Interview with Kimberly Krey!

Hello again bloggers. I hope that you're having some much needed and deserved rest this weekend, and I hope it's better out by you than it is here at the bottom of Illinois, where it's cold, rainy, and miserable. But you're just in luck! Tonight I have for you an interview with the author of the steamy debut novel Evie's Knight- Kimberly Krey- to help warm you up.

Please give some thanks to Kimberly for agreeing to stop by and talk to me for a bit, and enjoy!

Evie's Knight is the first book that I've read by you, is it your first publication?

Yes! Evie's Knight took years to bring to completion, mostly because it is my first one and I had a lot of learning to do along the way. I finished writing it in 2009, but made several significant changes before putting it out there.

What was your inspiration for writing this story?

I was fresh off reading a series that I really loved, and feared I would never find anything I enjoyed that much. So I took a shot at writing my own. (I didn't give up reading, of course! I never would!) Once I started writing, I sort of knew who my characters were. I knew Calvin was cursed, and that his mother had died. I knew her death had something to do with the curse. I took it from there and pretty much discovered the rest along the way. I had no idea how much I would enjoy writing; it has become a part of me I don't want to live without.

Calvin Knight is the sexy, alpha male love interest of this novel- who would you want to play him in a film adaptation?

Ha, ha! Well, I'd have to say, even though he's much older than him, Enrique Iglesias looks more like Calvin than anyone I've seen. Especially in this scrumptious picture. Seriously close to how I, personally, envision him. (yummy pic included - you're welcome)

(via http://www.guardian.co.uk)

Also, I had one reader/blogger say she pictured the song, 'I Can Be Your Hero, Baby' (sung by him) while reading the book. It does go nicely with it!

(via youtube)

There are some very steamy scenes between Calvin and Evie in this book. Was it hard to keep the romance clean in this novel?

I'd have to say yes, to an extent. I knew the two weren't going to go all the way, but I had scenes (where they went a little further) that I ended up toning down a bit before publishing. (sorry-ha,ha) I didn't tone them down too much, of course, because I love passionate scenes! To me - they are payoff points, so I like to leave plenty scattered throughout a novel to keep readers like myself satisfied. ;)

Well, now my mind is wandering! If you were gifted a power like the Knight brothers were, what would you want it to be and what would you do with it?

I've always wanted to fly. You know, like a bird. A giant, blond bird, I guess. But I don't know what I'd be able to do with that besides get places faster and freak people out along the way. Guess I'd have to head on up to the canyon like Calvin and Parker do.

I've heard of some writers that need to have a favorite pen or to be drinking a certain kind of pop while they write to channel creativity. Are there any methods or quirks that you have while you're writing?

I do have a few things that seem to help me during the creative stage. Mainly, music. I wrote Evie's Knight while listening to two or three different albums. I listened to Adele's first album almost every time I sat down to write. It would start with Day Dreamer.and I would just be in the zone. For me the music has to either fade dreamily into the background, or totally feed my muse. Adele's first album fades nicely. For the muse-feeding tunes, mainly for the fighting scene and where Evie got attacked - I used Flyleaf a lot. The song, Cassie, was one of my favorites. Sometimes I'd just hit repeat and write my heart out. The band Muse is good for those scenes too, though I often find myself pausing to sing along; a bit problematic.

Oooh, I love both Flyleaf and Muse. I can definitely see both of those fitting well. Is there a certain author or book that you grew up with that inspired you to be a writer?

I can't say that there is, from my youth anyway. I wasn't a great reader back then. In fact, I struggled to the point I was put in a special reading class in Jr high. It wasn't until later in my life that I discovered how incredible the literary world really is; I'm still making up for lost time.

If you got a chance to step inside your own book, how would you change the scenery of The Loft?

I think I'd create a nice, warm beach. Shark-less water, a giant sun, and plenty of soft sand. Throw in a picnic with some Diet Coke and I'd be in heaven.

Evie's Knight addresses a ghost and a curse surrounding deaths of loved ones: Do you believe in ghosts or life after death?

I definitely believe in life after death. In fact, I lost someone very close to me years ago. She was sweet and beautiful and too young to die. I had an experience, sort of like the one Calvin had with his mother. Mine was in a dream, but I believe it was a gift. I was able to stare at her sweet face, take in every adorable freckle, and then throw my arms around her. When I did, I felt what can only be described as love - such an intense dose of it my body could barely contain it. I will never forget that.

If you could have a conversation with anyone- living or ghost- who would it be and why?

Oh, this is a hard one. I'm going to skip it for now and move on. Hopefully something will come to me. If it doesn't, you'll be left with this. :)

You're really angry or are having a really rough day: what's the one thing that can always cheer you up?

My family. My husband has a way of bringing humor into things. It distracts me and makes me smile or laugh even if I'm bugged. And my kids, of course. Being with them is where its at - always.

I can imagine!
Are there any writing projects in the works that you can tell us about?

Well, I put FIONA'S FIGHT on hold to finish my western romance series. My next book, Cassie's Cowboy Crave comes out soon. It's about a cute girl from Seattle, a hot cowboy from Montana, and a witness protection program that has the two posing as husband and wife. I'm hoping to have it out by Mid-May or beginning of June.

I will definitely be checking those out!

I have a few "this or that" questions for you too. Just pick one of the pair.

Black and white or color?: Color.
Chocolate or vanilla?: Chocolate - dark
Cats or dogs?: Love both; gotta go with dogs though.
Summer or winter?: SUMMER!!!
Batman or Spider-Man?: Yes, please. I'll take both.
Pie or cake?: Can I take both here, too? Um ... cake.


Is there anything else you'd like to add to this?

Thank you for the unique and thought-provoking interview. I really enjoyed this one!

You're so very welcome. Thank you for the interview!

I reviewed Kimberly's first novel earlier this year in March. The four star review for Evie's Knight can be found here.

About the Author

I'm a writer of romantic Urban Fantasy, a reader of any good, clean romance, and a lover of home, family, and friends. A perfect day would include ample relaxing time with my hubby and kiddos (indoor or out). Add delicious meals involving seafood, chocolate, or Cafe Rio and I'm on cloud nine. End it with a novel by one of my favorite authors, Marcia Lynn McClure, and it's picture perfect. Random: I might be the number one hater of the chore, laundry. Still waiting for further verification. I'm obsessed with chapstick. I spread SoftLips chapstick (the pretty pearly kind) on my lips about a hundred times a day. I'm equally obsessed with mints; I eat them all the time. Altoids Smalls are my favorite. I smooth the lips, pop the mint, and I'm in good shape. My favorite super heroes are Superman and Spiderman. I can't really decide between them, which is fine because my husband happens to be a scrumptious combination of the two! (via Goodreads) Check out Kimberly's Goodreads page as well as her book. Click the picture for the Goodreads page.

Deathless Discipline by Renee Rose

Title: Deathless Discipline
Author: Renee Rose
Format: Kindle Edition
Pub. Date: December 30th 2012
Source: Amazon freebie

★★★★

Four sinful stars.

Kate's love for being spanked is no secret. But this time, it's far more than a turn on. She doesn't return her dominant vampire husband Dom's phone call, making him worried sick. He'll have to deliver a far worse punishment this time for her to learn her lesson, and to never lie to her Dom.

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This novella is short, sexy, and to the point. It's a vampire BDSM/spanking story that uses characters from the author's other book, Deathless Love. When I downloaded this short story I had no idea that it was based off another book, but the heat factor of this made me add Deathless Love to my TBR list. This edition also includes a bonus short story called Mary Catherine Learns Her Lesson, an exhibitionist spanking story set on Halloween. I actually preferred this story, because it features priest/school girl role play.

Both of these stories are teasing glimpses into a bigger story, and if Renee Rose was trying to lure me into reading her other works, it definitely worked.

This is an erotica/adult book. If things concerning BDSM, spanking, or sex bother you, than this is NOT the book for you. However, if you like your Dom to be an Italian vampire, or have fantasies regarding priests, this short sample is worth a read.

Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman

Title: Blood and Snow (Blood and Snow #1)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Format: Kindle Edition, 53 pages
Pub. Date: June 6th 2012
Source: Amazon freebie

★★

Two torn stars.

Salem, Massachusetts is a place where magic is expected to happen. But the uniquely named Snow White never imagines that such things will happen to her. Sure, she's constantly reminded of her fairy tale name, and it doesn't help that she has seven best guy friends. Her sixteenth birthday is rapidly approaching, and her weird dreams of being bitten by a vampire and eating a heart are only dreams.... Right?

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Why must the books I've read lately make me agonize over a final rating? It's mentally exhausting. In a nutshell, this book kept my attention but not without a slew of bad writing and young adult cliches.

-This novella has managed to take all of my irritations about the young adult genre and bundle them up within its pages. Things such as:
An instant blossoming love.
A plain character with a hot friend who is inexplicably still their friend.
Writing. That. Looks. Like. This.
A random vampire appears!
A character with only one parent
A girl who doesn't realize that boys are attracted to her until way late in the game

-There's also a few things within the writing that made me dislike this story. For instance, if I read about the scent of peppermint coming from a tea, or a boy, or anything one more time, I would have flipped my table. There was also way more talk about how the characters looked or dressed as opposed to their personality. It gave the book a shallow, plastic-y vibe to it, and I didn't learn anything about the characters at all. There were also instances of poor word choice, such as keys 'coincidentally' being on the wall marked "keys" and the quote "It's icky, and it makes me feel icky."

+That being said, I do like the concept of a Snow White vampire retelling. I love fairy tales, and I love vampires when their well written.

This book leaves a lot to be desired, and doesn't do the town of Salem justice. And yet, in spite all of the novella's shortcomings.... I still want to read the next one. The first one ends with a cliffhanger, and god damn it I invested that much time in reading it, and I want the whole story. It's for that reason, and that reason only, that this book gets two stars instead of one.

If you like young adult stories or fairy tale retellings, maybe you'll enjoy it. But, at this point in the Blood and Snow series (who knows, maybe it gets better?) I wouldn't really recommend it.

Chocolate Kisses by Judith Arnold

Title: Chocolate Kisses
Author: Judith Arnold
Format: Kindle Edition, 75 pages
Pub. Date: July 14th 2012
Source: Amazon freebie

★★★★

Four frosting-coated stars.

An up and coming (more coming than up) caterer, Claudia needs this Valentine's Day cotillion gig to go seamlessly. Before her work can even really begin, she wrecks the food while avoiding some moronic bike rider- a bike rider that happens to be the brother of the rich woman who hired her. For reasons she can't quite explain or understand, she finds herself drawn to him, and a little confused when he offers to help her in the kitchen. Between the pink frosting, the rich homemade chocolate kisses, and the heat of the kitchen, there's more than sweets being served up behind closed doors.

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I saw this sitting on my Kindle, and I have no recollection of getting it. I assume I snagged it while it was free on Amazon, at some point. Though the cover leaves a lot to be desired, I'm really glad I took the time to read this novella instead of just moving it off of my ereader.

+The sexual tension in this book is ridiculous, and I mean that in the best way possible. Never before have I found neon pink frosting, chocolate, and even champagne-boiled shrimp so desirable in my life. And I mentioned this, while reading, to my girlfriend. So, thanks for that idea Judith.

+I like that despite her feelings, Claudia fought temptation as hard as she could. Because let's be honest, if a gorgeous, rich, smooth man wanted you to lick frosting off of his finger, most of us would do it without hesitation. Or, at least I would. Maybe that's just me! Though, I wouldn't mind a bit more spice to this book.

-My major fault with this story is the rushed happy ever ending aspect. I know, I know, it's a novella. And that's what novellas do. But it irks me, because to be honest I would LOVE to read this if it were lengthened into a full length book with more character development and a longer simmering time.

-There were also a few grammatical/spelling errors in this novel, but I didn't find that they took away from the story.

If you're looking for vulgar, erotic romance, than this story isn't for you. However, if you like your short stories with happy endings and almost agonizing teasing, then give this novella a try. Maybe it'll satiate your appetite. I feel that fans of Lauren Dane's Tart and other foodie romances would also enjoy this.

Makai Queen by Tara Fairfield

Title: Makai Queen
Author: Tara Fairfield
Format: Paperback, 207 pages
Pub. Date: February 7th 2013
Source: Diane Estrella's blog

★★★

Three indifferent stars.

Tessa is a girl who doesn't really have a proper place on Earth anymore, in a life changed after her parents' death. Contemplating her life and what's happened in it while walking along the beaches of Lanai, she is kidnapped by a man she had intended to save from drowning. He drags her into a new world, Moku-ola, a place beneath the sea that serves to protect all of the ocean's creatures. But life under the sea is torn as brothers feud, and when Tessa is called upon to be the new queen, she must decide if she wants the life the Creator has chosen for her, and who she wants to be.

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First, and I cannot stress this enough: I am not the intended demographic for this book. I did not realize that this book was Christian fiction when I picked it up. That is my fault, and I'm not going to rip this book to pieces because I don't follow the same spiritual path. That being said, this review is going to be very short and to the point.

+The scenery/setting of this book is beautiful. I want to be on these beaches or under the waves, looking at all of the sea creatures and eating all of the ripe fruits that Hawaii has to offer. Tara Fairfield successfully created a world that I wouldn't mind seeing, and has made me decide that I definitely need to visit Hawaii before I die.

+The cover reflects this landscape. It's bright, aquatic, and the bright flower above the title is rather striking.

+I really like the idea of an oceanic shifter. The fact that Kupua can change forms into a seahorse, an octopus, or even a whale is a really refreshing change from bats, werewolves and cats that have been trending lately, especially in young adult literature.

+- I really liked the integration of Hawaiian language in this book. There's even a Pidgen glossary in the back. However, I would have liked a glossary for the italicized words too. If you're going to stress that they're non-English, than they should be elaborated by more than context clues.

-Instant connection/love. It doesn't matter what genre or age bracket, nine times out of ten it will make me have a disconnect from the story line. This novel is one of those nine.

-I found the sentences to be a bit short and choppy, making the narrative hard to get into. Similarly, I had issues with the pacing. I don't know if it's supposed to be the draw of the Creator/God figure that inspires this, but Tessa comes to terms with this new world awful quickly. She doesn't put up much of a fight, and she admits to being weak and unworthy. Now I know that this humility is good and such, but I just found her kind of whiny, and I didn't really care if she found her place.

At the end of the day, it's simple: Other people will enjoy this more than I did. This book is an adequately written piece of fantasy with strong Christian themes. It's clean with romance, adventure, and really cool "gifts" from the Creator like shifting or communicating with animals. It also includes a few discussion/book club questions at the end. I strongly recommend this to Christian young adults. If you, like me, roll your eyes at Christian fiction, pass it up.

Thank you to both Tara Fairfield and Diane Estrella for my autographed copy.

Post on Sunday

Hello bloggers. I hope you've been having a good weekend. I know for me, this week was super busy and stressful. My computer stopped working out of the blue, I had an essay due and a speech to give. Oh, and there was a tornado here, and I was kept in the basement of my school's dining hall. Blech. I wish I could just not have to do work and read forever haha. But, the plus side to this week is the presents and books I got in the mail, including a loving care package from my girlfriend, Emily.

Won:

Blink Twice by Anna Piaff(Review here)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
SIDEKICK: The Misadventures of the New Scarlet Knight (ebook) by Pab Sungenis
Talania — A Trip Down Memory Lane (ebook) by Crystal D. Spears

Gifted (from Emily):

Monster High by Lisi Harrison
The Compelled by LJ Smith



Isn't it a cool care package? Anywho, have a great week readers! xo Jillyn

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Format: Paperback, 485 pages
Pub. Date: April 14th 2009
Source: Purchased

★★★★

Four befuddled stars.

Clary never suspects that when she goes out to the club with her best friend Simon that she will see a murder- let alone a murder that only she could see. Clary finds herself in a whirlwind of paranormal creatures such as vampires, demons, and werewolves, deceptions, betrayals, and shocking revelations as to who she really is, and what she's really capable of. Together with Simon, and the sexy murderer/Shadowhunter named Jace, she must decide what side she's on, and what she will fight for.

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This review is going to contain a few spoilers. If that bothers you, scroll on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but it came with its fair share of annoyances and plot issues.

+Jace and Simon are very vividly described characters. Each boy is loveable for different reasons, but along with the rest of the cast of this story, are narrated perfectly.

+The imagery that this book conjures is gorgeous. Cities that look like glass, flowers that glow into bloom only at midnight... This book is full of scenery that will make any fantasy lover swoon.

But in my very humble opinion, I feel like City of Bones is a patchwork of things that I've already read or watched. Don't get me wrong, I know that all books are inspired by something, and that several books will contain similar story lines. That being said, it still irritates me when the similarities are so strong that it deters me from the book at hand.

-A very certain character has a light up saber. He realizes that his father is the bad guy after being lied to. He falls in love with a beautiful girl. A beautiful girl who also realizes that her father is Darth Vader the bad guy. Luke and Leia much?

-There's also a pale haired guy named Voldemort who after experiencing a hardship starts a cult-like following called Death Eaters The Circle. He needs to find horcrux Mortal Cup to achieve his master plan. Of course, there are three deathly hallows Mortal Instruments, but only one is known to exist. Some of these Death Eaters Circle members turned away from Voldemort Valentine and now leave the reader unsure if they side with him, or Dumbledore the good.

With that little rant out of the way.... I enjoy both StarWars and Harry Potter, so I still somehow managed to like this book beyond all logic. I intend on reading the rest of the series and look forward to seeing this portrayed on screen coming soon.

Fans of Harry Potter and werewolf/vampire fiction will like this book. If YA fantasy is passe to you, skip it.