Biography
I was born a middle class white child in Gary, Indiana, USA. One of the last of a dying breed. I nearly killed my mother and myself making it into the world, seeing as I had the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck (already attempting to accessorise and I hadn’t taken my first breath!). Mom says they took me away, put her back in her room, she looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). She remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.
Nothing’s changed.
All I’ve ever wanted to do was write (well, and be the Queen of the World, but you gotta start small) and I’ve published thirty-one books and counting (shoo!), of which, seven in the Rock Chick Series have been published, three titles in my Colorado Mountain Series, four titles in my 'Burg Series, four in my Dream Man Series and three in my Fantasyland Series. Not to mention, I've introduced readers to a genie, a ghost hunting duo and a SuperWitch. Considering I'm self-published and can write whatever I dang well please, I do. My writing is all over the place. I’ve written about Rock Chicks and Hot Bunch Boys (action, adventure, romance), ghosts, reincarnated lovers, genies, vampires and werewolves (my paranormal/ghost series), serial killers and stalkers... and parallel universes. You can learn about my titles that have been released or that are soon to be released in the Titles section of the website.
Even though I jump genres, there is always a theme to my books… humor (hopefully), engaging characters (again, hopefully) and romance (definitely).
My loves are movies, music, food and fashion and I partake of all of them as often as I can (the middle two more than the others, the former, which takes time I don’t often have and the latter, which takes money I rarely have). In fact, I love food so much, I like to share my good fortune so I put my recipes on offer for you on this page (see top menu and don't miss them, they're awesome!).
I grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and have lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England and thus I'm blessed to have friends and family around the globe. My family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write and growing up it was large and multi-generational. We all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. I grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched). Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as I keep growing up, it keeps getting better.
So here I am, thank goodness.
FAQ
Are you a self-published author?
I am. I have also contracted with Grand Central Publishing who have purchased my Colorado Mountain, Dream Man and Chaos Series. So I'm both self-published and traditionally published.
Are any of your books in print?
Yes. Rock Chick, Rock Chick Rescue, Rock Chick Redemption, Rock Chick Renegade, Rock Chick Revenge, Rock Chick Reckoning and Knight, Creed and Raid are all in print and available on on-line booksellers. You can find links for purchase in my Titles section (top menu, center).
Are you planning on bringing out any of your other titles in print?
This is a consideration. However, the financial investment in self-publishing print books is much higher than eBooks (and this is because publishing in eBook is free!) and the end product is more expensive for the reader than I’d like it to be (something over which I have no control). That does not mean this will never happen and I hope one day it will! If my books are put in print, it will be announced on this website and social media outlets like my Facebook page and my Twitter page.
Why is there a lag between publication of your eBooks and when we see them available in places like Barnes and Noble and Apple?
I publish directly through Smashwords and Kindle Direct Publishing. Smashwords distributes my books to Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony, Kobo and Diesel. First, they must review the book to make certain it is formatted correctly. Then they will schedule it for distribution. Once it is distributed, there is a further lag time for the retailers to make it available on their sites. This causes an unfortunate delay that could be as long as six weeks.
That said, Smashwords offers a variety of formats that can be downloaded and read on nearly all eReaders and once published, books are immediately available for purchase.
How can we know to expect new books coming out?
This website is kept up-to-date and I explain on the home page what’s been recently published, what’s up next and what I’m working on. Further, I keep readers informed through social media sites and my newsletter. I will give dates when I hope to have the books released and I work very hard to reach those self-appointed deadlines so as not to disappoint readers. But life happens all the time (whether fortunately or unfortunately)! Nevertheless, I do my utmost to deliver when expected.
Also, I visit my Facebook and Twitter pages daily and keep readers up-to-date on what I’m doing and generally commune with all who are interested. Facebook is where you’ll hear first about new downloadable sample chapters, where I unveil my book covers, where I announce competitions, etc. If you are not already a member or follower of mine, please join in! The more, the merrier!
How do I subscribe to your newsletter?
You can subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here.
How do I know what future books to expect in certain series?
If you go to the Titles section of this website (top menu, center) and click on the series, there will be a listing at the bottom of what will be coming up next
I’m new to the Kristen Ashley World, is there a way I can check out your work before I purchase?
Absolutely! Each published book has downloadable chapters on this site. Again, see the Titles section, peruse, download and enjoy!
I like to picture people in my head like celebrities when I’m reading. What celebrities do you think of when you think of your characters?
My characters come to me as “real” in my imagination, even secondary characters. This includes how they look, move, dress, talk and think as well as their histories, personalities and motivations. Therefore, I see/hear them very clearly and they are their own entities in my head. So I don’t think of celebrities when I write or read my work. In fact, even after I’m done, it is difficult for me to think of celebrities who fit my characters.
How do stories come to you? What are your inspirations?
Stories come to me all the time and anything can be my inspiration. A television show, a movie, an experience. This will morph and grow then the hero and/or heroine will come to me very strongly (as mentioned above) and they’ll guide me as I go along and take their journey.
For instance, while watching the film Faster, I thought it would be interesting to write a romance with an anti-hero freshly released from prison. As this idea turned in my head, I came up with the idea that the hero had been wrongly imprisoned (unlike the film) and was released with nothing but vengeance on his mind (just like the film). Then Ty Walker of Lady Luck came to me and he came so strong, it is his story I told. But Ty was absolutely not an anti-hero, though he was a wronged man. So I told Ty’s story as it played out in my head.
How do you write? Do you outline, write notes, know how the story will end and work to that?
I make notes only to be certain I close loops during a story. I do not outline or write notes and I only know there will be a happily ever after. I don’t know how I’ll get there; I just know it’ll happen. I simply follow the journey of my characters. It is much like they are living their story in my head, I am a fly on the wall or part of the character’s subconscious and I type out their thoughts, descriptions of places and actions and the dialogue I hear.
This is why dialogue in my books is often colloquial and full of curse words and slang not to mention the narrative of the book is rather free-flowing and usually first person. I write what I hear/see in my head and I write what the character is thinking.
How do I contact you?
Go to the top menu at the right and hit the Contact button. Then just complete the contact form and hit submit. I very much enjoy hearing from readers and try to reply personally to all my communication, so please do not hesitate to contact me. That said, it may take a few days but you will receive an email from me!