In this episode of What’s Kraken, Jo sits down with Kyona Jiles, award-winning romance and fantasy author of First Death and Second Chance. They dive into her creative escape into writing, her early struggles with vanity publishing, and the resilience it took to turn setbacks into award-winning success. From dark humor in grief to building entire worlds filled with vampires, shapeshifters, and sexy FBI agents, Kyona brings honesty, laughter, and wisdom to the mic.

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• Opening riff – Jo pokes fun at mispronunciations before introducing Kyona.
• Origin story – Kyona shares how childhood contests and imagination led her to write.
• Family roots in fantasy – Dragons, unicorns, and a Wrinkle in Time set her path.
• Vanity publishing nightmare – How she got burned and the hard lessons learned.
• Award-winning redemption – From setbacks to winning both 1st and 2nd place in RWA’s Prism Awards.
• Teacher life vs. author life – Balancing the classroom with writing romance, suspense, and fantasy.
• Dark humor in grief – Her new project My Dead Sister transforms loss into a cathartic, witty narrative.
• Advice to younger self – Don’t try to fit in. Be yourself.