Virtual Book Tour - Dark Inheritance: Fallen Empire by K. Reed

Please join me as I welcome K. Reed on her Virtual Blog Tour for "Dark Inheritance: Fallen Empire".  She was kind enough to answer my interview questions below.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below as K. will award nine Post-apocalypse survival baskets (which include tea, a fan, a shawl, a bracelet and more -- Plus ONE Grand Prize basket will include an iPod Touch) to randomly drawn commenters during the tour  - US/Canada only.

My Interview with K:

Me:  Can you tell us what prompted you to see your dystopian novel in Regency England during the year 1804?

K:  I’m a fan of a great many genres, I like science fiction, contemporary books and movies, and I absolutely adore historicals. Some of the stuff I’ve seen and enjoyed lately have either been contemporary thrillers or futuristic in some manner. So I gave it some thought and knew I wanted to step into the Regency Romance world, since that is one of my favorite genres. But I wanted to find a way to give an edge to a Regency Romance it might not normally have.

Around this time I saw several History Channel shows, one on the French Revolution, one on what would happen in a post-apocalyptic world…and so the idea for Dark Inheritance was born. I chose 1804 specifically after a lot of educated reasoning and knowing how I wanted the plague in the books to originate.

As for the Regency aspect of it, Dark Inheritance is undoubtedly a Regency Romance book set in a very unusual setting. I had noticed that a lot of contemporary and futuristic stories are heavily action based and most historicals are character based. While I’m a huge fan of the character-driven story (you can’t have a story without great characters) I wanted more of a bite to my historical.

Me:  What is it about Harwich that drew you to set your book in that specific area?

K: I did fictionalize the landscape a bit, but the location itself is prime for how I wanted my story to develop. Harwich is set off the North Sea, making the wind, sea, entire beach locale a supporting character. Its location on the North Sea allows for movement along the coast and other locations. Harwich itself also becomes an important, supporting character…at least my fictionalized version of it does!

Me:  Can you tell us if we'll recognize the Plague that hits the society you have built?  Is it something modern medicine created by accident at the time?

K:  Nope. You won’t recognize the plague, it’s completely fictionalized. However, I did take elements of diseases known at that time and the 1804 modern-day knowledge into account. Plus, the plague itself, and where it originated, isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Me:  Grayson, one of the main characters of your story, seems to be a conflicted hero with many secrets.  Will his story continue through the series or will each of the books in your "Fallen Empire" series be standalone novels?

K:  We’ll see Grayson again in the background of other stories as the series progresses. However, each story will focus on a different hero and heroine.

Me:  Lady Juliet appears to be at the end of her rope at the beginning of this story; she's ready to join her brother in death.  As the story progresses, she clearly is not weak.  Can you tell us who or what inspired you to write her character as you did?

K:  In the last 20-30 years, there’ve been an increasing amount of strong female characters in books and movies. I’m a product of that age. I love strong female characters that have their own convictions and missions. But even these strong women are often faced with hurdles that they maybe not necessarily can’t overcome, but they’ve been so beaten down that for the moment they might not want to.

That’s part of the human experience. We’ve all been faced with a moment when we want to give up, but some part deep within us rallies.

Me:  How many novels are you planning overall in this series?

K:  Currently the plan for the Fallen Empire universe is approximately 6 novels. But I’m also considering adding on a series of short stories to compliment the full length stories.

Me:   Have you seen "The Hunger Games" movie and if yes, what was your general impression?

K:  Yes, I did have the pleasure of seeing the Hunger Games movie. I enjoyed it very much, even if they cut out significant portions from the book that I feel would have made the movie a little better rounded. What I liked most about the movie was that it also showed behind-the-scenes at the Capital, and a couple other Districts that we don’t know about in the books until much later. I think they did a great job with that.

Me:  Can you tell us something about your writing process?  I know you have a day job but do you write on a daily basis or set writing goals for yourself? 

K:  I write therefore I have no life. I am that woman with the bulging day planner.

Seriously, though, I do try to set writing goals for myself and try to meet them within a couple weeks of setting them. But yes, I do have to plan out my days, even weeks in advance, because of so much juggling. This doesn’t mean I’m not flexible with changing plans, but I need to have an idea for what’s going to happen and when.

Me:  Are you more of a plotter or a write by the seat of your pants type of writer?

K:  I am a plotter. I outline very specifically before I start writing to make sure there are no problems in the structure of my story. Particularly insurmountable problems. However, during the course of writing a specific story, I do add in elements (spontaneously even) that grow organically from a character’s actions.

Me:  Can you share with us what you are currently reading?

K:  The Lost City of Z by David Grann, but it’s a nonfiction narrative about explores in the Amazon during the early 1900s. When I’m really into my writing, I try not to read whatever genre I’m currently writing.

The Quick Five:

1.   Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
2.   Wine or Beer? Wine
3.   Romantic Comedy or Action Adventure Film? Action Adventure
4.   Favorite season of the year (Spring,Summer, Fall,Winter)? Summer
5.   Favorite Color: Red

Thank you K. for answering my questions!

Dark Inheritance: Fallen Empire

by K. Reed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

The once glittering ballrooms of Regency England now lay desolate. A plague has ravaged the countryside. The government has fallen. What vestiges of order remained have been consumed by the endless funeral pyres.

Grayson, once the Baron of Harwich, sought only to protect his people. Rescuing a half-dead woman was not among his plans. But something about her pulled at him. Perhaps it was her beauty, still evident beneath the pallor of loss. Perhaps it was the recently fired rifle at her side. Or maybe he was simply tried of death. All he knew was that the plague had taken too much already. He couldn’t let it take her as well.

Lady Juliette Adair had been ready to die with her brother. She didn't expect to be shown mercy in a world that had no room for mercy. When Grayson saved her she questioned his motives but soon found herself intrigued by him, drawn to him.

Societal rules were a thing of the past, dead along with the ton. Juliette had no manner by which to measure her growing closeness to Grayson any longer. But when she discovers he may not be the man she thought she knew more is at stake than just her heart. The secrets she carries could make a king or destroy one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt 1:

He didn’t know what made him look, what sound captured his attention, but he suddenly knew he was not alone. Cursing his carelessness, he drew his sword and looked around. There, on the opposite side of the bed, pushed against the wall.

She lay on a settee, head resting on one arm, dark hair falling down the side of the sofa. He glanced to the bed, to the man there, and wondered who the dead pair were. She looked to have survived the plague; her face and neck were thin and smooth. Died of neglect, then. The last living being in the house and she couldn’t summon the strength to feed herself.

His eyes locked on the rifle lying just under her reach. Sheathing his sword, it was then he noticed that powder marks blackened her hands and were smudged along her face and neck. He quickly scanned the area, a small bag of powder and a case of shot rested on a nearby chair.

Cautiously walking closer, Grayson crouched before the prone figure and surprised himself by reaching out to touch her. He stopped just short of her cheek, curling his fingers into a fist. He took a brief moment to admire her beauty.

Even in death, she captivated.

Standing, he picked up the rifle and backed away, turning to search the rest of the room before he’d take the powder and shot.

That was when he heard her moan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Romance author with an historical twist.

Too many post-apocalyptic stories, movies, and what-ifs crowded her head, and K Reed decided to do something about it. So she plotted one out, decided an historical post-apocalyptic romance was the way to go, and wrote that one instead.

A lover of all things historical, of strong heroes with equally strong heroines, and of sexy pirates, she’s going to explore the post-apocalyptic world of plague-ridden 1804 and the gritty criminal element of Victorian England.

Luckily she has an understanding family, supportive friends, and a day job that offers her the flexibility she needs to plot, plan, and write. Sure, one day she’d like to travel the country in search of fantastic storylines and great locale pictures, but for now she’ll stick to the east coast and the internet.

@kreedauthor

www.kreedauthor.com

kreedauthor@yahoo.com

Please remember to leave a comment or question below for K. to be entered in her giveaway for one of nine Post-apocalypse survival baskets (which include tea, a fan, a shawl, a bracelet and more -- Plus ONE Grand Prize basket will include an iPod Touch) to randomly drawn commenters during the tour  - US/Canada only.

You can follow her tour here.