Indie Spotlight – K. E. Andrews

Today I am welcoming K. E. Andrews into the Indie Spotlight.

K.E. Andrews has always been an avid reader, which sparked her passion for writing at an early age. Most days she spends her time daydreaming about stories and making mood boards. When she’s not writing, she tends to her plants, plans out her next crafting project, and binge-watches shows on Netflix. She currently lives in Powder Springs, Georgia with her family and three cats.

Email: redheadwriter@gmail.com, 
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Kandrews95

Welcome to my blog!

What made you decide to publish your books independently? What was your path to publication?

In college, I always thought self-publishing was overly complicated and didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I had fully intended to pursue traditional publishing for my fantasy book. I spent a few years querying, getting numerous rejections, and then eventually, I decided to look into self-publishing because I had a few friends who had pursued that path. While there are a lot of parts that go into getting a book ready to publish and ready to launch, I realized that it wasn’t as confusing and scary as I originally thought. I had always had a certain cover idea in mind and wanted to write at my pace and have creative freedom with creating the artwork for my book, so self-publishing seemed like a good fit.

What made you decide to write in the specific genre rather than other genres? Have you ever written in other genres?

Fantasy has always been my favorite genre, but I didn’t know much about dark fantasy or grimdark until I read Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Thorns. My main character is morally gray, and I’ve been drawn to those kinds of characters that make questionable choices and, while they aren’t heroes, can still have compelling stories. I like being able to add some grittiness to my stories without it being utterly hopeless, so dark fantasy has been a great genre to explore. I started out writing poetry, but I try to bring that same way of describing things that I could do in poetry to fantasy. Even though I love dark fantasy, I do eventually want to write some cozy fantasy.

Do you only read the genres you write?

I like to think I’ve got a pretty wide reading palate. While I prefer a good fantasy story, I also like poetry, memoirs, historical fiction, sci-fi, and some nonfiction books. There are very few things I won’t read (like rom-coms). If a book has compelling characters and can hold my interest, then the genre doesn’t matter as much to me.

What are you currently reading? Watching on TV? Listening to?

I’m currently reading Curse of the Fallen by H C Newell, Conviction by Carmel McMurdo Audsley, and Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore 

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to read a lot to become a better writer and to join a writing/critique group. Reading a lot helps you refine your craft and learn from other authors. A writing group helps with that refinement process more. My book would not have been published without my writer’s group. Their feedback helped to shape the book and challenged me to really hone the story into what it is today.

What are you working on right now? What can we look forward to seeing from you next?

Currently, I have taken a short break from revisions for the second book in my Grinning Assassin trilogy to work on another standalone fantasy story called Hills of Heather and Bone. This is a softer sort of fantasy story I’m calling cozy angst, and it’s Celtic-inspired. I’m hoping to publish that in the spring/summer. In addition to that, I’m working on getting some short stories published this year and then pick up revisions for book 2 again later in the year.

Thank you for joining me in the Indie Spotlight today. I wish you every success with your books. Celtic inspired cozy angst sounds right up my alley – i’ll be on the lookout for that one!

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The Assassin of Grins and Secrets

Once the infamous assassin who killed with a smile, Serein now waits for death in the fighting pits of the Harpy’s Chest. When the crown prince of Sarddon, Rameses al-Amirmoez, seeks her out with an offer of freedom if she serves as his guard, she must decide whether to work for those who ravaged her homeland or die.

Rameses wants to believe that the war his father started was justified, but he has heard rumors and seen a cruelty in his father that causes him to question everything he’s been told. To find answers, he needs Serein.

Uriah Stormheir, Captain of the Oyon’s city guard, finds himself caught between his duty to the crown and his friendship with Rameses. His distrust for Rameses’ new guard runs deep. As Uriah wrestles with guilt from his past, he must work alongside the dangerous assassin whose true motives are hidden underneath her scars and dark grins.

In a land of hot sands and dying magic, Serein plays the game of secrets with Uriah and Rameses, knowing one wrong step could end her life. As the shadows of her past catch up with her, she has to choose between pursuing vengeance and protecting a secret only she knows.

Goodreads | Amazon

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