About Me
My background
My writing roots
My writing roots
After living eighteen years in the Middle East and five years in the South Pacific, Kim Hester has come home to his native land, the United States, and is writing fiction based on his observations abroad. He brings to his writing the experience of having been an editor with the California Department of Education and a fellow in English at
After living eighteen years in the Middle East and five years in the South Pacific, Kim Hester has come home to his native land, the United States, and is writing fiction based on his observations abroad. He brings to his writing the experience of having been an editor with the California Department of Education and a fellow in English at Stanford University. He has published nonfiction books by several universities, but has turned his attention in recent years toward fiction and in 2018 completed a novel, which is largely set in the Middle East, a region he knows intimately. He holds a certificate in fiction writing from Gotham Writers’ Workshop in New York and a certificate in novel writing from Stanford University. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Willamette Writers, the Academy of American Poets, and Mensa. He resides on the West Coast with his wife and indulges in gardening, cycling, and hiking.
My writing roots
My writing roots
My writing roots
Mrs. Hudnell, my high school English teacher, called me to the front of the class one day to read a story I wrote. It was about a young boy who used a chinchilla coat to dry off after a bath. Soon after I dreamed of writing a novel. Years later, after gaining a BA in English, writing manuals in the aerospace industry, and editing educatio
Mrs. Hudnell, my high school English teacher, called me to the front of the class one day to read a story I wrote. It was about a young boy who used a chinchilla coat to dry off after a bath. Soon after I dreamed of writing a novel. Years later, after gaining a BA in English, writing manuals in the aerospace industry, and editing educational publications in the California government, I penned my first novel about a diplomat caught up in a web of terrorists in the Middle East. Along the way I also earned an MA in English and a certificate in novel writing.
My style
My writing roots
My style
My writing style in fiction is plot driven, with characterization being important but nevertheless playing second fiddle to the plot. The reader can expect to experience loads of action in exotic settings. But overarching all elements is the importance of theme and lessons in life that will hopefully leave the reader a better person once
My writing style in fiction is plot driven, with characterization being important but nevertheless playing second fiddle to the plot. The reader can expect to experience loads of action in exotic settings. But overarching all elements is the importance of theme and lessons in life that will hopefully leave the reader a better person once he or she has completed reading the novel. I want my work to help build a more just and moral world, as well as more moral individuals who have spent some time in the microcosms constructed in my works of literature. Merely to entertain is not enough for me as an end goal, but rather to build a better world within and for my readers. To see a sample of my writing, you can sign up for my newsletter in the sign up form below, and a free short story will be sent to you. Or you can purchase the short story "The Beauty Contest" in the website shop above. Either way you can get a taste of my writing style, which is also demonstrated in the recently released novel Bete Brune (Brown Beast): The Saga of Judith Sanders.
Testimonial
Comments from Deborah Johnson, Kim Hester's Mentor in the Stanford University Novel Writing Program
Working with Kim was just a joy for me. He was so interested in his subject and had so much knowledge to share about it. Saudi Arabia and the Saudi princes are much in the news and he brought an I nsightful prospective to both the Kingdom its rulers. The idea of the United States sending a woman as consul general to negotiate in such a man-centric environment was surely an inspired one. Kim lived for many years in Saudi Arabia and you could certainly tell this from the depth of his knowledge about that country and the Americans who live in it. I learned a great deal that I had never even suspected about the people living there, both Saudi and Americans, and the intricacies of their relationships. Bravo, Kim for bringing this aspect of the world’s culture to such vivid life!
Deborah Johnson, award-winning author of The Secret of Magic
