SPOTLIGHT ON LAURA KAYE ( Liberty States Fiction Writers, Create Something Magical Conference Author) & Giveaway!

GOOD MORNING ALL AND WELCOME TO MY SPOTLIGHT ON AUTHOR, LAURA KAYE. I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY GETTING TO KNOW HER ALONG WITH ME AND DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY THE BOOK OBSESSED CHICKS FACEBOOK PAGE TO ENTER TO WIN A DIGITAL COPY OF LAURA'S HARD AS YOU CAN, 

OR ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER

Hi Laura and welcome to Book Obsessed Chicks!

1. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Sure! And thanks so much for having me! I write contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense and have four series underway—the Hard Ink series (romantic suspense), the Heroes series (contemporary), the Hearts of the Anemoi series (fantasy romance based on Greek mythology), and the Vampire Warrior Kings series (paranormal). My thirteenth novel releases on February 25^th, Hard As You Can (Hard Ink #2). I’m also a wife, mom of two daughters ages 9 and 7, and a total nut for all things vampire!

2. When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

In 2008, I had a minor brain injury and as I healed from that I developed a very strong creative urge. Within four months I’d written my very first novel, and then I had to backtrack and actually learn more about the craft of writing and the business of publishing. Once I wrote that novel I was a changed person and knew I couldn’t go back.

3. Tell us about your upcoming work?

Hard As You Can releases on February 25 and is the second book in the Hard Ink series that features the surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces team as they struggle to investigate the circumstances that led to their discharge and regain their stolen honor. In this book, hero Shane McCallan’s personal mission to save a woman who risked everything to help him and his teammates intersects with the team’s mission to clear their name.

4. Do you have any mentors? Heroes?

Author Stephanie Dray (also, Stephanie Draven) has been an incredible mentor to me throughout my whole writing career, so she’s one, for sure. And author J.R. Ward is my absolute favorite and definite writing hero.

5. Can you tell us your favorite character from your books so far and why?

This is such a hard question! I have thirteen favorite heroes and heroines! LOL All right, I’ll narrow that down by half since my heroes are always my favorite and they’re always the characters that talk to me first and most when I’m working on a book. Picking among the guys, though, is much harder. Marco Vieri from Her Forbidden Hero probably has the most of me in him because of the brain injury from which he’s recovering in the story, so he’s always been a favorite. But Hearts in Darkness’s Caden Grayson and North of Need’s Owen Winters are so damn sweet and sexy that it’s hard not to want to pick them, too!

6. Was it difficult for you to get published?

Hmm. There are a lot of ways to answer this question. I queried a lot of agents with my first book and got a lot of looks but no takers. And then the first epublisher I submitted the book to made an offer. That whole process took about 16 months from the time I finished the first draft of the manuscript in October of 2008 until the time I received an offer in January of 2010. It seemed very difficult at the time, but in the grand scheme of things I was lucky to get my first book published. Even after that publisher acquired my first two books, I was turned down by other presses on new manuscripts I wrote. So the difference between getting one book published and becoming an established author was another step along the road. Still, when I think about my first book being published in April 2011 and less than three years later I’ve published thirteen books with four different publishers and achieved some major career milestones along the way, it feels more lucky than difficult, even though there was a ton of hard work that went into it all.

7. Who are your favorite authors/reads?

My absolute favorite author is J.R. Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I’m also a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters series and Maya Banks’s Scottish Highlanders. I’m a new fan, too, of Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of the Shadowlands series. I like a lot of different things!

8. Hobbies?

Honestly, I used to have more time for hobbies before I was a writer. Now, writing is my hobby and my job! When I’m not writing, I’m spending time with my husband and kids, reading, or watching the occasional TV show!

9. Tell us a bit about your workshop(s) at the conference?

I’ve got events in both the writers’ and readers’ tracks of the conference:

Writers’ Workshops:

Writing at All Lengths: Novella, Category, and Single-Title Romance

Just me!

Seven Steps to Sensual Tension

Laura Kaye, Christi Barth, Joya Fields, Eliza Knight

Readers Events:

Book Cover Bingo Game

Laura Kaye, Christi Barth, Joya Fields, Eliza Knight

Romance Family Feud Game

Laura Kaye, Damon Suede, Elisabeth Staab, Stephanie Julian

10. Do you have any favorite TV shows?

Oooh! The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy, and the audition and competition parts of American Idol and The Voice are my faves.

11. What’s next for you?

I have seven books releasing in 2014 and seven to write, so this year is going to be back to back. My next release is East of Ecstasy (4/22/14) which is the last book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series. And then I’ll have more Heroes and Hard Ink books releasing, too.

12. What would you like readers to know about you?

That I’m truly grateful that they’ve made it possible for me to do this thing I love! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”

~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets

About Hard As You Can:

Five dishonored soldiers.

Former Special Forces.

One last mission.

These are the men of Hard Ink.

Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he's shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister's sake, Crystal can't get too close. Until her job and Shane's mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed. 

Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He's exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can--and never let go.

Read an Extended Excerpt of Book 1, Hard As It Gets

Buy Hard As You Can at Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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