Hello Readers,

I’m happy to announce that author interviews are officially back! To start things off, I wanted to interview someone I know personally, and who better than Vanessa Kramer, dark fantasy and romance author?

Last year I did a bunch of local events in Kansas City, and when Vanessa and I kept running into each other, we quickly became good friends. I’ve been dying to know more about her creative aspirations and process, so let’s take some time to get to know her and show her some love!

Vanessa Kramer

Bio:

My name is Vanessa Kramer. I live in Blue Springs, MO with my husband, two sons, and cat. I’ve had a passion for writing ever since my second grade teacher told me I would make a great writer. I’ve always had a passion for storytelling and that, combined with my love of books and film (especially horror) and my vivid imagination, have equipped me with the tools I need to become a writer.

My “normal people job” is running an in-home daycare Monday-Friday. I’m also the Author Relations Director for KC Book Beat, a nonprofit that helps connect the local literary community. When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading, spending time with my family, or spending time outside. I love coffee, football, Studio Ghibli films, and the color purple!

Social Media Links

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

GoodReads

Amazon

The Interview

Hi Vanessa, thanks so much for stopping by. To keep things interesting, I like to ask my interviewees a random question to get the blood flowing. Here’s yours!

In a strange twist of fate, you inherit a vast fortune from an unknown relative that has recently passed. What do you do with the money?

Vanessa: I would first pay off my house so I could quit my “normal people job” so I could write full time and dedicate more time to KC Book Beat. I’d also take my family on vacation to Universal Studios. We went a few years ago and would love to go back. Whatever is left would go toward KC Book Beat and my author expenses. I know the polite answer is to give some to family members but knowing my parents and in-laws, they’d decline.

Jonny: Oh, these are some wonderful ways to celebrate your newfound wealth! I haven’t been to Universal since the mid 90s and I’m pretty sure nearly everything is different now. I’d also quit the 9 to 5 and just focus on writing. That and use my financial knowledge to make a lot of investments so I can just live off the interest.

Vanessa and the Writing Process

Tell us a little bit about your writing.

Vanessa: My first book I ever wrote and published was “My Mother’s Spirit,” a Young Adult paranormal mystery. I was young and desperate to have a book published, so I paid a vanity publisher $2,000. All I got in return was a published book. No editing, no marketing, nothing. I really loved the idea behind the story, but was always embarrassed to claim it because it was such low quality. Fast forward to the pandemic and I had plenty of time to write “Great Divide,” a dark fantasy novel heavily based off one of my favorite movies, “Constantine.”

It received such wonderful feedback that I decided to write the sequel, “Great Desolation,” which was published this last October. At the same time, I contacted the vanity publisher and, though I had multiple hoops to jump through, reclaimed the rights to “My Mother’s Spirit.” I rewrote some of it, making it 1,000 times better, and published that in November. And since I have to CONSTANTLY be working on something, I started writing “Temporarily, Forever,” a tragic romance, which is set to be released on Valentine’s Day this year. I am currently writing the third and final book in the Great series and hope to have that published by October 2025. I am also planning a creature feature horror novel, which I am super excited about.

Jonny: You know, I’ve heard warnings about vanity presses in online communities but I never knew you went through this experience. I’m so sorry! I’d venture to say we all learn from the experiences we’ve had and I think you came out on top of it and shine brighter because of it.

Congrats on your new book release! I’m dying to release a book on a holiday at some point, and you already know I’m dying to hear your thoughts on your creature feature. I’d love to be an alpha or ARC reader of yours!

How do you find inspiration to write?

Vanessa: Most of my ideas come from either nightmares I’ve had or fears I have. “Great Divide” and “Great Desolation” stem from my religious trauma. I grew up in a strict religion that not only scared me but also made me feel guilty. I’ve always found different religious beliefs and mythology/pantheons incredibly interesting, so I decided to write a book where bits and pieces from all of them are true. The book deals with some really heavy topics that I’ve had personal experiences with, such as cancer, homophobia, suicide, and and sexual assault. The main character goes on a journey that starts off as a rescue mission for her “true love” but becomes a story of self-discovery.

“My Mother’s Spirit” was originally written as a way to deal with the negative feelings I had towards my mother when I was younger. When I regained the rights to it and started going over the story, it was blatantly obvious that it was written by a hurt and angry teenage girl. So I stripped it down to bare bones and turned it into a story of my healed feelings towards my mother. The book deals with generational trauma, which is something I, like a lot of people, deal with and try to end.

“Temporarily, Forever” was my attempt at romance, but because I’m a sick and twisted individual, it has some darkness in it as well. My biggest fear is losing my family in a mass shooting…so of course I wrote a book about that exact thing. The common theme in all of my books is grief/trauma, and my hope is that readers heal from reading them the same way I have from writing them.

Jonny: Wow, I had no idea that’s where your inspiration comes from! Personally I’ve had chronic nightmares since I was a kid, many of them paranormal, so I like to think that my creative mind just never shuts up whether I’m asleep or not, haha!

Yeah, those are some pretty heavy topics, but I think readers can see themselves in stories that center on those themes. I was raised religious, and the fallout from those experiences definitely had an impact on me (I’m spiritual nowadays, but not religious). I can totally relate to the fear of mass shootings. They’re so prevalent here in the states and a sad reflection of our nation.

Me too! It’s ironic how often grief, trauma, and loss are present in all of my stories, but I think that’s a universal theme so many of us are familiar with intimately. And showing how characters can overcome devastating circumstances is really inspirational in itself.

What kind of setting do you write in most times?

Vanessa: I usually just try and write whenever I find time to! Whether it’s when all of the daycare kids are napping, in the evenings when my husband is entertaining my boys, or on the weekends when we’re all having chill time, I will try and get something out whenever I have the chance. I do create playlists for my books because I’m a huge fan of music and I think certain music really makes a scene better. My ideal setting is in Colorado in the mountains with nonstop coffee being served to me. But music will always be a big part of my writing process.

Jonny: Seriously, the struggle is real for us authors we aren’t able to write full time! I do something similar writing in random little pockets of time, usually quick sessions before work, at lunch, and after work in the evening.

Yes, music is everything! I don’t create playlists per se, but there have been times when I discover an ambient track and my mind lights up like a lightbulb and I think “This is that scene of my book!” I basically live my life with an ambient track to reflect my current mood whether I’m writing or not.

Fun Facts About Vanessa

Who are your favorite writers?

Vanessa: Stephen King is my favorite author, and a huge inspiration for me. I’ve read so many of his books, some multiple times. “Desperation” is my absolute favorite book and I’m pretty sure I’ve read it seven times. My first book of his I’ve ever read was “Salem’s Lot” and from then on, I was hooked on all things horror. I’m also a sucker for all of the books I read in high school and into college like “The Hunger Games,” the Harry Potter series, and Twilight (yes, I’m a “rattie”). Mark Millar is another favorite writer of mine and his Chosen series was a big inspiration for my Great series.

Jonny: I’m not surprised by King being one of yours. There’s a lot of great ones! I loved Later, Carrie, and The Eyes of the Dragon. Oh, I really enjoyed the Hunger games too and read Twilight when I was in my early 20s. Great recommendations all around.

I change from year to year, so some of my recent favorites are Brian McAuley, Iseult Murphy, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Shirley Reva Vernick.

What are you reading now?

Vanessa: Lights Out. Don’t judge me. I’m in my dark romance era. I absolutely love mysteries, but the last three I’ve read, I guessed the “who done it” very early on. So I’m changing it up a bit. Okay, changing it up a lot.

Jonny: No judgment here! Actually based on the cover it looks really interesting. I’m a big fan of switching it up. You never know when something will stick even if it’s not your typical cup of tea. I’ve always avoided romance, but I ended up loving The Notebook and similar books when I read it.

What did you read as a kid? What stuck with you the most?

Vanessa: I read A LOT of books as a kid. While other kids were outside playing, I was cooped up in my room with a book. I lived in a low-income household, so I had to find cheap/free ways to entertain myself. And since library books are free, I was checking out the maximum amount every time I went. I was really into the Animorphs series, Bailey School Kids, and Goosebumps. At one time, I won all twelve books of The Nightmare Room series by R.L. Stine, and all of them were signed. I ended up losing the books and to this day, I sometimes wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of night thinking about losing those books.

Jonny:  You were a very smart kid! Libraries are so great for finding good reads, especially if you don’t have money to go out and buy a book. I lived in a low-income household myself but relied on the whole begging my mom thing in hopes that she would buy me more books. It worked pretty often, but then again books were like $5 back then.

OMG yes! I was addicted to Animorphs and Goosebumps as a kid too! No wonder why we’re such good friends. Oh man, that’s quite a loss. If it makes you feel any better, I lost all my childhood books and have been slowly rebuying and reading them just for nostalgia’s sake.

What has been your most bizarre life experience?

Vanessa: Do I have to pick just one? I sang “Blue Moon” to Toby Keith in a K-Mart when I was a kid. Why was he at a K-Mart? What was going through his mind while he sat there and listened to me sing the whole song?

Here’s another good one: When I was in high school, I saw Fall Out Boy at City Market with my best friend, however, I never got to see Fall Out Boy. A girl was crowd surfing and the guys behind us couldn’t hold her up so they dropped her. On my head. And knocked me unconscious. So instead of getting to see my favorite band at the time, I was sitting in the hospital with a concussion until 4:00 am the next day.

Aaaaand last bizarre thing, just for fun. I saw Fleetwood Mac when I was a preteen and after the show, my mom and I stood out back by the tour bus. When the band came out, I was so excited to see Stevie Nicks, I reached out to her and said (okay, I probably screamed at her), “Stevie, please sign something for me!” She snapped at me harshly and yelled, “NO!” as she recoiled from me and ran to the bus. I’d like to think that maybe I startled her or maybe she was just having a rough day. But I stand by the saying, “Never meet your heroes.”

Jonny: Aw, you sang to Toby Keith! Dang, the closest I’ve ever gotten to seeing a celebrity was the twin brother of Richard Karn from Home Improvement at a Wal Mart. Oh, and Jordin Sparks at a club playing pool shortly after she won American Idol.

Oh goodness, that’s crazy! That sucks that you didn’t get to experience Fall Out Boy. I always thought crowd surfing was a myth from movies, but apparently it’s real … and dangerous!

Haha! You made me laugh with that last one. I can totally picture it in my head. Hey, at least you tried, right? And no concussion!

If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

Vanessa: It gets better, I promise.

Jonny: So true! Writing starts off as a very confusing endeavor for pretty much everyone I know. I lucked out by joining some online communities (*cough cough* Scribophile!) early on that helped show me the way and highly recommend that to new writers. There’s real strength in community.

Vanessa and Her Works

Tell us about your upcoming book.

Vanessa: “Temporarily, Forever” is a dual point of view, so the chapters go back and forth between the main male character and the main female character, how they deal with their grief, and how they develop unexpected feelings for each other. People grieve and heal in different ways and this book portrays that.

Jonny: Oh I love this cover, and I’m a fan of multiple POVs. It’s a great way to cover a story in different perspectives. I can’t wait for it to come out!

How did you come up with the title for this book?

Vanessa: It has significant meaning in the book (can’t spoil anything though). But I sometimes think about if I were to go before my husband, I would want him to do whatever he had to to be happy and move on as best as possible. Even if that meant finding someone new. When you marry someone, you make vows for it to be forever. Sometimes though, whether it be divorce or the death of a spouse, forever doesn’t end up happening. So sometimes your forever with someone has to be temporary.

Jonny: Haha, can’t blame me to trying to get the inside scoop! I like your reflection and how that contributes to the naming of the title. I have a feeling this is going to be an “all the feels” book for sure.

What did you find was the hardest part about writing this book?

Vanessa: Writing the shooting. One thing I wanted to make absolutely sure of was to not have the focus be on the actual shooting. My characters don’t see it take place, so there are no graphic scenes of people getting hurt. I don’t go into much detail about the shooter other than a brief explanation of why he did it. I don’t even give the shooter a name. I refuse to romanticize violence and the sole purpose of the shooting is to be the reason for the grief portrayed. I know it’s an extremely touchy subject, and a problem in our country. I’m always terrified of it happening to my family since there are so many places they’ve happened at and could happen at. Having two children in school is a constant worry. Since the main male character also loses his son in the shooting, thinking about what that would feel like was very difficult for me to get through.

Jonny: I totally understand why you wouldn’t want to write that part. So many of us have been exposed to all the violence, and it can be very triggering and traumatic. I find that writing something dark based on something that actually happened or could happen to be the hardest thing for me to do. I think you made a good call, and you can still capture the devastation of the event through your characters even if they weren’t in the crossfire when it happens.

Okay, Vanessa, it looks like our time here’s almost up. Before we go, do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events, and special offers?

Vanessa: I’m in the process of getting a website made and hopefully that will be ready soon! But you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and TikTok (assuming it’s still around). My upcoming events are Boozy Book Fair on February 22nd, Rendezvous with Romance on March 1st, Young Readers Lit Fest on April 5th, Lit & Libations on May 10th, Sip & Shop on May 31st, Hutch Comic Con on June 21st, and Lit & Libations again on November 8th. I have some other events I’m in the process of planning, but I’d love for everyone to follow me for updates!

Jonny: Yes! I love your posts and the funny shorts that you create always lift my mood. I’m a diehard WordPress person, so if that’s the route you end up taking with your website I’m always happy to give some nuggets of wisdom I’ve gained over the years. Thanks again for agreeing to do this with me, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

That’s a Wrap!

Alrighty bookworms, that wraps up my interview with Vanessa Kramer. I had a great time chatting it up with her, and I hope you enjoyed the experience too!

If you’d like to learn more about Vanessa and her work, she can be reached at the social media links provided at the beginning of this post.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a great day!

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