Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I
hope my readers see that not everyone’s version of happily ever after is the
same. That not ever heroine is looking for love. That a female can be a hero to
herself; be selfish and brazen, but still have something deep inside her that
she’ll only reveal to those who’ve earned it.
What
is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I’m
currently working on the third book in the Dark Dreams Series, Lost Dreams
Can
you share a little of your current work with us?
Krael
reached under his head, taking hold of the pillow, and Empusa frowned. Before
she could question him, he whipped the pillow out from under him and smacked
her on the shoulder. Her look of incredulity caused him to laugh.
“You
did not just hit me.”
“It
was a love tap, sweets.”
Empusa’s
brows drew down, her lip curling up on one side as she hissed. “You did not
just call me sweets.”
He
lifted the pillow and hit her again, this time a little harder. “It’s called
having fun, Emmy-sweet.”
Eyes
narrowing, Empusa grabbed the pillow from his hands and tossed it across the
room. “You and I have a different opinion on what fun is.” Placing her hands on
either side of his head, she leaned over him, lips a mere breath away from his.
“Death, blood, and destruction, now that’s fun. Hitting others with soft
objects which wouldn’t even leave a mark? Pointless. If you’re going to hit
someone, pet, make it count.”
Krael’s
laughter increased and he leaned up to nip her nose with his teeth. Empusa did
not understand this man.
“We
need to work on your definition of fun, Emmy.” The hands holding her hips moved
up her sides, fingers lightly digging into her skin in quick movements. A
strange feeling surged inside her and she wiggled on his lap, trying to
dislodge his hands.
“Pet,
what are you doing?”
Krael
stared up at her with complete disbelief shining in his chocolate brown eyes.
His fingers paused their torturous movements. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I’m
always serious, pet.”
Krael
snorted, confusing Empusa further. “For some reason, I find that very hard to
believe.” He grabbed her by the hips again, lifting her off of him and setting
her down next to him. He sat up, rubbing his hand over his beard, staring at
her like he was trying to get inside her head to see what lived there. He didn’t
want to get too far inside her mind. Nothing good could come from it. It was
dark and cold there, just like it was inside her heart. Millennia of fighting
for survival and plotting the destruction of her mother had permanently
hardened every inch of her. Was it any wonder why her version of fun was so
different than his? Plus, if he ever did find out what she hid in there, he
would know who and what she was. A secret she’d rather keep to herself.
Empusa
turned toward him, moving onto her knees, her head tilted to the side, brow
raised in question. “Problem, pet?”
“Krael,”
he said with exasperation. “I think we know each other well enough now for you
to call me by my first name. Not sure how I like being considered your pet.”
“But
you are my pet.” She moved a little closer. “I stroke you and pet you and make
you purr.”
Is
there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
The
biggest challenge I face when writing is when a character is being stubborn.
There are times when a character will not speak to me at all and I’ll be right
in the middle of an important scene. Krael, one of the main characters in my
latest release, is one of the most stubborn males I’ve ever written.
Who
is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their
work?
I have several favorites, but Suzanne Brockmann is
at the top of my list. The way she weaves both past and present, current events
and historical events, then throws in a love story on top of it, is pure
genius.
Who
designed the cover of your latest book?
My cover was designed
by Ariel LeAnn
Do
you have any advice for other writers?
Never stop writing. It
doesn’t matter if it takes you several months or several years to finish your
book, keep going. Block out all the noise around you and lose yourself in your
talent and your imagination. If your words can touch just one person, it makes
all the sweat and tears worth it.
Do
you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this
book?
The soundtrack for Dreams in the Dark:
-In
the Night by The Weeknd
-The
One That Got Away by The Civil Wars
-Nothing
Ever Hurt Like You by James Morrison
-Lucky
Ball and Chain by They Might Be Giants
-Locked
Away by R. City
-Not
Gonna Die by Skillet
-Circus
for a Psycho by Skillet
-My
Machine by The Struts
Just
for fun - If
you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
If
I could have one paranormal ability, I would take sonokinesis. To be able to
mute the world around me would be awesome.
Dreams in the Dark
Dark Dreams
Book 2
K. Margaret
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: August 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1534924017
Number of pages: 197 (paperback)
Word Count: 81063
Cover Artist: Ariel LeAnn
Book Description:
Whispers abound in Gehenna, Zeus knows the empusae is alive and he wants her dead. A war is coming, and a war is exactly what Empusa’s been training her pets for.
Deep down, Empusa only wants one thing—the demise of those who banished her to Hell, and she will stop at nothing to escape and exact her revenge. Traveling the Dream Realm, she spends countless hours searching for her ticket out, and she’s finally found him.
Krael Connolly, the Crown Prince of Gehenna, spends his days researching demons, particularly the elusive empusae, and his nights being visited by his Emmy in his dreams. As the Demon of Vengeance, he fights a battle with his inner demon every day, but his humanity continues to win out…although, the demon of his dreams is testing that control.
He endlessly fights against the dark, while she fights against the light. She calls to his demon as he struggles to bring out her humanity. She lives for chaos, blood and destruction, but he makes her experience something she'd never experienced before—emotions.
But ultimately, what will Empusa do?
Whatever hell she wants.
Excerpt:
Screams of
torture and cries of agony surrounded Empusa. From her vantage point high atop
a rock formation, inside her property line in the middle of Gehenna, the
demoness looked out over the vast wasteland and liked what she saw. As far as
the eye could see, numerous battles were taking place. Battles for food and
power, and all of them to the death. The dark sky above shifted between varying
shades of black, with a slight tint of red creating an eerie sight. The red
grew thicker and darker by the minute, signaling the death of the demons below.
As each one fell, the ground sought nourishment, inhaling the fallen’s essence
and leaving behind a red mist. The sight comforted Empusa like a baby’s blanket
would. She was raised on death and mayhem, became its lover until nothing was
left of her soul but a darkened void that sought only one thing: the demise of
those who banished her to the depths of Hell in the first place.
Another
anguished cry split the air, causing a slow, devious smile to spread across the
demoness’s blood red lips. By the gods, she loved the sound. The agonizing,
helpless pleas of those of the damned who wouldn’t last another hour. Usually,
Empusa forced such sounds from her fellow imprisoned demons, but she could be
satisfied with someone else playing her a lullaby tonight.
Lowering herself
against the hard, cold stone, Empusa stretched out on her back, one hand
dangling over the edge into nothingness. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep
to pull her into the Dream Realm.
Well over a
century ago, Empusa had seduced the nightmare demon, Epiales, and stolen his
powers, allowing her free reign over the realm. She could control it,
manipulate it, and use it toward her advantage. For countless hours, she used
it to search for the one who could free her from her prison. A prison her bitch
of a mother tossed her into millennium ago when she was no more than a child.
Gehenna, the
Demon Hell Realm, had been her home for so long, her childhood on Mt. Olympus
became all but a distant memory. The sweet, loving child of her past got buried
so deep, she no longer admitted to ever being such a creature. Living and
surviving among the worst of the worst of the demon species, Empusa learned to
become more than a survivor. She’d become the one demon all others feared, a
force to be reckoned with. Not only did every being within the confines of
Gehenna fear her, but they all wanted her. She’d become a legend amongst their
kind. Living in a realm where once imprisoned you stayed for eternity, Empusa
set her sights on the one thing no one before her ever accomplished. Escape.
The cries
echoing through the night vanished the deeper into sleep she went. Soon she
found herself standing in the center of a long, white hallway. Doors of the
same nondescript color lined up on either side of her as far as the eye could
see. She stood there for a moment, deciding on which direction she wanted to
go. Epiales must seriously miss the power to control such a place. How lonely
it must be to not be able to escape the prison he currently resided in. Not
that Empusa cared of the hell she placed upon him. He’d possessed a power she
needed, so she stole it. Out of all her weapons, it was possibly her favorite
in the endless battle she fought.
The toe of her
thigh-high black boot tapped with impatience against the white marble floor.
The one man she wanted to be available to her wasn’t. Empusa didn’t know what
time it was on the realm he resided in, but she didn’t care. She specifically
came for him. The need to see him, to touch him, to taste him left her off
kilter most of the day. Empusa did not appreciate the feeling. She didn’t like
not having control over every aspect of her life. This particular male caused her
to do the unexpected, like seek him out. The audacity of him not to be where
she wanted him to be, when she wanted him to be there, grated on her nerves.
Her heart kicked
in her chest as, one by one, each door around her vanished until only one
remained. For a moment she thought she miscalculated and Krael would be
available. Her body betrayed her with the mere thought, causing her heart to
slam in her chest, but she knew right away it wasn’t Krael. The feeling in her
chest changed, making it feel as if her heart plummeted to her feet signaling a
disappointment she didn’t want or need. A snarl passed her lips and the urge to
kill something invaded her thoughts. How dare he make her feel things? It was a
good thing no one was around to witness her behavior. If there had been, she
would have killed them. No way would she allow anyone to think of her as weak.
About the Author:
K. Margaret is a paranormal romance author living in Georgia. Her love for words, storytelling, and mythology started as a teenager and continues to grow. When she isn’t sucking down pots of coffee and writing, or hanging out with her teenage daughter, she can usually be found in front of her TV watching football, her other obsession.
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