A Conversation with Author Kristian Daniels

August 9, 2022August 10, 2022

Giveaway Ends 8/10

IR– What does it mean to you to be called an author?

KD– That I am privileged to have been given the gift of writing, the gift to tell a story and touch someone’s heart and senses. If I can pull the reader into my stories, make them feel my characters, and evoke their emotions, then to me this is being successful as an author

IR– Can you tell us a bit about your story and its main characters?

KD– Sins of our Sons is a story about prejudice, pressure, friendship, and truth. It’s the story of four young men and their fight to be happy. Two young adults, Greg and Tyler, have a moment of passion by the moonlight while on a school outing, and are caught by onlookers spying on them and reported. From that moment, their bond and love are being tested. In another city, Neil, a twenty something adult, has had a well-kept secret since his teenage years and his girlfriend Amanda is floored when she finds out. Trying to cope with his secret out in the open, Neil is also being bullied by those who love him.

IR– What inspired the idea for your book?

KD– My inspiration came from an article I came upon while doing some research for this book. The article talked about the ordeal a young man went through when his parent’s found out he was gay. Then I began researching what some other young men were subjected to, especially what goes on in other countries if you are an LGBTQ+.

IR– What was the most surprising thing you learned in writing this book?

KD– That although society has come a long way in embracing the LGBTQ+ community, there is still work to be done. There is still hate, hate crime happening every day. Pain and suffering is still prevalent in the LGBTQ+ community as a result of deep rooted belief that same sex love is a sin, it’s evil and an abnormal behavior.

IR– Tell us about a favorite character from the book.

KD– Greg Miller. He has courage, he has integrity for an eighteen-year-old. He understands what love feels like and he will fight for it and protect the one he loves regardless of what happens to him.

IR– Can you share a day in your life as an author?

KD– I’m usually up early. I sit at my computer with a coffee, check my emails, and read the news. Then after walking the dogs, I grab another coffee, and read the scene I wrote the day before, because sometimes I think of something else to add to the scene as I get to bed to make it better, then I continue writing the story, scene after scene. I dedicate at least two hours of writing in a day, I most often write for longer. The time that I write the most is in the evenings.

IR– Have you always wanted to be an author?

KD– I’ve always liked to write and the idea of becoming an author came later in life. The actual sitting down and writing a book happened when I retired from my day-to-day job. That was the beginning of realizing my dream of writing a book.

IR– How do you avoid or defeat writer’s block?

KD– I walk away and go do an activity. In the past, running on the treadmill seemed to work. I thought of the scene I was stuck in and what had happened in the scenes before, and it usually works for me. Instead of staring at a blank page, or being stuck in writing a scene and not sure of the direction the scene should go, I’d rather walk away, take a break and come back to it.

IR– What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

KD– The best advice I’ve received from other writers and publishers was “Show don’t Tell”. Another piece of advice is don’t give up, tell your story. We all have stories to tell inside of us.

IR– What are you working on in the near future?

KD– I’m currently working on a murder mystery novel set in a small town. The murder that took place shook this quiet little town.

IR– What comes first for you — the plot or the characters?

When I’m preparing to write a new story, what I develop first is the plot and while I’m developing the plot, the characters are added.

IR– Who is your audience?

KD– The LGBTQ+, Young Adult, Adult, Fiction readers, M/M romance

IR– How would you describe your writing style?

KD– It would be descriptive. I’m an emotional writer as well. The emotions that my characters feel I feel them too. I’ve seen myself cry after writing an emotional scene.

IR– Which of your books would you recommend to readers who haven’t read your work before and why?

KD– As I have written two books so far, I would recommend either one of them Stolen Heart or Sins of our Sons. They both talk about the resiliency of the human spirit. Either story could provide inspiration for someone to keep going no matter how the cards of life are dealt to them.

IR– What is your all-time favorite book or author?

KD– Dan Brown is one of my favorite authors. This author has not influenced my writing but has given me the courage to try my hand at writing mystery into my own novel.

IR– What do you look for in a story as a reader?

KD– Romance, a story that will immerse me into the life of the main character, a story that will make me cry, laugh or bring me out of my shell.

IR– Aside from writing or reading, what are your hobbies or interests?

KD– Traveling: We travel to sun destinations twice a year. Sewing: I took a designer course and I’ve created wedding dresses along with bridesmaid ones. I’m a big fan of fashion, If I like what I see in a magazine, I will most likely make it for myself. Makeup: I took a makeup artist course as well and offer my services for weddings and family.

IR– If you could have lunch with 3 authors what would all talk about during lunch?

KD– Dan Brown, Stephen King, and Michael Crichton: I would pick their brain on their book preparation methodology, their research time, and what they love the most about writing.

IR– If you had your own talk show, what would the topic be?

KD– The devastating effects of Conversion Therapy and I would invite Researchers and Medical experts.

IR– If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?

KD–

Greg: Ansel Elgort
Tyler: Sebastian Croft
Neil: Lucas Edge
Trevor: Tyler Posey
Amanda: Chloe Grace Moretz

IR– Name three fun facts about you or your work.

KD–

*I love to cook
*I did drag once
*I taught jazz dance to kids

IR– If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

Bring peace in the world. No more wars.

Book Title: Sins of our Sons

Author: Kristian Daniels
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: May 28, 2022
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Forbidden love, murder, conversion therapy
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness, hate crime, love
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 94 000 words/ 333 pages
It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Extasy Books

Contemporary MM Romance, murder, conversion therapy

Blurb

Young lovers Greg and Tyler secretly meet to spend time together, until a moment of passion by the moonlight throws their lives into chaos. When their parents learn about their little escapade, it opens a Pandora’s box that spreads family discord, resentment, and heartaches. When someone adds fuel to an already fragile situation, things get out of hand quickly. Will these two young lovers stay safe? How much can they endure before they break?

Read an excerpt:

Nestled in southwest Alberta’s rolling foothills lies the quaint little town of Cardston—the Miller and Bradshaw families’ hometown. Cardston straddled the Lee Creek valley and served as a shopping and tourist hub for southwest Alberta, and was the unrivalled centre of Mormon life in Canada. Three-quarters of the town’s residents belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while the other quarter was Catholic and Baptist. The town’s social life revolved around family life, team sports and religion.

Greg Miller was the captain of the town football team, the Cardston Cougars, and the proud son of John and Teresa Miller. Greg’s parents owned the only shoe store in town, where Greg helped on weekends and summer holidays.

Greg and his teammates had been busy preparing for their next big game against the Calgary Golden Bears; it was the Cougars’ opportunity to bring back home the trophy they lost to the Bears three years ago. Unfortunately, John and Teresa couldn’t be there to cheer on their son—John had his business to run, and since Greg would be in Calgary, his mother would have to be at the store instead. Sales had been down, and closing for even one day could cause the family hardship in the coming months. Tyler had attended Greg’s practices ever since they met. You could tell in Tyler’s eyes how proud he was of his boyfriend―his secret boyfriend. Unfortunately, Greg and Tyler needed to be discreet and hide when they wanted to meet, a drawback of living in a small religious town.

It was Greg’s last year of high school, and if his team won the game, it could mean a scholarship for him at the University of Alberta and a golden chance to play for the Golden Bears. Over dinner, Greg asked his parents once more if they were sure they couldn’t make the game.

His father looked at him and said, “Sorry, Greg. I wish we could go, but we can’t close the business. You know how important November is to us.”

“Can’t you ask Steve to cover for you?”

“No. Steve has decided to move on, and even if he was still with us, I don’t have the money to pay for him to replace me. I’m sorry, son, you’ll have to do this one on your own.”

“You don’t need us there,” his mother said. “You’ll do just fine.”

“I know. It would have been nice to have you guys there, that’s all. But I understand,” Greg said.

“Besides,” his mother said, “if we went, we’d need a hotel room and Calgary’s expensive.”

Greg nodded and lowered his head. He quietly finished his meal, took his empty plate to the dishwasher, and went to his room. He turned on his computer and browsed the internet for anything and nothing, then went and laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Bummer. I’ll probably be the only guy whose parents won’t be there.

He texted Tyler about meeting up. Thirty minutes later, Greg stopped by the living room and told his parents he was going out. He hopped on his bike and met his boyfriend, Tyler, at Lee Creek Park.

Unlike Greg, who was a Catholic, Tyler was Baptist. Tyler thought being Baptist was very similar to other denominations, but their parents thought differently. A typical week for Tyler was packed with religion, beginning with a seminar at six in the morning, youth group on Wednesdays, and bible school on Sunday. In high school, Tyler was referred to as the boy who didn’t drink, smoke, or hook up with girls. There was nothing he’d like more than to be like the other guys his age, but his religion forbade it, as did his parents.

Tyler was already at the park when Greg arrived, sitting near the creek, leaning against a tree and lost in his thoughts. Greg quietly approached him from behind the tree and grabbed one of his arms.

“What the…” Tyler jerked his arm away, and Greg burst out laughing.

“You scared me,” Tyler said.

“How’s it going, dude?”

“Okay. And you? Ready for the big game?”

“I think so, but it’s a bummer my folks can’t come.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Yeah, but what can you do?” Greg said with a shrug.

“Would you like me to be there? I can be your cheering section in the audience,” Tyler said with a smile.

“You would do that?”

“Of course.”

“That would be so cool. We could rent a room for after the game.”

“Won’t you have one already?”