K. Z. Morano

answers the Usual Questions

K. Z. Morano

Blogger turned author K.Z. Morano is a writer, a beach bum, and a chocolate addict. She writes anything from romance and erotica to horror and SF, F, and WTF.

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

I can't say I've met many fans but I do have an awesome number of blog friends and followers. I've had the pleasure of interacting with some of my readers though not as often as I would've liked to.

They're the reason why I decided to have my works published. I started out as a blogger and then I started writing fiction and posting stories on my blog.

Through the encouragement of my blog followers, I started submitting my works to magazines and anthologies and finally, I released my first solo project, 100 Nightmares. Since I post fiction on my blog, comments - both positive and negative - are inevitable. I read them all. I respect other people's opinions. But in the end, I write whatever I want to write. It's always important to recognize when criticism is constructive and when praise becomes destructive.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

Whenever I receive a great review on my book or a kind comment on my story or whenever someone lets me know that they took the time to read my work, it always makes my day. One particularly memorable moment was when a horror author that I truly admire read my book, 100 Nightmares and told me through email that he likes my style. He was generous enough to share my book on his site as well. That was one truly amazing day. :)

Do you have a favourite author or book (or writer or film or series) that has influenced you or that you return to?

I absolutely worship H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. They showed me the beauty in horror. I love Poppy Z. Brite... and other great writers who can seduce and scare you, inspire and disturb you at the same time. Clive Barker's early works showed me that there are no limits to the horror genre. The first horror movie that I fell in love with was Bram Stoker's Dracula. I saw it when I was a kid and I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching it. While I don't watch much television, I'm certainly a huge fan of Game of Thrones.

Who is the person you would most like to be trapped in a lift with? or a spaceship?

For how long will I be trapped? Will there be enough food? Hmmm if it's going to be for a long time, I'd rather be stuck with someone edible. He/she has to be 1)someone that I don't really care about and 2)someone clean and healthy but weak enough to be considered as prey. Well at least I'm honest. ;)

Who is the person you would most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with? Or a spaceship?

Well the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I like a person... if I end up getting stuck in a lift/ a spaceship with him/her, I'm probably going to end up disliking that person anyway. But seriously, I would hate to be stuck with someone that I love/care about. I'd rather be alone than to see them suffer as well.

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

I would bring books. Something new... something I've never read before... maybe something written by a new author. I spent the past week without electricity because the city that I live in was struck by a typhoon. For me, preparing for a storm also means dropping by the bookstore and purchasing new books. We're lucky enough to have a diesel generator but my time on the PC was extremely limited. Books kept me sane. :)

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

Growth... self-discovery, liberation... and someday, perhaps even immortality.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

Just knowing that I can write gives me more than enough satisfaction. I used to work as a ghost writer. I used to write articles and they would end up online with other people's names and faces attached to it. I was fine with it as long as I got paid. But right now seeing my works of fiction with MY name attached to the stories, I just can't fully describe how wonderful that makes me feel. Those are my stories... my words...and no one can ever take that away from me. I wouldn't trade that feeling for all the money in the world. :)

submitted by K. Z. Morano

30 July 2014

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Just the facts:
Born: I was born on July 5th.
Resides: I currently live in the Philippines.
Bibliography/Awards:
100 Nightmares 2014 (story collection)
Several short stories and micro-fiction pieces in various anthologies, magazines and online venues

Web site:
Blog
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Goodreads

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