree. She has many more works! Don’t forget to follow her on Amazon, her website, Instagram, and Twitter.

Quote of the day; Make good art . . .

“Sometimes life is hard. Things go wrong—in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do: make good art. . . . Someone on the internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before: make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, eventually time will take the sting away, and it doesn’t even matter. Do what only you can do best: make good art.”
― Neil Gaiman