Khristina Atkinson, Romance/Thriller Author
This spotlight was not easy to put together. I was too overcome by sadness, tears, and memories that made me smile. I started and stopped, pushing the article that was scheduled to publish on January 8th, to publish on Jan. 29th, then Feb. 5th 2018.
Every article that I’ve written, I always followed it up with a one on one interview with the author. However, this time, I didn’t have that opportunity to do so. I did not have that last candid conversation with my good friend and writing confidant. And unfortunately, no matter how many weeks I put this off, that time, that talk will never come. This wonderful author, my trusted friend, a listener, a caring wife, doting mother, a storyteller, and a sister of the independent author community is no longer with us. She’s no longer here to give an ear, give her voice to a light conversation, stand by her husband’s side, love her children with warm hugs and kisses and lend her imagination to a story. But death didn’t silence her. Thankfully, we’ll always have her voice that will continue to speak loudly in her novels, on her blog, website, and social media accounts.
I tried in various ways to convert her answers to a readable article. I’ve done this many times before, but this one was difficult. “Come on, Connie. You’re a writer, you can do this,” I kept urging myself, but nothing can prepare your emotions to face unwanted reality. Khristina would have been that person I went to with this anxiety. However, she’s not here to encourage me to take my time and write when my heart was ready. It will never be, but I can no longer put it off. This has to be written. I had to continue wiping away tears to see the computer screen so I could celebrate her life as a writer. I didn’t want to dress up this write-up with fancy words. I wanted her article to be as down to earth as she was. So, for most of it, I allowed her voice to speak unfiltered in her fun-loving way.
This article is about the author, Khristina Atkinson. A member of the Indie Authors Support Network, a poet, an artist, wonderful storyteller, a wife, a mother, and a friend.
Khristina considered herself as a “domestic goddess”. It was her glamorous title for her role as a stay-at-home mom. She went on to list what a regular day was like for her. “My duties include, but are not limited to cooking, maid, chauffeur, accountant, tutor, and nurse. In my spare time, I write, blog, and create art.”
For Khristina, writing a novel was not just creating a great story, she truly wanted to “…entertain anyone who reads my work.”
Atkinson was inspired by a variety of genres, from famous well-known authors to the independent authors whose fame has yet to be discovered. She said, “I enjoy most everything I read. I guess I can say that all books inspire me because if no one took the time to write them, I would not have an enjoyable pastime.”
An artist and poet at heart, Khristina wrote poems and created art that can be found on her websites and social media accounts. With a mind full of imagination and untold stories, she was always working on some new project. She once told me that she wakes up from dreams with full stories in her head. She would grab her tablet that was always kept on her nightstand and rushed to capture the tales of her dreams before the inspiration became smothered by everyday thoughts.
Atkinson was well on her way to building a massive book catalog. Her published work includes: two contemporary romance/suspense series, a historical/suspense series, and a book of poetry. A member of the Chanillo community, she was still in the process of producing paranormal short stories for her serialized literature. She said, “I started on the third installment for the "Undercover Romance Series," which takes place in the future. Kate Collins' children are all grown and causing mayhem of their own.” Below is a list of Khristina’s work and where they can be found.
Interviewer: Give us an insight into the main character of your latest book. What does he/she do that is so special?
Atkinson: Genny Moretti from my latest book, "The Seaside Slayer," has a sixth sense, and her dreams reveal a loved one is going to die. I have several family members who actually possess this ability, including myself. The night before my uncle died, I dreamed my aunt (his wife) was in a black hearse with my deceased grandmother (her mom), and my two deceased uncles (her brothers). She was crying. I knew it was a death mobile. My aunt had health problems, so I thought she may die. We learned that my uncle passed away later in the day. The night before my cousin died, I dreamed my uncle came back and was looking for someone to take care of his duties. My cousin paid the bills and took care of her mom after his death. This cousin died suddenly and unexpectedly a couple of weeks after a partial hysterectomy.
Khristina and I had several discussions about dreams and deaths. I listened as she shared the stories of her dreams. Who knew that she would soon join her loved ones? I wonder if any of her family members had a dream about her. Maybe she did. Perhaps, the occurrence is written in one of her tablets after she woke up from one of her many dreams and quickly jotted down the accounts before it was lost. I wonder about these things because of her sincerity when she spoke of her gift.
When asked what genre she wrote, Atkinson stated that her books fell somewhere between contemporary and historical romance. To categorize them, she used the tags: romance, intrigue, mystery, and suspense. Prior to her death, she was working on a serial killer that she said could have been placed in the thriller genre. She called her paranormal short stories "supernatural romance."
Her love for multi-genre books started as a child. “I grew up reading historical romance novels that my aunt gave me or thrillers that friends loaned me. I've somehow combined the two.”
Atkinson had been in love with writing since elementary school. Her first stories included poetry and short stories. She was a member of the elementary journalism staff. “Our paper was pretty darn good for children,” she bragged. “It's something I enjoyed since I was old enough to put pencil to paper and will continue as long as I am able.”
Khristina spent time drafting her work as much as her “real life” allowed. She said there were days when she spent many hours writing, but other times when life did not grant permission. When she was able to write, she preferred writing in the morning, with a clear and fresh mind. She confessed that she spent more time on research than writing, especially for her historical romances.
Atkinson admitted to having a vivid imagination. She recalled that her first published book, “…came about from all the spy movies my sons made me watch, including James Bond. You'll even find a few James Bond references (in my books). I honestly thought about pursuing a degree in psychology, so my next MC (main character) was determined to become one. I'm easy to talk to and everyone tells me their life story. I file them all away in my brain.”
When writing her stories, Atkinson wrote cleverly. She structured her work with outlines that included her characters, their information, and key elements of the story. She said, “If the characters start speaking to me (most writers will know what I am referring to), I start typing or taking notes if not anywhere near my laptop.”
Although she was a brilliant writer, writing for Khristina did not come without challenges. There were times when she dealt with the writer’s enemy known as “writer’s block”. However, Khristina took the creative route to solve that issue. “I work on two projects at a time now. When I stall on one, I go to the other. If both hit a wall, I can always edit.” Although grammar was not an issue for Khristina, she did note other issues that caused writing dilemmas. “…I need to refresh myself on comma placement and capitalization rules. I joke that I need a personal assistant to find out the information I need. I can dream.” I imagined that laughter finished the last part of this statement.
When asked about her life outside of writing, her proud mothering voice, the “we” instead of “me” in her marriage and her fun-loving side came alive. “I have two sons that keep me busy. My youngest took his martial arts third-degree black belt pretest this weekend (Sept. 2017) and passed. Now, on for the real test in a month. My oldest started college. I miss him. He always let me bounce ideas off him about my books. My husband and I both decided lately to start eating better and exercising more. Maybe I'll write a book on healthy living. Don't actually look for that one. I sing, but probably not well enough for Idol or The Voice.” She was so loveable.
Khristina loved reading. She once confessed to me that she probably spent all the money she profited from books sells to purchase the books of other indie authors. She also loved listening to music and spending time with family.
Khristina’s favorite quote was from the great Audrey Hepburn. "I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.”
Khristina was driven by a motivational phrase that blessed her final years on this earth. “Your only limit is you.” With that quote, she offered the following advice to aspiring writers. “I took years to start my first full-length book. Now, I have six. I only wish I had started sooner. My advice is to jot down your ideas as they come to you. Remembering later may not happen. Learn from reading other author's work, but be creative and unique. You are your own person, and therefore will have your style.”
Before her passing, Atkinson’s historical romance/suspense, "Hopelessly, Completely, MADLY in Love" was nominated for the 2017 Readers Choice Awards by TCK Publishing. She passed away before she could get all the votes she needed to be placed.
Khristina Atkinson was a multi-genre Romance and Thriller
Her sun came up on March 21, 1965, and set on October 04, 2017
Your rest has begun, but your memory shall forever be cherished by those who loved you, admired your work and others who will come to know about you because of the wonderful work you left behind.
To learn more about Khristina Atkinson and her work, you can find it on the links below.
