Posted by Anna Campbell Jan 27 2012, 12:02 am
by Anna Campbell
It’s my great pleasure today to introduce to you a dear friend and talented Golden Heart-winning author whose debut romance VENGEANCE BORN is out next month.
Kylie Griffin and I have known each other for years, hooking up through a mutual friend on the breakfast shift at the very glam Langham Hotel in Melbourne back at the 2005 Romance Writers of Australia conference. Kylie was a contest queen and is always happy to help another writer so I think it’s karma (as well as talent) that led to her getting a three-book contract for her “‘Light Blade” series. Nalini Singh, New York Times bestseller and all round cool chick, described VENGEANCE BORN as “unique and filled with compelling mystery.”
You can find out about Kylie and her multi award-winning romances from Berkley at her website: www.kyliegriffin.com
By the way, Kylie’s also a talented photographer. Check out the beautiful shots of the area where she lives and some of the locals that illustrate this post.
Kylie, welcome to the lair! I’ve been so looking forward to your visit, ever since you sold. Great to see an Aussie hitting the big time. Congratulations on the release of your debut, VENGEANCE BORN, the first in the “Light Blade” series. Can you tell us about this story?
Anna, it’s so exciting to be here. Thanks for inviting me over!
VENGEANCE BORN is very much Annika’s story as you can see when you read the 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…
I think there’s a bit of everything for everyone in VENGEANCE BORN.
For readers who like fantasy world building, there’s plenty of those elements in the plot and sub-plots – creatures, paranormal powers, a deity, conflict between races, secrets unveiled and political machinations.
If you want romance, Annika and Kalan struggle against personal prejudices, flaws and other external hurdles to find love.
There’s intrigue and mystery – some twists and turns in the plot will satisfy this craving. Some secrets you may anticipate, others I hope you don’t see coming.
Action – fighting, a chase scene, death, escaping from dungeons, rebellion…as I said, something for everyone!
Never a dull moment! What were the inspirations behind this book?
The inspiration was the heroine, Annika. She first “appeared” to me exactly as readers discover her in the opening scene of the book – descending into father’s dungeon about to meet a human Light Blade warrior for the first time, about to begin her escape and achieve her goal of beginning a new life.
I played a game of ‘what if…’ to learn more about her. It seems a strange thing to say that I had fun considering the possibilities of a crossbreed child born as the result of a rape. But the idea of a bastard child bred for revenge against an old enemy gave me a huge range of character traits and plot lines to play with.
How would the environment influence her development? Could any one person or influence balance her horrendous upbringing? How could they or it affect her? Which traits would dominate?
I decided that Annika would have strength and courage backed by a determination to free herself – there would be no waiting around for someone to save her (I love a strong heroine) – but, because of her upbringing, she’d also harbor a flawed sense of worth and need for acceptance.
And so, VENGEANCE BORN came into being…
Can you tell us about the Light Blade series as a whole?
When I first started playing with ideas for this series, I knew I wanted to make it (at a minimum) a trilogy. The scope of the external plot wasn’t going to fit in just one book.
While the series isn’t epic fantasy in its purest form, it does have similar elements. The world is entirely fictional, there are different races (not just humans), the plots employ typical themes such as a quest, a guiding deity, struggles against an opposing force, the threat of world domination, revenge and redemption, but readers also get to focus on a romance between main characters.
Without giving away any spoilers, in VENGEANCE BORN readers quickly learn the Na’Reish outnumber the humans, and that the human race is under threat of enslavement. Annika and the other Na’Chi prove to be the key to humanity’s survival, although no one realises it at the time, and it takes Kalan to engineer a change.
This change and some of the broader themes continue throughout ALLIANCE FORGED and Book #3 in the series, although we see them unfolding through other characters and their personal stories and romances. Readers will also get to learn more about each of the races in these stories.
So if readers like this sort of epic-style story with a good romance then the Light Blade series is one to try. While each can be read as stand-alone romances I’d recommend reading them in sequence for the full impact.
This trilogy will tie up some over-arching plot threads but there’s plenty of scope to incorporate other threads and extend the series beyond three books. Some secondary characters are already demanding that their stories be told, so I hope I get the chance to tell them.
We love call stories in the lair. Can you give us yours?
Ohh, so do I. Reading how others get the call always encouraged and inspired me to keep persevering.
Where to begin? Let me roll back the clock…to Oct.16th 2010, a little after I’d returned from attending the Romance Writers of America conference, where I’d won a Golden Heart (paranormal section for unpublished writers).
As a result of pitching and querying, I’d received several offers of representation and I was in the midst of organising telephone calls, matching schedules and time zones (no easy feat, especially when daylight savings has just kicked in!).
In the midst of phone calls to agents, I received an email from Leis Pederson from Berkley offering a two book deal for “Bloodborn”, the first book in my fantasy romance Light Blade series. I have to admit to being a little stunned at first, but then thought “halleluia, I did it!” before bursting into tears in front of my computer, some of it was in happiness, most of it was exhaustion from some very sleepless nights.
Long story short, I ended up with seven offers of representation, and it was on my last phone call that I found my new agent – Elaine Spencer from The Knight Agency. I really, really connected with her.
Elaine began working her magic. Within 24hrs she’d sent out “Bloodborn” to three other publishing houses and contacted the two I already had it sitting at as a result of pitch sessions at conferences. We decided to accept Berkley’s offer – and I came away with a three-book deal.
Now, for a bit of an interesting aside, this time concerning Leis Pederson – three years ago I entered an Romance Writers of New Zealand writing competition with the then (only three chapters) version of “Bloodborn”. It won and Leis was the final judge – she requested the full but I didn’t have it finished. It took another year and another ms in between before I finished “Bloodborn”. I entered it into the Emily in 2010 – won the paranormal section and Best of the Best. And as the prize for that Leis Pederson critiqued 30 pages. She read my work and requested the full.
So it ended up with her in a round about way a couple of years after she’d first requested it. Things have seemed to have come full circle. Weird coincidence or fate? You decide.
What’s next for you?
ALLIANCE FORGED, the second book in this series, is out in early July, so I’m at the tail end of the publishing process with it as I type this. Here’s the blurb:
There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a blind priestess lays claim to a half-breed warrior, body and soul…
Hunted and marked for death by Na’Reish demons for their half-blood heritage, the Na’Chi are searching for a new home—something an alliance offered by the human leader could provide. With both races divided by prejudice, when Light Blade rebels brutally attack the Na’Chi, the alliance seems doomed to fail.
Varian, leader of the Na’Chi, a hybrid race of gifted warriors, is cursed with the darker impulses of his demon heritage. Controlling the part of himself that craves the high of the battle is a struggle he’s afraid he’ll lose—until he meets Kymora Tayn, a priestess driven to serve her deity. While he’s unwilling to trust anyone outside his people, he finds himself drawn to Kymora’s strength and passionate nature, and discovers she has the power to calm the darkness inside him.
When the Na’Reish raid human territory for blood-slaves and kickstart a war, the key to the survival of both races—Na’Chi and human— is an alliance. However, when Kymora is kidnapped, pitting human against human, Varian realizes he must embrace his darker half, not only to save the alliance…but also the woman he loves.
And, all going well, Book #3 (untitled) is scheduled for an early 2013 release. Both books feature characters introduced in VENGEANCE BORN.
On the new manuscript/writing front I’m thinking of finishing off a sci-fi/space opera romance that I started just before I received ‘the call’ from Berkley back in late 2010…unless, of course, I’m contracted for more in the Light Blade series!
You live in a really beautiful part of the world – I love the beautiful photos of western New South Wales on your website. I’d love you to tell us about YOUR Australia. Do you think that dramatic landscape inspires your writing?
The landscape certainly provides a peaceful setting for my writing and there have been times I’ve retreated to the great outdoors for a walk to clear the mind or think over a problem. Getting out and away and into nature does help in that respect.
As for my Australia – I’m definitely a country girl through and through. While I love visiting the big cities or larger towns to see friends or family, I’m most comfortable and love open spaces.
I also do a lot of driving to get to places out where I live (I travel an 86 miles round trip to do my grocery shopping & if I want to get to a larger place of 60,000 people, it’s a 186 mile round trip).
Most times I don’t mind the driving as nothing beats being able to look out over the plains and seeing the patchwork of crops and fields, and the volcanic landscape of mountains and hills silhouetted by a sunset or sunrise can be spectacular.
In the summer I love sitting outside in a camper chair and gazing up at the Milky Way. The village I live in has about half a dozen street lights and they’re spaced so far apart they really don’t interfere with stargazing, so you get an awesome, clear view of the night sky. It’s huge!
At these times I’m often reminded of this stanza in the poem My Country by Dorothea McKellar.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!
She certainly captured the heart and vision of Australia and it’s her words I recall when I return home from a trip away.
And when friends and family visit me they often get to see a myriad of local wildlife, some who make themselves right at home in my backyard or under the house – kangaroos, echidnas, lorikeets, koalas (and the odd King Brown snake) – a treat I sometimes take for granted.
I love that poem too! Kylie, is there anything you’d like to ask our Banditas and Bandita Buddies?
Anna, I’ve had a wonderful time visiting you here at the Romance Bandits blog, thanks so much for inviting me and letting me share a little about my Light Blade series and writing. And seeing as we’re talking about epic-style fantasy/paranormal romances, I was wondering do your readers like reading books in this genre? What do like or loathe about it? Do they have a favorite author? What makes their worlds and characters so fascinating? I’d love it if they could share their thoughts on the subject.
Kylie has very generously offered one of our commenters today a copy of her debut VENGEANCE BORN. So get commenting, people!
Posted in Alliance Forged, Anna Campbell, Australian Authors, Bandita Booty, Blade of Light Series, Debut authors, fantasy, Guest Authors, Kylie Griffin, paranormal, Vengeance Born
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