BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Dead by Morning: Rituals of the Night [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Kayla Krantz to talk about Dead by Morning (first published 15 May 2015; this edition 11 May 2016, Rambunctious Ramblings Publishing Inc., 426 pages), a New Adult Psychological Thriller, book one of Rituals of the Night series.

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to Kayla Krantz; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

As we love music, Kayla has shared with us her music playlist for Dead by Morning - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for Dead by Morning?

"A number of factors inspired me to write Dead by Morning. As ironic as this sounds, the idea came to me in a dream. The villain of my book, Chance, is actually based on a character I see in a reoccurring dream of mine. Besides that, the rest of the idea came from a mixture of my favorite movie, Heathers, and lots of music."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Luna’s personality is a lot like mine in regards to her attitude toward her future and her friends. She’s very down to Earth and okay with her status as a loner. I was a lot like that in high school and still am now."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Dead by Morning - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The artist who did my cover is Mike Finch. I chose this concept because I wanted it to be simple—to show potential readers what the core of this story is which happens to be death. The handle in the skull is the favorite weapon of the antagonist, Chance. While the cover is both simple, and eye-drawing, it is also very symbolic of the themes of the book."

Why should we read Dead by Morning and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I think my series is unique because it’s such a blend of so many different genres. I would call it contemporary except it doesn’t quite meet the criteria for it. Dead by Morning is new adult, psychological, horror, and thriller novel with hints of paranormal though some could argue that the unrequited love/obsession element could also give it themes of romance.

My story shows the mindset not only of a killer but of a victim of stalking to give the story a unique realistic perspective in midst of all the crazy."

Can you tell us something quirky about Dead by Morning, its story and characters?

"Creating the characters in Dead by Morning was a fun process from beginning to end. A handful of them, Max, Violet, and Amy, were based on real people, but Luna and Chance were created completely out of thin air. The interesting thing about my protagonist and antagonist is that they were made to be two halves of one mind.

Luna, my protagonist, loves to study and do her thing. She isn’t worried what others think of her, and she likes to follow the guides and rules set up by those around her to be a model citizen because she wants to be respected by her peers. Chance, the antagonist, is the complete opposite. He’s a rebel, destructive, and carefree. He’s manipulative, and gets what he wants only because he has nerve enough to break all the rules Luna spends her life carefully sticking to. He does what he can to not be alone, because deep down, he fears what his life will be.

While Luna is innocent, Chance is evil.

Together, Luna and Chance not only form two halves of a whole, they show the confliction of the need for good and bad that occurs inside everyone—protagonist and antagonist alike. They were created in this manner to show that not all people have black and white thinking. Good people have evil thoughts and those who are deemed evil may have good thoughts. Dead by Morning shows that who a person truly is depends solely on the voice that they choose to follow."

Who would you recommend Dead by Morning to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend this book to people who are fans of Stephen King. My writing has elements similar to his and the battle between good and evil gives my books a twist that only fans of the extreme could appreciate."

If you could / wished to turn Dead by Morning and the Rituals of the Night series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"I would pick Taissa Farmiga for Luna and Evan Peters for Chance. They’re both such wonderful actors, and their back and forth on film is great, that I think they would nail the lead roles. Evan Peters especially since he has a knack for psychotic roles."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I like to write about what makes the mind tick. Psychological fiction has always held my interest because I like to see what drives people to be evil and why others are able to resist this. I like to get inside the mind of the villain of a piece to see the story through their eyes. When I write, I generally go to whatever genre my ideas are in. For example, Dead by Morning is psychological fiction, however, my side project The Council is fantasy."

What is your writing process?

"My writing process is actually quite complicated. When I begin a new project, I first write it all down in a spiral college-ruled notebook with a fountain pen. Pen on paper helps me gather my thoughts better than writing on a computer. After I finish my first draft in the notebook, I transfer all the writing to loose-leaf paper that I keep in a binder. After this draft is when I finally type it on the computer and look for things such as plot holes or areas where characters need development."

What is in store next?

"Dead by Morning was originally meant to be a stand-alone novel, but after I finished the book, my characters continued to talk to me, and I got the idea for book two, Alive at Sunset which is to be released next year. Honestly, I hoped the series would end there, but once again I had ideas that led to book three, Survive at Midnight, then four, Live at Sunrise. Again, I thought it would end there, but now I have ideas for books five through nine.

On the side, I’ve been working on my next project which is a fantasy about witches entitled The Council. In this story, Lilith Lace is a crippled witch from Ignis Coven, the witches of fire. In the Land of Five, she struggles to find out her true identity as a new threat emerges to the land—The Elementals. The only problem, she can’t decide if she must stand against them or with them."