We're lucky enough to continue our week with the talented Laura Kaye and her newest release, FOREVER FREED! (I am not-so-patiently waiting for my copy to arrive. LOL)
Laura is here today to answer a few questions about herself and she's brought some sexy, inspiring pictures of hero-worthy men:) Not to mention a
25% coupon for you!
You can learn more about Laura and
all her wonderful stories at
http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com
but then come on back here, grab a cup of coffee and visit with Laura.
Thanks so much for being here this week, Laura.
What is the most difficult for you to write: Characters, conflict, emotions?
Without question, emotions are most difficult for me to write. Or, rather, they’re the thing I’m most likely to leave out while writing the first draft. I feel very confident in writing characters, setting, and plot, but one of the things I’ve learned about myself having now completed a number of projects is that I leave out the emotions first time through. So now I have as a regular revision agenda for every project going back through and adding that in, asking myself, how does the character feel here, and how can I show that feeling.
Do you have critique partners?
I do, and I’m so fortunate. My best friend is a YA author, and she’s been my longest critique partner. We pretty much learned this whole writing thing together, and that made it a great ride! I’m also very fortunate to belong to a critique group that my state RWA chapter established almost a year ago. There are twelve of us and we meet once a month for four hours to critique each other’s work. It’s a great group and so supportive, and a lot of these ladies have now become my close friends. One of the most satisfying parts of this whole writing enterprise has been the friendships I’ve formed out of it. I think having other writers as critique partners is critical. The reactions of friends, family, or readers are great and often very affirming, but they’re not the same as getting critical feedback from other writings who know the craft and the industry.
If you were going to cast the hero of your book, what actor would get the part?
Oh, I love this question! Hands down, Lucien Demarco would be played by Alex O’Loughlin. This image of Alex was the one I had hanging over my desk while I wrote Forever Freed (I know, a real hardship on the eyes, right??). Everything about his look, his expression, the darkness—it’s all Lucien. And the model the cover artist picked for the cover was a pretty good approximation of my vision. *snap, snap* Hey, pay attention to the words and ogling my boy Alex! LOL
If you could time travel would you go forward or backward?
Well, I’m a historian by education and occupation, so I would definitely go back in time. *Which* time, though, would be the hard part. While my area of expertise is in early American history, I’m really interested in a lot of periods: the medieval period would be totally fascinating to go back to, Shakespeare’s era, the American Civil War era. I should say that my interest would be in visiting, not staying there. I like my indoor plumbing, personal hygiene, and clean drinking water, thank you very much!
What was the best advice you were given leading you to getting published?
The best advice I received was to write, write, and keep writing. You can’t revise what you haven’t written. You can’t submit what you haven’t written. And, when you get rejections on one project, you can’t submit something else if you haven’t written it. The second best advice would be to have patience, lots of it, which I’m not particularly good at, myself!
Tell us a little about your WIP.
I’m currently in the revision stage on two projects. North of Need is the first in a four-book fantasy romance series I’ve sold to Entangled Publishing. Based on the Anemoi, directional wind gods the Greeks associated with the seasons, North of Need is set in the current day and focuses on the winter gods. That’s set to release in early November. The other project I’m editing is a WIP women’s fiction called The Fantasy Life of a Middle-Aged Wife about a woman’s efforts to salvage her flagging marriage. It’s humorous and serious at the same time, and full of lots of heart and fun characters. I’m hoping to begin submitting this novel this summer.
Forever Freed Blurb:
My heart may not beat, but that doesn’t mean it’s not broken.
After an isolated century mourning the murder of my long-ago family, I crave the irresistible scents of joy and love that radiate from my new neighbors, a single mother and her young daughter. I’m starved for their blood, and for the healing respite from my ancient grief that will accompany drinking down their life-giving emotions. Now to lure them in.
But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation—talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man in me. They lure me in.
Aw, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can…
Excerpt:
Samantha was sprawled across the bed wearing
nothing but dark red lace lingerie that sat off her
shoulders and closed with satin ribbons. Her golden
hair cascaded around her neck and splayed out on
the hunter green comforter around her. Exquisite.
Pure and decadent at the same time. She held one
finger up and beckoned me to her. I crawled up her
body and held myself above her. I had no idea how
I was going to be able to resist her when she looked
like this and looked at me like that. For months, the
depth of her grief had put any progression of our
physical relationship on hold. She’d never before
tempted me like this.
“Merry Christmas, Lucien.”
“It is, because of you. Merry Christmas.”
She stroked her fingers from my cheeks, down my neck, and across my collar bones
to my chest. Then she dropped her hands to her own chest and slowly untied the two
satin ribbons that held the lace bodice together. The confidence she exuded was
seductive, and the heat of her hunger coursed through my abdomen and groin.
I rested my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. This is impossible.
“Lucien?”
I opened my eyes and met hers. “If I look at you when you look this incredible, dolcezza,
I won’t be able to control myself.”
“That’s sorta the point. I don’t want you to control yourself. We’ve been about as
controlled as two adults should be. I was aiming for a lack of control tonight.” She pulled
the lace completely off the sides of her chest just to make her point.
“You’re what I want for Christmas. Please? I want you so much.”
The way she offered herself to me was so appealing. She looked beyond beautiful, flushed
with her desire and literally
glowing. And I loved her more than my life.
I lowered my weight onto her and found her mouth with mine, then ran my left hand down
her arm, along the side of her breast to her hip, and back up. I stroked her tongue with
mine and relished her taste. When I licked and nipped down her neck, I paused to suck
gently over her carotid artery. You’re safe with me, Samantha. And I knew it was true.
Her existence was fundamental to my own. I could never do anything to harm her.
She rolled her hips up into mine, and we both groaned when she pressed herself against
my erection. I slid down and kissed and licked between her breasts. She was so perfectly
formed. I shifted to the side and licked over her nipple, then sucked it into my mouth. Her
flesh pebbled harder as I kissed and tongued her.
“Oh, God,” she whimpered.
I caressed her other breast in my hand and rolled her nipple between my fingers. She
moaned and arched herself up into my mouth. The smell of her arousal was intoxicating.
I had to focus to keep my fangs retracted.
“Dio, you’re beautiful. So beautiful.”
I moved my mouth to her other breast. She wound her fingers into my hair. Then I ran
open-mouthed kisses down her stomach as she gasped and squirmed. Her skin was savory
and sweet, pure and clean. I stroked my tongue down her side to her hip bone, where the
thin red strap of her lace panties sat. She moaned as I licked my way across the edge
of her panties from one hip bone to the other.
“Off, please, Lucien.” She raised her head and our eyes met.
Brief Bio:
A multi-published author of paranormal and contemporary romance, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura grew up amidst family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with the supernatural. Though an avid fiction writer as a teenager, a career as a historian took her in other directions until recently. Now that Laura’s inner muse has awakened, she’s constantly creating new story ideas! Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Find Laura on the interwebz:
Website: http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com
Blog: http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/laurakayeauthor
Twitter: @laurakayeauthor
Publisher Website for paperback & ebook: http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=800
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3703867
FOREVER FREED book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guWmcq3qSVs
COUPON:
5th Anniversary discount from http://thewildrosepress.com through May 31! 25% off all titles - use code 18b632d0b0 – including Laura’s Hearts in Darkness & Forever Freed!
