Tell us about yourself.
I’m Kayla Gerdes, a writer, mom, small business owner, licensed esthetician, and content creator based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Life has shaped me in bold, unrelenting ways, and that shows up in everything I create. My writing isn’t filtered through perfection, it’s filtered through truth. Whether it’s a dark romance, a children’s book, or a gut-punch line of poetry, it comes from a place of experience, survival, and fierce love.
I’m raising a son who inspires me daily and running a business that reminds me I can build something from the ground up, on my terms. I started writing young, but I didn’t fully claim it until I realized my stories weren’t just a creative outlet, they were a lifeline. For me, and for others.
I write for the people who feel too much. For the kids who couldn’t sit still long enough to finish a chapter. For the adults still carrying wounds they don’t talk about. I don’t sugarcoat, I don’t soften the edges, and I don’t pretend life is always pretty. But I do believe it’s worth writing about.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Louisiana, where softness and survival constantly collide. I was raised in a place where people speak their truth, even when it stings. Where the stories are thick with pain, humor, and history. That energy shaped me. My writing has always been rooted in real life, the unpolished, loud, emotional kind. I learned young that words could either protect you or set you on fire. I write with both in mind.
What was your journey to getting published like?
Not smooth. Not glamorous. But mine. I didn’t wait for a gatekeeper to tell me I was ready. I researched everything. I fumbled. I figured it out. I self-published because I had something to say, and I wasn’t going to wait for a traditional system to approve my voice. It’s been equal parts chaos and growth, but every book I put out is proof that you don’t need permission to be powerful, you just need to show up and write it anyway.
What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received?
“That line wrecked me, in the best way.” That stuck with me, because that’s the whole point. Writing isn’t about perfection. It’s about impact. If I can hit a reader right in the chest with one sentence, make them cry, pause, laugh, or breathe differently, then I’ve done what I came to do.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Stop waiting. Write the messy version. The honest version. The one that scares you. Don’t edit yourself before the words even hit the page. You can clean up structure later, but you can’t revise what doesn’t exist. You don’t need perfect. You need honest. That’s what readers connect with. That’s what lasts.
What’s a fun fact about you that your readers might not know?
I grew up riding dirt bikes. It wasn’t just a childhood phase, it was a lifeline. When I was riding, it was just me, the wind in my hair, and the dirt road stretching out in front of me. No expectations. No noise. Just movement, freedom, and breath. It’s still one of the few times I felt completely in control and totally free.
Maybe that’s why I love road trips so much now, why I’ll always say yes to an open road and a loud playlist. It’s that same feeling I chase when I write. When the words are flowing and the world fades out, I feel like that girl again, hair wild, heart open, chasing something that feels like freedom.
What’s your guilty pleasure book or genre?
Dark romance. The kind that doesn’t apologize for being messy, brutal, or emotionally reckless. I want morally gray men who don’t pretend to be heroes, and women who aren’t waiting to be saved, they’re calculating whether love is worth the risk of self-destruction. I’m drawn to stories where every kiss could be a threat and every touch feels like a dare.
Give me power struggles that blur the line between protection and possession. Give me tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, and sometimes, someone does. I want stakes that go beyond heartbreak. I want love that unravels people, claws through their past, and exposes everything they swore they’d never show another soul.
Bonus points if someone’s got blood on their hands and a reason I almost agree with. I want to question whether I should root for them, and do it anyway. That’s the thrill of dark romance. It’s not about what’s right. It’s about what’s real. Raw. Desperate. Dangerous. The kind of love that scares you, and still makes you stay.
What’s your favorite quote about writing?
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou
That quote doesn’t whisper. It haunts. I think of it every time I try to talk myself out of finishing a chapter. Stories don’t disappear when you ignore them, they get heavier. And one day, you either release them, or they unravel you.
When you’re not writing, how do you like to spend your time?
Mom mode, mostly. I run a business, create content, and try to keep up with my son, who’s somehow more energetic than a triple-shot espresso. I love being outside, creating something random, or sitting in silence imagining what my characters are doing without me. Spoiler: they’re usually plotting something.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I don’t remember the exact first story, but I remember the first time a book made me cry. Not because something sad happened—but because something hit. It cracked something open in me. I felt seen, even though the story wasn’t mine. That’s when I realized what writing could really do, it could hold you. It could say what you didn’t know how to say. It could feel like someone reached into your chest and named something you thought no one else noticed.
That feeling never left.
I also grew up obsessed with poems and quotes. I used to print them out and tape them to my walls, my notebooks, anywhere they could live. I still have some of them, faded, torn, but kept like keepsakes. Even back then, I wasn’t just looking for pretty words. I was looking for truth. For something that explained what I was carrying inside. Those quotes became anchors. Promises. Warnings. Little lines that reminded me I wasn’t alone.
And maybe that’s why I write the way I do now. Because I know how powerful it is when a single sentence hits in the right moment. I remember how it felt to find someone else’s words and think, "That’s me. That’s how I feel." That’s the kind of impact I chase every time I sit down to write.
What has inspired you and your writing style? How did you choose the Mystery genre?
My inspiration comes from chaos, secrets, and people who carry their truth like a loaded weapon. My writing style is sharp, raw, emotional, and laced with tension. I didn’t choose mystery, it chose me. I kept writing stories where nothing was as it seemed, where everyone had a motive, and the past was never really dead. Mystery is the language of the human condition, we’re all trying to solve something. I just put it on the page.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
I read them once. Maybe twice. And then I move on. Not every book is for every reader, and I don’t write to please the crowd, I write to connect with my people. If a review is constructive, I’ll take the lesson. If it’s just mean, I let it go. Either way, I don’t let it silence me.
How do you connect with your readers?
By being me. Loud, messy, honest, heart-on-my-sleeve me. I show up on TikTok, in emails, and in my stories with the same voice I write in. My readers aren’t just people who buy my books, they’re people I write for. And they know I see them. Because I do.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More books. More risks. More truth. I’m building a world where readers can grow with me, from children’s books to steamy romance to thrillers that mess with your mind. Every chapter I write is a new version of me. And I plan to write until there’s nothing left unsaid.
Are there any Easter eggs or hidden messages in your work?
Always. There are real conversations, real losses, real people woven into my fiction. If you know me, you might catch them. If you don’t, you’ll just feel like those lines were written for you. That’s the point. I leave pieces of myself behind, quiet, powerful ones, for readers to find when they need them most.
How do you approach writing dialogue for your characters?
I speak it out loud. If it doesn’t sound real, it’s gone. Dialogue should feel like you’re eavesdropping on something you weren’t supposed to hear. My characters interrupt, trail off, deflect, and lie, just like real people. It’s not about perfect grammar. It’s about emotional truth.
If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be?
Thank you, for every page you turned, every quote you underlined, every message you sent when you didn’t have to. You’ll never fully know how much that meant to me. How much it still means.
There were days when I doubted myself. When the words felt too heavy, too vulnerable, too raw. And then a message would come through, someone telling me that a line I almost deleted made them feel understood. That a scene made them cry in the best way. That a character felt like looking in a mirror. And suddenly, I wasn’t just writing, I was reaching.
If my stories have made you feel stronger, braver, or less alone… just know you’ve done the same for me. Your support has pulled me out of self-doubt more times than I can count. You’ve made me feel like my voice matters, like what I write lands. And as a writer, that’s everything.
I don’t take any of it for granted. Not the clicks, not the shares, not the reviews, not the quiet way you show up and choose to stay. You could be reading anyone, but you chose me. And that means more than you’ll ever know.
We’re in this together. Always.
From my heart to yours—thank you.
Kayla Gerdes’s Author Websites and Profiles
Amazon Profile
Goodreads Profile
Kayla Gerdes’s Social Media Links
Facebook Page
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