Kristi Avalon

First and foremost tell us a little bit about yourself.  Recently I’ve been madly in love with the movie Legend of 1900, and the song “Playing Love” has inspired me beyond belief. Aside from that, I adore art from any and every era—which you’ll see portrayed in my new release Bedded by Her Bodyguard. I explore Russian artists, at least I give homage, and that makes me happy. I originally aspired to be an artist, or went to school for art therapy, until I realized something was wrong when I kept returning to my dorm room to write a novel about the 1920s when I should’ve been painting. I dropped out of college after that year, since I knew my parents couldn’t afford it and neither could I, while pursuing a major I didn’t feel passionate about.

My passion for writing, however, continued and never stopped. I worked in the restaurant/bar industry to put myself through school—which can be a fascinating place to learn about the human psyche. I finally graduated with my master’s degree in English.

Are you a plotter or panster?  Plotter for sure. I like puzzles. I love figuring out complex scenarios, like how to get from the first sentence to The End. I’m abysmal at directions (North is up, or straight, right?), and “winging it” is like telling me to drive to Tallahassee based solely on intuition, gut instinct, and luck. Needless to say, I’d never get there. (Although I would enjoy the adventure!)

What is your writing routine?  Routine? How boring! In all seriousness, I don’t believe in a Muse. I write however, wherever, whenever I can. The few times I’ve come across the infamous “writer’s block,” it’s nothing that a walk in the woods or a nap can’t solve.

Where do you find your inspiration?  Nature. Because honestly, I’m not a very grounded person. I live so much in my head, in my thoughts, in conversations I have with people, that taking time to walk in the woods among ancient trees brings me down to earth. Nature makes me feel blessed, alive, whole-hearted, so I can go back home and immerse myself in my imagination. I find my writing to be much more descriptive and inspired after going for a hike. It restocks my well, as Julia Cameron would say. (BTW, The Artist’s Way is a must-read for anyone in the creative arts.)

What type of relationship is your favorite to explore?  I enjoy stories where the rake is completely irredeemable, the “man’s story” if you will, whether in historical or contemporary fiction. But that’s not the type of story I write. I write fiction where the hero is already half in love with the heroine. From there the reader will find out how the hero wins her over.

Each of my books may technically be the “heroine’s story,” but she never would’ve found her inner strength or personal perseverance without the hero. They save each other. Essentially, the man will always need to win over the woman. That’s the type of romances I write. :)

Why did you decide to self-publish?  I decided to self-publish because New York told me again and again that I had a great voice…but my work didn’t fit their needs. Despite having a fabulous NYC agent, who gave me great advice, I never penetrated the perfect vision NY publishers endorsed. I didn’t ever seem to fit their criteria. That all changed when I self-published.

The best teacher I ever had came from the first book I was lucky enough to pick up in the romance genre. Lisa Kleypas’s Where Dreams Begin. An unimaginative title for an absolutely unforgettable book. That book changed my life. She inspired me in a way no other author ever had.

After my agent sent my manuscript around to several publisher options, including (gasp!) a digital publisher, receiving round rejections, I chose to self-publish Billionaire Bodyguard.

Imagine my absolute shock when I hit the Barnes & Noble bestseller’s list. Seriously? My book was a rank above J.K. Rowling? The story that couldn’t find a home reached its peak at #12 in All Books on the B&N bestseller list for ebooks. That’s when I knew the self-publishing business was to be taken seriously, and I’ve thanked all those who’ve gone before for helping me continue to navigate these rocky and amazing waters.

Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?  If I have any advice for others who desire to get published—whether through NY or self-publishing—I’d say have a backup plan. Have other stories you’re dying to tell, or better yet that you’ve already written, in a similar subgenre or in the same series, even if you never expect you’ll sell like hotcakes.

I wish I’d had a close follow-up to Billionaire Bodyguard. When that hit the bestseller’s list I didn’t even know it was going to be part of a series.

How involved are you in terms of writing/editing/cover design?  When it comes to editing…well, I’m a writer, first and foremost. I’m in the business of telling stories, not editing them. I may have a master’s degree in English, but that means nothing in the writing realm. I often can’t see the forest for the trees in my own writing. There’s a reason these people are paid well to do a good job. Because we need them. I certainly do, and I’m ever grateful to my proofreader Jen Fitzgerald for making sure my commas and modifiers all go in the right places. And Kim Van Meter is my brilliant cover artist who’s been a great partner since the beginning.

How do you decide where to set your stories (such as Russia for example)?  Russia was a natural setting for my characters Mindy and Isaac, in Bedded by Her Bodyguard, to explore their passion for each other and to have to them learn some great lessons they both needed to discover about themselves in order to grow as people. Isaac is originally from Russia, and when he moved to the States he inherited his family’s hard-working dedication to exceeding the American Dream.

Isaac is a teaser, of sorts. He has a lengthy extended family, all of the Atlases of Las Vegas, and I’d originally “met” his brother Jake in my imagination long before I got to know Isaac. Jake will kick off a future series called the Sin City Billionaires. Isaac has a lot of rich cousins! All devastatingly handsome, of course. Initially, I envisioned Isaac as a tie-in or bridge to the Sin City Billionaires series, and then he sprang up as his own fully developed character, and I couldn’t help but explore his adoration for my heroine Mindy. He was in love with her. What can I say? I’m a sucker for love stories. :)

Any upcoming releases?  Yes! Bedded by Her Bodyguard, debuting 8/29/13, is a (long) novella with two characters that were bursting at the seams to have me tell their love story. Mindy and Isaac have spectacular chemistry. Set in Russia, the story was so fun to write, and to have a chance to explore their love story in between writing the longer novels in the Billionaire Bodyguard series.

I’m also very excited to share that I have a boxed set debuting over the Labor Day weekend, titled Loving the Bodyguard. People may have seen a similar boxed set called Loving the CEO, which has done exceptionally well. It’s my hope that I’ll reach even more readers by teaming up with some excellent names in the self-publishing industry.

My next book Taken & Tempted features Cade and Kylie, a full length novel that will debut in late fall/early winter.

You can find her new book here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/bedded-bodyguard 

Feel free to ask her anything in the comments, and she'll respond in kind!