Author Spotlight Series with Kristi Ayers

On June 4, 2024 Kristi Ayers released her why-choose, YA (young adult) novel Falling in the Blue Hour. The book follows Sam, a teen girl who enjoys soaking up the sun while hitting the waves with her best friend Broady, then kicking back in the evenings playing guitar with her other best friend Nate. However, in a turn of fate when both her mom and her mom's childhood best friend both end up being newly divorced, Sam's mom finds it in their best interest to pack up and move from sunny California to a sleepy fishing town on the coast of South Carolina. What Sam wasn't expecting was living a blended family life style with her mom's best friend's two sons whom she hadn't seen since they were awkward young boys. Sam now finds herself stuck between not wanting to give up the life and friends she had on the west coast but also finds a strange comfort in this new town and the new boys in her life. Will she forget herself or allow herself to grow?

ReadingwithKatty: What inspired you to write Falling in the Blue Hour?
Kristi Ayers: I was inspired to write the setting of Falling in the Blue Hour after visiting my daughter who currently lives on the Eastern coastline. The storyline came to fruition because I’ve always wanted to write a love triangle involving two brothers who want the same girl. Teen angst holds a certain quality that I feel makes stories engaging in a way where a reader enjoys rooting for a certain character/couple. But I also try to make a happy
ending for all characters because love triangles are tricky and I feel everyone deserves to have a happy ending.

RWK: How long did it take you to write this book?
KA: It took me eight and a half months to write Falling in the Blue Hour. My goal had been to get it finished within one year. My goal for the sequel is going to be ten months.

RWK: Did you find the process of writing Falling in the Blue Hour to differ from your other novels?
KA: For this novel, I took time to research the anatomy of a storyline, character development, the art of creating tension/angst/longing, avoiding instant gratification, creating an air of mystery, and keeping a story moving forward. I also [..] read many books along the way and studied how authors used these elements in their stories. Once I felt I had a grasp on everything, an outline written, and everything in order, I found the story flowed effortlessly. Sometimes I would write for hours during the evening and go back to read it the next day and not remember having written any of it. It was a surreal feeling. That’s when I knew this book would be different from my others. I also felt more in tune with each of my characters and the setting in Falling in the Blue Hour than in my previous books. When I finished, I truly didn’t want to say goodbye to my characters. During the editing process, I never once got tired of re-reading it. This is when I knew I had a special story on my hands.

RWK: Did you relate to any character in your book?
KA: I definitely do not relate to Sam at all, which is a good thing. In my previous books, I did make the main characters similar to myself, which only proved to limit how they acted, [their] personality traits, dialogue, [and] abilities. Now, I prefer to step away from anything that encompasses me and jump into a completely different person. Sam was more free to be herself and didn’t have any “percieved” constraints that tied into me. Though, if any character is like me at all, it’s Noah. He handles things emotionally like I do, with distraction. He holds himself back until the perfect time presents itself, and even then has reservations about going for what he wants. He has faith in people when they don’t have faith in themselves. He holds onto guilt longer than necessary, especially if unintentional harm comes to someone. And he has a big heart and will go out of his way to make people feel good.

RWK: What was the most challenging part of writing this book?
KA: Coming up with the title. Normally, a title comes to me without much effort, but this one didn’t present itself until I was more than halfway finished. For the longest time, I called it “The Beach House.” And then when I learned what time of day the blue hour encompasses, I knew I had my title. The idea that the sky is a particular color of blue in both the morning and the evening for approximately only an hour held a sense of romanticism that I liked.

RWK: What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your book?
KA: I’ll use a few quotes from the book:
“You’re like a seashell, Sam. You look delicate, but you can be roughed up by the sea and keep on going.”--Brody. This quote is for anyone who feels they’ve been roughed up by life and the fact that they can still keep going even if they’re a little bruised and hurt. Don’t let anything stand in your way even if you fall multiple times before you get to where you want to go...

RWK: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
KA: Write what you love to read. Use an outline, or bullet points of scenes you want to take place in your story. Get to know each character on a personal level so that when you write their actions and dialogue, you will know if they would really do/say something. Don’t expect the first draft to be perfect, anything can be fixed. Invest in a good editor - just spend the money because you won’t be sorry. The cover is also important and luckily it’s easy to find great cover artists. Most of all, write because it makes you happy.

RWK: What are your plans for future projects?
KA: I’m writing the sequel to Falling in the Blue Hour now.Then after that, I plan to write a spicy vampire romance. I already have the cover and bullet points outlined for it.

RWK: Is there anything else that you would like to share?
KA: I enjoy packing and selling PR boxes. I think giving readers something special in the mail that is more than just a signed book makes the experience more personal. People can buy my PR boxes on my website www.kristiayersauthor.com and if they join my Street Team on Facebook
they can get a code for 65% off (US only at this time, but feel free to message me and I can get a quote for shipping).

Kristi Ayers shines brightly not only as the author of an incredible coming-of-age story but also as a dedicated NICU Nurse. The reception for Falling in the Blue Hour has been overwhelmingly positive, fueling Kristi's passion for future writings. Stay connected with Kristi on social media (links below) and grab a copy of her book on her official website. Alternatively, you can read the book via Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.

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