1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When former chef Simone Alexander asks a Magic 8 Ball if she should go to law school and promises to do whatever it says, she’s less than enthusiastic when it says yes. She’s even less thrilled when she finds she has to navigate her hot though sometimes obnoxious classmate Silas Whitman, a harsh professor who seems to have it out for her, and oh yeah, the mounds of work. But as she gets her footing, she discovers things may not be as dire as they seem and that fate may have given her a nudge in the right direction.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I like to write about places I know and like, and I spent three years hanging out in East Lansing. It’s a cute college town and Michigan State University is a beautiful campus so deciding to write about it was easy.
4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I would definitely hang out with end of the book Simone when she’s gotten her feet under her and is more engaged with her friends.
5–What are three words that describe your hero?
Assertive, sweet, and playful
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned sooooo much writing this book, starting with how hard it is to write a book, especially a romance book. There’s so much involved beyond just telling a good story, so it was incredibly humbling and fun learning as I went along. I also picked up quite a bit from my two amazing editors who were incredibly helpful in guiding me through revisions and developmental edits.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both! Editing as I draft helps to remind me what’s happening with my characters so that I can keep their stories straight in my head. The perils of a pantser are real. Editing when I’m done helps me make sure the story makes sense. For my current WIP, I’m trying really hard to just keep writing so that I can explore if drafting moves faster this way. We’ll see how it goes!
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
It’s actually one that’s mentioned in You’ve Been Served that I don’t get to have nearly enough. The ice cream shop on Michigan State’s campus is one of my favorite things ever. Whenever I’m in town,The Dairy Store is one of the first places I visit.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
My husband and I share an office and he was kind enough to give me the window-facing seat, so my desk looks out to our street. It has two bookshelves loaded to the brim with books, a big comfy leather chair that’s mostly for the dogs, and a few of my kid’s toys scattered around. When I’m not writing at home, a good, cozy coffee shop will do the trick.
10–Who is an author you admire?
There are so many that I admire for different reasons, but a few are Jasmine Guillory, Judy Blume, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison…the list goes on!
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
There’s not one solo book that changed my life, but I do remember the first book that made me fall in love with reading. I adored the book Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume when I was in elementary school. I wouldn’t say it changed my life but perhaps it did given that my first step to becoming a writer was falling in love with reading.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
It was toward the end of the year and I had decided last minute to participate one last time in #pitmad. An editor from Entangled already had my book but I hadn’t heard from her so when another editor liked my #pitmad tweet, I told him that it was already under consideration. The first editor decided to pass on it, but the second editor, Alec, loved it and decided to take it to acquisitions. It was one of those, ‘I’m just happy to be nominated’ moments so when he told me it was going to be published, I was stunned. I had to read the email multiple times to believe it. Then asked my husband to read it just to make sure. I was ecstatic.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Of course, I’m partial to romance but honestly, I’ll read almost anything except horror because I’m a wuss.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
One of my absolute favorites is The Birdcage. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane were amazing in it.
15–What is your favorite season?
Fall, hands down. It’s not too hot or too cold, but still rainy and cozy. To me, fall offers the ideal writing weather and scenery.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like to celebrate as long as I can as many ways as I can. I really enjoy going out to dinner with family and friends, and then maybe to drinks. Cupcakes are a must. Fun fact: My daughter’s birthday is the day after mine so for the past couple years, she’s two, we’ve had three birthday celebrations. Mine, hers, and ours.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
TV Show is Ted Lasso
Movie is Luca (I’m sure there are other movies that I might also recommend but given my main movie-watching buddy is two, it’s hard to say).
Book is Honey & Spice (Malakkai is my new favorite book boyfriend)
I haven’t been listening to podcasts as much recently but an always favorite is Still Processing
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Either Italian or Japanese. Ramen (good or bad) is one of my favorite dishes.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Of late, whenever I have free time I try to either sleep, read, or catch up on shows. Free time doesn’t happen terribly often for me so I try to appreciate it as much as I can when it does.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I have two works in progress going on right now. The first is with a favorite character from You’ve Been Served and the second is in a completely different world but features a really cute dog, a badass FMC and an incredibly sexy MMC.
YOU’VE BEEN SERVED by Kristen Alicia
It’s the Magic 8 Ball’s fault. All of it. One teeny little question, and suddenly Simone Alexander is chucking her whole life out the window. So long, being a chef in California–it’s time for law school. In Michigan. Where there’s actual winter. And law school’s nothing like the romantic comedies said it was.
Simone is tragically underprepared. Hell, she’s already behind before classes have even begun, and her hard-as-nails Contracts professor is giving her no mercy. Then there’s Silas Whitman, her tall and annoyingly cute neighbor. Off campus, Silas is incredible. Kissable, even. In class, he is one thousand percent the obnoxious kiss-ass.
But Simone’s given up everything to be a lawyer. The competition is fierce and she has a hateful professor gunning for her to fail, but she’s not about to let little things like sleep, or love, stop her from kicking law school ass…
Romance Comedy | Multicultural African-American [Entangled: Amara, On Sale: June 27, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781649373946 / eISBN: 9781649374158]
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About Kristen Alicia
Kristen Alicia has been an attorney, a lifeguard, a real estate agent, and very briefly, a valet, but most importantly, she has always been a storyteller and lover of words. When she’s not helping her two rescue dogs fend off her rambunctious toddler or binge watching Great British Bake Off with her husband, Kristen loves to read all the books, especially kissing ones. She also enjoys falling for the characters she’s created, traveling with her family, and trying as many new restaurants and recipes as she can.
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