KC Klein interview and give-away

Help welcome my guest, KC Klein, author of Dark Future.

Barbra, thank you so much for having me here. I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with readers and tell them a little about my debut novel, DARK FUTURE. I would love to give away a copy of my e-book to one commenter. So readers, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you a copy.

What do you find the most difficult about being a writer?

It is definitely balancing the life of writing with working outside the home and taking care of a family. Case in point, today I picked up my kids from school with no bra and fluffy pink slippers. At least I don’t have to do the walk of shame before the other moms.
I just slow down long enough so the kids can hop in.

What is your hero’s biggest challenge?

ConRad can come across as cold and uncaring—he has the weight of human salvation on his shoulders. So who could blame him if he comes across a tad abrupt, but it still creates great tension between him and the heroine.

What is your heroine’s biggest flaw?

She is a self-proclaimed coward. She’s lived a life of self-indulgence and never really had to step up and do something for the greater good. It’s my favorite of moment DARK FUTURE when she starts to live for others and not just herself.

What prompted you to write this story?

My first baby was colicky. There was a block of time I couldn’t fathom a full night’s sleep or that I would ever read a book again. I desperately needed an escape, so I created a world that was darker, grittier, and had worse things happening than clothes that smelled of
spit up and a non-existent sex life.

What is your least favorite genre? Would you ever consider writing it?

I guess I would have to say mysteries. They’ve never floated my boat. I think in order to write mysteries you have to be a pretty smart cookie to keep the reader guessing until the end. There’s just no way I could pull that one off.

Who has helped you the most?

Hands down my husband. He has allowed me to have a full, 360 degree life. He picks up the slack so I can have all the things I love in my life and have writing too.

Do you have a favorite theme? Eg: love conquers all; good vs evil; How do you
use it?

Themes are funny things. I think it takes a few books before a writer figures out what themes they are drawn to—at least it took me that long. I think my theme is how much are you willing to sacrifice for love? I’ve always loved that question and self-sacrifice seems to pop up in my books quite often.

What have you learned about yourself from your writing?

That I want it. That I want to write more than I have ever wanted anything before. That I’ll give up and take on a lot in order to tell stories. That this isn’t just a passing fancy, this
is a part of who I am.

Why will your reader think your book is different?

I hope readers will think DARK FUTURE is different, but also hope they will love it. My book is darker than a lot of books out there. By dark I don’t necessarily mean in content, though there is mature subject matter. My characters are dark. My hero and heroine are
not optimistic people. These are people who have gone through hell and expect
only the worse to ever happen to them and to those they love. The fact that
these two people get a chance at a happily-ever-after is the best part of
writing DARK FUTURE. I believe what this book says is that if these two people
can claw themselves to happiness, than anyone can. J

I love to connect with readers so please find me on Twitter @kckleinbooks and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKCKlein
and also my website www.kckleinbooks.com

Also one more thing, DARK FUTURE is going on sale in print as of Nov 8^th. So if you don’t like the e-version now you can order the print version.

Thanks again for having me!

And thanks for being here. Because of the power outages, I’d like to leave your interview open for a couple days for readers to comment and enter your give-away.

Book Blurb

Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go forward in time to save the world—and His life. Of course, her future self
doesn’t tell her who he is, just sends her into an abyss and straight into an alien invasion.

He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting Commander of Earth’s army and the world’s last defense. There’s only one way to know for sure if this strange woman is an
alien spy—slice her throat. Except, he didn’t anticipate the heat he would feel
as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman. For a man whose sole
focus has been survival, she’s more temptation than he can handle. But a world
on the brink of destruction leaves no room for love…and time is running out.

Excerpt:

“Mmm, you taste human. Like salt or more like … warm sunshine?” He pinned me with his gaze. His eyes spoke a primal language. Desire warred with anger; need against punishment.

I looked away. Embarrassed. Violated. His body crushed mine, suffocating in its
nearness. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe without crushing my breasts
against him. I always considered myself strong and physically fit, but he
subdued me with barely any effort. Heart racing, I panicked.

The feeling of no control would break me—complete powerlessness always did. I used whatever weapon was available; whatever maneuvers would give me a fighting
chance. This was no different. I turned my head, opened my mouth against his
neck, and … sunk my teeth in.

He cursed. Grabbed hold of my shirt, picked me up, and slammed me back against the wall.

A painful whoosh came from my lungs. My vision rocked—brain swished inside my
skull.

“You bit me.” He sounded shocked.

My head hurt so bad I had to blink hard to keep my eyes in their sockets. “You
licked me,” I shouted back.

He assessed me, aqua blue eyes hooded with thick, long eyelashes, for what seemed
like an eternity. “I will ask you one more time. Who are you?”

“I’ve told you everything.” My voice sounded desperate, tired, even to me. “I went
running and fell into the dark … I’m a doctor at a hospital. If you don’t
believe me, just call them. I’ve worked there for years.”

He stood still, his body hard against mine, creating an insurmountable barrier.
His face so close I could see his pupils enlarge, almost hiding the hard blue
of his irises. The rage in him lived and breathed. One hand ran along my scalp
in a mock caress, grabbed hold of my hair and pulled.

“Liar,” his voice barely a whisper, the knife was back … shaking at my very exposed,
very vulnerable artery. “There hasn’t been a hospital anywhere on Earth since
the year 2075.” And in one efficient movement, he drew the knife across my
throat.

Twitter: @KCKleinbooks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKCKlein

website: www.kckleinbooks.com

Buy link: for ebook http:
//www.amazon.com/Dark-Future-ebook/dp/B005JSMM8Q

Buy link for print: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Future-Kc-Klein/dp/0062117041

Scary starts with S

Did you ever notice that the scariest words start with S? Take
S-s-s-spooky. Just the word sends shivers down my spine. So I took that idea

and made a list I find scary.

10. Spook is another name for a ghost, but where ghost
conjures up cute images like Casper, in my mind spook is the sheet-clad figure
shifting through shadows.

9. Swamp is the site for slithery, slimy, sucking muck. The
victim always stumbles into the swamp, tries to escape and sinks.

8. Sarcophagus is more frightening than a simple tomb or
crypt. Picture the stone lid sliding aside for Dracula to ease out in his
nightly hunt for blood.

7. Shadows move and shift in the darkness. Shadows conceal
the evil things we strain to see. Shadows appear in places they don’t belong.
Shadows dog our steps.

Book One: Rhodes End Series — Paranormal Romance

6. Shape-shifters are more terrifying than werewolves since
they can assume any form.

5. Skeletons are a Halloween favorite to hang outside. They
rattle in the wind. Or make a click-click-clicking noise as they sneak along
the hallway of the old mansion.

4. Skulls are skinless, eyeless, sometimes toothless shapes,
all that remain of the place considered strong enough to protect our brains.
Skulls remind us of their past humanity.

3. Snakes are slithery and slippery. Asps hiss.

2. Stake is not exactly scary until you put it in the
context of killing Dracula or staking out your enemy on an anthill.

1. Samhain (pronounced Sow-een) is the Druid or witch
celebration of the holiday we renamed Halloween. Samhain is the time when the
curtain between worlds is thinnest and allows the creatures from the other side
to come into our world. Souls, demons, incubi, ghosts can roam freely and
do. Fear they will not return is the
reason for November 1^st to be called All Souls Day and a day of
prayer in many religions.

I’m sure you can think of more s’s. You’re welcome to add
them to my list.

Barbara Edwards writes paranormal romance.

Ancient Blood, Book Two Finding Rhodes End Series-blurb

Lily Alban escapes a murderous stalker, but his vicious attack
leaves her with the ability to see auras. She finds safety in the tiny hamlet
of Rhodes End where a stranger stands out like a red light. Try as she might to
deny her growing desire for Cole, she seeks his help but soon discovers the man
she loves is not a man at all.

Werewolf Cole Benedict resists his attraction to Lily. A botanist
researching the healing herbs to find a cure for Lycanthropy, he’s determined
to protect Lily from her stalker as well as himself even in human form, but
instinct takes over when he changes to his inner beast.

Together they must use their extraordinary gifts to catch Lily’s
stalker before he attacks again, but revealing their secrets to one another
could destroy their growing love or save them both.

Buy link for Ancient Blood http://tinyurl.com/3f627vh

Author Web: http://barbaraedwards.net

Blog Site: https://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards

Ancient Blood http://on.fb.me/naHRY5

Twitter: http://twitter.com/barb_ed

Authors Den: http://authorsden.com/barbaraedwards

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003F6ZK1A

Buy link for Ancient Blood http://tinyurl.com/3f627vh

Do you see what I see?

We all have psychic abilities, but something inside convinces us it’s safer to say it’s only ‘imagination’. I’ve seen the flicker of movement from the corner of my eye when nothing is there. I know it’s silly to worry about an open closet door or to check under the bed. I’m afraid to walk across a cemetery in the dark.

Is this what makes a story scary? I’m not sure I know. I know what frightens me, but it probably isn’t the same for others.

I use my fear to make my story real for the reader. That
shaky feeling in the middle of the night when I’m not sure what woke me can be
the same fear my heroine feels. Try to drag me to the edge of a cliff and I’ll
fight every inch of the way.

Have I seen ghosts? Depends what you mean. As in a light floating in the dark or a dark silhouette where no person exists? Yes, I’ve seen both and been frightened.

Does that show in my books?
I’ve been told that it does.

Here’s an excerpt from Ancient Awakening:

Legend gave him many names, but the wide halls of his mountain
retreat no longer echoed with countless worshipers. He could have ruled the
world had his ambition not died with the passage of time. The endless whispers
were from the cold winds and the few praying priests. He didn’t care that he
couldn’t remember his real name or birthplace.

For an eon he’d regretted the loss of softer emotions. Love had
been the first feeling to die, along with the woman who had insisted he would
never harm her. He couldn’t recall her features just the merry tinkle of her
laughter and the bright smile she had greeted him with every morning. He licked
his lips. She’d tasted sweet.

Fierce need flared in his gut and he sniffed the air. Outside
his chamber a single acolyte in long brown robes waited to escort him. His mouth
curved with a mirthless smile. The silent servants had ignited the flickering
wall torches. Shadows jumped and shivered in the drafty halls like nervous
virgins.

Visit my website at http://www.barbaraedwards.net for more.

I’ll be at Write Angles Conference 2011 on Oct 22, 2011

By writers, for writers — in our
26th year in Western Massachusetts Mount Holyoke, East Hadley MA

PANEL SESSION II – 11:15 am to
12:30 pm (Choose one)

Exploring the Avenues and
Lanes of Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Andreola Room)

Moderator: Tanya Shersnow

Panelists: Holly Black, Corrina Lawson, Barbara Edwards