Interview: From Single Mom to Best-selling Author with Kyra Davis
Kyra Davis is the best-selling author of the Sophie Katz mystery series and Just One Night series which became the New York Times best selling erotic novella trilogy. We talk about how she started writing and her first book. She’s the second guest included in “Jackie’s Fave 5.”
Below is a summary of our interview:
Quote “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to your courage.” – Anais Nin
Her Journey
When she was a girl, her grandmother wanted Kyra to be a writer. But Kyra wasn’t going to be pushed in one direction. So she threw herself into acting. She did that in college and went to American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. From there, she transferred over to Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and pursued a career in fashion and retail. Then she worked at Nordstrom. But at the time, she was going through a divorce, which was difficult, she was about to become a single mom. So she needed to escape the drama around her and began writing stories; stories that were funny and adventurous. This blossomed into a book called “Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte” – and, thus she started her Sophie Katz mystery series.
[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”B000E21HKG” cloaking=”default” height=”160″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415dT0u3cAL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”purposerockst-20″ width=”160″]A Low Point
Financially, she was devastated and she thought she was going to lose her home. And at the time, she had a 2 year old son. So it was scary. Like actors, who have lost their determination once they’ve accomplished a lot, Kyra need to have something to work towards to be successful in life. To her success is being emotionally stable and being able to support herself was a challenge.
Aha Moment
At the time, she had taken a job at a tennis/sports club. While she did that, 9-11 occurred. So when she was trying to get sponsors at work, she was writing a book. It was about her second chapter in, she realized that this could be something she could do. This was her moment – something to build on. So she had gone to Borders, and got a “how to write a novel” book. Kyra just felt like going for it and did not care about the statistics and went for it.
Her work now
[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”1476773130″ cloaking=”default” height=”110″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Gd1LszfoL._SL110_.jpg” tag=”purposerockst-20″ width=”68″] Deceptive Innocence is about a woman who feels her family is wronged and she comes from the wrong side of the tracks. And she meets this guy Lander who’s out to challenge her theories, and he’s a lot more than she anticipated. So the protagonist starts to question everything that she knew was right. [easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”1476762732″ cloaking=”default” height=”160″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sM4nf71IL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”purposerockst-20″ width=”98″] This is the story of a woman who has been living by everyone else’s rules. Especially her parents. And she gets awoken from the person she’s been trying to suppress, and it explodes the world she built around herself. After she meets this stranger in one night, her world is turned upside. I mean, she falls for the guy she’s not supposed to be with. As she starts gaining power and control, she tries to find a way not to abuse it and still find her individuality. But the women or heroines of Kyra’s books are “real 3-D people.” Somehow they end up hurting someone by mistake. But how the women deal with the consequences, how people come to terms with that is something Kyra has explored throughout all of her books. That was something that interests her very much.What’s exciting Kyra now
She’s really excited about her new book, Dangerous Alliance, the sequel to Deceptive Innocence. And she’s about to start writing a tie-in book to Just One Night, and include the couple in this book, Just One Lie.
Lightning Round
Book Kyra Recommends:
[easyazon_block add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”0061430242″ cloaking=”default” layout=”left” localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” tag=”purposerockst-20″] Give it five to ten pages and you’ll be hooked.Helpful Habit :
Reading a chapter or segment of a book and writing.
Helpful Person:
Kyra’s Fiancé, who’s been helping her on a writing standpoint and she bounces ideas about him. Shout out to him!
Internet Resource:
For the naughty stuff, she goes to Cosmo’s Kama Sutra.
What’s Your Purpose:
“To give people something that will bring them joy or provoke them into thinking about things in their own life.” If she can provide an escape for people, she’s happy to do it. Her purpose definitely is to improve people’s lives.
Where to follow Kyra
You can follow Kyra on Twitter or on Facebook
Parting Words
“If you have a dream or a passion, that can lead you to a career. If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Purpose Rockstars, if you want JUST ONE NIGHT to be yours, tweet @PurposeRockstar. You heard it here, just tweet about this episode, mention us and you get a signed copy from Kyra Davis.
One More Thing
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Jackie Abrams
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