Welcome to this week’s Romance Thursdays interview with Kelly Siskind. If you missed last weeks interview with Helen Hardt, please do check it out. It was fantastic talking with Helen about writing different types of romacne and more

Romance Thursdays is a feature that spotlights romance authors to highlight how amazing the romance writing community is. Each week I’m will be interviewing a different romance author from across subgenres as well as both traditionally and self-published. I want to share their experience writing romance and why they love it so much. While also focusing on their writing and books

Kelly Siskind is the author of the Showmen series, the Over the Top series, the One Wild Wish series and more. She was kind enough to do this interview with me today, so let’s get into it. 

Hi Kelly and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books? 

Fun facts about me: I live in a small town in Ontario and was a competitive downhill ski racer growing up. I also worked as a cook for a number of years and was a high school art teacher. These days my husband and I own a fine cheese and gourmet food store, and I write fun, sexy romantic comedy novels.

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres? 

My first ever draft was actually a YA dystopian novel. It wasn’t until an indie bookstore owner suggested a romance for one of my vacations that I got hooked on the genre. The stories make women feel empowered and sexy, and I feel fortunate to give that gift to others.

 

You mostly stick to writing contemporary romances. What drew you to this sub-genre of romance? 

I love it when romance characters feel real and relatable. For me, this happens most readily in a contemporary real-world setting, hence my draw to write in that lane.

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre? 

I particularly love second-chance romances and enemies-to-lovers. Both those tropes are filled with sexual tension, either through shared history or frustrating, unrequited passion. 

Your latest series ‘Showmen’ explores different types of characters, their lives and some unconventional jobs. How did you arrive at this series and these characters? 

I love writing character-driven stories, and I love adding quirkiness to my novels. It’s challenging to push myself and explore odd occupations, build characters with fun backgrounds. It keeps writing interesting for me, and I think my readers love that they don’t know exactly what to expect from one of my books to the next.

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write? 

There are way too many authors I adore to narrow them down, and I hate leaving out amazing writers when I have to list them. What inspired me to start writing was my love of reading and the idea of creating a world from scratch: being in control of the characters, getting swept away with their actions and choices. Writing is still my greatest escape.

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?  

The more people are honest about the books they love, not calling reading romance a “guilty pleasure” or not admitting they read romance, the more other people will follow their lead. We should own the things we love and the things we don’t. 

Do you currently have any books in the works? Is there anything that you are looking forward to writing, but haven’t started yet? Is there something different that you want to try writing? 

I’m working on the next book in my Showmen series, The Knockout Rule. Because of the characters I’ve created, I’ve dipped my toes into writing poetry in some sections of this book, which has been a wonderful challenge. I’m also starting a new series and have dabbled in writing screenplays recently. So much to write, never enough time!

 

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books! 

And that is it for this weeks interview. I had a lovely time getting to know Kelly Siskind and look forward to reading her books. 

If there is an author that you would like to see featured here, please do let me know and I will try my best. If you are a romance author and would like to be apart of Romance Thursdays, don’t hesitate to message me. 

Have you read a book from Kelly Siskind before? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat! 

About The Author 

A small-town girl at heart, Kelly moved from the city to enjoy the charm of northern Ontario. When she’s not out hiking with her husband or home devouring books, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head. Her novels have been published internationally. 

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