Welcome
back to the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Today I have the honor of hosting paranormal
and science fiction romance author Kris Norris with her newest release Between the Veils: After Dark! I met Kris at Authors After
Dark 2012 in New Orleans, which is apropos because Between the Veils: After Dark takes place in New Orleans. Kris is an amazing woman,
half author, half superhero (she flies helicopters! SQUEEEE!) and her
storytelling style grabs you from the very beginning and holds on until the
final word. Ms. Norris is graciously offering an e-copy of her newest release After Dark to a lucky commenter.
Welcome,
Kris. Thank you for being with me today.
Now it’s
my turn to Squeee! I just think it’s amazing that we met in New Orleans and it
felt like we’d known each other forever…and since you’re an honorary Canadian,
(yes, folks, she speaks my language, eh J) I’m thrilled to be here. Now
brace yourselves, I tend to be…chatty.
You, chatty? Nah! LOL What
started you on the path to becoming a romance author (since you already did
something so cool like flying helicopters)?
Ah yes,
why the sudden career shift. I know it sounds as if being a helicopter pilot
would be the ultimate job, but…I’ll confess. I had kids. While I loved flying,
pregnancy kind of sidelines you for a while and after having three fairly close
together, it became evident that I needed to consider a different career path,
at least for the time being. I know this might come as a shock, but…flying
isn’t a 9 to 5 job! And one that’s hard when you have small kids.
So…I had
this story idea running around in my head. One day I decided to try writing it
down. It was on and off for a few years, yes years…having three young kids
doesn’t give you a lot of spare time…then I finally finished it. But…I didn’t
actually put that story out there. I wrote another, then another—fairly
quickly—and those were the two I got published pretty fast. Deadly Vision was
accepted a few months later by Total-e-Bound and Checkmate by Resplendence. And
that first book…it’s Hard Target, which came out last year with Resplendence
(and the female lead is a helicopter pilot turned guide…think there’s any of me
in there?).
Can I
just say that I love love love being a writer…and the main reason…I love being
able to imagine I have different jobs, lol. I’ve had a number of ‘jobs’ over
the past 20 years (helicopter pilot, I was in the military…yeah, I know…boat
captain, 911 dispatcher) all of which tells you I like trying different things
(that or that I can’t stick to anything for long, lol). Writing allows me to
pretend I do different things, though I confess I tend to write about the stuff
I’ve done already, lol…and you can see that’s definitely varied.
Woot! Hard Target is next on my TBR list! :D Congratulations
on your recent release of After Dark.
Introduce us to the main characters and premise of your story.
I have
to say, the hero in this story is one of my favourites. Why? Because he starts
off as an asshole. Yup, my heroine has him pegged…arrogant asshole. I actually
wasn’t going to have Avery Smith as the main character, but then while writing
Chapter One, the damn guy popped in out of nowhere and saved Temperance (my
leading lady). It was like…wow, I didn’t know he was going to do that…damn,
this means redemption. But I’m glad he did because I think they’re well suited.
Writing their dialogue was way too much fun.
Oh,
right, you’d asked about the premise of the story. See, I have ADS…attention
deficit squirrel. The premise is simple. Temperance Dunnigan and Avery Smith
are paranormal investigators. Avery, being independently wealthy, has arranged
for a weeklong retreat in New Orleans for what everyone else thinks is a
regular ghost hunting expedition. But, it turns out there’s something much more
sinister going on…and in true fashion, Temperance walks straight into the
middle of it and finds herself targeted by a demon. It then becomes a race to
discover the truth behind the demon and how they can stop it. Oh and some hot
loving just might happen along the way, wink, wink.
I still have my fan from NOLA. I'll be using it for this. Did
anything in particular inspire this story?
This was
actually inspired by a blog post I wrote. As part of being a featured author at
AAD NOLA, there were a number of promo opportunities, and on one blog, we were
asked to do either an interview or a story behind one of our characters, who
was either from or worked in New Orleans. Since I didn’t have any characters
that fit that bill already in existence (other than Kyle from Hard Target, but
his views on NOLA weren’t exactly good ones, lol), I decided to write the first
chapter of a story, which would be based in New Orleans. From that, Chapter One
of After Dark was born…and I have to say it hasn’t changed much at all from the
original post. Then, when discussing the book idea with my editor, we decided
that it warranted a series and that the names of all the books would correspond
with a particular time…this one After Dark, lol.
Okay, I just have to know. What got
you into flying helicopters (and can you teach me how :D)?
I
actually started off flying small planes when I was 16 (a family friend got me
hooked with trips in his plane)…and I honestly thought that would be my career
path of choice. I chose helicopters because there’s just something incredible
about hovering. It might sound crazy, but holding this magnificent machine
stationary above the ground…yeah, it’s sexy. And I guarantee you that once you
get a taste of it, you never want to go back to planes. Hell, I’d take a
chopper over a jet any day. And yes, I could teach you. Much of my time as a
pilot was as an instructor…so I got paid to have people try to kill me… cause
yeah, learning to fly choppers is pretty damn hard—way harder than planes.
Unfortunately,
being a helicopter pilot is not an easy road for a mother…shifts take you away
from home for months at a time and even if you get a job where you don’t travel,
the hours are ridiculous. So I had to make a decision, and fortunately, I found
something just as amazing as flying…writing. And while I miss it, my kids are
so worth being around to see grow up…wouldn’t change it for anything.
What
other projects are on the horizon for you that we’re likely to see?
I seem
to be spreading myself a bit thin, lol…as I have a lot projects in the works.
I’ll be
finishing this series… Between the Veils. The next book, High Noon, is due out
late October (bearing any schedule changes, lol) then the other two (4 in
total) by early 2013.
I’m also
halfway done my next ‘Til Death book… the third in the series, which will
complete it. Partway in on the next Dark Prophecy book, also book 3, and I have
a zombie series I’ve started…oh, and don’t forget, when the zombie apocalypse
happens, you’ll want to head north… to Canada, eh. That cold has got to slow
them down with parts freezing and falling off…just saying.
Freeze them all! :D Thank you
for joining me today, Kris, and we look forward to all your upcoming releases!
Woo hoo.
I had a blast. Thanks for inviting me (like I gave her a choice, folks, lol)
You know us Canadians are secretly planning an invasion, so this is all part of
the infiltration…muhaw. (waves hand in the air) These are not the droids you’re
looking for and resistance is futile. (yes, I’m a sci-fi girl at heart)
Kris Norris is graciously offering an e-copy of Between the Veils: After Dark to one lucky commenter. To win a
copy of Between the Veils: After Dark, just leave a comment with your views on
ghosts…are you a believer, non-believer or somewhere between? Oh, and if you’ve
had any ghostly encounters, feel free to tell me… I love
the paranormal and hearing about personal experiences with spirits. Leave a valid email address or Twitter handle with your comment so we can notify you when you win. The contest ends at 8:00 pm PDT on Thursday, August 30th. You must be 18 years or older to win and please void where prohibited. The winner will be announced here Friday, August 31st.
If you can't wait that long, you can find a copy of After Dark at:
You can
find Kris at…
And be
sure to check out Kris’s other releases from Total-e-Bound and Resplendence
Publishing.
Or you can get all the titles at All Romance
eBooks on my author page…
EXCERPT of Between the Veils: After Dark:
Avery pulled into the hotel
parking lot, shoving his car into first gear as he yanked on the parking brake.
He didn’t miss the loud pounding of his heart in his head or the way his hands
trembled on the stick. He could still hear the bellowing voice of the demon and
feel the searing heat it had directed at Temperance. God, if he hadn’t learned
of her plans and headed for the cemetery...
He glanced
over at her, watching as she stared out the window. She seemed lost in thought,
her deep blue eyes reflected in the glass. He’d never realized how beautiful
she was, her unruly hair hanging in a tangle of curls around her face, her pale
skin hued with a deep pink blush. Her worn sweater hugged her curves,
accentuating pert breasts and a lean waist. And her jeans—fuck, they skimmed
over an ass better than any fantasy he’d ever imagined. She wasn’t skinny, but
firm and athletic, with a strength that had surprised him. Being several inches
taller than her, he’d expected to have to drag her behind him when they’d run
down the aisle between the tombs, but she’d matched his every step, nearly
beating him to his car.
Avery
sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. He wasn’t quite prepared for the
sudden shift of his feelings toward her, not that he had any real idea how he
felt. All he knew was that he wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight just
yet.
Temperance turned
toward the windshield, startling when she realized they’d stopped. She looked
over at him, those perfectly sculpted lips pursed into the cutest damn pout
he’d ever seen. They were all pink and shiny, and he wanted nothing more than
to sink his hand into her tousled hair and taste that smooth skin with his
tongue. His cock jerked in his pants, and he cursed the cruel humor in the
situation. He’d invited her because of her skill. Because she was the one
investigator who showed true talent and a natural chemistry for uncovering the
paranormal.
He’d had absolutely no attraction to her,
until she’d shown up on his doorstep, bag hooked over her shoulders, a hesitant
smile on her face. He knew what she thought of him...that he was nothing more
than a rich, arrogant prick who’d used his money to further his career. But the
fact she’d still agreed to be part of the team had told him everything he’d
needed to know about her. She was here to hone her craft, plain and simple. And
he’d been more than happy to keep it that way...at least that’s what he’d
thought.
Then she’d
smiled, and his damn heart had done a somersault in his chest. He’d found
himself staring at her. Watching her work, hell, watching her eat. Every
movement, every small gesture was like a caress to his body, and he’d spent the
better part of the past twenty-four hours cursing his ever-present
hard-on...just like now.
Temperance looked away for a moment then sighed, glancing back at him. “I
suppose I owe you an apology.”
He raised
an eyebrow. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting, and he couldn’t help but be
intrigued by the unusual comment. “What for?”
Her gaze
shifted before she made direct eye contact. “I had you pegged as the kind of
guy who only saved his own ass.”
“And not
those of my guests?”
A hint of a smile touched her mouth.
“Exactly.”
He chuckled. “You know, Temperance, calling
me a self-centered ass isn’t really an apology.”
Her smile widened. “I never called you an
ass.”
“Not
to my face.” He resisted winking at her. “You really should be more careful
about talking on your cell around here. The walls inside are obnoxiously thin.”
Her eyes
widened, but she didn’t flinch as she continued to watch him. “And your
reputation precedes you.”
“You can’t
believe everything you see on television.”
“So you’re
telling me you’re not an arrogant ass?”
He flashed
her a genuine smile. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and find that out for
yourself...if you manage to stay alive long enough.”
Thank you so much for stopping by and don't forget to leave Kris a comment to win. Happy reading. :)
In honor of this heritage, I'm giving away a Jae Lynne Davies swag bag with two books and all the vampire goodies you could ever need to a lucky commenter. All you have to do is tell me what you love about vampires and leave me a valid email address or twitter handle so I can contact you if you win.
