End the week with LAURA KAYE

Friday, January 28, 2011
Meet Lucien!! Hero of FOREVER FREED by Laura Kaye



Now lets meet Lucien's author!! Today, we’re here with published author, Laura Kaye.

Laura: I want to start out by thanking Linda for having me over today!


Linda Kage: Well, thank you for stopping by, Laura. Why don't you tell us a little about you and what you write please.

Laura:My first reading love was paranormal romance, so it’s no surprise that’s also where I cut my teeth on writing fiction. Besides paranormal, I also write contemporary and erotic romance (the latter I’ll publish under Layla Kane). On my most recent project, I took a pretty big genre detour and wrote a women’s romantic fiction because the story idea just wouldn’t leave me alone. Though I’m a historian in “real life,” so far I haven’t been lured by historical fiction—the required research might just make it a little too much like work for me! I guess the multiple genres makes me a little schizophrenic, but each one poses different challenges that I love to take on, and regardless of genre, I’m always exploring people’s (or vampires’, etc.!) basic need to belong, to feel connected, to not be alone.



Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?



Laura:There are so many ways to answer this! The first “book” I ever wrote was a handwritten paranormal retelling of The Secret Garden when I was fourteen. In my mind then, it was a book. I wish I knew whatever happened to that! I remember feeling like I was engaged in such a serious endeavor while writing it. LOL The first true novel I ever finished was Forever Freed’s great-grandfather, or at least that’s how it feels given how many iterations Forever Freed went through before becoming what it is today. The first draft came out at a whopping 150,000 words and was structured more as urban fantasy than romance. Watching approximately 60,000 words drop to the cutting-room floor as I edited was painful but necessary. Plus I have in mind maybe reworking the chopped-off beginning that most of those words represent as a prequel to what will ultimately be a 4-book series.


Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?



Laura:My debut books are releasing this spring from The Wild Rose Press, a paranormal novel called Forever Freed and a contemporary novella called Hearts in Darkness. So there’s a whole lot coming soon!

Kage: Alright then, let's talk about FOREVER FREED. Spill all the good stuff!



Laura: Forever Freed will be released this spring by The Wild Rose Press (release date expected any day!).


********************BLURB********************
FOREVER FREED
by
Laura Kaye

Empathic vampire Lucien Demarco, sired in a horrific attack that left his human wife and child dead, never lets himself know a human beyond the horrified emotions he drinks down when starvation forces him to feed. When an alternate blood source becomes available just as Lucien gains new neighbors—a beautiful human woman radiating an alluring joy and her young daughter—he struggles over his contradictory needs for the healing, absolving emotions her blood promises and the newfound comfort and affection their companionship offers. As Lucien’s friendship with Samantha and her daughter Olivia deepens, awakening the long-lost man and father inside him, he must decide exactly what he craves most.

Coming SOON to THE WILD ROSE PRESS
*********************************************

Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?



Laura: I love this! Definitely R. There are G-rated romances? My pervy brain must be steering me clear of those titles. LOL.


Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?



Laura:Beauty and the beautiful-brooding-Italian-fanged Beast. Without question. ;)


Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit FOREVER FREED under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?



Laura: One thing that makes this vampire romance different is the vampire’s quite close and central relationship with a 5-year-old girl, the heroine’s daughter. Her innocence and acceptance disarms him completely and is just so sweet! I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that children, free from preconceived ideas of what’s possible and real in the world, have a greater capacity for perception and acceptance of the paranormal. So I play with that here. And when you find out what little Ollie thinks Lucien is, You. Will. Melt. Guaranteed! LOL



Kage:What was the easiest part to write?



Laura: This book was the fastest thing I ever wrote. Them there 150,000 words I mentioned above? Yeah, they spilled out into a completed draft in under 12 weeks. It wasn’t always easy, exactly, but this story and its characters slammed nearly fully formed into my head and took root there so deeply that it changed my music interests for months. Lucien is a tortured soul, and it was while channeling him that I fell in love, for example, with Linkin Park, whose songs might as well have been written with my guy in mind! LOL I couldn’t even listen to fluffy pop music for about six months—it literally rankled me like Lucien was another personality in my brain. I knew him intimately from the very beginning, so he was always easy to write—and still is.


Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?



Laura: Lucien is so easy to love, but what I most like is how much he appreciates everything that develops in his relationship with Sam and Ollie because it’s all so new to him. Maybe what I like the least is his penchant to think himself unworthy, and to sometimes act on that feeling. About Samantha, I love the way she’s devoted her life to her daughter, despite the hardships it’s imposed on her. That also relates to something I don’t like about her, but I can’t say more without ruining an important moment in the climax! ;) Ollie is just complete awesomesauce from beginning to end.


Kage:Laura, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?



Laura: I think everyone can relate to the healing power of second chances, and at root that’s what Lucien’s really searching for in Forever Freed. Watch my website for release date information and contests—free stuff will abound shortly!



If you're still curious about Laura, here are other places to find her on the web:

Website: http://www.laurakayeauthor.com/ (under construction)

Blog: http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/laurakayeauthor

Twitter: @laurakayeauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3703867


20 comments:

  1. The featured book looks great! That last cover art you showed.... WOWZA! Hot!!! :O)

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  2. I gotta agree. That is one smokin' hot cover!

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  3. Hello Lucien. :-)

    Very interesting interview. I'm always fascinated by the workings of an Authors mind. 150,000 words in 12 weeks is an amazing achievement, but to be able to cut 60,000... wow, that would break my heart. Recognizing it needs to be done and doing it for a story and characters a writer loves so dearly is the mark of a true professional.

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  4. Thanks for a super interview! Two books coming out about the same time, wow! And writing so much in a short period, I'm in awe...you're my hero!

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  5. I'm loving it over here, Linda. I may have to stick around awhile! Y'all are just so sweet!

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  6. Hi Linda, Hi Laura,

    Great interview. Your books sound fabulous. thanks for sharing! Cheers~

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  7. Awesome interview. Unfortunately, looking at pictures of mancandy the same age as my grandsons is, well, quite aging. Sigh. Much success in your book sales. Write on!

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  8. LOL Vonnie--I don't have that problem yet, but I can't ever imagine losing a basic, er, appreciation!

    So awesome seeing everyone here!

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  9. I love your nom de plume - such a sexy, stripper name. Perfect for erotica!

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  10. 150k in 12 weeks? It's a good thing you're such a wonderful person or I would hate you forever :P

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  11. Laura! You are so inspiring and your cover is amazing. Ollie and Lucien sound like the sweetest thing. Nothing like a vampire that has a soft spot for kids. Thank you for doing this interview and A big round of applause for Linda Kage for hosting this event.

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  12. Great stuff, Laura! I can't wait to read both of your new releases. 150,000 words in twelve weeks. Whoa! You''re my idol. :)

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  13. I have to agree with some of the other people, 150,000 in twelve weeks, WOW! Did you sleep? Great interview! I love learning about authors.

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  14. Aw, y'all making me blush! Actually, Marie, no, I didn't sleep much during the writing of it--I tend to become productive later in the day, but since kids prevent really working during the late afternoon/early evening, I mostly wrote this book between about 9 pm and 3 am as a pretty regular schedule. It was crazy, but productive, and I've never managed that pace again. I remember it fondly, though, sniff... *grins*

    I concur with Debra on the applause for Linda--this has been so much fun today!

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  15. Let me just say I looked at Lucien too long before I read the interview :) Have a great weekend.

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  16. I resemble that remark! Ha! What's not to look at, Carol?

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  17. Hi Laura,
    Great blog. Your Lucien looks yummy in the pictures. Very hero-worthy.

    Regards

    Margaret

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  18. Laura, what a great story! It seems like a different slant on the vampire genre. Great sales for you!

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  19. Linda, everyone, I had a great time visiting here! Thanks for having me and thanks everybody for stopping by!

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