Kristin Kisska joins the blog this week the discuss her novel, The Hint of Light
Author Name: Kristin Kisska
Book Title: The Hint of Light
Book Genre: Women’s Fiction and Domestic Suspense
Release Date: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Welcome, Kristin! How would you describe The Hint of Light?
When a grieving mother learns that her late son may have fathered a child, she desperately searches for the granddaughter she never knew existed.
What sparked the idea for this book?
A few years ago, we lost someone near and dear to me suddenly. In the aftermath of his death, I wondered an author’s age-old question, What if… In this case, it was What if he’d left behind a child we didn’t know about? The Hint of Light became a fictional manifestation of my wish.
What drew you to women’s/upmarket fiction?
I fell into Women’s Fiction accidentally. While I read a lot of book club fiction, I’ve always written within the mystery genre, especially suspense and thriller. But this novel was a passion project of mine. While I wrote it, I let the characters drive the story instead of my plot outline. Et voila! I was surprised as anyone else that I’d crafted a work of Women’s Fiction. That said, I had to include some domestic suspense, because that’s how I’m wired.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
After reading my novel, I hope that readers will believe in second chances.
What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
Before I wrote my first novel, I assumed the bulk of the process would be drafting it. While writing the first draft is critical, I found out later that revising it is where all the story’s magic happens. In each of the four novels I’ve since written, I probably revised the manuscript more than a dozen times. And even after selling my squeaky clean and polished debut novel to a publisher, we revised it even more.
Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
First, remember that a lot of what happens in the publishing industry is beyond the author’s control. Managing what you can control (keep writing, keep querying agents, keep improving your craft, keep networking, and keep a positive, professional attitude) will help improve your odds of being published.
My second piece of advice is to celebrate all the wins, whether they are little or big. Writing is a long journey. Every milestone and achievement counts.
Where can readers find you?
Website – www.KristinKisska.com
Twitter – @KKMHOO
Facebook & Instagram – @KristinKisskaAuthor
Thank you, Kristin! The Hint of Light is out now.
The Hint of Light
In the wake of her son’s sudden death, Margaret Dobrescu struggles to keep it together in the face of her grief…and her guilt. She can’t help but blame herself for Kyle’s own lifelong struggles—namely, the alcoholism that plagued him.
But within mere days of his funeral, secrets and suspicions begin to surface, and Margaret’s husband admits that Kyle once confessed to having a daughter. Clinging to the hope that some part of her son is still out there, Margaret embarks on a search to find her rumored granddaughter.
What Margaret hasn’t prepared for, however, is the deluge of secrets that keep coming. And as she digs deeper and deeper into her son’s life to find the truth, what she finds instead is that her own secrets can’t stay buried forever.
Author bio:
Kristin Kisska is a native of Virginia, where she currently resides with her family and their moody tabby, Boom. She holds a BS in commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Northwestern University. She is the author of a dozen short stories published in anthologies. The Hint of Light is her debut novel.
Kristin loves hearing from friends and readers at www.KristinKisska.com.