Kristin Miller Author Author Interview & Giveaway

Vanessa: Would you please start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

Kristin: First and foremost, I’m a mother of two kids who shift into raging beasts at night and I’m married to the alpha of my local pack. Seriously though, I’m a stay at home mom to my two young children who are absolute angels. (I write fiction, remember? The truth is somewhere in-between.) I’ve been married to my leading man for 10 years this June!

I also write paranormal romance with fantasy elements for Harlequin Cravings and darker, hotter paranormal romances for Avon Impulse.

Vanessa: Where did the idea for the Isle of Feralon                                                     come from?

Kristin: I’d like to say the idea for the Isle of Feralon was entirely mine, but it wasn’t. I live in Northern California and the Farallon Islands lay right off the coast of San Francisco. I took “Farallon”, made it “feral” and added an “o-n” to the end. I tossed in all sorts of magical creatures and voila! I have an enchanted island that looks uninhabited to non-shifters, yet it’s a home to dragons, werewolves and merfolk. I’ve always been able to take things that are overlooked as being plain and find something special in them. Guess it came in handy this time.

Vanessa: Will the werewolves and merfolk have larger roles in later books in the Isle of Feralon series?

Kristin: While the hero in Claimed by Desire is a dragon and the heroine is a non-shifting empath, the heroine in Forbidden by Fate (Isle of Feralon #2—releasing July 1), is heiress to the Were throne. She’s werewolf to the bone, but her heart belongs to Damon, a dragon. I’m tossing around ideas involving the merfolk for Isle of Feralon #3.

Vanessa: Some of your characters include vampires, shifters, and even humans. Do you prefer to write one type more than another?

Kristin: Oh, that’s a tough one to answer. I love vampires. The sexuality of their bite. The contrast between the heat in their eyes and the coolness of their touch. But I’ve wanted to write dragons since I first started my writing journey. They are powerful and raw in their strength, but they’re also smart and cunning, making them the ultimate predator. I find their power exhilarating in the sexiest way.

Vanessa: Can you tell us about your current work in progress, perhaps you could share a favorite fact or piece of fascinating information it?

Kristin: I’m currently working on edits for Last Vamp Standing, Book #3 in the Vampires of Crimson Bay series. Where the Isle of Feralon is an enchanted world where anything can and will happen, the world I’ve created in the Vampires of Crimson Bay series is San Francisco with an otherworldly twist. Think Underworld meets the Matrix. The rules of the world are basically the same, but vampires and shifters run the streets.

As for a piece of fascinating information about the book…I chose the name of my heroine, Ariana, because it means “holy one”. Dante, the hero, is about as dark and tainted as tortured heroes come, feeding on the adrenaline and sexual energy of others. I chose the name Ariana so that her innocence would balance his darkness.

Vanessa: The genres that you write include paranormal romance, historical romance, and romantic suspense. Do you favor one genre over the others?

Kristin: Let me preface this by saying I only wrote historical romance because the novella, One Night to Remember, took place on the Titanic, and I’d been dying to write a book set on board the Titanic since I first started researching the tragedy in 1992. Historical romance is most definitely not my cup of tea. Hats off to you historical romance writers!

While my first novel, Dark Tide Rising, is romantic suspense, it’s about a girl who has a vision of her death before it happens. There’s definitely something otherworldly at work behind the scenes. Even when I tried to write something “normal”, the “abnormal” kept popping into my mind like a bad weed.

I’ll stay in the paranormal romance genre for as long as paranormal readers will have me.

Vanessa: What was your favorite scene or chapter to write, which book and why?

Kristin: My favorite? Of all the books? Wow. You’re killing me here. I’d have to say my favorite scene is the first flying scene in Claimed by Desire (Isle of Feralon #1)—the one where Misty rides Rafe (in all his emerald-scaled, muscle-rippling glory) and they take off into Timeless Gorge. Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to write dragons for years, so when I finally had the opportunity to do it, I took flight with them. And I loved every minute.

Vanessa: If you could trade places for a day with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Kristin: These questions are getting harder and harder! I love so many of them. I’d love to be Sasha, the heroine in Forbidden by Fate (Isle of Feralon #2), because she’s tough as nails, fighting to be respected among a pack of arrogant males. I’d love to be Ariana, the heroine in Last Vamp Standing, because she’s gentle and can soothe with a single touch, yet she’s strong enough to lead her haven in battle against Crimson Bay’s greatest threat. Not to mention, those two ladies get to cuddle up next to two of my favorite heroes!

Vanessa: What was your most challenging book to bring to life?

Kristin: Surprisingly, the Isle of Feralon was easy to bring to life. It may sound corny, but the isle revealed itself to me. I didn’t have to dig for details. They were already cemented in my brain the moment my fingers hit the keyboard. The most challenging book to write was Dark Tide Rising because I had to keep checking facts to make sure they were right. Does that street really exist? Is there a house on that cliff or a restaurant on that corner? Would a police station with two officers call someone in to investigate murders (like a Sheriff, for example) or would they handle it on their own? I let myself be bogged down by the mundane details that the actual writing moved much more slowly than the others. However, I do feel like the book was more precise because of all the research.

Vanessa: I’m a bit of an author stalker and I love going to signings and conventions. Do you have any upcoming appearances?

Kristin: Yes! I’ll be signing InterVamption and Vamped Up at the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing in Los Angeles Wednesday, July 25^th. For more information on the event visit www.rwa.org.

If I add any signing dates, you’ll be able to find them on my website: www.kristinmiller.net

Hope you can make it! 

I’d love to meet some fans! 

Kristin in all of her awesomeness is offering an awesome winners choice giveaway! An eCopy for Kindle or Nook of Claimed by Desire or Forbidden by Fate (winners choice). Comment below with email address and tell us what your favorite paranormal being is. I will announce the winner on Sunday July 1st.

Review: Forbidden by Fate by Kristin Miller

Forbidden by Fate (goodreads.com)

By: Kristin Miller (author website)

eBook, 76 pages per Kindle

Expected publication: July 1st 2012 by Harlequin Cravings

ASIN: B007WRFWDO

Source: Author, for the purpose of an honest review

Genre: Paranormal Romance, shifters

Series: Isles of Frealon

Best read in order: no, each works as a stand-alone

Stars: 5

Flames: 3

Damon has been sent by the Draco queen onto Were lands, lands he is not ever supposed to trespass on again, in hopes of negotiating a territory boundary. He eagerly accepts the task in hopes of seeing the one woman he has longed for for the past seven years. Sasha can’t believe that the only man she has ever loved is in her home. She knows there is not a forever for them, but she will sacrifice anything for just a moment, a touch, anything she can have of him.

I could not put the Kindle down once I started reading this novella! I fell in love with Damon. I thought Kristin had created a sexy dragon with Rafe (Claimed by Desire) I was wrong. Damon is one of the sweetest, kindest, most playful heroes that I have read in a long time. He sacrificed so much for the hopes that he would one day be able to get Sasha back in his life. His confession to Sasha when they were in his home was downright heartbreaking.

Sasha has been miserable for the past seven years. That is how long it has been since her father Alpha to her pack has forbade her from seeing Damon. Draco’s and Were’s are a forbidden pairing on the Isles of Frealon. Sasha has tried to forget about Damon and do what her father expects of her, what he believes is best for the pack. I love how she stood up for what she wanted at the end. She turned into one powerful and exciting heroine to read.

Damon and Sasha have an incredible love story. The sacrifices they were willing to make to be together were so touching. I cheered for them the entire time while I was reading. Then when her father showed his true feelings towards his daughter’s feelings for Damon I wanted jump in the Kindle to fight for them. They deserved so much more than what they had had for the past seven years. Forbidden by Fate is an incredible must read. I loved Damon!

Favorite quote, Damon to Sasha.

“Then I’ll take this moment and make a thousand memories with it. “

Review: Claimed by Desire by Kristin Miller

Claimed by Desire (goodreads.com)

By: Kristin Miller (author website)

eBook, 80 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Harlequin

ISBN 13: 9781459222755

Source: Author, for the purpose of an honest review

Genre: Paranormal Romance, shifter

Series:

Stars: 4

Flames: 4

My favorite paranormal beings are shifters. I love all types of shifters. Claimed by Desire has a gorgeous emerald green eyed dragon shifter with sexy-cool green freckles that matches his color when he is in dragon form. Yep, Rafe is hot! Rafe and his entire race are also dying. The Draco stone that provides them with their life force has been stolen. The longer the stone is away from the entire Draco race the more they weaken.

Misty was banished from the Isle of Frealon by the only man she’s ever loved ten years ago. Her heart was broken by his banishment. It prevented her from becoming the rider (mate) of the Draco she loved. Now she’s been called back to the place she once called home. She’s been called back to assist Rafe with the mission that will save his entire race.

Novella length books work best for me when the couple knows each other for from the very beginning. Rafe and Misty don’t only know each other, they share a past. They share an intimate past that has left them heartbroken in the time they were apart. The road to their happily ever after is not an easy one. Rafe must take one of his own kind as a rider. Misty is an empath, not one bit of Draco blood in her body. Their love is forbidden and their forever seems out of reach so many times.     

The world Kristin has created in Claimed by Desire is vividly beautiful. She takes her readers on a sky ride above the Isle of Feralon between the wings of a dragon. The boundaries of Feralon are divided among the Draco, werewolves, and merfolk inhabit the water. The descriptions of her merfolk are astonishing. I would have loved some more page time with them.   

My only complaint is that I wanted more. I wanted more of the world. I want to know more about this race of dragons that live amongst merfolk and werewolves. I wanted more of Misty and Rafe. These two really heat up the pages while they are rekindling the love that both of them missed and dreamed about for so long. Needless to say I’m looking forward to the next book, Forbidden by Fate out July 1.

ARC Review: Vamped Up by Kristin Miller

Vamped Up (goodreads.com)

By: Kristin Miller (author website)

eBook

Expected publication: December 6th 2011 by Avon Impulse (first published 2011)

ISBN 13: 9780062105219

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Vampires of Crimson Bay, book #2

Best read in order: Yes

Stars: 3

Flames: 3

Vamped Up was a little strange for me. I think the majority of that was due to the fact that Eve and Rune is a couple and in love at the end of InterVamption. This allowed Vamped Up to progress more like an Urban Fantasy than a Paranormal Romance. The readers are given plenty of action and the evil does plotting towards the various havens very present and causing even more havoc than before. The book moves at a fast pace and the action and plot twists keep the pages turning. I just felt the romance was lacking, especially the sexual aspect of the romance.

Rune and Eve were a solidified couple and running away to hide from other vampires at the end of InterVamption. At the beginning of Vamped Up they are four weeks into their new relationship trying to overcome some interesting hurdles. Eve’s very special blood is causing some bloodlusting on Rune. Eve wants her lover to have that intimate connection with her. He is having some problems with taking her vein and these issues are dredging up some interesting things from Rune’s past. Eve is also so much more than what she was originally thought to be. This interesting twist puts her in far more danger than her blood ever did.

The prophetic revelations that are reveled are shocking. As readers learned in the first book of the series the Vampires of Crimson Bay rely heavily on the prophecies of their elders. The found pages of their cherished Grimorium Verum are just the tip of the iceberg. I am enjoying the lore that Miller has given her brand of vampire.  

I will continue this series. I like the species of paranormals presented in these pages. The readers are given vampires, therians (shifters,) vamp-therian hybrids, and we are introduced to something new that was left unnamed. I am definitely interested into where this character will go and what he will turn out to be. The ending left me with the feeling that he will be the hero of the next book in the series, Vamp Appeal.

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ARC Review: InterVamption by Kristin Miller

InterVamption (goodreads.com)

By: Kristin Miller (website)

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages

Expected Publication Date: July 26th 2011 by Harper Collins, Inc

ISBN 13: 9780062115737

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Paranormal Romance, shifter & vampire

Series: The Vampires of Crimson Bay book #1

Stars: 4

Flames: 3

Synopsis from author’s website:

ReVamp's hottest Vampire Rehabilitation Specialist has been burning moonlight looking for a cure to what's ailing the blood supply in Crimson Bay, California. The mysterious infection is causing vampires to hit the streets and act like...well...a bit like Dracula when he's cranked out on venti mocha vamppuccinos. Neither her arranged marriage on the blood-smudged horizon, nor the threat of shutting down her clinic can tear DYLAN'S eyes off the prize--proving once and for all vampires aren't blood-lusting primal creatures. The last thing she expects while prepping a newborn for coven induction is to be spun for a wet and wild loop by the muscle bound vampire she finds beaten to a pulp and sprawled out on her bed.

Little does she know, the shape-shifting goon squads dead set on oppressing vampiric rights have a dark trick up their flickering sleeves. They’ve sent a sheep to sleep amongst the wolves…

Shape-shifter by birth, assassin by rank, and vampire by damned unfortunate circumstance, SLADE just wants to penetrate the coven of leeches, complete his risky assignment, and high-tail it out of there. Despite himself and shape-shifting law, he’s fired up; ready to take Dylan six ways from Sunday….with a Blood-Blasted cherry on top. When Slade’s next target is unveiled to be Dylan he must make a choice: complete his task and assassinate the love of his life, putting an end to the vampire uprising or die a traitorous death at the hands of his shape-shifting brothers and kick-start all-out war.

My Review:

                Slade is a therian (shifter) assassin. His new assignment is to infiltrate the local vampire haven posed as a vampire. His job is to find the catacombs that house the hidden scrolls that tell the historical secrets and prophecies of the vampire race. He is also supposed to kill one of the individuals mentioned in the prophecies. He knows upfront he will not find out who his target is until he is seated well in their haven. Dylan is a vampire. She runs ReVamp, a blood center for vampires. Willing humans come in and donate. She then distributes it to vampires so they do not have to urge to go seek out a meal on their own (biting humans.) Her job is getting more difficult though. There is something wrong with her blood supply. Her customers have to feed more often, and they are not getting sufficient nourishment from their feedings.

                I liked Slade. He is hard, not too emotional. As he sees it he really doesn’t have anything to live for. The part of his past that he remembers, he sees as the biggest mistake of his life. After a failed assassination he accepts a job that will get him his title as assassin back, even though the job itself is a suicide mission. Dylan is a very compassionate woman. She wants her fellow vampires to not be seen as the evil blood sucking leeches that they have been portrayed as. Her time is spent mostly at ReVamp, when not there she is teaching new vampires, counseling vampires, and mentoring vampires. She is very passionate in her work to make her race thrive. I liked the pace at which she and Slade’s relationship progressed. The sexual tension between the couple is pretty intense. They have an attraction that neither wants due to their genetic differences, but it is an attraction that they don’t want to fight either.

                I love prophecies. I enjoy seeing just how skewed ancient texts are and how easily they be misinterpreted is always a thought-provoking read. There is also the excitement of the characters trying to prevent the prophecy from ever being fulfilled. Add in an ancient all-knowing person who speaks a truth in riddles and you have a great read. I like a complex world with several different evils to add chaos the plot. This book has that in spades. It seems everyone has their own agenda to benefit themselves in the end. The evils are not caring about whose toes they are stepping on along the way. If more people die than necessary, that’s just a justifiable sacrifice for the end result. I enjoyed the remarkable cast of characters. There were so many mischievous plans to better a race, that some characters I thought were evil were in fact good and vice a versa. There is plenty of action that keeps the pages turning. I also liked how each chapter started with little factoids from various reading materials of this world. It would be a small snip it from a newspaper, a handbook, or a newsletter. It was a nice little piece of information that the characters had in their lives. The readers are introduced to the characters for the second book in the series, which the author’s website states will be out in the Fall of 2011.   

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