Featured Interview With Kayla Gerdes
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Louisiana, where life teaches you grit early and softness is something you have to fight to keep. I grew up fast, and a lot of that shows up in my writing. My stories aren’t polished fairy tales—they’re raw, real, and rooted in survival.
I live in New Orleans, a city that knows chaos and beauty can coexist. It’s loud and haunted and alive in the most unexplainable ways, exactly the kind of place that feels like home to someone like me. I’m a mom to the most incredible boy, a licensed Esthetician, Content Creator on Tiktok and an Author who tells the truth even when it hurts.
And yes, I have pets. A dog named Nori Ann, who’s sweet and loving but turns fierce when it comes to protecting me or my son, Kamron. She’s got a heart of gold and the instincts of a warrior. And then there’s my cat, Lillian Ann (Lilly for short) who does what she wants, when she wants. She’s standoffish with most people but curls up with me like I’m her whole world. They both reflect pieces of who I am: loyal, independent, loving, and never to be underestimated.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always wanted to love books, but the truth is, reading has never been easy for me. I have ADHD, and that made it hard to focus, hard to retain, and hard to keep up. I’d read the same sentence over and over and still not absorb it. It wasn’t that I couldn’t read, I could. But my mind would go blank in the middle of a story and I’d have to start all over again. While other kids were finishing chapters, I was still trying to stay in the world of the first page.
But I never gave up. I wanted the story. I wanted the escape. I just had to work harder to get there. That struggle made me appreciate storytelling in a deeper way, because when it finally hit? It hit hard.
I actually started writing before I really understood what it meant to be a writer. In 8th grade, I wrote a full screenplay for our class talent show. It was game show-themed, and I had to create parts for every single classmate. That moment taught me that even if reading felt like a battle, storytelling was where I thrived. I could build the world. I could assign the lines. I could make people feel something, even if I was still figuring out how to keep up with a book myself.
Writing became the place where I didn’t feel behind. It was mine. And I’ve been chasing that fire ever since.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are the ones who make me feel something, gritty, wild, powerful emotions I can’t shake off. The list is long, because I’ve pulled inspiration from so many voices: Lani Lynn Vale, J.L. Beck, Tijan, Avelyn Paige, K.E. Osborn, Max Monroe, Molly McAdams, K.C. Lynn, Daphne Loveling, K.A. Linde, Autumn Jones Lake, Vi Keeland, Lisa Renee Jones, T.M. Frazier, M.N. Forgy, Drew Elyse, Dannika Dark, Chelsea Camaron, Lena Bourne, Lauren Blakely, and Sawyer Bennett… just to name a few.
I gravitate toward dark romance, MC romance, mafia, and sometimes a little paranormal or werewolf magic when I want something extra intense. I like stories that push boundaries, that make you question everything, that show beauty in the broken. I want to see characters burn, rebuild, and love like it might kill them.
As for who inspires me? All of the women who write unapologetically. The authors who built something out of trauma, chaos, or just sheer passion. The ones who made space for voices like mine. I see them. And now, I’m writing to stand beside them.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Flip Flops & Fast Laps is a wild, sexy, emotional ride set in the high-speed world of motocross—with plenty of heat, heart, and chaos.
It follows Mae, a single mom with a sharp tongue and a no-BS attitude, who body-checks a motocross legend named Trace Jagger, and somehow walks away with his hoodie and his ego. What starts as a hilarious, accidental run-in turns into something way more intense. There’s chemistry, yes. But there’s also trauma, pride, and two people who have no idea how much they’re about to wreck each other’s lives, in the best way.
But Mae’s not just falling for a man. She’s raising a son, Beckett, who’s smart, observant, and everything to her. He adds a layer of realness to the story that grounds every moment. This isn’t just a love story, it’s about learning to let people in, even when you’ve built your whole life around protecting your child and yourself.
Trace is a man used to winning. Mae is a woman used to doing everything alone. And Beckett? He’s the reminder that some risks aren’t just for yourself, they’re for the future you’re trying to build.
Written under my pen name Tuesday Monroe, this book brings together everything I love about romance: messy characters, addictive banter, steamy scenes, deep wounds, and redemption that doesn’t come easy. It’s about love that scares you. Love that heals you. And love that makes you risk everything.
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