The Moretti Trilogy Blog Tour: Interview with Kristina Hall

Today, I have the exquisite honor of interviewing the one and only Kristina Hall. She’s the author of my favorite books, a brilliant editor, a really good armwrestler, and just an epic person in general. (She also happens to be my sister. Like, what did I ever do to get such an amazing sister? That’s grace, there.)

Anyhow. Let me tell you a little bit about the series first. It’s Christian historical suspense, and the three books are Promises Unbroken, Mercy Undeserved, Truth Unshaken. All three are epic across the board. There’s romance (though Kristina will attest it’s very slight romance – it’s still sweet, and I’m right, aren’t I?), action, intrigue, and so many deep themes!

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Promises Unbroken

Mercy Undeserved

Truth Unshaken

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Author Interview

VH: It’s about time I got around to interviewing you, given you interviewed me way back in August. So now I get to pick your brain! (Yay!)

KH: I’m glad to be here! Just please don’t pick at my brain too much 🙂

VH: Tell me about your initial ideas for The Moretti Trilogy. Did things turn out differently than you’d imagined? Were there any interesting twists along the way?

KH: Well, I’d originally planned for Promises Unbroken to be a standalone and a modern-day suspense book. I’d also planned for Alberto Moretti (who ended up being a main character in all three books) to die somewhere along the way. So basically everything was an interesting twist! 🙂

VH: How was the writing/editing process for this series in comparison to your other series (Science Falsely So Called and A Better Country)?

KH: Besides my editing getting more detailed and psycho in general, not much has changed. I mean, editing still drives me up a wall and down the other side 😀

VH: Where/when/how do you seem to find the most inspiration for new stories?

KH: Inspiration … sometimes I even have to scrape it out of the recesses of my brain. Because ideas don’t always come easily. Okay, now for the serious answer. Inspiration comes from a ton of places: great books, terrible books, hymns, verses, everyday life, etc. There’s no shortage—until I’m really looking for an idea.

VH: Best tips for editing quickly and effectively? (Because I need help.)

KH: Hey, you’re a great editor! Stop being so mean to yourself!

I’ve found it really helps me to use a notebook and write down things I want to change in later edits. I also keep a list of common stuff I mess up on so I can check for all that. To be honest, editing is one of those things that’s different for every person. If you’re doing something and it’s not working, try something else.

VH: What’s the funnest part of being an author?

KH: First drafts! I love figuring out where the story is going, seeing the characters develop, and experiencing all the crazy action.

VH: Did you ever think you’d be a professional author?

I don’t really know. I mean, I’d toy around with the ideas of traditional and indie publishing, but it wasn’t until last December that I really started making solid plans. If you consider publishing your first book only a couple of weeks after you created your website as a solid plan. But moving on from that … 🙂

VH: Who’s your favorite character from The Moretti Trilogy, and why? 😊

KH: You know he’s Alberto Moretti. Because he’s such a sarcastic, tough guy. Because he’s so much fun to write. Because he’s got this crazy character arc from murderer to new Christian learning how to honor God. Yeah, I love him. And not in the “I’d want to marry him if he were a real person” kind of love either. I just love him and his story. 🙂

VH: Whose story line/arc was the hardest to write?

KH: Frank Ashton, I’m looking at you. His whole depression story line gave me fits. I can’t think about it anymore.

VH: What do you hope readers will take away from this series?

KH: Basically Alberto’s character arc in verse form. 1 Timothy 1:15 … “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

VH: What are you most excited about when thinking about your upcoming series (the first book to be released in early 2022), Refuge?

KH: For the editing to be over. Just kidding … kind of. But I should come up with a more positive thing to be excited about. Let’s see. I’m excited for readers to see the covers for the second and third books. I’m way, way, way too excited about that. 🙂

VH: What’s your best piece of advice to discouraged authors?

KH: Take a few minutes to pray before you start writing/editing. Trust God with your work. And that doesn’t mean your book’s going to be a bestseller or you’re going to make a million dollars or you won’t ever have to edit. And it most definitely doesn’t mean you’re going to get all 5-star reviews. Just write and edit and market to glorify God. It’ll reach the people He means for it to reach.

VH: Random one now. Favorite dessert?

KH: I love almost every dessert (as long as it doesn’t have weird ingredients in it), but ice cream is my absolute favorite! I need ice cream!!

VH: Thanks for coming onto the blog today, and congrats on releasing the entire series! I love it so much!

KH: Thanks for having me! And I did answer all the questions 🙂

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About the Author

Kristina Hall is a sinner saved by grace who seeks to glorify God with her words. She is a homeschool graduate and holds a degree in accounting. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, arm wrestling, lifting weights, and playing the violin.

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Connect

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21133401.Kristina_Hall

Website: https://kristinahallauthor.wordpress.com/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristina-hall

Newsletter: https://kristinahallauthor.ck.page/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinahallwriter/

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Tour Schedule

Monday, December 13th

Vanessa Hall – Series Spotlight

Allyson (Shay’s Scribbles) – Author Interview

Kristina Hall – Blog Tour Launch Post

Esther (‘Neath the Hackberry Reading Club) – Review of Mercy Undeserved

Tasha Van Kesteren – Author Interview

Judith McNees – Review of Truth Unshaken

Penny Zeller – Series Spotlight

Tuesday, December 14th

Madi’s Musings – Author Interview and Series Spotlight

Emily Yager – Author Interview and Series Spotlight

Issabelle Perry – Author Interview and Series Spotlight

Kristina Hall – Promises Unbroken Post

Wednesday, December 15th

Kristina Hall – Mercy Undeserved Post

Esther (‘Neath the Hackberry Reading Club) – Review of Truth Unshaken

Thursday, December 16th

Vanessa Hall – Author Interview

Madi’s Musings – Guest Post: The Hardest Parts of Writing and Editing The Moretti Trilogy

Katja (Old Fashioned Book Love) – Review of Promises Unbroken

Kristina Hall – Truth Unshaken Post

Friday, December 17th

Vanessa Hall – Review of Truth Unshaken

Katja (Old Fashioned Book Love) – Review of Mercy Undeserved

Grace A. Johnson – Reviews of Promises Unbroken, Mercy Undeserved, and Truth Unshaken

Autumn (Farm and Photography Life) – Series Spotlight

Kristina Hall – My Favorite Character

Saturday, December 18th

Sherrice (Penlightenment) – Author Interview and Review of Promises Unbroken

Katja (Old Fashioned Book Love) – Review of Truth Unshaken

Kristina Hall – The Themes

Sunday, December 19th
Kristina Hall – Giveaway Announcement