Nov 15

Nov 15 Stacia Kaywood

Author Stacia Kaywood

Biography

A reluctant reader in her early years, Stacia Kaywood preferred listening to her grandfather’s stories of growing up on a farm in rural Kansas during the Great Depression to bland elementary readers. When her second-grade teacher finally managed to convince her books held the magical keys to unlock the doors to imagination and companionship, she hasn’t been bothered to put one down since. Thanks to her trusty tablet, she now carries these stories with her everywhere.

During the Covid lockdown, she rediscovered a long-forgotten voice, silenced by the chaotic years between early adulthood and middle age. She cleared a space at her dining room table, stretched out her fingers, and began to type the words hidden inside. Preferring stories with a happy ending, she dabbles with the historical events and eras she finds titillating. Whether in a London ballroom, a smoke shop in Pennsylvania, or a Bavarian farmhouse, her characters fall in love, hoping to find their happily ever after.

She currently resides in Kansas City, the Missouri side naturally, enjoying copious amounts of BBQ, Mexican food, and the greatest Austrian cuisine this side of Vienna. A graduate of the University of Kansas with a master’s degree from Emporia State University, Stacia teaches her students about the beauty of the German language and a bit of the English grammar they forgot. A teacher by day and author by night, her life consists of hauling children to band rehearsals, baking, and filling notebooks with newly discovered words and fresh ideas for stories.

Her own world wouldn’t be complete without her own happily ever after. Her supportive and fantastic husband encourages her writing, even if it means pizza and leftovers for dinner. Her hilarious and amazing children enrich her life with joy and happiness. And then there are the two cat sidekicks, whose antics distract from writing more than they inspire, yet pets and snuggles are always welcome.

Her first novel, Bathed in Moonlight, is a historical romance set at the end of World War II, featuring the intrepid Captain Jimmy O’Brien - a wounded soldier in need of rescue, and the alluring Greta Müller - a woman with a haunted past. Currently, she is working on a Regency Era romance series centered around a feisty group of debutantes looking for love, while encountering the most reluctant group of future husbands imaginable.