Emerging Author: Kevin Crank (WHERE THE MOON SHINES BRIGHTEST)

Author Kevin Crank makes readers cry. And he likes it. His novel, WHERE THE MOON SHINES BRIGHTEST, made one Fresh Fiction reviewer call it “so emotional and real.” That’s high praise the indie author and actor was thrilled to accept.

“Wow! It’s humbling to hear that my words evoked that kind of emotion,” he said. “I’m glad that I was able to put forth the right words for each character, setting, and situation that allowed the reader to experience the journey of the characters through the story. It lets me know that I did my job as a writer, and is very rewarding for me to hear.”

WHERE THE MOON SHINES BRIGHTEST captured the struggles and hard choices men face growing up, and the repercussion of those choices. Crank drew on his own family to get the right feelings on the page.

“I based my story on the setting of where my dad grew up in southwest Arkansas during the late 40’s and early 50’s. He was born during the depression on the farm my grandfather worked,” he said. “My dad could have easily taken the wrong path to make money illegally, like brewing and selling moonshine, but because of his family’s strong Christian faith and ethic of hard work he chose the right path to follow. His background was the perfect impetus for me to create the characters of the story and the twists inside the plot to make the story so compelling and emotional.”

Moonshine, for the uninitiated, is brewed like whiskey but there’s no aging process to it. And, according to Crank, it’s an acquired taste.

“The first few sips will take your breath away,” he revealed. “The taste definitely has a bite to it and for me there is a lasting burn in my throat. It only takes a few sips to feel the effects because of the high alcohol content.”

Crank knows some readers may be surprised that he--a man--write romance, but he hoped they would be just as interested to read a male author’s perspective of a romance as they would a female writer’s.

“I think men today are more open about their feelings and willing to share them with women, and I also think men can be very romantic with the right person,” he said. “As an actor, it’s my job to create an interesting character. Well guess what? Creating a character as an actor is almost identical as creating one as a writer. Each character must have a backstory, a flaw to overcome, a goal to achieve, and a reason to achieve it.

“It’s my philosophy that these criteria for my characters are what we as individuals face in our lives every day. So I knowingly create my characters with those qualities, and when I create the love story between two characters, all those factors lend to incredible conflict and wonderful resolution.”

Crank is currently completing a romance novella that he plans to revise soon. After that, another full- length book.

“I will resume writing my next novel, which is a story about human trafficking. And yes, there will be romance,” he said.

About Kevin Crank

Kevin received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He spent eight years as an English teacher in Garland, Texas. Kevin is also a working actor having appeared in a number of indie film projects and television commercials for Texas Lottery and CenturyLink. He is married with one son.

WHERE THE MOON SHINES BRIGHTEST is based on memories of Kevin’s childhood visits to his grandparent's farm in southwest Arkansas. The story takes place in the early 1950’s and recounts a time and place where many families supplemented their meager wages by brewing moonshine. A compilation of fact and fiction combined with Kevin’s love of history and historical fiction, are woven together throughout this Southern menagerie of life, love and lawlessness.

Website | Goodreads

About WHERE THE MOON SHINES BRIGHTEST

Wallace Johnson longs to leave country life behind him. Vowing to find a way to pay for and graduate from college, he doesn't realize the price he will have to pay to get it. Not only does he have to fight against his dad's pre-conceived plans of following in his footsteps of living on a farm, he also has a crooked sheriff and a childhood nemesis to deal with, as well as family loss, all before his eighteenth birthday.

Leaning heavily on his brother to guide him, Wallace grows up quickly in a world where moonshine affects the lives of those dearest to him. Through it all, he falls in love with his high school sweetheart. However, after a time of separation without any word from her, they finally reunite and Mary reveals secrets of her past that might hinder their future together.

Wallace now has a choice to make. Will he leave the country life in which he was raised to pursue a career as a writer? Or will he forget all his dreams for the woman he loves?