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Monday, February 25, 2013

GODS AND FORBIDDEN RULES WITH ZOE FORWARD!



Today, I'm pleased to have Zoe Forward as my guest talking about her book DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT where we have a strong heroine with a destiny predetermined and a hero to protect her only to find out she’s the one woman he can’t have. We all have a wonderful longing for tormented heroes who discover love only to be told ‘NO!’ Find out more about what Ashor does in defiance of that single nasty word! A fascinating tale to be sure!


   
 What did you see, hear or dream that inspired your book?

I’ve been a paranormal romance and mainstream fiction addict for decades. And I grew up a fan of Indiana Jones and Ann Rice. So, writing paranormals was a no brainer.  For Dawn of a Dark Knight everything came together at the right creative moment — my love of Egyptian mythology, my interest in archaeology, my ideas about a new type of paranormal hero and more. It all just gelled.
I, too grew up with Ann Rice and Indy! I guess that's why I love the same genre.
Which one of your main characters came across strongest to you?

I just love both main characters in Dawn of a Dark Knight.  The heroine, Kira…who wouldn’t want to be her? She’s an adrenaline junkie good at handling weapons with a cousin that drags her on black market art deals.  And she’s got a magical ability to heal by touch, which propels her towards a mind-blowing relationship with the world’s hottest, yet tormented hero.

And then there’s the raw, tormented Ashor. He struggles to obey the rules laid down by the gods he works for, but stresses when he can’t.  He desperately desires the woman destined to be the sacred healer for the Scimitar magi (Kira), but the gods’ rules dictate he cannot be involved with her. On top of this he keeps blacking out and going on hunts to take out the guys that do most of the daemon summoning, the Hashishins.  Killing these guys, even though they are clearly hostiles, violates the no-killing-humans-unless-attacked rule.

How long did it take you to fall in love with your Hero/Heroine?

Oh, about the moment they appeared in my head, especially Ashor.  A hard as nails, loyal to death, hot, tattooed badboy walking the edge of right and wrong…what better hero is there?

Ah, yes. We do love our bad boys! What would life be without them?

Did you borrow certain traits for your characters from someone you know personally?  Which ones?

I can say with certainty I’ve never based a character on an immediate family member. But I have borrowed traits from acquaintances for some of the characters I’ve developed.  When I’ve done so, it is done with love for these are characters that make me smile.

Is this book a single category or can we expect to see more of your characters in a series?

DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT is the first book in the Scimitar magi series. The sequel, FREEDOM FOR A KNIGHT, has just entered the editing phase and is due out next year. In the second of the series there’s a new magus with a curse that forces he and the woman he loves to kill each other within days of meeting in each lifetime. They’ve been cursed for over a millennia, but can they break the curse this time around?

What is your most difficult “no-no” when you write? (Show vs. tell, dialogue, plot problems, passive voice, etc.)

I used to have a terrible habit of with falling into passive writing…and I still have moments.   But my editor has beaten it out of me.  J 

When you take a break from writing, what do you do to allow your brain time to regroup?

Honestly, I have so little free time between working full-time as a veterinarian and being a mommy that writing for me is my “break.”  And I love every minute of it.

Being a Veterinarian must be a fascinating calling. I wanted to be one when I was growing up, but it didn't happen. Being a mom is the all time number one position there could ever be, though.

Would you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser?

Outlines are not for me. So, I guess I’m a pantser. I have a rough idea of plot points when I begin, but allow the story to play itself out as I write.  For me, the characters dictate much of the action.  I’ve tried fighting with characters to get the plot to move in the direction I desire, but sometimes the characters don’t agree.  And, generally, they win.

In one sentence, tell us what your book is about.

Two must choose to follow the gods’ rules or follow their hearts.

What is your one “guilty” pleasure?

Chocolate. In particular, Butterfinger…especially those little hearts and bells they make for the holidays.

I'm one of the strange one's who believe that chocolate and peanut butter do not mix. But I'm a little odd that way.

Thanks for guesting with me today and, as usual, it's always fun to be able to get to know my fellow roses.

DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT

In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.

An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods' choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn't have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.

Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable.

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm’s length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision—follow the gods' rules or follow their hearts.

Excerpt:

Her captor dragged Kira deep into the shadows of a recessed doorway. He clinched her chest so tight that she couldn’t breathe. A dizzy terror hazed her mind.
Keep it together.
He rolled her inwards until her face pressed tight to his chest as if he feared she would scream.
“I’ll shoot,” she murmured against his rock-solid pecs, burrowing the muzzle of her Glock into his abdomen.
“Go ahead, sweetheart. Add it to the tally for the night. It’ll sting like a bitch, but I guarantee it won’t kill me.”
He sounded disappointed about the last part. Something about that lightly accented baritone struck her as familiar. Kira reined in her escalating fear enough to do an aura screen. He had none of the inherent darkness of a Hashishin. He radiated mystical vitality and ancient power. But not evil.
With a good push, she got herself some space. Yet he didn’t release her. She cricked her neck upward. It was a good ways up since this gladiator dwarfed her by almost a foot.
“Ashor?” She shook her head and whispered, “This can’t be real.”


Author Links:

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for having me visit today!

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  2. Awesome blurb and excerpt! I can't wait to read this book. I will probably develope a ridiculous crush on Ashor. But hey, what's a girl to do?

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  3. Sounds great! I've got chills b/c I'm working on a YA paranormal right now and Asher was my original name (I changed it) and Kyra was up for consideration for the heroine! But they are now Dothan and Jamie. Best of luck with the book!

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