Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.  

A. My name is K. Dawn Byrd and I write in several genres. I'm published in young adult, romantic suspense, romance, historical, and mystery.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I've wanted to be a writer for many years, but didn't give a novel-length work a try until four years ago. From the first book on, I was and hooked!

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?  

A. After reading Michelle Sutton's "Danger at the Door," I emailed her to tell her how much I enjoyed the book. I made a comment that I was also a writer and told her what I had written and that I was having a hard time placing it because it wasn't a run-of-the-mill romantic suspense. She suggested that I contact her publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, because they're more open to books that don't fit a niche perfectly. They liked my story and the rest is history.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release? (If you want a shorter version, there's one at www.desertbreezepublishing.com)

Zoe's cousin Emma thinks she's the recipient of some sick joke when an old boyfriend she thought dead shows up on the internet. Can Zoe solve the mystery that's causing Emma so much pain when her attraction to the town bad boy is so distracting?

When Zoe Mack moves in with her grandparents to start college, she's thrown into more mystery than she bargained for. Her cousin, Emma, is terrorized by a stalker who breaks into her house and leaves a photo-shopped image of Emma hanging from a tree. Nothing is as it seems and Emma soon learns that even the man she thinks she can trust is suspect.

Zoe can't wait to reunite with Nate, the bad boy who doesn't talk about his feelings much, but the passionate kiss he gave her last summer had to have meant something. When she arrives back in town and discovers that he's in trouble with the law, she must take matters into her own hands in order to clear his name. She has her hands full with a needy Emma, a cop who gives her the creeps, and Nate, the guy she desperately wants to call her own. Can Zoe solve the mystery, clear Nate's name, and make him fall in love with her?

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Zoe Mack & the Secret of the Love Letters?

A: I love romance and I love mystery, but seldom do you ever find the two together. I decided there had to be other people out there like me, who'd like to see more books that contain both. I pitched my idea to Gail Delaney, the CEO of Desert Breeze, and she liked it.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: I hope readers remember that sometimes you just have to trust the one you love even when things look bad and he looks guilty.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: Honestly, I don't have a favorite scene or chapter. My favorite thing about the book is the romance between Zoe and Nate.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. It's more than a hobby...it's a passion. I absolutely love it.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?  

A:  I'm surprised at how slowly everything moves in the publishing world.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Don't write for fortune or fame because it may never come. Do as I do, and write for the simple joy of placing words on the page.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?  

A. I'm waiting on the edits to come back for my April release. It's called Shattered Identity and is the sequel to Mistaken Identity. Several readers wrote and asked that I write Lexi's story and I did in Shattered Identity. Lexi was my bad girl and in Shattered Identity, she learns that there are consequences for actions.

Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you?  

A.  I write all my books in 30 day marathons. 

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?  

A. I love to take long walks with my husband and our two hairless Chinese Crested dogs. I also love to read.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?  

A. Watch for two more Zoe Mack books this year.