INTERVIEW with KRISTI AYERS

One Petal Flower

           Kristi Ayers is from Blanchard, Oklahoma and she writes in the YA genre.

Her most recent work is One Petal Flower

In the author's words, here is a summary of One Petal Flower:

Darian Moon would give anything to be close to Jonas again. Despite reassurances from a friend that her late boyfriend is still around, she is willing to sacrifice everything to be with him, even her own life...

Two forces, motivated by different goals, wage a battle for her heart and soul, leaving Darian to decide which route to take in order to get back to the boy whose soul will not cross over until she finds another who will earn from her, a one petal flower.

Ayers says that her ideas come about in this way. “It usually comes to me in a dream or daydream. I will often get away from everything and go to a quiet place to daydream. The story will take shape in my mind, and if I'm lucky, the dialogue will too. I tend to write something that I would enjoy reading, which usually contains teenagers finding love. One Petal Flower is a paranormal young adult novel, but I will also be writing contemporary young adult too.” In fact, the paranormal figures greatly in Ayers’ life. “I am part of a paranormal investigations team in Oklahoma. I enjoy studying the unexplained with the use of voice recorders and other equipment. I enjoy visiting creepy places and hope to travel to many unique places.”

Ayers’ inspiration to create has been a lifelong experience. “I've always loved writing. Words can evoke so many emotions; it's just magical. It's also a great escape to create a different person's story. I have enjoyed reading so many wonderful books that I wanted to give back and (hopefully) entertain people too.” Ayers, when reflecting about other authors, states, “MANY {have} influenced my work. I have never taken a writing class and have basically learned to write after reading many books. I was 13 years old when I read my first V.C. Andrews book. That started my passion for writing.” She has many favorite authors, both old and new. “My favorite genre is young adult. My favorite will have to be Stephenie Meyer because her writing is beautiful, but I must also mention: Laura Whitcomb (A Certain Slant of Light), John Green (Looking for Alaska), Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry), Justina Chen Headley (North of Beautiful), Jandy Nelson (The Sky is Everywhere), Julie Rieman Duck (A Place in This World), Jennifer L. Armentrout (Obsidian), Jennifer Echols (The Boys Next Door), Jessica Park (Flat-Out Love), and Tess Oliver (Camille, A Little Less Girl). Each is for a different reason, whether it's because of the story line, lyrical writing, or they entirely blew me away with a plot I didn't see coming. Javier Robayo (The Gaze, The Next Chapter) is an author that writes so beautifully that I feel like I'm directly in the book. My brain feel like it's getting a long overdue massage when I'm reading his books.”

Of course, all writers have challenges. Ayers cites, as her main trial, “Editing and revising! I go over everything so many times that I quit paying attention to what I need to be doing. That's when I have to take a day or two off so I can get focused again.” She finds in promoting her work “word of mouth has been the most effective.”

Ayers’ beautiful cover for One Petal Flower was designed by, “My good friend from grade school, Carrie Skinner. She is a wonderful photographer.”

You can find Kristi Ayers’ work in a variety of places, and the point of origin is: www.kristiayersauthor.com 

“Like” Ayers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorkristiayers and follow her on Twitter at @kristi_ayers