Industry Bio
Kay Zempel writes paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and erotic fantasy. Moon Dance is her debut novel. Kay is a former academic, educator, and technical writer, but she remained a world-builder at heart. A Southern California native, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her dog and husband. They are living out their own happy ever after.
My Story
I have always been a writer. Growing up, I wrote in notebook upon notebook building fantasy worlds and developing characters These stories never had much of a plot but that wasn't the point. The point was mostly to get Character A and Character B to make out. I wrote Fantasy Romance before I even knew what the genre was. I was also a voracious reader. Once I learned to read and write, I either had a book or notebook in my hand. In high school, I discovered fan fiction. There wasn't a better way to combine my two biggest hobbies. So instead of listening in my AP classes, I was writing instead. Worse, I was giving the notebooks for my friends to read. I've found some of those cringe-worthy notebooks, read a few lines, and hurriedly tossed them out. No one needs to read that.
Somewhere along the way, writing took a backseat while I focused on becoming a serious academic. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the beautiful Santa Clara University before heading off to UCLA for my Master's and PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I taught introductory chemistry as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Whittier College for four years. I loved chemistry and most importantly I loved working with and mentoring students. And then COVID hit. It was difficult to have the hands-on connections with students that I loved when I was teaching, but at the same time, working from gave me a lot of freedom that I came to enjoy. So I sadly said goodbye to my academic career and spent a couple years as a corporate medical writer. Technical writing was a challenge, but a great use of my skill set. I really thrived in the environment until my mental and physical health started to suffer. I stepped away from my job to focus on taking care of myself.
I began writing again as a way to get in touch with myself. I rediscovered the joy I felt when I had filled notebooks growing up. Once I started writing, I kept writing. And writing. And writing. When I had outlined a couple novels, I realized that I loved this kind of creative work. I loved living in worlds that I created with characters who told me how they wanted the plot to move. I was hooked. So at the age of 35, after two other careers, I began my third act as a full-time author.
My Love Story
If my life were a Romance novel, the trope for my love affair would be insta-love. It's silly and cliché, but when I seriously started dating my husband, I knew he was the one. After three dates, I knew I wanted to marry him. After a week, I had told him I loved him. It took him a little longer to realize it, but he eventually came around to the idea.
He was a friend of a friend in college. We knew of each other but we didn't know each other. That changed one fateful night when two introverts were dragged to a party neither of them wanted to go to. We spent the night on a couch talking about our life goals and what we wanted for the future, and developed a deep connection. We stayed together through college and through long distance while we both did our graduate work.
We survived long distance, moved in together, and got engaged. In 2016, we got married on our college campus where we met. Life with him has been an adventure. I am and always will be somewhat of a homebody. He makes me want to explore and travel and live life as full as I can. Ask any married couple and they will tell you that their spouse is their best friend. Most of them are lying. In our case, it's the truth. He is my best friend, my partner, and the best dog dad. He makes my dreams come true every day. That is my happily ever after. And that is the happy ending I hope for every one of my characters and my readers.
