Glowing Kiss
by Angelina Kerner

Nikki Weber, an interpreter for her county, was dared to kiss a man outside her office. You don’t kiss strangers. Well, she won’t see him ever again, right? Wrong!

Find out what happens when Lim Chan-Yeol decides to get to know the woman who gave him a kiss? Two cultures collide. If you’re a fan of Korean dramas, you may find yourself lost in this sweet romance!

5 out of 5 fairies

Fan of k-dramas? Looking for a different kind of romance book? Then this is definitely going to be your next read! Angelina does a great job of bringing the characters to life, and weaves together American and Korean cultures well. It’s a sweet romance, but there’s some jealousy that comes into play (no spoilers, I promise). I love the tension that builds, and keeps you turning the pages wondering where the story is going to take you next. Highly recommend!

Til next time,
Lily

Books2Read | Goodreads

Disclaimer: I transcribed this, so apologies if I got anything wrong, Angelina!
(This was an unusual circumstance, and I do not normally do voice interviews)

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Angelina I thought Glowing Kiss was a great romance. You’ve written romance in the past, so what made you decide to write a Korean drama (k-drama) inspired one?

Angelina:  One of my favorite things to do is to watch k-dramas. Especially in between serious American shows about serial killers, or cases, or doctor files, and a k-drama is a nice break. I wanted to see if I could give someone the same break, but when reading a drama like that. So if they were reading serious books, or books they’re used to reading, that they would want to try something else. That something else would be a lighthearted but funny story, they would get to explore a new culture and learn something new. Maybe they’ll find that they actually like it, and it will be something awesome for them, and it’s never too late to find a new hobby or interest.

Lily:  That’s awesome! I think it’s great you wanted to share something you enjoyed with everyone in a different format. What was your favorite part about writing this?

Angelina:  I liked that I met new friends, two beautiful Korean women who didn’t laugh at my questions, or when I was attempting. They thought it was cool I was learning about their culture through writing a romance novel. I got to learn how to properly use popular phrases that show up in k-drama shows. It was really cool because usually k-dramas have everything in Korean, and they pop in random English words. Now it’s flipped. The book is in English, but you can see pop-ups of Korean words. So it’s really awesome and really, really fun learning the language, just trying to say the words, see if I need to add them in, and where. It was really nice, a great experience.

Lily:  It sounds like it was a really fun journey! What was the hardest part of writing this?

Angelina:  The hardest part was the language, it was my favorite but the hardest because I was hoping I was using the words right, and that I had written them correctly. There was one instance I was using a word, and my friends told me it was the wrong word, and they taught me why. I was so happy they caught it, showed me, so I could change it, and I was so happy because I wanted to stay respectful while telling the story.

Lily:  I can definitely see how the language could be a problem, but glad you had people to help! Do you think you’ll write another k-drama romance?

Angelina:  I left Glowing Kiss as an open ending, so that if readers appreciated the story, I would write book two, and I already have several ideas for it. Even if they didn’t, I really liked writing the book and the characters, so I decided after a small break if I still wanted to write the book, I would write book two. So far, my ARC readers love my book, and they want book two, so I’m very happy that it’s a successful story.

Lily:  I know I’m hoping for a book two! Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. What’s your favorite time of day to write?

Angelina:  I don’t really have a favorite time of day, usually if I get a free moment I write. I’m very busy, as anybody else, with family and work and other things. So if I get that chance to write, I do, I take it. If not, I hope I get another chance to write.

Lily:  I’m glad you steal what moments you can to write! What does your writing space look like?

Angelina:  I don’t have one. Most of the spaces are taken by my new hobby, resin jewelry and bookmarks. Or books, kid toys, or house stuff. My writing space is really a spot on the couch with a blanket and my laptop. 

Lily:  Sounds like a pretty comfy spot to me! Do you do research for your books when you write?

Angelina:  Yes, I do. Usually, I either go on websites, go into bookstores to read up on those topics, or I bug Lily and Windy, two of my best friends for a lot of topics they know something about something, and they can lead me in the right direction. Or I go into a mom’s writing group where I can ask a question. For the k-drama I had to do research on not just the culture but on kayaking. I found a mom who loves kayaking, so she helped make my scene come alive. 

Lily:  I love how many resources you use to do research. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. What’s one of your favorite foods? Least favorite?

Angelina:  One of my favorite foods is lasagna. I’m like Garfield, you give me lasagna and I get really really happy. It’s one of the best ways to get on my good side, to give me lasagna. My least favorite is…hmmm…I have to think about this one. Seafood. The only fish I eat is salmon. I find seafood is pretty, it’s just not for me.

Lily:  Hehe I can just imagine your face lighting up over lasagna. Do you have a favorite holiday tradition? Can you tell us about it?

Angelina:  Ah, let’s see, family holiday traditions…for the winter holidays, I love putting up lights. So every year I’ll put lights on the ceiling and around the windows. I put out my little house village, over the years I’ve collected little houses. I have like fake snow, and a table, and I cover the table with fake snow and position the houses. Two of them light up, the others don’t, and I have little villagers, it all very cute.

Lily:  That sounds awesome! Would you rather go back to age 5 with everything you know now, or know now everything your future self will learn? Why?

Angelina:  Can I do both?  Like one year back to age 5, another year to my future self? I can do both, right?

Lily:  LOL, that would make things easier, wouldn’t it? What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?

Angelina:  Biggest challenges would be staying in college, it was very expensive, so there were challenges with that to stay and pay and get good grades. I am not new to hospitals, so whenever I have to go to the ER it’s a challenge. But I’m here, I’m alive.

Lily:  We’re very glad you’re here! What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?

Angelina:  I haven’t really had a chance to read this week, but seen, one of my favorite things is to find photos of owls, and eagles, and foxes. This week there was a really cool eagle, with his wings in the air, and this look on his face, like I’m coming for you!

Lily:  That’s awesome! What futuristic thing do you wish your clothing or accessories could do?

Angelina:  Well, I don’t have Siri, I don’t use it. But something accessories could do, I swear I knew the answer to that yesterday, but nothing is popping up right now. But more like, I want something that can clean the house faster for me, one button. I know there are roombas, but I guess that means technically they already made that. I’m not really sure, if it could make my life easier, I’ll take it. 

Lily:  Honestly, I’d love to get a roomba. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Angelina:  I write because I have to, i’m a Pisces, we tend to be very creative, and writing a book is a great way to be creative. I want to be able to reach all types of readers, I want them to know they can come to me for a light-hearted laugh, a holiday story, for something sexy or dark. I hope I have something for everyone besides kids, even though I have some kids books ideas. 

Lily:  How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Angelina:  I have a website, I talk to readers on Facebook. There’s Instagram, Twitter, TikTok. There are group parties that I throw, there are a lot of different places you can find me and my books. Thank you for interviewing me, it was fun!