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.
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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.”
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.