Book Blast & Interview: Protect Her by @SophiaKimble

 

Protect Her

The Druid's Curse

Book 1

Sophia Kimble

Print Length: 260 pages

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

ASIN: B00O4G18RK

Book Description:

Golden Alexander is trapped in a nightmare.

Trying to flee her hallucination of a demon, she runs heart first into the brooding alpha male she’s been dreaming about for years, and then her nightmare really begins.

Kris Pietka is done with women...he’s broken. But when he meets Golden, an overwhelming need to protect her tests everything he thought he knew about himself, and the paranormal.

A bond forged centuries ago thrusts them together as they search for a way to break an ancient Druid curse prophesying their demise. Racing against the clock, they travel from Vermont, to the Carpathian Mountains in Poland, and the Scottish Highlands in search of answers and a way to break the curse.

But something evil watches—it covets, and time is running out.

Will fate allow love to prevail against unbeatable odds, or will Golden wake to find it was all a delusion?

Available at Amazon

The side door to the house opened behind her.

“Matka? Dzien dobry? Ma? Hello?”

The deep male voice filled the kitchen. Filled her. Her muscles tightened, her arms vibrated like she’d been doing yard work for the last hour and had just turned off the weed whacker.

Mary raised an eyebrow in her direction before looking past her to the door. “Kris, proszę meet Golden. Come, come.”

Heavy boots sounded on the wooden steps. The loud thumping stopped as if in mid-step and an invisible electric current slammed into her back. Heat spread through her and settled in her belly.

“Matka, what’s going on here?”

“Golden is your Babci’s new caregiver.” Mary enunciated as if she were speaking to a five-year-old. “I told you last week she answered the ad and was coming today. She’ll be starting on Monday.”

Mary glared at Kris and then turned to Golden with an apologetic smile on her face. Kris moved around the table and stood next to his mother.

Her mouth fell open.

He narrowed his piercing blue eyes at her, and a lock of sandy brown hair fell from behind his ear.

Holy shit.

He looked exactly like the man she’d been dreaming of for years.

The once cozy kitchen felt tiny. Airless. Too hot. Using the table as a lever, Golden forced herself to stand and shot a glance in Mary’s direction, worried she was hallucinating her dream man and looked delusional. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d acted crazy. Okay, Mary didn’t act like her new employee was tripping her ass off. Good to know.

Words in a language she didn’t understand flew out of his mouth, his unfriendly gaze fixed on her. Wow, angry much? He was obviously talking about her in a not so nice way, which pissed her off. Combined with her confusion, she was a hot mess. And all the while her emotions were ping ponging, her body pulsed, begging for this jerkoff to touch her.

His brows furrowed, and he ranted as though she weren’t in the room. Rude. New plan. She’d figure out how she’d dreamt of him later. First, she wanted to know what he had against her and why she reacted to the jerk like he’d brought her a dozen roses while hanging out the sunroof of a limo.

Mary cut him off with a single word. “Dosyć!” She closed her eyes and whispered, “Enough.”

Kris sucked in a breath, and without another word, pivoted on his heel and walked deeper into the house.

What was wrong with him? Ever hear of anger management classes? And what was wrong with her Benedict Arnold body? Pick an emotion and stick to it. Anger, that’s what was called for here. Not, gee you’re hot, I’ve been dreaming of you for years. Want to hook up?

Figures, the one guy that finally made her wake up and say hell yes was a total turd.

 

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be? 

I’ve always wanted to be an author, however, I first became a nurse out of fear of failure. It took twenty years before I actually tried it.

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”? 

 After I signed the contract. It was at that moment, I felt that I was truly a writer.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

 It took one year to write my first novel, and then another six months of polishing before I received three contract offers.

Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?

 I am a nurse, though I’ve taken a sabbatical to pursue writing full time.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

 Protect Her is the story of two lovers bound by fate, torn apart by evil, and reunited by perseverance.

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish? 

Soul Mate Publishing

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

 Well, the first book took me forever, a year to be exact, the second I wrote in a month, and the third I plan on writing in a month during NaNoWriMo. That doesn’t count in the fact that the second novel was lost when my hard drive crashed and I hadn’t backed it up, so I’ve only just finished it again…a year later.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

Protect Her is the first novel in The Druid’s Curse series. I’ve just finished Avenge Her, and am writing Fear Her now. The fourth planned novel is Release Her. I’m not sure if there will be a fifth in the series or not. These are dual time period novels and I really loved writing the historical aspect of the stories, so I think a straight historical romance may be in my future.

What genre would you place your books into?

 Paranormal Romance, with historical romance sprinkled in. Though I’ve had a couple of reviews that place it into New Adult as well, so I guess you can say I don’t color within the lines.

What made you decide to write that genre of book?

Paranormal and historical romance are the main two genres that I love to read.

Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?

Malcolm Campbell has been my favorite all along. He plays a supporting role in Protect Her, but Avenge Her is his novel. He’s an immortal Highlander living in the present. He’s tormented by the death of his wife in the thirteenth century, and still holds honor and commitment as truths you don’t stray from, and he’s just so damn sexy, I can’t help but love him.

Although I must confess, I’m writing Fear Her and Rhys Campbell is worming his way into my heart in a big way, so look out Malcolm, you’ve got some competition.

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

 I’ve been writing since High School, but it was my wonderful husband who kept pushing me for years to finally make a serious try. He’s my rock, and my biggest fan, without him, I’d still be in a job I no longer loved, dreaming about the life I’m living now.

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?

I need quiet to hear and see my book play out as a movie in my head. I sit with the laptop on my lap, and write what I see.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books? 

 So far, yes. J

I try to look at them as a comments from my critique partners, sometimes they’re right and sometimes not. If something is said by more than one person, I seriously look at it, and If I agree with it, I try not to make the same mistake again.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

  I wrote about half of Protect Her first, and by then the title was obvious. I’ve since picked all the titles for the series before writing the first word.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

Golden Alexander is the name of my great, great aunt. I’ve done genealogical research on my family for years, and the name is so unusual that I knew I wanted to use it in my story. Krzysztof is a common Polish name and therefor perfect for my hero.

Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?

 I pick their names and where they’re from and then let them tell me their backstory, and go from there.

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along? 

 I usually have a very good idea who the characters are before I begin the story, though often they do surprise me and I have to add a piece of their backstory to fit why they’re acting out of character.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..") 

 I guess the moral of the story is be true to your heart and love will prevail.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

 Paperback-love how it feels resting in my hands. I have jumped on the eBook bandwagon, simply because of the ease of use, but if I really love a book, I buy it in print format. I love to keep hardbacks of my favorites as they hold up better over time, but paperbacks are so much easier to hold when you’re engrossed in the story so much, you walk around the house while reading, only setting it aside to stir the pot, or feed the cat.

What is your favorite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?

 Elizabeth Kostova’s-The Historian. I’ve read it several times. I absolutely love how she’s combined the paranormal with history. Love it and highly recommend it to all.

My fallback Alpha hero paranormal romances are J.R. Ward’s The Black Dagger Brotherhood. Love them. J And yes, I reread whenever the new book in the series is coming out.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

Ahh, I am always disappointed when I’ve read a book and then watch the movie. I don’t think I’ve ever been pleasantly surprised. Now that may change if Protect Her becomes a movie and I could have total control over casting and screenwriting. Tee hee hee.

Your favorite food is?

 Ho ho’s

Your favorite singer/group is?

Elvis Costello

Your favorite color is?

Green

Your favorite Author is?

Elizabeth Kostova and J.R. Ward

Sophia Kimble has always wanted to be an author, but for years, life got in the way. She wouldn’t change a thing about how her life turned out, though. Her family keeps her laughing and loving. Her wonderful husband and two extraordinary children stand beside her every step of the way and make this journey called life worth living.

Sophia has worked as a nurse for twenty years, but has put that career path aside to devote her time and imagination to writing down the stories that keep her up nights.

She takes her love of the paranormal, history, and genealogy, and weaves them into tales of family, fated love, and supernatural occurrences.

Connect with Sophia at the following sites:

Website: http://sophiakimble.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiakimbleauthor

Twitter: @SophiaKimble https://twitter.com/SophiaKimble