Today, I have author Kat Silver in the interview chair. We’re discussing her latest release Dark Flame, book one in the Flame-Born series, a m/m urban fantasy romance. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.
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1. Hi, Kat. First off, readers have an idea of the writer you, but what about the everyday you? Can you share about your personal life?
Kat: I’m a full-time nurse in a lovely nursing home with only 27 residents, run by an order of Augustin nuns. They genuinely care about their residents, and I feel very fortunate to work there. And honestly when I’m not doing that, I’m either writing, critiquing, marketing my book, or talking about writing with writer friends. I’m pretty obsessed. Story is my passion. The only other thing I’m interested in is my lovely family.
2. I’ve been perusing your Goodreads page, and see you are drawn to urban fantasy romance. Especially vampires. Can you share why?
Kat: I’ve been into fantasy since I was very young. It’s Enid Blyton’s fault. I read the Magic Faraway Tree until my copy of the book fell apart. As I grew older, I moved on to the Magician, the Dragonbone chair, the Mists of Avalon, all the classics, but when I came across Anne Rice and her delicious vampire’s I had something of a revelation. I’ve been obsessed ever since. Not only was it my first exposure to LBGT romance in literature, something my queer little heart really needed at the time, but the characters were just so rich and seductive and enthralling. From there I started to read all the vampire books available, and that lead naturally to urban fantasy.
3. Your latest release is Dark Flame, book one in the Flame-Born series. Can you tell me what inspired you to create this series?
Kat: My intention was to write the book I wanted to read. I love urban fantasy, the kind with a touch of the epic, but I also love romance, the kind with full on heat, and maybe a touch of kink. That combination is thin on the ground in MM—my favorite romance genre. You tend to get one with a diluted version of the other. Hence Dark Flame. A book that’s as much a fantasy as it is a hot, kinky romance. Or at least, that combo was my plan. The readers will have to tell me if I pulled it off.
4. How much research went into creating your novel and series?
Kat: The story is set in the modern world, and I’m very familiar with classic Urban Fantasy tropes, so there’s not a huge amount of research needed. But some of the supernatural creatures have a rich lore behind them, and I’ve enjoyed reading up before deciding how I want to shape the species and creatures in the story.
5. Can you share your writing process through Dark Flame? Did the plot come first or the characters?
Kat: Michael (My main Character) came first. He was the older brother of a protagonist in an earlier story I wrote but didn’t finish. He was exactly the same, green eyes, dark hair, sweet but and hot headed, impulsive, an ex MMA fighter, and I knew from the moment I met him, he was the character I wanted to work with. So I developed a story for him using a lot of the ideas from that first version, and ended up with the Flame Born series.
6. What do you think makes a great urban fantasy romance?
Kat: Rich world-building, familiar species and lore with an original twist, enough action but not too much, an interesting cast of characters, and of course, a genuine romance between two people who have to fight for their relationship all while fighting some epic external foe. Yum yum.
7. The same for shifters and vampires. What makes for a good shifter and/or vampire character since there are so many vampire and shifter novels on the market.
Kat: I enjoy both types. The ones formed with all the classic characteristics, sticking to recognisable lore, but also the ones where the author has switched it up and created something new. For me, there is room for both. So I think what makes a great shifter or vampire is the writers passion for their character and just a consistency in their version of the creatures we all love.
8. Let’s talk about the main character for Dark Flame. What do you love most about Michael and what makes you want to shake him?
Kat: Hahaha. I’m definitely fond of Michael. I’ve been writing him for years, so I suppose its kind of inevitable. But he is definitely frustrating at times. Every character has their challenges. I will often have a scene in mind then come to write it and realise its just not going to work because, well, Michael. But then, that also happens with Flanagan, the love interest. Michael isn’t a character who thinks things out before acting, so its hard to include a valid explanation for his actions at times. He’s instinctive, rather than a thinker, and this sometimes doesn’t sit well with this author who wants to process out what happening on page so the reader understands. *rolls eyes*
9. Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favourite scene to write for Dark Flame?
Kat: Definitely the introduction of the vampire prince. I relish every scene Alexei turns up in. He’s such a pleasure to write.
10. What makes Dark Flame different from other LGBTQ urban fantasy romances?
Kat: I don’t think I’m breaking new ground in any way with Dark Flame. I’ve certainly given our favorite tropes a wee twist, invented a magic system to suit what I wanted to accomplish, but I’ve also purposely stuck to classic tropes, because that’s what I love. What I hope though, is that I’m satisfying fellow readers who want romping urban fantasy with love and heat, like I do. That’s was my goal.
11. If a reader asked you why they should read Dark Flame, what would you tell them?
Kat: Read it if you like action and mystery with your romance, and a world you can disappear into. It’s unapologetic escapism. If that’s what you need, go get yourself some Flame.
12. What can we expect from you in the future? Care to share about your current WIP?
Kat: I’m 50k words into Book 2, Dark Fate. Thoroughly enjoying the process, but these fantasy stories are a complicated business, and I’m sure there will be many more days of writing ahead of me before I’m happy to share the result of my labours.
13. What do you enjoy most about writing?
Kat: Everything, the words, the craft, the sharing of story, but most of all, the total absorption into another world.
14. What do you enjoy least about writing?
Word.docs. And every other writing platform I’ve tried.
15. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
- What’s your favourite movie?
Groundhog day, closely followed by The Matrix. - What book is currently in your e-reader?
Special Forces by Vashtan (who is actually Aleksandr Voinov) - Who’s your favourite musical group?
It changes, at the moment, I’m hammering everything by Ursine Vulpine. - What song puts a smile on your face?
Gah! I like em moody and heartbreaking, but if I’m forced to pick a happy tune, it would be Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson. Never fails to get me bopping in the kitchen.
16. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Kat: Thanks for your time and the interview.
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Title: Dark Flame
Series: Flame-Born, #1
Author: Kat Silver
Publisher: Self-Published
Cover Artist: Bookfly
Release Date: February 6, 2021
Genre/s: MM paranormal/urban fantasy
Trope/s: Enemies to Lovers
Themes: Finding home and self. Self-discovery. Self-acceptance. Learning to trust.
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 82 000 words/310 pages
Hunted by a vampire prince. Caged by his rescuer. Can Michael escape the dark destiny written in his blood, or will his own heart be his undoing?
Blurb:“I know who you are because you belong to me. You were born to be mine.” ~ Alexei Vasiliev, the vampire prince.
Haunted by the death of his parents, Michael Blakeley wants answers. The twenty-six-year-old martial artist seeks their killer, but he also wants to know why electronics short out at his touch, and why his libido is a raging fire.
When a group of soldiers calling themselves Guardians rescue him from a back alley ambush and claim to have the answers he needs, he agrees to go with them. Especially when they tell him the attackers were vampires. But nothing in this supernatural underworld is as it seems, and when the silver-eyed commander cages him instead, Michael’s answers slip further away.
Can Michael find safety from the vampires who claim him? Can he escape the dark destiny he discovers is written into his blood? And will he break the chains of the commander who keeps him captive? The one man he has no desire to leave?
Dark Flame is the first pulse-pounding book in the Flame Born LGBT urban fantasy series. If you like enemies to lovers, shifters, sexy vampire princes, and scorching heat, you’ll love this smoldering tale of bloodlust and magic.
Warning: Dark Flame is a gay erotic love story. It contains explicit language and sexual scenes between men, and is meant for adult readers only. There is content some readers may find distressing. See inside for potential triggers.
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I kneel and hang my head and wait. I have to. I want to. There’s an elation in my chest, as though I’m about to meet a secret beloved I’m only now remembering. My attention draws upward, compelled to the stunning creature. I couldn’t look away if my life depended on it, but I avoid meeting his dark gaze.
With unearthly grace, the vampire saunters toward me, his eyes riveted to my face. The closer he comes, the more the battle slips into the background. It could be only the two of us here in the steelworks. Weapons fly around him—bolts and swords whistle through the air, heading for his chest, but stop midflight before they can meet their target and clatter to the concrete. He doesn’t spare them a glance.
The nearer he stalks, the harder my heart pounds. My breath comes in shallow puffs. Cold sweat soaks my T-shirt. My nails puncture the soft flesh of my palms. I feel defenseless.
The prince stands in front of me, close enough to touch, a towering demigod, his immense wings creating a shadowed cavern.
I force my eyes down, fixing them on a patch of crimson blood painted across the concrete. I resist a baffling urge to lean and rest my head against his hip.
Strong, elegant fingers cup my chin to lift my face. I tense, my stomach twisting with panic. I’m certain that once I meet those black eyes, it’s over. His fingers burn hot against my chin. The touch tingles my skin like champagne. I melt into his hand and look up, finding two pools of darkest night. My resistance vanishes.
Master. The word hangs in my mind.
I’m a simple northern English lass with an addiction to writing, as well as all things romance. Also addicted to cats, cat videos, and anything with, you know, cats in it. And there’s chocolate, and tea, coffee too, and rainy Sundays. Okay, I have many addictions. But my first love has always been story in all its forms, from movies to books to anecdotes told over a beer at the local pub. If we’re sharing a story, I’m all ears. And if it’s fantasy with sexy heroes and vampires and lots of angsty luuurve, I’m probably drooling. Come in, pour yourself a tea, and kick your shoes off. Let me tell you a story.
Find Kat: Blog/Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up | BookBub
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Maggie Blackbird 