Interview of Author Kathryn R. Blake

Today it's my pleasure to present an interview of romance author Kathryn R. Blake.

Latest Book: Deadly Enchantment
Buy Link: http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=newconcepts&product_name=Deadly+Enchantment&exact_match=exact&return_page=http://www.newconceptspublishing.com

BIO:
Though she has been writing romances with paranormal twists since the early 1980s, Kathryn R. Blake out the unusual in books and movies for many years before finally creating her own. She published her first book in 2003, despite a 9 to 5 that required 60 to 75 hours of her time each week, but her second did not emerge until 2008. Unhappy with the lengthy turnaround time, Kathryn is now focused on writing full time and completing a sequel to her first book, Mortal Illusions, this year.

Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: Gasped at the sudden erratic fluttering of my heart, then I immediately ran to my husband and told him. He's very good at calming me down, sometimes just a little too good. After that I called my friends via conference call and told them. They screamed! Lots of fun had by all.

Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you to write? Why?
A: The plot or the story. I tend to outline my books from beginning to end. The book does not always follow what I've written, but a plotting outline gives me a place to start and go forward, so I tend not to have writers block. I have a rather quirky and vivid imagination, so creating a story is fun. Turning (revising, editing) my manuscript into a publishable work is what takes me the longest, and is probably the most difficult part for me.

Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you? Why?
A: When I write my first draft, I concentrate on character, plot and dialogue, so the hardest part for me is narrative. Having two or more people involved in a "heated" discussion is fun to create, but centering the reader so he/she can see the scene as fully as it is taking place inside my head takes more work. I do have two other writers that I share my work with, and they are great about pointing these "lapses" out to me.

Q: Do all your heroes and all heroines look the same in your mind as you “head write”?
A: Each character is definitely different, but especially my heroes. My heroines tend to be thin, because I am not. They also tend to be graceful and even athletic. Not me, either. In some ways, personality-wise, I am more similar to my heroes with a few notable exceptions. They do tend to be dominants. Not in the leather, whips and chains sort of way, but in the way they attempt to manage or control the heroine. All of my heroes tend to be overly-protective of their loves almost to the point of being obnoxious about it, and that's where my heroines strive to set them straight. My heroines tend to act first and ask questions later. My heroes tend to ask questions first, then take action. That's where I am more similar to the boys than the girls.

Q: What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?
A: I am an avid reader who's almost reading a book a day now that she has a Kindle. My favorite genre is paranormal romance, but I enjoy futuristics, science fiction, horror and even some mysteries. I prefer all the stories I read have some sort of romance, though they do not actually have to be a Romance. I do enjoy the spicier, more erotic, stories that can include, but are not limited to, BDSM (Bondage/Discipline/Sadomasochism) and GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bi-sexual/Transsexual) as long as the story is essentially a romance between two consenting adults. I have discovered, however, that I do not like heroes that share or put their romantic interest up on display for others to see and perhaps touch, so I avoid stories that claim to have exhibitionism and multiple partners. I'm also more than a little squeamish when it comes to pain, so some BDSM stories can make me very uncomfortable.

Q: What’s your strongest point as a writer?
A: Dialogue, I'd say. I was a theater major in college, and even wrote some plays (none of them any good), so I have a feel for dialogue, and I love to write it. My stories are probably 70/30 with the 70% being dialogue and 30% narrative.

Tell us where to find you:
website(s) http://www.kathrynrblake.com
publisher’s page(s) http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/Kathryn-R.-Blake.html
Facebook page(s) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-R-Blake-Romance-Writer/377050772371
Twitter http://twitter.com/KRBwrites
Email: krblake@kathrynrblake.com

BLURB:
Murders most foul, Magic most terrible, as shapeshifting brothers battle to win a deadly game of revenge.

Deadly Enchantment takes you to a world where your purity is validated, your mind is read and your dreams are violated. A journey back to 1888, late Victorian England, where Dominic Westcroft is a wizard who can change his shape at will and Serena Cunningham is a sensitive who has nightmarish visions of Dominic brutally slaughtering her sister. Neither trusts the other, but unless they can come together to uncover the truth, one of them will die.

EXCERPT:

PROLOGUE
September, 1876 - Lynwood Manor – England

“Dominic, a word if you please.”

Dominic Westcroft gave a mental groan.“Now, Zaltasar?” he asked, impatience adding a sharper edge to his query than he intended.

“Yes. I promise not to keep you and your blushing bride apart too long, but there are things I must say before you go to her,” the elderly wizard advised. His voice, though little louder than a whisper, expressed a grim direness.

Giving a reluctant nod, Dominic followed his black-robed mentor down the darkly lit stone corridor to a small antechamber. Though Dominic wasn’t untutored in the ways of men and women, at seventeen he couldn’t claim a great deal of experience either. Even so, he hardly needed a lecture on the birds and the bees on his wedding night.

And so, he was a bit taken aback when Zaltasar leaned against the edge of a table and said, “I counsel you, not as your tutor, but as your father would, were he still alive. Passion between a husband and wife is both glorious and sacred, but you, my eager, young student, are not just any groom and tonight’s not just a wedding night for you. Though you may not be innocent in ways of the flesh, this union will be unlike any you have experienced before. Because that is so, I must caution you to be judicious and employ the utmost care not to let your passions rule over your head or heart. I have taught you things I’ve taught no one else to protect you against the treachery of those who would do you harm. But my teachings carry a price. And if you do not wish tonight to turn into a disaster you’ll regret for the rest of your days, I beseech you to heed me now. Your young bride’s life may well depend on it.”

* * * *

Washed, powdered, and gowned in the finest white silk London had to offer, Felicity Westcroft, nee Cunningham, lay as still as she could on the large four poster bed while her heart pounded with maidenly anticipation for her groom to claim her. Holding up her hand, she gazed again at the gold band he’d placed on her finger a few mere hours ago. She loved Dominic and trusted him completely, although she’d long suspected there was a darker side to the man she now called husband. A more sinister side that even he didn’t fully understand. Even so, she had a gift for seeing into the hearts and minds of others, and she knew his essence was pure. His soul carried a few scars, but none were of his making. Others had wounded him deeply causing him to be wary. She’d been the one who’d reached out to him. And despite his initial surliness, she’d managed to gain his interest and attention until he was the one who pursued. She let him think he’d caught her, but she’d wanted to be caught since the day they’d first met. She knew she would be good for him, and he would be good for her as well.

Deep into her thoughts, Felicity did not see the door to the bedchamber being nudged open, but she sensed movement and presence. Despite all that she suspected, she still let out a small gasp when a white leopard slipped through the crack in the door. Then it turned and stared at her through deep-green eyes that were aware, intelligent and ravenous.