Kes Trester
A native of Los Angeles, Kes Trester is a veteran of the film and TV commercial industry. Her debut novel, A Dangerous Year, is currently being developed for film/television. The Nine, the first entry in a multibook, contemporary YA/NA romantasy series published by Owl Hollow Press, hit shelves October 2022, with the sequel, Alder House, released September 2023. The third book, To theNines, comes out October 22, 2024.
Instagram: @KesTrester
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
My books are often described as cinematic, and there’s a very good reason for that. I was a Hollywood creative executive who spent years working with screenwriters, so structure, pacing, and dialogue is baked into my DNA. On top of that, my brother is an A-list film editor (It Ends With Us), and he’s been my story editor since day one. As far as particular films, I love the action openings of the James Bond canon, the brilliant set ups and pay offs in Back To The Future, and the way dialogue reveals character in anything Aaron Sorkin writes.
What period of history do you wish you knew more about?
Like most writers, I fall down a rabbit hole when I’m curious, so if I want to know more, I usually dive right in! That said, my perfect day includes a visit to a world-class museum. I go early to meet the docents because they know where the real treasures are kept and the stories behind them. Some of my favorite museums where I’ve done this are the Met in New York, the Riksmusuem in Amsterdam, the Louvre in Paris, and the Smithsonian in Washington DC.
Favorite non-reading activity?
Pilates, beach combing, and walking my dogs while listening to an audiobook (I can’t help it! Reading is such a joy!).
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
I did in my younger years, but then I realized we’re all dealing from the same deck. We all feel fear, we all experience doubts, but it’s those who push through those emotions who achieve their goals. I’ve learned not to listen to that little voice in the back of my mind.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
As a lifelong resident of So Cal, the beach is out my back door, the mountains out the front. I can’t complain, but what Los Angeles lacks is centuries of history, period-defining architecture, and people whose traditions date back farther than the orange groves that once covered the San Fernando Valley. Let me hike the ruins of an English castle, give me a sip of wine aged in oaken casks in Chianti, or let’s dine in the shadow of the Acropolis.
