Friday, May 4, 2012

Blog Tour: Interview w/ Kymber Morgan + "Shafted" Giveaway!


Living in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and having grown up with her own link to mythology through a family legend, Kymber loves nothing better than taking her imagination out for a spin often asking, among other things, what if the myths and legends we grew up on were real.

Come join the fun by visiting her web-site at www.kymbermorgan.com, follow her on twitter @kymbermorgan or check out her author page on Facebook, because you just never know who else may be dropping by.

 

Where to Find Kymber:




TBQ: Hi Kymber! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Kymber: Well, let's see. To coin an old saying, I'm old enough to know better and young enough to do it again .

I'm fortunate enough to have married my own alpha hero. A wonderful man who is definitely the love of my life, best friend and biggest supporter. We have a wonderful son who went and grew up way to fast (the brat!) who never fails to keep me up on the latest lingo but still spells things out completely when texting me.

Besides writing and reading, I love movies, RVing, gardening and sharing good food, good wine and giggles with friends and family – particularly if I didn't have to make dinner because my husband cooked it on the BBQ. Far less dishes to do that way, LOL.

Oh, and I belong to two sibling felines who begrudgingly share me with one neurotic canine. [LOL--Love the way you worded it, very accurate! :) ]

TBQ: What made you decide to start writing? Why romance?

Kymber: At first it was for my own entertainment because I wasn't finding the stories I wanted to read anywhere else at the time.

Romance as a genre? That's easy, because I love it myself. With such a vast variety of sub-genres available to explore, both as a reader and a writer, romance is never boring. Besides, I know 'happily ever after' isn't just a nice thought. It's real. I'm living proof.

Wouldn't it be something if one of my stories inspired even one other person to beleive they too could have a real HEA in their own lives if, like one of my characters, they just found the courage to go after it? I think that would be so awesome! [I'd also like to think that good romance novels do that--I know I'm still looking for my own HEA and hunky hero! :)]

TBQ: Your newest release, Shafted , is part of the multi-author series, Bandit Creek. Can you tell us a little bit about this book, and why readers are going to love it?
Kymber: As you mentioned Shafted is part of a series written by serveral different authors, each writing in their own chosen genre, but all set in the fictious town of Bandit Creek, Montana. Which is what makes the entire project special. For example, some of the stories are penned by historical romance writers, so are set in Bandit Creek's past, others are contemporary mystery or suspense thrillers, then, like  Shafted there are paranormal tales full of all kinds of different supernatural characters. The 'glue' that holds them all together, and what makes Bandit Creek really come alive, is the common history and re-occuring town residents and their ansestors or decendants, depending on the era, which all the stories hold true to.
Without giving away any spoilers, I think readers will find Shafted's unique take on some of the gods from Greek mythology, and a demon Ferryman like you've never seen before, coupled with a smattering of  unexpected plot twists, makes for a fun, page turning ride. [I agree--the demon Ferryman definitely caught my attention!]
 
TBQ: I know we all hate this question, author and reader alike. :) But I have to ask: What are a few of your favorite books and/or authors?
Kymber: The Bandit Creek books and the work of the authors involved of course (grin) along with Sabrina Jeffries, Lyndsay Sands, Kerrelyn Sparks, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Victoria Alexander, Gena Showalter and whole bunch more I don't have room to list here. [All great choices! :) ]

TBQ: What's next-- Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming releases or WIP?
Kymber: I'm really excited about my current WIP coming out around the end of June called Wild for Cowboy. Its part of another multi-author series called Stampede Sizzlers, with two very talented writers, Steena Holmes and Roxy Boroughs. The stories are romances of varying heat levels that feature the Calgary Stampede as the backdrop. To borrow from a famous saying around these parts, They're the most fun you can have with your boots on. (wink)
I am also branching off with the characters I created who are unique to 'Shafted' (if I don't, a certain misbehaving secondary character won't get his shot at being the hero and I'd never hear the end of it - from him or my readers LOL) and I have a full length trilogy in the works that's also connected to this world on submission right now. [YEAH! :) I'm really interesting in the mythology behind 'Shafted', so I am happy to hear that there will be more!]

SPEED ROUND:
A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa? Island.

Reading a spicy romance novel OR a sweet “my-heart-skips-a-beat” one?  Spicy that makes my heart skip several beats. [I can go for that!]

Which would you rather have an affair with: a sexy highlander OR a devilishly handsome English lord?  Oh the highlander for sure. :)

Hot summer days OR cold winter nights?  Depends on the company and whether or not we were on that secluded island :)

Where would your dream house be: in the city, where all the action is OR nestled in the mountain where you can enjoy the quiet and the wilderness?  Out in the mountains definitely.
If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would it be?  I'd like to say the past but I'm not sure I could give up indoor plumbing so I'll say the future but one with a halo-deck like Star Trek.

Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan? Cover Lover for sure.

Steamy Novella OR Sweet Novel? (aka, Quickie or Slow Build Up?) Steamy is good.

And finally, tell us 3 unique/wacky/fun things about yourself:
Hmm, I always throw away the first chapter of anything I write.

As a teenager I once took a job at the Calgary Stampede on the midway as a side show barker for 'The Man Eating Chicken' – without my mother knowing – boy did I get it for that one LOL.

And I still like to dress up for Halloween.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Kymber, and please know that you are welcome back anytime! Do you have any questions for our readers—something to spark a good discussion? :)

Actually I do. First, what do you guys look for in a romance? Heat? A to die for hero? Strong Heroine? Humor? What makes it a good read for you? And second, what do you consider the difference is between an author and a writer? Or is there?

And just for fun, I'm giving away a copy of Shafted to one lucky commentor so let's get some lively conversation going here guys!
~*~*~*~*~


Shafted by Kymber Morgan
Publisher: Bandit Creek Books (January 23, 2012)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Bandit Creek
Is her love real or just a myth?

Returning to her summertime home of Bandit Creek, Callie Jamison discovers there’s a lot more involved to her grandmother’s legacy than a few cabins and some land, including a curse. The last thing she needs now is to fall in love.

Anteros, dark twin of Eros, is responsible for avenging unrequited love, a job that’s been a lot harder since his brother succumbed to ambro-fever and has been running amok shooting all the wrong people – including Anteros.

The clock is ticking, not only on his immortality and Callie’s free will, but their hearts as well. Soon they’ll each have to decide if the overwhelming attraction they feel is the real deal or if they’ve simply been ‘Shafted’ and it’s all a cruel illusion.
 

Where to Buy*:
More Info:





SHAFTED (A Bandit Creek Paranormal Tale)
By Kymber Morgan
Excerpt


An obnoxious sound polluted the air, loud enough to make Anteros wince. It took to the count of three to realize the annoyingly repetitive groan was coming from him.
That couldn’t be good.
Had he gotten drunk with Charon again? His brain cells were sluggish coming back online, but didn’t miss the cold cramp of muscles and aching bones currently housing him. Shit, he was probably on the crap end of another of his friend’s oh-so-hilarious practical jokes.
The last one entailed a term of servitude to the Furies before he was able to buy his way out of their lair. Given the nature of his indenture, time with them wasn’t all bad, but that wasn’t the point. No one wanted to piss off a woman created to rip a man’s soul from his still breathing body, let alone three of them, so wiggling his way out of that one had been tricky.
Was he on the banks of the Styxx this time? Why else would he be so cold? It wasn’t like the Underworld had an air conditioning problem or anything. Or worse, had the bastard dumped him on the shores of Acheron, the River of Woe?
A shard of dread lodged in his heart. In either case being a god himself didn’t mean there wouldn’t be Hades to pay – literally – and Anteros already owed his uncle too much after that last ill fated poker game. Contemplating the consequences made his head spin even worse.
A nudge in his ribs interrupted his conjecture, shooting a spike of warning up his spine. It really didn’t matter which of the Underworld Rivers he was languishing beside, anything corporeal enough to touch him was bad news. Here, only the damned, stuck without coin for the Ferryman, had substance. To them anything that might pay their way to the other side, especially some other poor sap’s soul, was fair game.
“Hey? Are you…”
Knowing surprise was his best shot, Anteros snaked his arm out and grabbed the prodding limb before it could drag him into the river. Charon had been his friend longer than either could remember, but there was no way he’d give a soul back, even Anteros’s, if he ever got hold of it.
With a hard yank and a yelp from the thing, he pulled his assailant down and flipped his body. Scissoring his long legs he trapped the other and pinned it beneath his superior mass. A wave of corresponding vertigo hit before his besotted brain caught up to the lighting fast movement.
Keeping his stomach in check wasn’t easy, but he’d be damned if some soul-sucking vagrant was going to drag his ass into in that disgusting water, especially hung over.
It took as much determination to open his eyes as it did to beat back the lingering nausea, but he clenched his teeth tighter and forced himself to blink away the blurriness. He needed to see what he was up against before the thing regained its equilibrium.
As his vision cleared, shock drove the remaining miasma away. The thing was hideous! Its upper body was bloated and lumpy, and there were stiff mangled strands where its face should be. Though much smaller than him and vaguely human in shape, it had enormous rubbery feet and red blobs instead of hands. Had they been cut off before the thing died?
Worse yet, it was making a pitiful noise, as though screaming with its mouth sewn shut. It was actually kind of pathetic. Deciding the thing wasn’t such a huge threat after all, Anteros began to lift his weight, planning to simply roll it back into the river where it belonged and be done with it.
Before he could get a good hold, the thing jerked violently under him and suddenly every molecule of air in his body evacuated in response to the worst explosion of pain he’d ever experienced in his life. Fireworks shot off, blinding him beneath his puckered eyelids and his breath burst painfully from his insta-paralyzed lungs. His beleaguered stomach filled with acid and his limbs gave out all at once, dropping him to the ground like a stone. Not in all his eons had he felt pain like this. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who could use the element of surprise.
The bastard had canned him!
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you crazy? God I thought you were hurt. I just wanted make sure you were okay and you freaking attack me!”
With the bells of Hades ringing in his ears, it took a minute for Anteros to realize it wasn’t ‘Dead Soul Speak’ wailing at him, but what sounded suspiciously like the annoying screech of a mortal female.
What was a mortal doing here? He must still be drunk. That was it. He’d heard enough Ambrosia could make you think things were real, which must be true because he could swear the apparition fidgeting a few feet away was really there.
“I’m so sorry. Are you going to be okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you, but you caught me off guard when you grabbed me. Scared me, you know?”
Anteros braved another glimpse, cracking one eye open; yup, an ugly one to be sure, but a mortal female nonetheless. She hadn’t come any closer probably to stay out of range should he retaliate. Smart girl, but he could hear the genuine regret and concern in her voice.
“Mister? Hey really, are you going to be okay? Should I call for help? A doctor or something?”
His tongue might as well have been coated in cement for all the good it did him. “In fin, unky dorky. Kint you till? Jus gim me a sick to gatch my bret.”
“Excuse me I didn’t quite get that.”
He flopped over onto his back, hoping his lungs would remember what to do with the first full breath of air they’d gotten in what seemed like an eternity, and cleared his throat to try again. “I’m fine, hunky dory. Can’t you tell? Just give me a second to catch my….”
The last word formed on his lips, but as his eyes focused, he lost track of what he was saying. He was snared by a pair of green eyes fringed in enough frost to stick their edges together, giving them a disturbing mismatched shape. They were peering at him out of a blotchy pink face, complete with a hint of chapped lips, a runny nose and a mess of icicle spiked hair sticking out in every direction like some frozen parody of Medusa.
She was beautiful.
Huh? Where the Hades had that come from? What in the Nine Hells was wrong with him?
As though struck by a God-bolt, his memory came crashing back and with it the truth of how he ended up here.
He hadn’t been drinking with Charon at all. No, he’d been coming in after a particularly painful fix of another of his brother’s careless mistakes…. Suddenly the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place, filling him with an overwhelming sense of dread and anger.
The miserable little shit shafted him! HIS OWN BROTHER!
He’d barely entered his temple home on Olympus when something behind one of the marble columns had caught his eye. He lived alone, and rarely did any care to visit, so he immediately recognized the movement for the threat it was.
He remembered reaching behind his shoulder with one hand and bringing his black titanium bow to bear with the other, but not fast enough. Flickering torchlight caught a golden flash flying straight at – no, through – him. Anger turned to bitterness as the memory played across his mind.
As darkness pulled him under, Eros had emerged from the shadows, still holding his own glistening bow, a triumphant grin on his handsome face. Not a moment later their mother had materialized directly behind him, her face void of emotion, but her words had said it all.
“Perfect shot, my son, you’ve done well.”
He’d been shafted all right. The love of Psyche, Eros’s wife, had proven too much for his brother, causing his fall to ambro-fever, an irreversible condition many gods developed after an overload of what they personified. The result in Eros’s case was him periodically running amok, so drunk on love he couldn’t see, let alone shoot straight, willy-nilly nailing any poor sucker who got in his path.
It had fallen to Anteros as the God of Requited Love to run damage control by canceling out his brother’s diamond-tipped silver arrows with his opposing obsidian-tipped lead ones. Instead of being the final reckoning for those who deliberately preyed on the hearts of others, it became his job to save mortals suddenly in love against their will with people who would never love them in return. Anteros was the only one able to free Eros’s shooting-spree victims but it meant absorbing their heartache as his own to do it.
And what thanks did he get for spending the last several centuries drawing in and carrying the pain of all those hearts? His beloved brother, the one at fault in the first place, shot him - and on their mother’s orders no less! And not with just any arrow either. No, it had to be one of his thrice cursed golden ones. His fate was sealed.
Within twenty-four Olympian hours, roughly one week on earth, his heart would be hopelessly lost to the first creature to cross his path. Anteros’s eyes were involuntarily drawn back to the lumpy-limbed figure in front of him. He could feel the pull starting already. Hades Balls! He’d imprinted on the hideous creature with the rubbery feet and runny nose. A mortal! A groan escaped his pursed lips. Why a mortal and why’d it have to be so damn ugly?
Anteros’ heart bashed up against his chest wall and the last of his fog cleared. Zeus’s beard, they might as well have condemned him to eternal torture in the lowest levels of Tartarus as this.
He was doomed. With the use of a golden arrow, not only was his heart forfeit, his soul would soon be irrevocably tied to hers. When she died, she’d take him with her.
Not only had they ruined his life, they’d killed him by robbing him of his immortality!
Anteros couldn’t decide which was worse, the burning in his heart from the arrow’s path, the hole in it from the enormity of his family’s betrayal, or the fact he would never know a moment’s freedom from the monstrous ice encased mortal currently hoping from one foot to the other screeching like a banshee as she hovered over him.
“Hey Mister? I’m sorry, really. Oh gosh, what can I do? Can I help you up maybe? Do you need a doctor? Or is there someone else I can call?”
The concern in her eyes pulled on his heart strings and, to his horror, other things as well. Stupid arrow was working all right.
“Who are you? Can you tell me your name?”
Uh, tell her his name? Come to think of it, probably not. Hmm, let’s see, how did one explain such things to a mortal?
Hello, I’m a pissed off god who’s been shot with the equivalent of a super love potion slash aphrodisiac by ‘Stupid Cupid’ and you, you lucky thing, are now the target of my every superhuman desire. Something, by the way, that will build in potency to a point I’ll no longer be able to resist and will very likely jump all over you. Which really isn’t working for me because the second I do, the arrow’s magic will pierce you too - lovely little golden bugger that it is - and you’ll fall for me against your will. In turn, my immortality goes up in smoke and I’ll die the second you do.
Oh and since you asked, my name is Anteros, God of Love Returned, Dread Avenger of Unrequited Love, brother of Eros and son of Aphrodite and Ares. Let’s have sex right now. How do you like me so far?
Oh, yeah, that should go over real well.
 

~*~*~*~*~*~

GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER--THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!
Kymber is giving away an e-copy of Shafted to one lucky commentor!





How to Enter:
Mandatory: You must leave a comment on this post with your email address^--Please Answer Kymber's Question!
^A note on email addresses: Your email address must be visible to be entered into this contest. Why? This makes it easy for me to contact the winner and therefore get the prize out! Visible means: a) Email is left in your comment (ninja style is perfectly fine); b) Email is visible on your Blogger profile (or other such website--Twitter, Facebook, Blog, etc); or c) Email is used to log-in and fill out the Rafflecopter.


Kymber's Question:

First, what do you guys look for in a romance? Heat? A to die for hero? Strong Heroine? Humor? What makes it a good read for you? And second, what do you consider the difference is between an author and a writer? Or is there?

Giveaway open May 4th through May 10th!
The winner will be picked (via Random.org) and announced the following day.
Good Luck!


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Thanks so much, Kymber, for answering my questions-- I had a great time reading your responses! :) I can't wait for your "sequels" to Shafted! :)

Also, a big thanks to Bewitching Book Tours for hosting and allowing me to participate!


Enjoy!



Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

20 comments :

Anonymous said...

I love stories with strong characters, whether I love them or hate them. The story needs to be able to stick in my mind after I finish the book in order for me to consider it a 'great read'.

As for authors vs writers, the former I think are those writers who are pursuing publication (in whatever form- digital, print, trad/indie, etc.) and writers are those who are not at that stage.

Also, I had the good fortune to read and edit Kymber's book SHAFTED, and I thought it fantastic!

Julie Frayn said...

I also love strong characters. I'm not a romance kind of gal (my own happy ending was the divorce) but every story is a love story. I like to squirm, so give me danger, drama, love, thrills, inappropriate humour, if possible all in one. If not, then please just make me cry.

I agree with Alyssa that authors are published writers. It's "published" that is in question. Can that include self-published? I say, why not? If someone's buying and reading you, how can you NOT be considered a published author?

I have had the good fortune to know Kymber since 1977 (yes, my friend, that long). So don't give me the free book - it might look bad! :)

DL said...

What do I look for in a romance? I think a great story with great characters. I want a little bit of everything. Humor, thrills, sensuality. I love a book that can keep me guessing til the end. Of course a hero to die for is essential! Oh, and I like what Alyssa said about the difference between an author and a writer. To me the difference is a level of committment.

Great interview and I look forward to reading more of Kymber's books! (Loved Shafted!)

Jade Buchanan said...

Great interview, and I love the excerpt! I'm a sucker for humor in my romances, but I like a good alpha male too. The heat level is sometimes secondary to me, behind well-written characters, so I'll read anything ;) I agree with what's already been said about the author vs. writer stance.

Anonymous said...

An alpha male (that has a soft squishy underside) + a female who doesn't whine and is not too stupid to live + situational humor.
Love the interview Kymber!

Anonymous said...

A heroine I can identify with. A hero I can fall in love with. (Anteros definitely fits.) A believable conflict. A satifying ending. I'm OK with happily ever after OR happy for now. And I love humor (something you get in spades in SHAFTED.)

To me, writers write Anything: letters, blogs, recipes. Authors write Books!

Thank you Kymber for an excellent read. Looking forward to finding more from you.

Sheila Seabrook said...

I read in many genres, so the best read always comes down to great characterization. If I can fall in love with the characters, I'm hooked on the story.

And I've never made a distinction between writer or author. I use the two words interchangably!

Thanks for the wonderful interview, Kymber. I loved Shafted and am looking forward to reading more of your stories!

Lawna Mackie said...

Awesome interview Kymber! I look for a great story with strong characters. In romance I love conflict, conflict, conflict...then all the other good stuff. LOL
I think if you are a writer you are also an author! Whatever you write you are the author of that piece of work! Thanks Kymber!

Kymber said...

LOL, and after all this time you still make me smile Julie-Bird. Crap I should probably give you one anyway just for putting up with me that long (wink).

And I also agree, the days of a single road to being a 'published author' are over IMHO and I say Wheeeeeeee! What a wonderful time to be a writer and an author :)

Kymber said...

Thanks Alyssa, both for being an awesome editor and helping make Shafted what it is and for your comments. I agree strong characters are vital to a good story, for myself, they're the ones that walk off the page both when I'm reading and when I'm writing.

Kymber said...

Thanks DL, I'm so glad you enjoyed Shafted - and, oh yeah girl, the to die for hero, in romance he's got to be there.

And I'm writing as fast as I can on my next one which should be out end of June called 'Wild for Cowboy'. ;)

Kymber said...

Hey Jade! So nice to see you here, thanks for coming by. And anyone whose ever read a Jade Buchanan story knows how much value humor in a love story is to you, I know I laugh out loud quite often reading yours.

Kymber said...

Thanks Jill,

OMG yes, I hate a whiny heroine almost as much as a too stupid to live one, hmmm, actually it's probably equal. Thanks so much for your comments and glad you liked the interview :)

Kymber said...

Hi Suzanne,

Love your take on the difference between a writer and an author!

And I so stoked you fell in love with Anteros (I did too) and that you enjoyed the sometimes quirky humor in the story. It was a blast to write and there's definitely more coming from the world Shafted came from.

Thanks a lot for your comments.

Kymber said...

Hello Sheila,

Glad you enjoyed the interview and the book :) and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by and comment.

Kymber said...

Hey Lawna,

Oh yes, I agree, if character is King, then conflict is Queen! I like throwing lots of road blocks in my character's way, just to see what they'll do about it - and yes there are times when I don't know before hand LOL! Thanks for you thoughts and for taking the time to share them today.

April Alvey said...

I Look For Books That Have All Those Things In Them I Dont Like It When The Male or Female Is The Overbearing Type. As For The Author And Writer Thing I Dont Think There Is A Difference Really.

April Alvey
butterfli262002@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Great Interview Kymber - Loved learning about your quirks - makes me feel normal! LOL I have to have a to-die-for hero (Navy Seal, cowboy, etc.)and there has to be heat!!! I too judge a book strongly by its cover. Kreseda

Roxy Boroughs said...

Fun interview. I've got Shafted. Looking forward to Wild for Cowboy.

bn100 said...

Very nice interview. As long as the story sounds good, I'll read it. There doesn't seem to be much difference between and author and a writer.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com