Kristy Centeno
What’s your favorite thing to do to relax?
When I’m really stressed out, I take a long babble bath. It helps me unwind and put my mind at ease, especially when I have a good book in hand.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?
“Never let anyone convince you that you can’t do something. Persevere and if you fail the first time, try again. Don’t give up without a fight.”
For what are you grateful?
I’m grateful to be alive and relatively healthy despite the scares I’ve had throughout my life.
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
To be honest, every author has made an impact on my life in one way or another. I’ve read so many fantastic books throughout my life that how could I possibly pick just one.
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer?
My partner. We’ve been together for so long and he’s always been very supportive of everything I want to do. When I mentioned in passing that I wanted to pursue a lifelong dream of mine to write and become a published author, he didn’t bat and eye and encouraged me to go for it.
What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your least favorite?
My favorite aspects of writing has to be plotting and character development. My least favorite is editing.
What aspect of writing would you most like to improve on?
I believe I’m come a long way from when I began writing back in 2012. However, I know that there’s areas open for improvement. Even though I’ve gotten better at plotting, developing the characters and the storyline, I’m still not where I want to be. But the way I see it the more I learn the better it will be for me in the long run.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?
When I sit down to write I must have a notebook, pen or pencil, bottle of water, and music so that I can concentrate better when I’m in my zone. Also, I always have my binder next to me. The binder is full of information pertaining to every book I’m working on and it also has info on research and so on.
Do you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?
I don’t go for a specific theme. My books all delve into the paranormal/fantasy but I try to separate the worlds unless there’s a twist in the plot or one or more series are linked together somehow.
What have you learned the most from being in the writing business?
It’s a competitive field, but I have found that many authors are so supportive of each other and are more than willing to help each other out. I’m so grateful for every piece of advise I ever received from seasoned, more experienced writer’s that never hesitated to.
When I’m really stressed out, I take a long babble bath. It helps me unwind and put my mind at ease, especially when I have a good book in hand.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?
“Never let anyone convince you that you can’t do something. Persevere and if you fail the first time, try again. Don’t give up without a fight.”
For what are you grateful?
I’m grateful to be alive and relatively healthy despite the scares I’ve had throughout my life.
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
To be honest, every author has made an impact on my life in one way or another. I’ve read so many fantastic books throughout my life that how could I possibly pick just one.
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer?
My partner. We’ve been together for so long and he’s always been very supportive of everything I want to do. When I mentioned in passing that I wanted to pursue a lifelong dream of mine to write and become a published author, he didn’t bat and eye and encouraged me to go for it.
What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your least favorite?
My favorite aspects of writing has to be plotting and character development. My least favorite is editing.
What aspect of writing would you most like to improve on?
I believe I’m come a long way from when I began writing back in 2012. However, I know that there’s areas open for improvement. Even though I’ve gotten better at plotting, developing the characters and the storyline, I’m still not where I want to be. But the way I see it the more I learn the better it will be for me in the long run.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?
When I sit down to write I must have a notebook, pen or pencil, bottle of water, and music so that I can concentrate better when I’m in my zone. Also, I always have my binder next to me. The binder is full of information pertaining to every book I’m working on and it also has info on research and so on.
Do you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?
I don’t go for a specific theme. My books all delve into the paranormal/fantasy but I try to separate the worlds unless there’s a twist in the plot or one or more series are linked together somehow.
What have you learned the most from being in the writing business?
It’s a competitive field, but I have found that many authors are so supportive of each other and are more than willing to help each other out. I’m so grateful for every piece of advise I ever received from seasoned, more experienced writer’s that never hesitated to.
Tell us about your latest release:
Blurb:
Leah Parker’s fate had always been controlled by others—who she loved and who she lost. Five years after the tragic murder of her daughter’s father, she’s done everything in her power to protect her little girl from the outside world. But she’s rebelled against fate in the past and no act of defiance goes unpunished in the Enchanter community.
The ultimate power wants to correct the damage done by Jae and the only way they can do that is by getting rid of her special child—a child destined to replace all branches of Enchanter magic one day.
But, Leah isn’t willing to go down without a fight. She will do anything to save what Jae died to protect, even if she must turn against the Circle of Elders. But when her first love, Brandon Morris walks back into her life, Leah knows nothing will ever be the same again.
Leah must confront her past, before she and her daughter are erased from her family line. She must get over her guilt and rely on Brandon to ensure her daughter’s survival. But will the pain from their past destroy their friendship forever? Or will their old bond hold them together and carry them through what’s ahead?
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Prodigy-Giver-Life-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B07KN61F53/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/prodigy-22
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prodigy-kristy-centeno/1129908499?ean=2940161751060
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/prodigy/id1443244051?mt=11
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41155119-prodigy
Excerpt:
“If…” I trailed off. My internal alarm buzzed as first one charm then another was tripped. Wires of magic I’d set up to prevent evil from trespassing were cut off. Something or someone had dared to set foot in my property.
And it was moving closer.
“Mommy!” Lily cried out. She felt it too. Danger was near.
I broke free of Brandon’s hold and rushed into the living room. I picked Lily up and hugged her to me as darkness filled the windows, blocking out the sunlight. It was as if a solar eclipse was in full swing in our little neck of the woods, obstructing the rays of light that had been peeking through the blinds just seconds ago.
The sudden presence was oppressing. Heavy. It fell over the area like a blanket of stormy clouds about to unleash its fury on nature. The boards on the porch whined as an unseen mass applied pressure to them. I followed the noise to the front door, shifting ever so slightly to my right as the sounds stopped at the other side.
Dmitri sprinted to the door with murder in his eyes. He rested his hand on the knob, but I shouted at him to stop.
“Don’t let it in here,” I yelled. He looked at me but said nothing.
I spun on my heels with a shaking Lily in my arms and sprinted to my bedroom. I knelt next to the trunk and opened it, then removed the fan from within.
“What are you doing?” Brandon asked behind me.
“Getting Lily out of here.” I unsheathed the fan and concentrated. Opening the portal to Mr. Hwang’s hidden paradise would require more magic indoors as opposed to outside, but I didn’t have much of a choice. If I had to fight for our lives, I’d prefer for Lily to be safe somewhere far from evil’s grasp. Even if that meant diminishing my stock before a battle.
How did you decide on your story plot?
Prodigy was a labor of love from start to finish. Leah and Brandon are among my favorite characters and they hold a place in my heart. When I began to put together the Giver of Life trilogy, I never envisioned that it would end the way it did. But for this trio of books I wanted to do something a bit different and deviate from the norm. Not everyone has a happy ending, life gets complicated, and I wanted to showcase how unpredictable life can be, especially when supernatural forces are involved.
That is how the story moves from a possible love interest between Leah and Brandon to a falling out as another character is introduced. They had a past, but their future is uncertain.
How did you choose your characters names and location for your story?
Enchanter (Giver of Life book 1) is a rerelease from a previous version. I rewrote it and changed a few things along the way but the character’s names and background stories remained the same. Locations vary from one book to the other as it starts out in Direct City in Enchanter where Leah lives, and later moves on to Elwood where she and Brandon grew up, and finally she ends up in Vermont where she’s raising her daughter.
Direct City and Elwood are made up locations.
Brandon is a name I’ve always liked so it was an easy fit for our hero. The rest of the names for all the other characters were chosen based on a list I came up with. I decided which ones I liked the best and that was how our dear characters were named. Jae, however, was one character that took some time for me to come up with a name that I thought would befit him. I did some research on Korean names and finally settled on Jae because it seemed perfect for him.
Do you have a favorite scene? Why?
I think one my favorite scenes in Prodigy is when Leah finally reveals to Brandon how she really feels about him, owning up to her past mistakes, and coming to terms with the fact that she has always loved him. It’s an intense, heartbreaking moment that pulls at the strings of your heart.
Do you have a character that you identify with? Who and why?
Leah and I are a lot alike in some ways. She’s stubborn but doesn’t give up easily. She fights for what she believes in and tries her best to do what she feels in her heart is right even if it means giving up on those she cares about.
Blurb:
Leah Parker’s fate had always been controlled by others—who she loved and who she lost. Five years after the tragic murder of her daughter’s father, she’s done everything in her power to protect her little girl from the outside world. But she’s rebelled against fate in the past and no act of defiance goes unpunished in the Enchanter community.
The ultimate power wants to correct the damage done by Jae and the only way they can do that is by getting rid of her special child—a child destined to replace all branches of Enchanter magic one day.
But, Leah isn’t willing to go down without a fight. She will do anything to save what Jae died to protect, even if she must turn against the Circle of Elders. But when her first love, Brandon Morris walks back into her life, Leah knows nothing will ever be the same again.
Leah must confront her past, before she and her daughter are erased from her family line. She must get over her guilt and rely on Brandon to ensure her daughter’s survival. But will the pain from their past destroy their friendship forever? Or will their old bond hold them together and carry them through what’s ahead?
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Prodigy-Giver-Life-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B07KN61F53/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/prodigy-22
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prodigy-kristy-centeno/1129908499?ean=2940161751060
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/prodigy/id1443244051?mt=11
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41155119-prodigy
Excerpt:
“If…” I trailed off. My internal alarm buzzed as first one charm then another was tripped. Wires of magic I’d set up to prevent evil from trespassing were cut off. Something or someone had dared to set foot in my property.
And it was moving closer.
“Mommy!” Lily cried out. She felt it too. Danger was near.
I broke free of Brandon’s hold and rushed into the living room. I picked Lily up and hugged her to me as darkness filled the windows, blocking out the sunlight. It was as if a solar eclipse was in full swing in our little neck of the woods, obstructing the rays of light that had been peeking through the blinds just seconds ago.
The sudden presence was oppressing. Heavy. It fell over the area like a blanket of stormy clouds about to unleash its fury on nature. The boards on the porch whined as an unseen mass applied pressure to them. I followed the noise to the front door, shifting ever so slightly to my right as the sounds stopped at the other side.
Dmitri sprinted to the door with murder in his eyes. He rested his hand on the knob, but I shouted at him to stop.
“Don’t let it in here,” I yelled. He looked at me but said nothing.
I spun on my heels with a shaking Lily in my arms and sprinted to my bedroom. I knelt next to the trunk and opened it, then removed the fan from within.
“What are you doing?” Brandon asked behind me.
“Getting Lily out of here.” I unsheathed the fan and concentrated. Opening the portal to Mr. Hwang’s hidden paradise would require more magic indoors as opposed to outside, but I didn’t have much of a choice. If I had to fight for our lives, I’d prefer for Lily to be safe somewhere far from evil’s grasp. Even if that meant diminishing my stock before a battle.
How did you decide on your story plot?
Prodigy was a labor of love from start to finish. Leah and Brandon are among my favorite characters and they hold a place in my heart. When I began to put together the Giver of Life trilogy, I never envisioned that it would end the way it did. But for this trio of books I wanted to do something a bit different and deviate from the norm. Not everyone has a happy ending, life gets complicated, and I wanted to showcase how unpredictable life can be, especially when supernatural forces are involved.
That is how the story moves from a possible love interest between Leah and Brandon to a falling out as another character is introduced. They had a past, but their future is uncertain.
How did you choose your characters names and location for your story?
Enchanter (Giver of Life book 1) is a rerelease from a previous version. I rewrote it and changed a few things along the way but the character’s names and background stories remained the same. Locations vary from one book to the other as it starts out in Direct City in Enchanter where Leah lives, and later moves on to Elwood where she and Brandon grew up, and finally she ends up in Vermont where she’s raising her daughter.
Direct City and Elwood are made up locations.
Brandon is a name I’ve always liked so it was an easy fit for our hero. The rest of the names for all the other characters were chosen based on a list I came up with. I decided which ones I liked the best and that was how our dear characters were named. Jae, however, was one character that took some time for me to come up with a name that I thought would befit him. I did some research on Korean names and finally settled on Jae because it seemed perfect for him.
Do you have a favorite scene? Why?
I think one my favorite scenes in Prodigy is when Leah finally reveals to Brandon how she really feels about him, owning up to her past mistakes, and coming to terms with the fact that she has always loved him. It’s an intense, heartbreaking moment that pulls at the strings of your heart.
Do you have a character that you identify with? Who and why?
Leah and I are a lot alike in some ways. She’s stubborn but doesn’t give up easily. She fights for what she believes in and tries her best to do what she feels in her heart is right even if it means giving up on those she cares about.
