Rise for Me by Kristal Harris

Welcome back to Visiting Authors, Kristal. I always enjoy having you. Let’s refresh our readers…

Do you find inspiration in your own life for your writing?

I do find inspiration from my own life, especially for Rise for Me. Mariah, the heroine, is afflicted with a hairy birthmark under her eye. My mother was born with a hairy, pink birthmark in the center of her forehead. It was later removed by a plastic surgeon, but she was embarrassed. I remember feeling so bad for her, but not truly understanding her insecurity until I became disabled. Long story short, I wear drop-foot braces to walk. People stare and it’s uncomfortable, but I’ve learned to ignore it and realized my disability makes me unique. For a long time, it bothered me and caused me to be insecure.

Vampire and warlock, Roman Lee, spent centuries alone as ringmaster of the carnival. After befriending and healing a scarred, young woman, Roman realizes Mariah is his mate. He waits for her, but when she departs from his life, his torture knows no bounds. Now he's risen, unforgiving and angry, forced from his grave by the one woman who captured his heart, but will another secret and the call of his mate change everything?

The steady call of Roman's blood and the promise of peace brings Mariah Stone home to the carnival and the vampire she left behind. He ignores her until she forces him from the grave with her blood. His anger crushes her already broken spirit, but she is determined to win Roman's forgiveness and free him from their bond. Denied passion leads them down a path of magic and desire, while a devastating secret threatens eternal love.

Rise for Me | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

Any new projects on the horizon?

Seduction by Blood is another vampire romance I cowrote with another author. It has been contracted with The Wild Rose Press, Inc., but doesn’t have a release date it. Watch for it!

What was the hardest/most unusual/interesting part of the story to write/research?

Although as a child I spent numerous weekends at an amusement park, I didn’t realize my favorite ride, the haunted house, would play such a role in one of my books. That amusement park closed years ago due to a fire, but while writing I pulled from the experience. Once I started researching carnivals, my curiosity took flight and I found myself reading anything I could find on the subject. Funny how that happens!

What was my muse for Rise for Me? A birthmark. Read more here.

As authors, we are expected/encouraged to develop relationships with readers as well as other professionals in our field. Just for fun, I answered another author’s prompt on Facebook that went like this: 

Create a fictional story about how we met.

My answer:  We met at the carnival. You were the creepy clown who snuck up on me and scared me half to death. I was angry, so I smacked with you with my corndog, got mustard in your hair, you got angry, we wrestled into the duck-pond booth, both got soaking wet, but it’s all good because we’re friends again. LOL

Not the best writing, I know, but that little answer sparked my imagination and I started thinking what a great idea to write a vampire story set at the carnival. It’s the perfect place for a vampire to hide. Of course, the idea developed into so much more once I started writing it!

Excerpt from Rise for Me…

Mariah stopped directly over where she knew Roman rested. Her own blood surged in her veins every time she stepped on the worn plank. She tilted her head, listening to the call of his blood and the beat of his heart. Lizzie said he wasn’t feeding as much as he should, so there was one sure way to bring Roman out of his grave. She searched the room for something sharp until her gaze landed on a small, jeweled pocketknife. She grabbed it off the table and pulled the blade out of its slot. It was dull, but it would work.

Mariah placed the small blade against her left palm, then held it over the spot where she knew Roman rested. With one downward swipe, the blade pierced her flesh, opening a one-inch gash. Blood poured from the wound and dripped onto the rough, wooden floor planks. She crouched and held her palm over the crack between the boards, making sure the blood reached Roman. With a deep breath, she gathered her courage as her blood continued to splatter in droplets between the planks. The room seemed to groan, and every trinket vibrated when she finally called to the other half of her soul in a loud, demanding voice. “Rise for me, Roman Lee.”

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Kristal Dawn Harris is an award-winning, Rone nominated, American romance author. She has been married for 27 years and has two children. Kristal finished a degree from Miami University in Accounting Technology, but quickly realized she preferred words over numbers. She is an avid reader and, in particular, loves darker paranormal romance. Her hobbies include coin collecting, physical fitness, stained-glass art (beginner), poetry, and song writing.

Kristal primarily writes for her publisher, The Wild Rose Press, although it should be noted she has self-released several books. She writes paranormal, fantasy, erotic, as well as contemporary romance in different lengths.

You can find out more about Kristal and her books at www.kristalharris.com.

Bloodborn by Sydney Winward

Welcome, Sydney!

What drew you to writing?

Growing up, I always wanted to be a baker or an artist. But then one night when I was 12 years old, I had a cool dream, one I wanted to write down. So I did. And it kept going and going and going. That was the first time I realized my dream of becoming an author. I had the endurance and drive to write a book, and that was something I wanted to explore. 

Lots of practice and many years later, I was able to get Bloodborn published with The Wild Rose Press! I just signed my 4th contract, and I’m beyond excited. It may have taken a few years, but I’m so glad I never gave up my dream!

Vampires killed his family. How can he love one?

Adam Degore's personal need to find a cure for vampirism drives him to ensnare a vampire, but the creature he captures is Dracula's daughter. Worse yet, he's drawn to her-a monster he's vowed to kill.

Despite her father's wishes, Willow chooses to live among humans instead of the vampire conclave where she would be safe. She wants a life filled with more than shadows. Being captured by a human, not to mention falling in love with one, is not part of her plan.

With vampires and blood hunters closing in on their chosen prey, Adam and Willow need to trust one another. But will that trust come in time for them to survive and find a future together?

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

Tell us about your experience with the publishing process.

My number one goal as a writer was to get published traditionally. For a long time, I just wrote stories for fun, but one day, it hit me that I really needed to stop dragging my feet. So I sat down at the computer, perused Pinterest until an idea struck me, and I began my novel, Bloodborn, that very same night. One book turned into two, which turned into three, and now I have written six in the series! The Wild Rose Press took a bite at my query, and when they offered me a contract, I was over the moon! My publishing experience with them has been incredible. Lill Farrell is an amazing editor, and RJ, Lisa, and Rhonda have been incredible through the whole process as well. With so much support as an author there, I couldn’t imagine publishing with anyone else!

Any new projects on the horizon?

I came up with a “princess” series idea. Each story will feature a different princess story, and then I will offer them as gifts in my newsletter. I already have one available in my newsletter, Princess and the Shepherd. 

The “princess” novella I’m working on right now currently has no title, but it has been fun writing it. A prince’s parents are killed, and as heir to the throne, Sterling Winfield is forced to ascend at age eighteen in the midst of a war. In order to keep his throne, law requires him to be married. 

Kathleen de Clare is anything but enthusiastic to become the bride of the young king. Not only was he two years younger than her, but he also looked like a boy, and not a man. On their wedding day, an assassin gets past their defenses and nearly kills Sterling. In his fear, he sends Kathleen away to an abbey deep within the mountains for her safety. Two years pass without her seeing her new husband. When she finally returns home from the abbey, she finds a man who she does not recognize. In her shock, she realizes the boy she had married had become a man in her absence.

It’s safe to say she’s not quite so disappointed anymore...

Find Sydney online: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Bookbub ~ Amazon Author Page

Words of advice for fellow writers in the trenches:

The querying process can be so discouraging! We’ve all been there (and if you haven’t, good for you!) Just keep going at it. Keep trying. Keep writing. But don’t give up! It can take months. It can take years. But it’s really worth it in the end to hold your published book in your hands.

What was the most interesting part of the story to research?

How fast and how far can a horse run without tiring? I had to tweak a couple scenes because my character’s horse traveled too quickly. It’s such a pain to have to follow rules sometimes! Why do the laws of physics have to make sense? ;)

Thirsty for a bit more? Here’s an excerpt from Bloodborn:

The sounds of a trickling stream turned into a raging waterfall, silver like the moonlight that waited to shine as dusk fell into something darker. The thunderous water was almost too much for her overly sensitive ears, but she would bear it. At least for a time.

The waterfall drew her nearer until she stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down. White spray shot downward into a pool far below. There was something…mystical about these waters. It looked too clear. Untouched. And she couldn’t tell where the water originated from. Higher on the mountaintop, perhaps? It almost appeared from thin air.

She took another step forward and hissed as the spray hit her skin, stinging her like a sharp needle. At first, she assumed a stabbing rock hit her, but learned the truth when the water left glaring red marks on her skin.

Her eyes widened as she realized where they were—the Throat of Druxix. The clearest, purest water in all the kingdom, uncontaminated by human hands. She had heard many stories about priests traveling days, weeks, even years to acquire the smallest vial of the water, assuming they knew the location of the falls. The water was coveted next to coin.

Holy water.

She snapped her head in Adam’s direction, only to find an iron sword pointed right at her breast. He betrayed her. He lied to her. He used her! And he played her for a fool. Somehow, she had allowed herself to hope that given enough time, something beautiful might blossom between them. She now understood it had been a vain hope, and she had been a fool.

She took a step back, away from him, putting as much distance between them as she was able.

“How could you?” she gasped, taking another step backward, but to back up much further would result in falling over the edge of the cliff and into the holy waters below. However, he was blocking her escape, a menacing sword close to penetrating her skin. Any false move would result in an iron sword through her heart. “How could you take me here?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” he answered, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s the only way. It’s the last thing I could do. For Zachariah.”

She felt numb. After everything that had happened between them, he still meant to kill her? But he was her mate. Mates were supposed to look after one another.

“Don’t do this,” she whispered, taking yet another step backward but stopping in her tracks when the roaring of the falls crashed into her ears like the loud toll of a bell signaling a vampire getting burned at the stake.

She would meet the same fate, except the only audience she would have was Adam and it was holy water instead of fire. She didn’t know which was worse. “I care for you, Adam. I want you to give me a chance.”

“I don’t have a choice. I need my brother back. He’s the only family I have left.”

Her heart ached badly, and she almost wished he would run her through with the weapon, finishing the deed. It might hurt less.

“I could be something to you,” she whispered in earnest.

His only response was to press the tip of his sword closer to her heart. “You’re a vampire, Willow. I’m a blood hunter. Why can’t you understand? This is the way things have to be.”

“No, it’s not! Past mistakes can be forgiven.”

He shook his head, his expression hard. “It’s time for me to end this.”

A tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek. “You want me to die?” If he asked it of her, she would do it. He was her mate. Mates looked after one another. They had the other’s best interests at heart. But he wasn’t a vampire, which was why choosing him had been a gamble.

“Your death will benefit no one at the moment,” he said. “I need to find a cure. Before the crusaders find Zachariah and kill him.”

“That’s what this is about? But Adam—”

Her words were cut off as the ledge crumbled beneath her feet. She screamed as she fell. But when she expected to be consumed by fiery water, he grabbed her hand and she found herself dangling precariously over the edge, silver spray soaking her hair and stinging her skin. The world stopped for a moment. Her legs dangled, and the only thing keeping her from death was the hand of a misled blood hunter.

“Just do it!” she screamed. “End it!”

He hesitated. Why did he hesitate?

She shrieked as the water burned her. Pins and needles.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” she shouted to him. “Let me go and end it!”

“It was what I wanted! Is.” He emphasized the last word. “If you are cleansed, maybe my brother can be too! Willow, you can be cured.”

She shook her head as she desperately clung to his hand, her feet trying and failing to find a hold in the cliff face. Tears streamed down her face, their reddish tint staining her cheeks. “The only cure is death! Adam, if you do this, I will die.”