Guest Author: K. S. Moore and The Bravest Among Us

K. S. Moore is a fellow member of two of the writing groups to which I belong, and she was a guest here a few years ago when her first novel, Angel Beneath My Wheels, was published traditionally. You can find that book feature here. Several months ago, I had a chance to beta read her second novel, and was pleased for her when she published the book on her own. It’s quite a hard-hitting novel, reaching into situations and lifestyles with which I’m unfamiliar, so I asked KS to share her inspiration for the book, and she kindly agreed. I’ll share my thoughts and more information about the story below, but first, I’ll pass the microphone over:

Brave Writing
By K. S. Moore

As writers, I believe we’re called to not only tell a rollicking good story but also to use our narrative, our characters, and our gifts to inspire. Our readers ought to feel better, be better, and live better because they felt our words and took them to heart. The world should be a better place because our story came alive for our readers and still burns in their hearts long after the last page is turned or swiped.

The inspiration for The Bravest Among Us came when my adventure-seeking husband bought a motorcycle. But the story also includes a great deal of my own experiences: growing up poor, a devastating sense of not belonging in high school, and a lifelong struggle with self-doubt. Even now, I wonder if I am enough to have written and published this book.

Needless to say, my husband and I had a serious conversation about the motorcycle, and he assured me he had no intention of riding it. He simply wanted to fix it up and resell it, make some money. He promised he wouldn’t even register the thing. Still uncomfortable with the idea, I wrote a short story about what it would do to our family if he were to get injured or killed riding that motorcycle.

A few years later, I took that short story and turned it into The Bravest Among Us. A broken-hearted widow seemed like a good beginning for a starting-over love story.

Part Casa Blanca, part Hillbilly Elegy, and with underlying themes of self-doubt, shame, and the war on poverty, the Bravest Among Us is a work of romantic women’s fiction about three unlikely heroes with a heart for kids in crisis. Devastated by her husband’s death, will my heroine dare to love again? Or will she finally pursue her lifelong dream to become a public defender, the warrior for social justice she’s always longed to be? And which man has what it takes to join her daring quest—her wrongly convicted ex-con teenage crush or the up-and-coming actor with a questionable reputation?

With every story, we writers put ourselves out there. It takes a great deal of courage and confidence. We must constantly tell ourselves we’re enough to write the story that’s in our hearts. Editors often comment, “This will offend,”—in my work, anyway—and I’m reminded of something Oprah once said: “Do not think you can be brave with your life and your work and never disappoint anyone. It doesn’t work that way.”

Am I risking a negative review or two (or God forbid, many)? Maybe, but if only one of my readers signs up to mentor an inner-city kid this fall, I’ll know my story meant something because at least one at-risk child has a chance at a better life.

And that makes being brave totally worth it.

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Blurb for The Bravest Among Us:
Aria Whitmore thought she had it all. Risen from the bowels of poverty, neglect, and violence, she’d finally attained a meager slice of the American Dream. Now, brokenhearted and destitute following her husband’s death, this intrepid businesswoman is barely holding on when Eli Van Drie, a rising film star tired of meaningless one-nighters, swaps his plane ticket home for one on her flight. And twenty-four hours later, neither of them will ever be the same.

Drawn from her despair and inspired by the actor’s commitment to mentoring inner-city kids, Aria finds hope in a bold, new future. Then, at a fundraiser for Eli’s beloved LA boys club, Aria’s wrongly convicted high-school sweetheart shows up, and she remembers two things: One, a long-ago vow to save young men like him caught in the poverty-to-prison pipeline, and two, how much it hurts to lose someone you love.

All three unlikely heroes have a heart for kids in crisis, but which man has what it takes to join Aria’s daring quest to become a warrior for social justice?

Universal, vibrant, and emotionally rich, The Bravest Among Us confronts fundamental beliefs about motherhood, love, courage, and poverty. It’s a brilliant, heartbreaking novel that captures both the stunning pain of loss and the restorative power of hope. This is K.S. Moore at her finest, with an unforgettable story about the need to belong, the strength of the human spirit, and the raw courage it takes to love again.

Read The Bravest Among Us for an impact that will linger long after the last page is turned.

You can find The Bravest Among Us at Amazon.

You can find K. S. Moore at her website and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Patricia’s thoughts:
This book has a lot of angst, and I was torn between wanting to know what came next, and not wanting to read more about the suffering Aria endured. What kept me reading was the knowledge that she’d overcome adversity before, so I knew she’d do it again. I also wanted to know how Eli was going to break through her tough exterior. I think readers will love their story.