KIMI FLORES

PLEASE WELCOME THE AMAZINGLY TALENTED KIMI FLORES.

 

Hi Kimi

Tell us a little about yourself? 

From my official bio – Kimi grew up in the San Gabriel Valley (mostly Alhambra) and still lives in Southern California. She's been married to her high-school sweetheart and prom date for over 20 years and they have two hilarious boys.

When she's not reading or writing, Kimi spends her time in the kitchen trying to come up with vegan meals that don't taste like cardboard. Her family might disagree with this however. Although she doesn't loyally follow nor have a favorite teams/athletes, Kimi loves a good hockey game or motorcross/x-treme sports event.

Volunteering is extremely important to her and her family work with several local non-profit organizations. A portion of her sales will always go to charity.

Books 1-3 in the Intertwined Hearts series are available now and book 4, Grafted Vines (Dani & Zachary's story) is anticipated to release in early 2015.

 How would you describe your books?

My books are sweet romances with a bit of humor and snark. I strive to make my characters as real as possible and relatable. My first book is completely clean and the second, third and soon to be fourth all include fade to black non descriptive sex scenes with mature language.

 

What genre is your work mainly? Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping (if not already) to explore new ventures?

I currently write Contemporary Romance novels but I’m exploring a few new ideas that are more in the general fiction genre.  

 

Share with us a quote from one of your favourite characters in your books?

Stefen Hunter (from It all Started with a Lima Bean) – “I’m every woman’s type. I’m flexible like that.”

 

Is it hard to come up with new ideas and / or plots?

That’s actually the easiest part for me.  I have at least 20 books roaming around in my head and most of them have book titles and the characters are named.

 

What inspired you to write your book?

I’ve watched my 16-year old son (who has Asperger’s) push through his insecurities and struggles in order to get what he wants and realized that I had no excuse not to shoot for my dreams as well.

 

Who is the easiest character to write for and why? Hardest and why?

Stefen Hunter has been the easiest character for me to write so far because he was such an arrogant jerk but I saw his heart and knew he had redeemable qualities.

Dani Valdez (the character in my current WIP) is the hardest because she is filled with misguided loneliness and her self-esteem diminishes the more time passes and the more guys she encounters.  She breaks my heart.

 

Without giving anything away, what is/are your favourite scenes in your book (s)?

This is hard.  I love so many scenes.  Especially the funny ones. But one of my favorites is from An Exceptional Twist when Stefen and Leah are driving away from their friend’s winery and Stefen’s admits (without naming anyone) that he is in love.

 

EXCERPT:

He needed her to really hear what he had to say. “I want someone who doesn’t want me, and I’m losing my fucking mind every damn day.”

“Leah, I dug my hole a long time ago. I’m not getting out anytime soon.” Looking deep into her waiting eyes, he felt his heart constrict. Again, his mouth moved quicker than his brain. “I’m not the guy for her. We could pretend for a while, but ultimately, I don't have what it takes to be her perfect guy.” He used the phrase she had when they’d first met, and he wondered if she’d notice.

She didn’t. “Who is she?” Leah asked the hurt clear on her face.  “Anyone I know?”

He kicked a rock at his feet. “Doesn't matter. I won’t let it go anywhere. For now, I just need a diversion to get my mind off of her.”  The pain in his chest was overwhelming.  He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.  If only this could work, but he wasn’t going to be that selfish jerk when it came to her.

 

Do you have any hobbies?

Reading, reading, reading, cooking, and I’m starting to make my own lotions, body scrubs and body butters.

 

 Do you have a specific writing style?

So far I’ve written in third person, multiple points of view in present tense.

 

 How did you come up with the title?

All of my titles have come to me all on their own. I start visualizing the story, then the titles and character names just pop into my head.

 

How much of the book is realistic? Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

My books are complete fiction but some scenes (mostly the funny ones) are based on true life experiences.  Either mine or people I know.

 

 What books have influenced your life most?

Books don’t necessarily influence my life but they do add value to my time.

 

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Too many to name. I’m very blessed to have some amazing writers who help me out.

 

What book are you reading now?

I’m on a reading binge right now but a few that I’ve recently finished and LOVED are Blindness by Ginger Scott, Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson,

 Mr. X by Clarissa Wild, The Boss series by Abigail Barnette, Phenomenal X by Michelle A. Valentine, the Finding Anna series by Sherri Hayes and

 Decker's Wood by Kirsty Dallas

 

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I started writing in elementary school.  Several of my teachers thought I would become a children’s book author…go figure.

 

 Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I don’t have any solid excerpts yet, but I’m currently working on a story that will go into an anthology that will benefit the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  At the same time, I’m also working on the 4th book in my Intertwined Hearts book series, “Grafted Vines”

 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Yeah, pushing past my dyslexia.  I get lots of “that doesn’t make sense” notes from my critique partner, lol.

 

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

There are WAY too many to name but all of my favorites paint brilliant pictures and make me feel their characters stories.

 

 Who designed the covers?

Cover to Cover Designs created all of my covers.

 

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Hands down, focusing.

 

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Avoid drama at all costs, don’t pay attention to numbers and always remember why you started writing in the first place.

 

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you so much for all of the support and encouraging words.  

There were days that those were what kept me moving along.

 

What is your favourite genre to write?

Romance

 

What is your favourite genre to read?

Romance

 

How long have you been writing for?

Since I was young, then I let my lack of self-confidence kill my drive until I turned 40.

 

What is your favorite movie?

I love movies as well.  Anything from The Fast and the Furious movies and James Bond to chick flicks like Blast from the Past.

 I’ll watch everything but horror movies.

 

How difficult is it to come up with one of your amazing plots?

The plots come to me immediately but tend to change as I develop and write out the story.  Most of the time the final product is much different from my original plans.

 

How about characters?  Are they easily born and developed?

 So far they have been easy but I don’t doubt that I will have difficulties at some point.

 

How long does it take you to complete a novel from concept to completion?

Every book is different.  It’s taken me two years to publish 3 novels from concept to competition.

 

What was your first published piece? And how was it to publish your first book?

My first book is, It all Started with a Lima Bean.  It was both exciting and scary to share my story with the world.

 

Have you ever trashed a novel or story before or after finishing it, feeling it wasn't turning out as you planned?

I haven’t trashed any yet, just put them to the side to see if they could be developed further.

 

 Out of all your brilliant characters, which ones were your favourite?

Every one of them brings something special to the series

 

Do you have a special time or place to write?

I wish I could say that I do but I write when scenes play out in my head.  

Unfortunately, that’s at 2am at times.

 

Any funny experiences or quirks you'd like to share with your readers?

Most of the quirks my characters have, are mine as well.  A few examples are, I’m very specific on how I like my coffee (I don’t like frou frou coffee but need my vanilla creamer), I DO NOT enjoy antique stores, I hate spiders and potato bugs, there is only ONE way to hang the roll of toilet paper, I do believe that the right pair of panties can change your outlook, I'm very clumsy and have no filters when it comes to speaking my mind.

 

Which one of your awesome books would you like to see become a movie?

I'm striving to have my first book made in to a movie. I figure that it doesn't hurt to try and it plays out like a movie in my head.

 

What was the worse job you have ever done?

I haven't really had any jobs that I didn't like at the time.

Do you ever get any ideas at random moments, and if so how do you hang on to them?

Oh yeah.  I get ideas in the shower and when I’m driving.  Many times I’ve sat at my computer with a towel on or pulled over to the side of the road and recorded the idea from my cell.  I also take my laptop everywhere so I’ve pulled over, park then pop open the back of my SUV and type away (my character, Caleb did that at the beach in my first book too).

 

 Can you write on demand and under pressure, or do you need time and space before the creativity starts to flow and how do you overcome writers block?

I can’t write on demand, but I do work better under a time crunch.  Writer’s block is awful.  I normally play music, research topics, search images, brainstorm with my critique partner (a lot) and sometimes, just daydream for inspiration when I’m stuck.

FOR ALL OF KIMI FLORES BOOKS GO TO AMAZON NOW, I HAVE

 PERSONALLY READ ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE INTERWINTED HEARTS SERIES AND I RECCOMENED THEM ALL