Kayla Rae Whitakers work has appeared in Smokelong Quarterly, Split Lip Magazine, BODY, Bodega, Joyland, The Switchback, Five Quarterly, American Microreviews and Interviews, and others. She has a BA from the University of Kentucky and an MFA from New York University. After many years of living in Brooklyn, she returned to Kentucky, her home state, in 2016 with her husband and their geriatric tomcat, Breece DJ Pancake.
Genres: Literary Fiction
Kayla Rae Whitaker recommends
Fireworks Every Night (2023)
Beth Raymer
"Fireworks Every Night is electric--a wild, raw, heartbreaking ride through Florida swamps and midwestern living rooms, mother-daughter relationships, and the discovery of self. Its honest, elegant look at money, identity, and desire in America powers a story that refuses to relent until the very end. Every sentence absolutely glimmers."
Lioness (2022)
Mark Powell
"A thriller with quickness and elegance, Lioness asks tough questions about our responsibilities to the natural world and to one another. In offering no easy answers, it achieves something beautiful and haunting. Mark Powell has written a gorgeous, enthralling, immensely readable novel that will hook you until the very last page."
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts (2019)
(Tuesday Mooney, book 1)
Kate Racculia
"Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts is a story like no other. This tale of a high-stakes scavenger hunt—and the complex inner lives of those competing—is witty, exciting, and absolutely riveting. Before you know it, you'll be playing the game right along with the characters, and with your full heart. I loved this."
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