Author Kimberly Belle!

About the author

Kimberly Belle grew up in Eastern Tennessee, in a small town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians. A graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and has worked in marketing and fundraising for various nonprofits. She’s the author of two novels, THE LAST BREATH and THE ONES WE TRUST (August 2015). She divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Keep up with Kimberly on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KimberlyBelleBooks), Twitter (@KimberlySBelle), Instagram (@KimberlySBelle) and Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/KimberlyBelle). For more about Kimberly and her books, please visit her website, www.kimberlybellebooks.

 

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Interview

1. Tell me about your books.
Gladly! My debut, The Last Breath, came out last fall, and The Ones We Trust releases July 28th. Both are suspenseful women’s fiction with a bit of romance and a lot of family secrets. Here are the blurbs…

The Last Breath is about humanitarian aid worker Gia Andrews, who chases disasters around the globe for a living. It’s the perfect lifestyle to keep her far away from her own personal ground zero. Sixteen years ago, Gia’s father was imprisoned for brutally killing her stepmother. Now he’s come home to die of cancer, and she’s responsible for his care—and coming to terms with his guilt.

Gia reluctantly resumes the role of daughter to the town’s most infamous murderer, a part complete with protesters on the lawn and death threats that turn her tragedy into front-page news. Returning to life in small-town Tennessee involves rebuilding relationships that distance and turmoil have strained, though finding an emotional anchor in the attractive hometown bartender is certainly helping Gia cope.

As the past unravels before her, Gia will find herself torn between the stories that her family, their friends and neighbors, and even her long-departed stepmother have believed to be real all these years. But in the end, the truth—and all the lies that came before—may have deadlier consequences than she could have ever anticipated.

The Ones We Trust is about former DC journalist Abigail Wolff, who in an attempt to rehabilitate her career, finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan—with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it.  

The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier's brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves. 

2. Who are some of your favourite authors? Did they inspire you to become a writer?
Oh, gosh, how much time do you have? I adore so many of my fellow MIRA authors – Heather Gudenkauf and Mary Kubica and Pam Jenoff to name just a few – but there are so many other good authors out there. In women’s fiction, Jennifer Weiner, Laura Dave, and Allison Winn Scotch are automatic buys for me. Jonathan Tropper can always make me laugh out loud, and whenever a new Black Dagger Brotherhood book from J.R. Ward comes out, I will literally block off a day or two on my calendar to read it.

And every one of them inspires me, not just to become a writer but a better writer. Everything I read has an influence on my own writing, from how the author builds suspense to their tight and fast-moving plotlines to the clever ways they lighten up dark subjects with humor. It’s every writer’s affliction; I read with an eye to writing.

 

3. What do you love about writing?
There are many things I love, but I’d have to say my favorite is that moment when the characters become real in my head, when they start talking to me as clearly as if they’re sitting right here, in the room next to me. It gives me chills every time, because that’s when I know the story is true. From that moment on, it’s their story, and I’m just here to write it.

4. Are you working on anything at the moment?
Always! Right now I’m about one-third into an as-yet untitled story; here’s a little blurb.

When Flight 23 crashes into a corn field, Iris is glued to the tv, and the constant news coverage of charred earth and smoking debris. She’s devastated for the families of those on board — one hundred and seventy-nine lives lost in an instant — and she grieves for people she never knew…until the airline calls to tell her she’s lost someone, too. Her husband was one of the victims. 

Only, he was supposed to be at a conference in Florida. Why was he on a westbound plane? And why would he lie about his whereabouts? Iris goes on a desperate quest for answers, and her search leads to people and places she had no idea her husband ever knew existed.

And then the letters begin arriving, postmarked after the crash and written in her husband’s distinct scrawl, demanding she stop her search. Is her husband still alive? Is this some kind of morbid joke? Iris is horrified—and in danger. The clues she uncovers show a man very different from the one she married, one whose past could make her the next victim.

5. What do you do when you're not writing?
Think about writing, lol.

In all seriousness, I love to exercise, as I find moving around can loosen up pretty much any plot knot. I am a yoga fanatic (some might say freak), so there’s always a mat pushed up against a wall somewhere in my house for an occasional handstand. And like Gia from The Last Breath, I have a gypsy soul and love to explore. My husband is Dutch so we spend a lot of time in the Netherlands, but I’ll go anywhere. Have passport, will travel.

 

About the books

The Ones We Trust

When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan--with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it.  

The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier's brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves. 

Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail's search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping--and seeking hope in the impossible.

Purchase links
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Amazon
Barnes&Noble
iBooks
Kobo
IndieBound
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The Last Breath

Humanitarian aid worker Gia Andrews chases disasters around the globe for a living. It's the perfect lifestyle to keep her far away from her own personal ground zero. Sixteen years ago, Gia's father was imprisoned for brutally killing her stepmother. Now he's come home to die of cancer, and she's responsible for his care--and coming to terms with his guilt.

Gia reluctantly resumes the role of daughter to the town's most infamous murderer, a part complete with protesters on the lawn and death threats that are turning tragedy into front-page news. Returning to life in small-town Tennessee involves rebuilding relationships that distance and turmoil have strained, though finding an emotional anchor in the attractive hometown bartender is certainly helping Gia cope.

As the past unravels before her, Gia will find herself torn between the stories that her family, their friends and neighbors, and even her long-departed stepmother have believed to be real all these years. But in the end, the truth--and all the lies that came before--may have deadlier consequences than she could have ever anticipated….

 

Purchase links
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
iBooks
Kobo
IndieBound
GooglePlay