Katina Blasingame - A Heartfelt Journey of Love and Second Chances

Katina Blasingame also known as KA Blaze has a passion for writing. Her motto is Dreams are blueprints in creating the future. When Katina is not writing, she is a teacher and life coach helping people all over the world make their goals a reality. Embrace your life's ambitions with the help of a worldwide-published author. Click the follow button here and connect with Katina today.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Waves of Affection.

What inspired you to write Waves of Affection? Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked the idea?

My inspiration to write Waves of Affection came to me when teaching online with a co-worker. Because of the grade we co-taught online, I was able to virtually spend every day with her and her family. Her husband is in construction, and he walked me through ideas to create the construction background.

The novel explores themes of love, second chances, and personal growth. Why were these themes important for you to highlight?

Ashlee and Nick allowed me to use their names and ideas throughout the book, so some of the ideas came from their personal lives as they were not married when I first had the idea to dedicate this book to the family. As they shared their wins and struggles of daily life, I was able to create a romance novel showing love conquers all.

The setting plays a key role in the story. How did you choose the sunlit beaches as the backdrop for this romance?

My dream is to live in a small beach town and the idea from this town in California that I have vacationed multiple times of year since the year I was born.

Can you share a little about the main characters? What makes their journey unique and compelling?

I love the concept of a family business because that is how I grew up. My family did everything together. I believe family is not just made up through blood. As the years pass, friends become part of the inner circle and become family like in the book.

Silas and his brother Nick took the chance to hire Trevor fresh out of college and create a thriving construction company throughout the town of Oceaneva. When Trevor brings his best friend on board, there are some rocky moments just like real life, but in the end the story proves working as a team creates succuss.

The book emphasizes the balance between dreams and reality. How does this theme play out in the characters’ relationships?

The brand of my life coaching company is “blueprints are dreams for the future,” so I added this concept throughout the book. Every character has their own dream in the beginning of the book, throughout the storyline each one discovers they have their own path but in the same business which create a heavy bond expressing the power of love will always create success.

Did you base any of the characters on real people or personal experiences?

The characters’ names are based off of my amazing friends and their three boys. The construction idea came from the father and the name of the company was my grandmother’s favorite Greek liquor she sipped on every afternoon until she was 101 years old.

What was the most challenging part of developing the protagonists?

The challenge came from the connection of my favorite place in the world, the beach, with Silas’s mood changes. His internal struggles finally outweighed his professional façade. Waves of Affection comes from the rollercoaster of moods Silas portrays to Ashlee throughout the book. He will always be a protector, but the lines blurred on who to protect in the depth of the story once Ashlee came into his life. Just like waves of the ocean roll on and off the shore, so did Silas’s moods, but his love will forever be as constant as viewing an ocean.

If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

I would love to spend the day with Silas. Not only is he tall dark and handsome, but he is smart running a successful business, yet down to earth from loving the people around him to even learning how to be uncle.

What was your writing process like for this book? Did you plan everything, or did the story evolve as you wrote?

The writing process was long for this book. It took over one year to write. Originally, I had an entire story board created. By the end, very little was the same, including character names. Ther are over eight rough drafts before even starting my own editing process. The ideas were great to start with, but the story evolved as I wrote it, especially with my friend Nick proposing to Ashlee in real life! Some will find it odd I use both their names but no, Nick is the brother-in-law in the story not the main character.

How do you approach writing deep emotional moments? Do you have any special techniques?

Deep moments are usually sprung on at the last minute either during editing the first drafts or the middle of the night to spring out of bed and get the idea out before it is forgotten. A lot of scenes are exaggerated from decades ago when my husband and I were dating.

The ocean and waves are symbolic in many ways. What do they represent for your characters in this story?

In real life, the ocean is my happy place. My writing place when I am on vacation and my safety net when challenging situations come up in life, I go there to think. Since the beach is my favorite getaway, I incorporated it in the story as well as connected the rolling waves with the mood swings of the main character. Waves will always be unpredictable and that is how I want Silas portrayed.

You wear many hats as a writer, teacher, and life coach. How do these roles influence your storytelling?

I write both nonfiction and fiction. The romance fiction allows me to have a break from reality. This is the time I jump into the fiction world and create my fantasies or live out memories that I treasure. Teaching and becoming an author were my childhood dreams. I then became a life coach to show others you are never to old to follow your dreams. Set goals and engage in baby steps to make them happen. For me success is not about money, I am successful because I have made my dreams come true and I believe others will also.

What do you hope readers take away from Waves of Affection?

I hope readers enjoy a fictional getaway understanding that life is not the same for everyone. Challenges will present themselves, but it is how the challenges are dealt with that will express who you are. My goal with both genres is to prove to never give up and create success to mean something that works for you. At the end of the day we have to make our own happiness.

Are you working on any new projects? Can readers expect more stories with similar themes?

Yes! In the next six months my nonfiction book Breakthrough Fear will be released. It focuses on Stress vs. Anxiety and shares step by step relaxations skills to practice so in challenging situations an automatic calm technique will surface to help an individual stay in the present moment.

Then in 2026 more romance will be heading your way!