An Interview with Kristy Centeno Occult Fiction Tale of a Body Thief

Kristy Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night, with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.

Kristy currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids, a quartet of noisy parakeets, and a spoiled puppy. When she’s not working or writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of minions and pursuing other career goals.

Tell us about your book?

Tale of a Body Thief tells the story of a demon who’s forced into the human plane after an item of his is stolen. To hide his identity, he takes over a human body. However, he soon finds himself embroiled in a battle to stay alive when he becomes the target of repeated attempts to his life. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he only has a spunky demon hunter with a short fuse to count on.

Her special abilities can save lives, but so can they kill.

Rovena Silvex has hunted and eliminated dozens of demons throughout the ten years since her initiation as a hunter. Possessing supernatural skills only makes her job a lot easier.
When she’s asked to visit the county morgue to look over a deceased victim and find out what demon killed him, the body rising from the dead is the last thing she expects.
Now Rovena is stuck with a walking corpse and no answers as to how he managed to return to the world of the living. However, the victim has changed and the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes that what crossed over might not have been the soul of the dead man but something much worse.
Complications arise when her new assignment is targeted by demons hell-bent on making sure he stays dead for good.
Killing demons has always been a piece of cake. Keeping one alive however, is a whole new ballgame for her. If she fails, she risks setting in motion a war between heaven and hell. But if she succeeds, she could trap a powerful Lord in a world he doesn’t belong in, forever.

What is the PRIMARY benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book?

Hopefully, the reader will gain a book that’s a bit different than what they read. A story that compels them and leaves a good impression long after they have finished the last chapter. I would like it to be the kind of book they will love to read more than once.

If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be?

This is a difficult question as I’m not sure which book I can compare it to. I haven’t read many urban fantasy books lately. But if I’m to compare my book, maybe The King’s Captive: Magiford Supernatural City (Gate of Myth and Power Book 1) might be a close match. An unlikely duo battling to stay afloat amid a series of attacks, forming an unlikely allegiance to outdo their enemies while harboring a strong distrust for each other.

Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book?

Honestly, I’m don’t know whether the reader can get something from my book that they can’t somewhere. Another author might be able to do it better. Who knows. However, I hope that the story is compelling enough that it draws in the reader and takes them on a journey filled with adventure, humor, and multiples spins that leaves a mark in their heart. I hope the characters make them laugh, scream, and maybe cry a little too. That’s what I look forward to when I read and aim to do the same for my audience.

Who is your target audience?

My target audience for Tale of a Body Thief is adults. Although the first book has a little steam between the main characters, the rest of the series will have material meant for mature audiences, including sexual situations and gore. My goal is to combine dark theme with a tad of humor and romance, all in one package.

Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage?

No, my upbringing had little to do with my writing. My family are not readers, and no one writes but me. My love for books developed at an early age. I loved using my imagination a lot. Still do and when the urge hits, I write. I use the environment around me as inspiration. TV shows, movies, etc. also spark plenty of ideas, many of which never make it to paper, but I do use the world around me to help me develop possible plots that might make it to a book.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?

A rewarding experience I’ve had is being able to self-publish my book. I’ve published before, but never on my own. I had used a traditional publisher rather than try to take on the endeavor for various reasons, one being my lack of confidence that I could go through the process on my own.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I had help in a sense. I received tips from fellow authors that helped me get started on my self-publishing journey. However, I did a lot of research as well. It took me about a year to publish due to a lot of back and forth and I did push the publishing date three times. But overall, I’m happy with the result and how much I learned throughout the process.

Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know?

My characters are pure fiction. I have not yet used people around me as inspiration. But sometimes I’ve mirrored things I like with one of the main characters. And I’ve also

Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer?

I’d love to be a plot-driven writer. Come up with a plot and stick with it. But in my case, I always find that the characters often lead the narrative of how the story will go. Tale of a Body Thief is a perfect example. The story was originally intended to be a lot darker, but once Khetan/Lakyn showed up that plan flew out the metaphorical window. He just took over and I ran with it. After cross reference with a beta reader and my editor, I knew for sure that I’d taken the right course of action. The rest of the story then came together gradually.

What do you hope to accomplish with your book other than selling it?

Many authors will tell you that writing doesn’t make us enough money to live on. But I write because I love coming up with stories that I’d love to read. I write for the fun of it. To entertain. To share my love of writing and the art of writing with others. I may not ever hit it big, but that’s okay. I’m doing something I love and that makes it all worthwhile.

How can our readers get in touch with you?