1. What
inspired you to become an author?
I love high fantasy and sci-fi and
I love erotic romance. I was having an increasingly difficult time trying to
find books that combined the two. I would read wonderful epic fantasies with
gallant men and courageous women – but they never even kissed! Urrrgh. I would
read hot erotica but the storylines were so dreary and the heroines and heroes
so mundane that I found myself skipping through and just reading the sex
scenes. One evening in a snit of frustration I sat down to write a short story
that combined the two. Several years and three books later, here I am. It has
been a very unlikely journey.
2. Do
you write in different genres?
Yes. My next series of books will be erotic
westerns set in post-civil war Texas. As
I have lived in Texas for over forty years and have “knocked boots” with lots
of cowboys it just seemed natural.
3. Which
is your favorite genre to write?
My heart will always be with the
epic fantasy – good triumphs over evil – Lord of the Rings type of stuff. LOL
Except in my books the H/h will have
lots of hot sex. Aragorn would so “do” Arwen.
4. Do
you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?
I like to title them first. With
the Verdantia series they were all Hers To ____ something. [laughing here] I remember sending an
email to all my critique partners on the last book asking for every verb they
could come up with that began with a “C”. I may have to rethink my titling
system.
5. What
books/authors have influenced your life?
I grew up reading all the classics.
The stuff that people don’t read anymore, Sir Walter Scott’s, Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady
of the Lake - Richard Doddridge Blackmore’s, Lorna Doone. I read
J.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy back
in the 60’s and Mom would read C.S. Lewis’ tales of Narnia to us every night.
She read all seven books. I read Heinlein – all of them, not just Stranger
in a Strange Land and Asimov and Pohl and Herbert. As I grew older I
discovered “hot historicals” and devoured Rosemary Rogers and Amanda Quick.
Through the years my tastes ran to authors like Loretta Chase (her book Lord
of Scoundrels makes many “all time great” lists) and Julia Ross, Emma Holly
and Lauren Dane. I guess everything from Shakespeare to the Cambell’s soup can
label has had an influence. (I like creamy tomato.)
6. What
is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I have just finished the first
round of edits for Hers To Cherish, the last in the Verdantia series for awhile.
(I’ll return to it, just taking a break.) I am looking forward to getting back
to my 1800’s western, The Dry Season. It’s about a hunky
cowboy returning home to Texas after the civil war and trying to establish a
life for himself. There is a strong woman defending herself from a bad guy who
my hero rescues – and of course, lots of hot sex.
7. Can
you share a little of your current work with us?
Sure! This an excerpt from Hers
To Cherish
Chapter One
N.T. Solar Date 4637
Captain Steffania
Rickard of the elite Blue Daggers fumed silently as her eyes scanned the seedy
brothel’s dark, empty, upstairs room. Damn-it-all. I was certain I’d finally
caught up to him. She’d consumed the better part of two months looking for
this man. Her shoulders slumped in fatigue. She’d expended no small amount of
energy slipping into this absurdly well-guarded bedroom.
A small prick at her
carotid, from what was certainly a razor sharp stiletto, froze her in place.
She hardly dared to breathe. Her heart leapt like a spring bok eluding a hunting cat. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You know not to let down your guard.
“You are not my type,
Steffania. I like my women submissive and kneeling at my feet – not contentious
and sneaking behind my back. But if you want me bad enough to break in here,
I’ll accommodate you.”
Ramsey DeKieran’s deep,
arrogant voice drawled low in her ear. He jerked her close and his hard body
pressed into her back. His hand roamed freely, intimately, between her thighs,
across her abdomen then higher to fondle her breasts. He paused to toss her
hidden blades and throwing crescents to the floor. She couldn’t mistake the
prodding at the middle of her back for anything other than it was – a solid
erection.
“You conceited ass, I’m
not here for that,” she hissed as his fingers rolled one of her nipples sending
sensation zinging to her lower region.
Never removing his
knife, he growled, “Turn very carefully. I need to check your back for
weapons.”
With a snarl of her
own, she complied. Unusual eyes of glacial blue with an outer ring of darker
blue locked with hers. An unfriendly grin stretched a full, generous mouth on a
gaunt, chiseled face of high cheekbones and an aristocratic nose. An unkempt
comma of black hair hung in the middle of his forehead. A day’s worth of dark
beard shadowed his cheeks. He looked feral, undomesticated.
Now his free hand
roamed her back and buttocks, his arousal pressed into her soft abdomen. He
found the knife at the small of her back and tossed it to the growing
collection. To her horror, she began to moisten between her legs. Damn him!
He leaned in and
whispered in her ear. “Are you getting wet, sweetheart? Does dominance do it
for you?”
“Bastard!” She shoved
herself violently away with both hands, angered further by his oh-so-accurate
taunt. It had to be a guess. She’d kept those desires carefully hidden. She
retreated several steps to face him, gasping in air. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
A dark eyebrow arched
slowly. “If you don’t want a good fuck, then what do you want, sweetheart?”
Steffania prided
herself on being a good liar. The trick was to throw in some truth with the
lie. In truth, ever since she fought beside DeKieran in the Haarb wars, the
scoundrel had headlined in her sexual fantasies.
“I’m not your fucking
sweetheart. You’re the last man I’d want.” She threw her head back and glared.
“High Lord DeTano wants you. I’m just his messenger.”
“Why would I do
anything for Ari DeTano?”
“For a pardon.”
DeKieran straightened
his relaxed posture. Not shrinking under his piercing examination took
discipline. She stood motionless until the tension between them became
physical. Damn you, Ramsey. Say
something.
Finally, he shrugged.
“I’ll hear what he has to
say.”
~ ~ ~
Ram was a stranger to
this part of Verdantia’s capital. He knew only the underbelly of Sylvan Mintoth
– the part where the filth of their planet collected – human and otherwise.
He’d never imagined a time when he’d sit in Queen Constante’s opulent
antechamber – the evident wealth an unwelcome reminder of a life that should
have been his. It is what it is. Deal
with it. He idly worried a toothpick, flipping it from one side to the
other in his mouth. Two members of the ruling Tetriarch, High Lord DeTano and his lover, that blond devil of an
assassin, Doral DeLorion, appraised him in silence. If they thought to make him
nervous, they could think again. Only those with something to lose got nervous.
Ram grinned at the
feminine mercenary, Captain Steffania Rickard. Her unusual eyes of honey-gold
glared back at him. Redheaded spitfire.
He’d love to have her to himself for several days. The thought of taming her
speared heat through his groin. His dominance had aroused her. Ram knew it. He
had an unerring instinct for detecting women who enjoyed what he
delivered.
With a long-suffering
sigh, he didn’t have all day – well, he did, but those three didn’t need to
know – Ram addressed DeTano. “Rickard said you wanted to talk to me. I’m here.”
He crossed his legs with a casual indolence and rested an ankle on his knee.
“What can a dispossessed nobleman and accused murderer do for High Lord
DeTano?”
DeTano nodded at his
blond lover and second in the ruling trio. Other business occupied their
beloved queen or Fleur Constante would have been here, too. “We have an issue. Segundo DeLorion suggested your name as
a solution. The Senzienza, in her
obscure, mystical way, has indicated Lady Alessa DeAlbero is critical to the
future of our world.”
“So? You don’t need me
to find a lost noble woman with invaluable genes. You command the resources of
the Second Tetriarch. I’m just one
man.”
DeLorion crossed his
arms and his rich voice fell softly into the room. “We’ve tried for almost a
year to recover her. We sent others – many others. They turned up dead – or not
at all.”
After a moment of
silence, High Lord DeTano continued. “The Haarb sold Lady DeAlbero to Veacon
Narr. We located her but before we could move, Narr hid her.”
Ramsey grunted. “What
makes you think the most notorious slaver in the Hyperion Galaxy is going to
let me waltz in to extricate the woman if all your efforts have failed?”
Again, DeLorion’s voice
fell quietly in the room. “We just need you to find her and get her to a
rendezvous point. We’ll get her off-planet. I have approached the League of
Federated Planets for assistance but unless I can document multiple violations
of galactic law, they won’t act for the recovery of just one person.”
Ram shook his head.
“Still, why send me where others have failed?”
The smile DeLorion
bestowed on Ram would have shriveled lesser men. “I am tired of losing good
men. You are more . . . expendable.
No one will mourn your death.”
Ramsey chuckled and
returned his smile, in kind. “I did allow your sister to escape.”
“You kidnapped her in
the first place.”
Ram shrugged. “I was
paid to do a job. I did it.”
Doral held Ram in an
icy stare. “And yet you live.”
DeTano interrupted
their innuendo-laden exchange and tossed a rolled parchment into Ram’s lap.
“Read it. It absolves you of all crimes recorded against you, past or present.
Find Lady Alessa DeAlbero and we will sign it.”
Ram picked it up and
scanned it casually. DeTano was correct. The unsigned pardon was broad
sweeping. “However will you convince our good queen to sign this?”
DeTano looked at him
thoughtfully. “Supreme Commander Eric DeStroia uncovered evidence that may cast
doubt on your conviction.” Ari shrugged. “The case can be reopened.”
A resurgence of old pain and anger flooded
Ram. Hell’s breath. Thought I had left those
emotions behind. His sardonic gaze rose and caught first DeTano then
DeLorion. “So . . . if I’m successful you have Lady DeAlbero, if unsuccessful,
my dead body, and all it costs you is a piece of paper.”
A feral smile pulled at
DeLorion’s face. “Yes. What I call a ‘win-win’ situation – for me.”
Ramsey threw his head
back and laughed. When he sobered, he observed, “Vxloncia is a high-tech
planet. I will be handicapped by my lack of knowledge.”
“Yes. A Blue Dagger
will accompany you,” DeTano said.
Ram considered the
elite group of off-world mercenaries who had stayed on Verdantia at the end of
the Haarb war. His illicit, paramilitary group assiduously avoided any
encounters with Captain Steffania Rickard and her Blue Daggers. The Daggers had
earned their reputation as galactic ‘bad-asses’ in spectacular fashion. Ram
grunted his acceptance. “It is also a world where male domination and female
submission is enforced. I think their terms are dominus and slaaf. They hold their women close.
Where do you suggest I start?”
“With Narr, himself,”
said DeTano. “One of our contacts said Narr was enamored with Lady Alessa. He
knows we look for her. He keeps her well hidden.”
“And just how do I get
close to Narr?”
DeLorion uncrossed his
arms and tossed another paper into Ramsey’s lap. “The planet holds ‘gladiator
games’ as entertainment. Narr is obsessed with the bloodshed and spectacle. He
always invites the winner of the games to his compound for an orgy of
celebration. That will be your best chance to find Lady DeAlbero.”
Ram sighed and rubbed
his face tiredly. “Gladiator games.” Shit.
“We took the liberty of
entering your name,” DeTano said. “It’s ‘no holds barred’, but the only weapons
allowed are archaic. You should be familiar with all of them.”
“Should be right up
your alley, DeKieran. You get to fight dirty.” Captain Rickard’s feminine lilt
spat the insult at him. “But this presupposes you’ll win.”
He’d forgotten her
presence. At her challenge to both his honor and his fighting prowess – all
right, perhaps he had no honor, but the slur to his skills stung – Ram rose to
his feet and turned to look at her. A wickedly satisfying thought formed. He
threw a quick glance at DeTano. “A Blue Dagger goes with me, yes?” DeTano
nodded. “I’ll take your job, on one condition.” Ram pointed at Steffania. “That
Blue Dagger goes – as my sexual submissive.”
8. Who
designed the cover of your latest book?
All of my book covers are a
collaborative effort between me, my publisher, Troll River Publications and a
wonderful graphic artist, Skylar Faith of TruenotDreams.
9. Do
have a song or playlist that you think represents this book?
Well, if I tell you do you promise
not to laugh? Check out the album, “Invincible,”
by the artist “Two Steps From Hell”. It is in the classical section on iTunes. The
music is “epica” (what else). You know the music behind those thrilling movie
scenes of the brave cavalry charging into certain death, the castle being held
to the last man, and so forth. Well, this is that music. This album could be played on random pick for all three
books of the Verdantia series.
A.C. James
July 15 Spotlight
Bewitching Book Tours Magazine
July 16 Guest blog
Tracing the Stars
July 17 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.
July 18 Spotlight
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
July 19 Spotlight and review
The Boyfriend Bookmark
July 19 Spotlight
Elfie Books
July 22 Spotlight
July 23 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm
July 24 Spotlight and review
Faerie Tale Books
July 25 Interview
Erotica by Cori Vidae
July 26 Spotlight
Buried Under Books
July 29 Interview
Romance on a Budget
July 30 Spotlight
Fang-tastic Books
July 31 Spotlight
Mommasez...
August 1 Guest blog and review
For The Love of Reading
Smoldering Heat
August 5 Spotlight and review
Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
August 5 Guest blog
Love in a Book
August 6 Spotlight and review
I am a book addict...and proud of it
August 6 review
Fandom Fanatic
August 7 Guest blog
Share My Destiny
August 8 Guest blog
Erotica For All,
August 9 Spotlight
Let's Talk About Books
http://michelle-willms.tumblr.com/
August 9 review
Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews
August 12 Guest Blog
Grave Tells
August 12 review
A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books
Hers To Command
Verdantia Series Book One
Verdantia Series Book One
Patricia A. Knight
Genre: ♂♀♂ Erotic Romance, Sci-fi/futuristic
Publisher: Troll River Publications
Date of Publication: 6/4/2013
ISBN: 978-1-939564-10-8
ASIN: B00D5KVIV2
Number of pages: 193
Word Count: 73,428
Cover Artist: Truenotdreams
Book Description:
Conte Camliel Aristos deTano, Ari, has long spurned the marriage forced upon him. Princess Fleur Constante, his contractual bride and the beautiful future queen, though young and inexperienced, is willing to risk everything – including her own sanity – to save her planet.
The inhabitants of the sentient planet, Verdantia, are poised on the precipice of extinction following a brutal invasion by an off-world, nomadic horde. Verdantia’s capital, Sylvan Mintoth, must have its failing energy shield restored, or the planet is doomed. The Elders know the shield can draw energy from only one thing—a very arduous and grueling coupling of two specific people pre-chosen by the planet, Herself, and promised by prearranged marriage contract.
Verdantia draws strength from the duo, but the sentient planet whispers to Ari that a third is necessary – Ari’s aide de camp, Visconte Doral deLorion, an angelically handsome, skilled assassin who silently surrendered his heart to Ari long ago.
The trio struggles to make this surprising partnership harmonious, pushing through pride, scars of past abuse, fears of inexperience and distrust. To save Verdantia, they must overcome their individual weaknesses and realize their full potential. Only the tetriarch and their combined synergy, can harness Verdantia’s immense power to shield its citizens from invasion.
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/sRt_mpFuenc
About the Author:
Patricia A. Knight is the pen name for an eternal romantic who lives in Dallas, Texas surrounded by her horses, dogs and the best man on the face of the earth – oh yeah, and the most enormous bullfrogs you will ever see. Word to the wise: don’t swim in the pool after dark.
I love to hear from my readers and can be reached at http://www.trollriverpub.com/ or http://www.patriciaaknight.com
Check out my latest “Hunk of the Day,” book releases, contests and other fun stuff on my face book page: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.knight.71619
Twitter: https://twitter.com/patriciaaknight
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