Friday, May 08, 2015

Interview and Giveaway with Kim Luke



What inspired you to become an author?

I am inspired by other wonderful stories. The picture they paint in my mind, has always made me want to create those pictures too. I was inspired by something I wrote in my journal one winter day. That moment is when the idea of writing a book was born.  I write about that moment in a blog post called “There is fruit in the land of Uncomfortable” on my website, kimlukeauthor.com 

Do you write in different genres?

My storylines are fantasy but include romance, adventure, mystery and suspense.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There will always be those trying to balance the scales between the darkness and the light. One can never lose hope in themselves and may find that faith is a weapon.

Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

My stories are loaded with parallels to my own experiences. One day when I was exercising I thought I heard background “sounds” in one of the songs in my playlist. My imagination ramped up the experience and turned it into a scene with my character Tera in Black Inferno. The experience scares Tera, and it should.

What books/authors have influenced your life?

C.S. Elliott, Truman Capote, J.K. Rowlings, Margaret Mitchell, Hans Christen Andersen, Diana Gabaldon

What book are you reading now?

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I am currently writing a third book in my Circle of Sun Series. Can fantasy exist on Main Street U.S.A or right outside your back door? In White Oak MO. It can and it does.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

There are not enough hours in the day to pen the stories waiting to be told. Many of my other interests have fallen by the wayside. I am trying to direct traffic in my mind and ask everyone to please be patient, I only have 10 fingers. 

Do you have to travel much to do research for your books?

It is a great excuse to travel, but I thought it would be interesting to create a fantasy world that could exist in a midwest city. 

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Get out of your head, and put some miles behind you on the keyboard. Seek ways to improve your skills, and commit to improvement with each project.

Circle of Sun
Circle of Sun Series
Book 1
Kim Luke

Genre: Fantasy

Cover Artist: Anne and Marshal Tezon at Personal Chapters

Book Description:

Something is wrong in White Oak, MO After a deadly climbing accident, 30-year-old Quinn Clarke loses her job and retreats to the sleepy Missouri riverside town of White Oak to heal her fractured body and rebuild her life. But the tourist village, with its wineries, quaint shops and rich history, turns out to be anything but sleepy.

Something is wrong with the water in White Oak. Birds are dying and bizarre weather conditions threaten the town’s future. Quinn is sucked into the chaos, beginning with a mystery woman who delivers a message suggesting her climbing tragedy was no accident. Quinn meets handsome detective Keefe Remington, then visits nearby Royce Estate. She loses her way and her peace of mind on that visit and is confused and unprepared for what lies behind the massive stone walls and how she is somehow connected to the Royce family.

The first book of the Circle of Sun series takes Quinn from main street bookstore owner to unlikely heroine and straight into a darkness that could turn White Oak into a battlefield . . . and into her destiny.


Available at www.kimlukeauthor.com

Amazon    BN    Smashwords    Createspace



Circle of Sun Prologue

     No one will visit his final resting place. In death, as in life, his name had long been associated with broken promises, broken rules and broken lives. He embraced nothing, and was embraced by nothing. His only lasting impression was darkness, keeping even the most forgiving souls from speaking a kind word about him, even in death. A brisk October wind forces a tighter clenching of the scarf covering her throat. The only sound heard is the crunch and swish of fallen leaves as she walks to the pauper's section of the cemetery. She pauses, and kneels with devotion to the memory of Colton LaMont. Melanie clears debris and places a few flowers upon the site. Sorrowful tears fall for her undeclared love, and the parched and thirsty soil drinks.


Black Inferno
Circle of Sun Series
Book 2
Kim Luke

Genre: Fiction Fantasy

Date of Publication: March 28, 2015

ISBN: 1508936234

Number of pages: 218
Word Count: 79,999

Cover Artist: Anne and Marshall Tezon
Personal Chapters

Book Description:

The second installment in the Circle of Sun series finds the Guardians on a quest to save a city of innocent souls from potential decimation by illness and some seemingly innocuous chocolates.

As some of the Guardians are battling unseen evil away from home, their former leader and patriarch is falsely imprisoned and his daughter disappears. What does it take to recover another Fidesorb?

The discovery of a secret society of Guardians has created a new reality for Quinn Clarke and her friends in the little riverside town of White Oak. The first Quest with Quinn as the Polaris to the Circle of Sun transports our Guardians to a suspended season in time. Wearing the armor of faith, will they be able to rescue a city of innocent souls spellbound by a faceless enemy? Is the return of tranquility to White Oak after the defeat of the River People only the calm before the storm?

As new ties of friendship are laced, they quickly become restrictive and threatening. A tragic turn of events puts Romulus in danger of losing his freedom, and Sapphire is missing, leaving the Circle of Sun fractured and vulnerable.

Will a victorious Quest cost lives on the home front? What secrets lie within the lush rolling vineyards, hidden oak barrels, the Grand Royce Estate and even Fireside Books?

In the second installment of the Circle of Sun, our characters must grow into courageous defenders of light, if they are to break free of the vast and sticky web of deceit that threatens them. Their goal is to recover another precious Fidesorb so it can be returned to its rightful place in the angelic realms.


  Available at  www.kimlukeauthor.com    

Amazon    BN    Smashwords   Createspace


Black Inferno Prologue
     Quinn can't sleep. She takes in the view of the rolling Missouri hills from her window at Royce Estate. At first glance she could be any woman, but Quinn Clarke Royce is no ordinary woman, not any more. Since discovering her family and being chosen as the new Polaris to the Circle of Sun, there is little remaining of her former life. Quinn and those she loves navigate in a new world as Guardians. The lack of sleep is a fraction of the price she will pay while growing into a leadership role that defies reality. Few days remain before the announcement of the Quest. A selected Guardian must accept before knowing any details about the Quest, and only Quinn knows a Quest can take them to a place untouched by the passage of time.
     Her past days of collecting and selling books, merchandizing and marketing, are replaced by a crash course in the angelic realms. She's learned the various ranks of Guardians, Sleepers, Pathfinders and Knights and the existence of Living Stones and how they are used to measure the balance of goodness. Like opening the cover of a book and reading a fantastic tale of the battle between light and dark, her journey now spans the ages.
     Quinn's homeland, identified in the angelic realm as Nadellawick is peaceful this night, but only a short time ago the battle raged, destroying the evil Petulah and her River People. The victory over the darkness and recovery of a missing Fidesorb in Nadellawick was celebrated by everyone except one. A storm brews and bubbles and a thick fog moves in from the river.


About the Author:

Author Kim Luke once had to help a customer at her family Christmas tree farm chop down a fresh tree in a business suit and heels. She was comfortable in that attire, the “uniform” of her marketing profession. She was not as comfortable as a Christmas tree farmer, but she’s learned to be supportive in this family endeavor.

The tree farm is located in Missouri, the setting for both of Kim’s two novels in her Circle of Sun series.   A literature major in college, Luke has always enjoyed a good story and loves using her imagination.  Of her many passions, writing has been with her the longest.

The cornerstones in her life are her faith and family. Kim and husband Bob are blessed with three children, incredible in-laws and three grandchildren. The Lukes live with their Alaskan Malamute dog on a beautiful 20 acre farm, where Kim indulges her love of books, coffee, wine and positive thinkers.  

You can connect with Kim at www.kimlukeauthor.com, on Facebook at Circle of Sun or on Twitter, @kimluke. She is also a Goodreads author.


Twitter: kimluke_



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2 comments:

kimluke said...

Thanks for having me today! I appreciate the showcase for others to see what my stories are all about!

Stormy Vixen said...

Great Interview! Thanks for sharing!