MEET KRIS

I am a Southeastern Wisconsin-based writer. My main focus is new adult (protagonist is age 18-29) fantasy and romance, but I have been editing and beta reading for various authors and magazines for over twenty years. My roots started in the legal profession, but I found myself swayed away. Since that time, my short stories have been published in several magazines and anthologies, such as Southport Press's mythology, Pandora's Box and Left of the Lake magazine. My book Forbidden Guardian was initially intended to be my debut novel, but it had issues. As I was working through those issues, I attended a convention in Chicago that changed everything and sparked the creation of When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom (whenthecherryblossomsbloom.com).

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As the founder of Onigiri and Dango, I've been asked, “Why Onigiri and Dango?”

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The fast answer is: I love onigiri, and I love dango!

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But the more detailed answer comes with a bit of a story.

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Before Onigiri and Dango became a beta reading company, I considered other types of businesses, such as writing coach and developmental editing. I want to help new writers navigate their paths - like my niece. We attended a convention in Milwaukee, and my niece wanted to attend a writing panel discussion. In it, editing and beta reading were briefly mentioned. The audience showed significant interest in beta reading, but they were equally unsure about how and where to find beta readers. That's when I realized a bridge between writers and beta readers was needed. This realization gave birth to Onigiri and Dango.

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So how did Smudge become Onigiri? And how to Kako become Dango?

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When walking through the Milwaukee convention's Artist Alley, I noticed I gravitated toward cute/kawaii products and animals. A couple weeks later, I stopped at Mitsuwa for my favorite lunch - onigiri and dango. That’s when the idea struck, and I started to explore various ways to connect those words with what I liked visually. 

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Onigiri [sound-wise] made me think of my ornery cat, Smudge.

 

Dango [sound-wise] made me think of 'dingo,' which is a dog native to Australia. This originally made me think of my other dog, Kira--an Australian Cattle Dog. But, people will meet Kira in the future.

 

Because...Smudge's best friend was Kako.

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That's how Smudge became the idea behind Onigiri while Kako became the idea behind Dango.  
 

Now that you know the story behind Onigiri and Dango, here's a bit more about me:

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I'm a runner!

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I was a long-time member of the Fanthropy Running Clubs, a global running community that participated in virtual races to raise millions of dollars for charities. Fanthropy spanned all seven continents and was an amazing experience. We did #somuchgood and had some incredible challenges. I remember a team race that totaled over 4,000 miles! I was one of the team captains for that race and remember vacationing in Arizona for part of it. I'll never forget running on a hotel treadmill overnight, sacrificing sleep to help get miles in before my early morning flight home.

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Disney’s inaugural Dark Side half marathon was my absolute favorite race. The course provided a one-of-a-kind environment. Running through each park was an immersive thrill all on its own, but there were added stops for pictures with Star Wars characters and backdrops. This was also the first race where people I knew cheered for me from the sidelines. I loved seeing non-running members of the Fanthropy Running Club at various points during the first part of the race’s stretch. But the absolute best part was meeting my husband and mom for a quick "hi" closer to the end.

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Fun Fact: The 2020 Chicago Marathon was supposed to be my marathon debut. But, we know how debuts go with me. Due to the COVID pandemic, there was no 2020 Chicago Marathon, making my debut marathon the 2021 Chicago Marathon. Adding to the challenge, I ran half of the marathon in a mask. Covid changed many things for me and my family [medically]. I was determined to adapt and overcome obstacles, and I wanted to run the entire race in my mask for personal, health reasons. Unfortunately, it was a rough race. EAS started as a yellow flag but went red at about the same time as my injury happened (about 17 miles in). I didn’t hit my expected time, but I finished. The feeling of relief and joy when I crossed that finish line was absolutely euphoric. There's no way for me to properly describe the wave of emotions. So, while it was not my favorite race, the 2021 Chicago Marathon was my most memorable.

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Since then, I've joined the Badgerland Striders, a local running club. I switched from distance running to speed. It's a new challenge. I still struggle with my marathon injury so have limited my races. Although my injury has prevented me from running long distances for now, the Badgerland Striders keep me engaged and motivated in the running community while I work on my recovery. 

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I love K-pop!

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My very first K-pop concert was Got7. I was "tagging along" to a concert my young daughter wanted to attend. The experience ended up being unlike other concerts. Since then, we've attended a number of K-pop concerts together (MonstaX, Seventeen, WannaOne, TXT, (G)I-Dle, Ateez, Enhypen, NCT Dream, Day6, and our favorite Stray Kids). Most concerts have been in the Chicago area, but we have flown to the Newark, NJ, where they saw the very first show of Stray Kids' first world tour. We also went to the Seattle, WA, to see the last show of their Maniac world tour. I don't like stadium concerts, so I wasn't sure if we'd see their dominATE tour. We snagged platinum tickets the day of the concert. I still don't like stadium concerts, but we have yet to break the Stray Kids tour streak (we've seen them all!).

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I think my favorite part of K-pop is the fans. K-pop fans feel like family. We're a tight-knit community. I remember standing in line for a DAY6 show. It started pouring. My daughter was a mid-teen, and we needed an umbrella. So, I ran to the car for one. When I returned, a woman in line was sharing her umbrella with my daughter to help keep her dry. We spent the rest of our time before the concert talking. Another time while standing in line, a young woman was walking around handing out freebies. She asked my daughter who her bias was. Apparently, the young woman was looking for someone with a particular bias. He just happened to be my daughter's. The young woman surprised my daughter with a signed album from him. I hope that young woman understands how special she made that night for my daughter.

 

I love Rocks!  

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My daughter got me interested in them. Then again, maybe it was genetic destiny for us to like rocks because my grandpa's family were U.P. miners. My very first rock purchase came just before Christmas 2023. I went to find a gift for my daughter but ended up leaving with my first Rainbow Moonstone. Rainbow Moonstone remains my favorite rock.