Kayla Lowe - Exploring the Complexities of Online Dating

Kayla Lowe is an editor by day and writer by night. She enjoys novels about the Phantom of the Opera as well as an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction. When she's not writing or editing, she's curled up with her Yorkiepoo or Pomeranian daydreaming up future stories. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Love and Deception.

Please give us a short introduction to what Of Love and Deception is about.

Of Love and Deception is the first book in the Tainted Love saga. It explores the complexities of online dating, showing both the realism and fantasy aspects of it. It’s kind of a new adult/coming of age type of thing about how young girls are easily susceptible to the wiles of older men pretending to be someone they’re not online.

What inspired you to write about a college student and a mysterious stranger?

With online dating so rampant nowadays, this is just a topic that I think needs to be addressed. I think it’s important for young girls to be aware that who’re they’re talking to online isn’t necessarily who they think they are. In the Tainted Love saga, you’re taken along the journey of a college student who gets wrapped up with an older man she meets online and all the consequences (good and bad) that follow.

Tell us more about Sarah. What makes her tick?

Sarah is young and impressionable, and above all else, she’s naive. She comes from a good family with parents who sheltered her all throughout her life. She’s trusting—sometimes to a fault. She has a big heart, and she's a hopeless romantic. The mysterious stranger senses all this, and he exploits her weaknesses accordingly.

Why did you pick online dating as the way for Sarah and her guy to meet?

So many people nowadays meet that way. I really wanted to explore the complexities of a relationship that started via this medium.

The Phantom of the Opera features quite prominently in this story. Why did you take this approach?

I wanted to show how young people who are very dedicated to a fandom can sometimes become prey to predators who want to exploit their love for those fandoms and twist their views to achieve their ends.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I play the piano.

Of Love and Deception is book one of the Tainted Love Saga. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the saga tie in with this one?

These books will make the most sense when they’re read as a series. You’ll have to keep going to find out what ultimately happens. Each one is a continuation of the one before it, but I try not to leave total cliffhangers at the end of each one.

Your novel raises the question of whether technology will save us or destroy us. Which do you believe?

Honestly, I believe it’s a mixture of both. Technology has done wonderful things. I myself use it every day of my life. I work online as an editor by day, and then I write novels by night. However, there are definitely some social concerns technology poses, such as those illustrated in the Tainted Love saga.

In which way is this a coming of age story?

Sarah turns eighteen in the first book, and the entire series follows her life throughout her early twenties. It covers her leaving home and her first experiences on her own in the adult world she doesn’t really know anything about.

Interesting cover. Please tell us more about how it came about.

This cover is the brainchild of my amazing cover designer, Tracy, from Virtually Possible Designs. She took my storyline and came up with this beautifully symbolic design. These books are very character-driven with Sarah as the heroine, so each cover in the series focuses on her. The shattered glass effect is a clever way to show how her perceptions become more shattered throughout the series.

Do you have any interesting writing habits. What is an average writing day like for you?

I can write anywhere. It’s not uncommon for me to dictate my writing into a note on my iPhone while I’m laying out by the pool or sitting in the sunroom. Later, I paste it into my writing program and edit it all up. Other times, I type on my Mac or iPad. I think my favorite way is dictation, though. It allows me to get my thoughts out faster.

What are you working on right now?

I’m currently finishing up book 4 of the Tainted Love saga: Of Love and Abuse. There will be seven books in the series.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

You can find me on social media @authorkaylalowe or via my website at www.kaylalowe.com.