Let's welcome Paranormal author Kylie Griffin!
Kylie Griffin’s obsession with all things paranormal/fantasy started at an early age, when she used to imagine the jacaranda tree in her front yard was a spaceship used to defend the world from invading enemies. Writing stories seemed a natural extension to her childhood adventures.
Today, she’s a primary school teacher sharing her love for the written word with young children. In her spare time, she writes and reads all things paranormal.
Kylie lives in a small rural village in outback New South Wales, Australia, where she volunteers in a number of emergency service organizations in her local community. Visit her website at www.kyliegriffin.com
Contact: Email
A Recipe for Fantasy Romance...
Ever wondered what ingredients might go into a fantasy romance? Or how long it takes to write one? Is there a secret blend of the mystical and fantastical that make up the story?
Well, I'd like to share my homemade creation with you. It's called VENGEANCE BORN. Others who've already tried it say it's intense, a smidgen steamy, but unique and compelling. I just hope you like all the elements enough to try it.
VENGEANCE BORN Recipe
Ingredients:
Take 1 alternate reality
1 hero - Kalan
1 heroine - Annika
1 goddess - the Lady
3 races - human, demon and half-bloods
Combine with a good dose of steamy romance
a sprinkle of mystical abilities (courtesy of the Lady)
a dash of action (escape from a dungeon) and adventure (flight to freedom)
a pinch of political intrigue (human and demon alike)
add a quest to save the world (from a war brewing between humans and demons).
Shake.
World-build.
Stir.
Flavor with multiple plot threads.
Taste.
Layer with depth.
Add more of the above ingredients as needed,
and in about 90000 words you'll have one wholesome fantasy romance called VENGEANCE BORN.
All ingredients guaranteed to provide you with a daily escape from reality, renew your sense of hope and feed your need for a happy ending. Best consumed in one sitting for most satisfaction. Will serve an unlimited number of readers.
There's the recipe *grin* - if only writing a book was as easy as making a cake. The best thing is, readers get to enjoy the end product regardless.
I invite you to read a piece, savour it and decide whether you'd like to sample some more.
Kalan's dry chuckle sent a thrill rippling along her spine. “What? Sick of my company already?”
Hardly. But Annika didn’t say that out loud.
Leaning forward she rotated the carcass on the spit, the scent of cooking flesh making her mouth water, delighted to discover she enjoyed his gentle teasing. She glanced towards the pool. It lay beyond the light of the fire but with her enhanced sight she could see Kalan’s face clearly in the darkness. He was grinning.
Her breath caught and, for the smallest second, she let herself forget the tension of the last few days. Just once she wanted to indulge in the pleasure of the moment.
Tilting her head to one side, and keeping her expression bland, she pretended to consider his question. “You’re tolerable, I suppose, for a human.”
“Tolerable?” Her smile broke free at his mock, outraged tone. He swam to the side of the pool closest to her and hooked a wet arm over the edge. One dark eyebrow arched as his gaze locked with hers. “That’s not what your eyes are telling me, Na’Chi.”
Her eyes. Annika stiffened. Her smile froze then faded. Kalan didn’t need enhanced sight, just the flickering flames of the fire to see the color of her eyes.
Bracing his hands on the rocky edge, he surged from the pool, the movement graceful. Long, lean limbs and hard, toned muscles glistened wetly. Water sheeted off him as he walked to where he’d left the blanket and retrieved it.
Her heart began to pound. She tried to look away but couldn’t stop herself from staring. He had the sleek, powerful body of a warrior in his prime. All raw, masculine strength. The steam curling off every inch of his smooth skin gave new meaning to the word hot.
Kalan took his time drying, so comfortable with his nudity it made her envious. As if aware of her scrutiny, he turned, his gaze locked with hers. The connection, the hunger of arousal glittering in his eyes sent fire racing through her.
“The _____ in your eyes right now remind me of glacial ice on a cold winter’s day.” He tossed the wet blanket over a boulder to dry and bent to retrieve his clothes. He pulled on his breeches. “Beautiful.”
The observant might have noticed a word missing in Kalan's dialogue.
I have a copy of VENGEANCE BORN available for consumption - just answer this question and you'll go into the draw:
What color might Annika's eyes be in this scene?
VENGEANCE BORN blurb
There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not pure bred is virtually powerless. Until an unlikely champion is born…Annika, half-blood daughter of the Na’Reish King, longs for more than her tormented life among her father’s people. Conceived in hatred and bred as a tool of retribution, she’s gifted with a special talent that can heal as well as destroy.
With the Na’Reish vastly outnumbering them, Kalan, a Light Blade warrior, knows the future of humankind depends on him alone. Incursions into human territory and raids for blood-slaves by the Na’Reish Horde have increased. As Chosen-leader, he faces the task of stopping the demons—and convincing the Council of aging Light Blade warriors that change is necessary for survival.
When Annika learns Kalan is a prisoner in her father’s dungeon, her dream of escape seems within reach. She agrees to free him in exchange for his protection once they reach human territory. Now, marked for death for helping him, Annika must learn to trust Kalan as they face not only the perilous journey to the border but enemies within the Council—and discover a shocking truth that could throw the human race into civil war…
Buy Links:
Ah, so that's the secret. I need a recipe :)
ReplyDeleteLove your cover. It's gorgeous. All the best with your new release.
A recipe, huh? That's the key. I would have to say that in my case, it's just as well the ingredients don't go stale!
ReplyDeleteAs I have my ARC of Vengeance Born, I shall refrain from answering your question. :)
Hi Shelley! Feel free to tke the recipe and share it around - LOL. Thanks for the compliments on the cover - the artist is a fellow names Gene Mollica. He's done quite a few UF/FR/PR/SFR romance covers. You can check them out on his website - http://www.genemollica.com/about.php - or you can read an interview with him on my blog - http://bit.ly/yYEOWQ
ReplyDeleteHey, Sandy! Good to see you - again! LOL
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for refraining from revealing the color of Annika's eyes. With your own copy of the book it would be a bit of a buzz kill. :-P
And yes, the ingredients won't go stale! :-) Again, thanks for following the blog tour - your support is appreciated.
A comment from Vivienne Jones (who's had trouble posting):
ReplyDeleteLooks great Kylie, can't wait to read it! I'm gona guess her eyes are blue in this scene.....second guess would be yellow..... ;o)
Fantastic recipe. I must try it! ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Kylie,
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read Vengeance Born. I would say that Annika's eyes would be aquamarine coloured. That silvery blue/green colour in the ice shadows.
No guess for Annika's eye color, Jenny???
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh, nice description Natasha D! :-)
Eye colour ... well, I like turquoise...so I'm going with that! lots of shades of greeny blue in turquoise, though I can't match Natasha's poetry :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kylie, hmm anika eyes colour let me guess aquamarine maybe:)aretha zhen
ReplyDeleteAhh, I'm glad you came back to take a guess, Jenny! And no worries about being as descriptive as someone else - LOL. The general eye color will do!
ReplyDeleteHi Aretha, so good to see you again! Thanks for taking a guess too. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Kylie, yes so good to talk with you again:D. I have share this link with my book lovers friend:). I hope a lot of people will love you too:D, Aretha zhen
ReplyDeletehi, kylie
ReplyDeleteI guese annika eye is blue,
Thanks Aretha, the more the merrier to the party! :-)
ReplyDeleteHey Newan, welcome to RBP and thanks for joining in! :-D
Hi Kylie,
ReplyDeletethanks for the recipe, i think this is the great indrigent before we want to start write our book ;)
the eyes should be blue because usual blue eyes discribed as cold eyes ;)
Hi Eli! Thanks for dropping in and saying g'day as well as answering the question to enter the draw for the copy of VB - good luck!
ReplyDeleteI think her eyes have a blue/silver combination.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this.
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
I LOVE that recipe :-) And the cover is delicious too. It has a kind of ethereal feel to it.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... is it a trick question? I see there's no "s" on the end of "remind", which makes me think the missing word is a plural... like... blues or greys... Or it may not be a trick at all!!
Hi Kylie, nice to know you :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great recipe indeed. Can't wait to taste it, I'm sure the taste is incredibly good ;)
And I love the cover, it's amazing.
I think green is perfect for Annika's eyes in this scene. Green like cat's eyes.
Thank u for this awesome giveaway.
I'm guessing her eyes must be red.
ReplyDelete# G'day, Tracey D, I recognise your name from other blogs I've been visiting - thanks for dropping in here at RBP.
ReplyDelete# Hi, Rachel, thanks for the compliments on the cover, it is awesome, isn't it? Gene Mollica is the cover artist.
And no, this isn't a trick question, I see though you've had some fun with it. :-)
# AmelArmeliana - glad you like my recipe! It's definitely an organic one, changes each time I make it. LOL
# Carol - thanks also for having a go at the question.
And just to answer in inquiry - doesn't matter if you get the question right or wrong, because you've had a go at answering your name will go into the draw for the copy of VENGEANCE BORN. :-) This is just a bit of fun.
What a super recipe! The book sounds like a winning result of it. Thanks for sharing it here.
ReplyDeleteVery cute post, love the recipe idea.
ReplyDeleteHmmm must be blue, but what first came to mind was "daggers" or "cold calculation".
Thanks for doing a giveaway for this book!
Aha Kylie ! A recipe! Who knew?! Thanks for sharing. This book sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHer eyes have got to be blue! Thanks for doing the giveaway. *waving*
That sounds like a tasty recipe ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the cover of the book too.
"A quest to save the world". Now there's a special ingredient for you. :)
ReplyDeleteAhh, the recipe sounds like it might be a hit - LOL - fantastic!!!
ReplyDelete# Lexi & Robyn, thanks for having a guess at the answer. You're in with a chance!
# But what about The Golden Eagle, Lynda & cleemckenzie? Have a stab at the color of Annika's eyes and you'll be entered into the draw!
Love your recipe/description! I will guess it's amethyst in her eyes.
ReplyDeleteLove the recipe and the exerpt! With the glaciar comment, I would guess her eyes are a shining blue. :)
ReplyDeletesounds AWESOME!! im going to have to guess that her eyes are an icy blue!!
ReplyDeleteHello, Alainala, Jemi Fraser & vbtremper & welcome to the party! Thanks for having a guess at Annika's eye color. You're in!
ReplyDeleteOoh, that sounds like a great recipe! And just look at the cover. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI've emailed the cover artist, Gene Mollica, to let him know how many of you have liked his cover.
ReplyDeleteHere's his response, "Thank you. thank you, thank you- I never get tired of hearing that it's why I go to my desk everyday.
I hope Alliance Forged knocks their socks off as well."
So, to all who have commented on the cover - thank you! :-)
# Talli, any guess at the color of Annika's eyes?
I pictured her with gray eyes.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover. I love how your imagination worked as a child.
Love the idea of a book recipe!
ReplyDeleteHmm, I'd go with... grey
Hi friends!
ReplyDeleteEveryone's having a fab time chatting with Kylie! Welcome Kylie and congrats on the release of your awesome paranormal- Vengeance Born!
Thank you my lovely friends! I'd say the color of her eyes are icy blue....
Hey, Medeia & Deniz - thanks for leaving a guess!
ReplyDeleteMedeia, I was always the one wanting to play Star Wars rather than goodies & baddies or cowboys & indians as a kid - LOL.
Deniz, it was fun writing the recipe. No real secret herbs & spices though :-D
Hi, Nas, yes we've been having fun with Annika's eye color. Thank you for the congrats - it's been an awesome week and a bit so far. Lots of wonderful comments made about the cover and the story.
And to top things off I've just become an aunty for the first time - my sister gave birth to a baby girl last night! Mum & bub & dad are all doing well. Woohoo!!!
Kylie I love Gene Mollica's response! How nice that you could email our appreciation to him! (he truly is talented)
ReplyDeleteLexi, I'm truly hoping Gene is commissioned again for Bk#3 and I can't wait to see what he comes up with! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, everyone - thank you so much for making me feel so welcome here at Romance Book Paradise - there were some great comments.
ReplyDeleteI put everyone's name into a hat and drew out four winners - yes, four!
Winner of the signed copy of VENGEANCE BORN is Aretha Zhen!
And because there were so many others who joined in, I have some special swag packs (book postcards, magnets etc.) for:
* booklover0226
* Lexi
* Jenny Schwartz
If you could contact me - kyliegriffin71 (at) optusnet (dot) com (dot) au - with your postal address, I can arrange for your packages to get to you!
Congratulations! And thank you to Nas for hosting me here on Romance Book Paradise!!!
Congratulations to the winners!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kylie for being with us this week! And thanks for the awesome giveaways!
Aretha has claimed her prize! :-D
ReplyDeleteLove the BIG FONT!! Yay!! Hello Nas, hello Kylie!!
ReplyDeleteKalan sounds ever so sexy manly and I'd like to say Annika's eyes are hot blood red - but will plump for pure white! Like ice! :-)
Thanks for the yummy recipe - I am salivating at the thought of this gorgeous "cake"!
Take care
x
I would think her eyes should be a very smokey lavendar.
ReplyDeleteHi, Old Kitty & Kretch1, thanks for commenting even though the draw has been done.
ReplyDeleteOld Kitty, I'm glad you like the recipe! LOL
And to everyone else, I forgot to tell you the color of Annika's eyes in this passage - they were ice blue. :-)
Oh, and Lexi has claimed her swag prize!
Kylie, you're a sweetie :) I'll send you an email with my address - thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank goodness you told us the colour of Annika's eyes. Otherwise we'd have to read the book! (kidding, totally kidding. I'm going to read Vengeance Born as part of the Australian Women Writers challenge).
ROFL, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteJenny has claimed her prize. Just awaiting booklover0226 now.