I would like to welcome Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo (aka. A P von K’Ory) to my blog today.

 

•  What is your name and where do you call home?

My full name – Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo/Akinyi Prinzessin von K’Orinda-Yimbo – is all but “unsuitable” for an author, although I’ve published both fiction and nonfiction books using my own full name.

My publisher requested me to find a shorter, more memorable name. So I came up with a corrupted short form of my full name: A P von K’Ory. I now write all my books (except political/humanities nonfiction) with the shorter version.

I’d love to call the entire planet home, but I’ll limit myself to Germany, France and Greece.

• Do you have a pen name?

As I’ve just mentioned: A P von K’Ory, which is not entirely “fake” but a corrupted short version of my name.

• What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or fewer words, what would you say?

As with all my fiction romances (that have a lot based on my own life and experiences) Secret Shades Aroused (Book 1) and Secret Shades Revealed (Book 2) are literary interracial romance novels.

“A Ferrarian love triangle between two Catalan cousins and the British-Cypriot Helena who has them throwing punches at each other while she struggles with a secret she hides even from herself.”

Oi, that’s way over 20, so let me try again…

“A Ferrarian love triangle and an interracial romance that has plots in Kenya, UK, Spain and Cyprus.” 17 words, yay!

• Is the above book part of a series?

Yes it is, and all the books in the series are full-length novels of about 80K words each.

• What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?

My dreams, even the nightmares. I’d want to put them in words as soon as I woke up, sweaty and shaking or not, and that from the time I could read and write. I was fascinated by this other “life” that I could only live while asleep, so I wanted it recorded, so to speak. That would put the length of my writing career at way over four decades!

• How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book(s)?

Since Secret Shades is based largely on a true story, I went for photos that looked closest to those real people I based the story on. Then I did the designing myself.

• Did you listen to any particular songs while writing your book(s)?

My muse is always Edvard Grieg. But if I turn on some pop songs whose lyrics inspire a scene for me, I stop writing and simply listen to the song, with eyes closed, working my own scene into the words and situation. If it’s a clubbing scene I want, I’m up dancing away to the song just as I’d describe my heroine dancing and feeling.

• How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

Easy. Helena has a secret, so originally I had HELENA’S SECRET as the title. But my very stern editor and critique-r, master Ken Mulholland, called the title “pedestrian, like The Day Kate Went to the Market”. So I changed it to Secret Shades, since Helena’s secret has everything to do with the continuum of colour.

• Do you have a book trailer? If so where can we watch it?

Nope. I’m convinced most book trailers tend to “lie” to the reader and mislead. But maybe one of these days I’ll change my mind, who knows?

• Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hard-covers or audio-books?

So far, I prefer hardcovers of my fave authors, paperbacks and e-books. I’ve never had an experience with an audio-book. Totally virgin territory.

• Are you a self-published/Indie author?

I’m both traditionally published and self-published. Those books of mine that are important to me, whether fiction or nonfiction, and with messages I want to share with others, but do not fit the so-touted “commercial” and therefore not of much – if any – interest to a traditional publisher, I publish myself. Wow, a rather lengthy sentence there! My adored editor Betsi Newbury would see red!

• If you’re a self-published/Indie author what made you go that route instead of the traditional publishing route?

I think that’s answered above. I have books that matter to me and are not the sort of mass readership commercial books publishers want to have. So I self-publish those myself via my AuthorMeProfessionals Press.

• Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?

Yes, often actually. I do this when a book fascinates me by its weaves and wefts, characters and plots, such as Tom Rob Smith books (Child 44, Secret Speech, Agent 6). By the second read, I read the book as a writer, not as a reader.

• What is your opinion of novellas?

To each his or her preference. But to be honest I have the same opinion about novellas – especially the series ones – as I have about book trailers.

• Have you ever read a book just based on its cover?

Hardly. But book covers often attract me to the book and lead to my reading the blurb or reading the beginning and ending page of the book. If the story turns out to be nothing the cover conveyed to me at first sight, I’m not likely to buy the book.

• What is your favorite film based on a book?

Gone With the Wind and The Godfather, in equal measures.

• What is your favorite book genre at the moment?

Erotic romance, to feel my way through the genre. They’re suddenly all the rage, right?

• What books have made it onto your wish list recently? And why?

Jo Nesbo and Lee Child, because these authors have unique characters.

• What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?

I confess that I prefer reading books rather than e-books. Right now I’m reading J. Kenner’s erotica trilogy’s last book, Erfüllen (Complete Me is the English title). I’ve read all the 3 books in the German version. I must confess I liked the first and second books a lot better than this last one – the two had more substance to the story as opposed to little snippets of inconsequence between porn after porn after porn… My opinion.

• If you could invite any four (4) celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?

The De Niros and the Obamas. The former because I love the company of interracial couples (note comparing and all that), and the second because, well, as a Luo and Kenyan, the FLOTUS and the POTUS make me feel so good and proud to be a Luo. It’s human, I guess. If you allowed a fifth person, I’d have included another Luo – Lupita Nyong’o.

• What’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?

Erm, *scratching head* you’d have to ask Ken Mulholland that. Or Editor Betsi Newbury. I’m a sort of free radical here, and often break rules or ignore advice.

• Do you have any hobbies that are not related to reading & writing?

How about cookery, horses, and flying choppers and light aircraft? Otherwise, the list would be too long.

• Where can your readers follow you?

I’d love them to follow me and/or personally interact with me at the links below. And thanks an ocean, Nina, for this lovely interview.

 

Visit my websites at                         http://akinyi-princess.de

http://AuthorMePro.eu

http://apvonkorybooks.co.uk

Follow/Like me on her pages        http://facebook.com/AuthorAPVonKOry

http://facebook.com/AWGADIN

Join my Groups and discuss         http://facebook.com/groups/AWITD

http://facebook.com/groups/AfricRomance

Chat with me at her FB pages       http://facebook.com/KOrindaYimbo

http://facebook.com/akinyi.yimbo

http://facebook.com/Professionaless62bloggerP

Follow me on Twitter                       @Apky11162  and   @AkinyiMe

 

I have to say thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me and with my readers.

If anyone has questions or comments for A P, please leave a comment below and she will answer you here. Otherwise, thank you for joining today. I hope you will check out some of A P’s books and share your thoughts with us as well.