Monday, August 18, 2014

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Mary Kate Kopec




Love AND Revenge:  A Closer Look

Hello and welcome to my Love AND … series blog tour.  If you are just joining in, you might want to check out my previous guest blog post Love AND … THE UNEXPECTED SERIES in which I talk about how the series came to be.  You’ll find this post at The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom blog, www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com.

Also you can read more about Love AND Bullets at Book Club Sisters http://bookclubsisters84.blogspot.com from Wednesday, August 13th.  And you can read more about Love AND Leaving (also from Wednesday, August 13th) at Roxanne’s Realm www.roxannerhoads.com.

Thank you for joining us here today at Fang-tastic Books.  Having tackled the series as a whole along with the first two books, I thought it would be good to take a closer look at Love AND Revenge.

Love AND Revenge is book 3, the final story, in the Love AND … series.  It is an intense, virtually non-stop action, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of ride.  And it is my favorite of the three books.  I’m probably not supposed to say that, but it is.  I love the story.  I love the characters.  And I love how it makes me feel.  I think, in part, this is because I brought the casts together and integrated the stories into a deeper more complex storyline.  Also, the love and relationships came out so compelling, so real … so human.  It made me want to know these people.  Spend time with them.  I didn’t want this book to end.  It’s a little bit of magic.  I savored every page, and I felt an emptiness and loss when it was time to say The End.

I feel Love AND Revenge brings the characters from the first two books together in a compelling, jaw-dropping, oh-No!, oh-Yes! plotline that keeps the pages turning.

The Inside Scoop

For me, to write characters means to pour a bit of myself into each one.  Lessons learned from experiences I’ve had.  People I’ve met and internalized.  The sum total of my life culminating into the bits and pieces that end up making a character whole.  And never has this been more true than in Love AND Revenge with Maddie Monroe.  In fictionalized form, she is the closest a character has ever come to being me.  She is the one time (as I wrote), when faced with her choices, I simply asked myself what I would do if I were in her situation.  She is special to me.

And Seamus.  He totally took me by surprise.  When I started writing, I was pretty sure I knew the major plot points in the story and the ending, but Seamus went and did the most unexpected thing toward the end of Act I.  His actions in that moment changed almost everything that came afterward.  It was the first time while writing that I found myself having to completely rethink and re-plan my story.  … I’m a fairly organic writer to begin with.  I’m not big on lengthy outlines or overviews.  I figure out the backstory and characters and then come up with the beginning, a few middle points, and the end.  Then I write.  But Seamus—well, he did what he felt he needed to do.  And in the end, I could kiss him for it.  Sure, I really liked my original plans, but there is simply no way the story would have turned out as heart-wrenching and soul-healing as it did had he not changed my mind.  And for that, I love him, too.

Having chunked the idea of the original Acts II and III, there is one scene in particular that I had planned on, and in my upcoming Facebook Bonus Material for tomorrow, I will tell you all about it, and why it was originally “The Important” scene.

So . . . the skinny on Love AND Revenge

The story opens up with Maddie breaking up with Seamus.  (This is a tiny spoiler alert if you haven’t read Love AND Bullets, book 1, as you find out in the end of it that Maddie and Seamus have gotten together.  It’s a tiny spoiler alert in that it’s one of those happy tidbits that round out a story’s ending, but was of no consequence during the story itself.)  She doesn’t want to breakup, but after Seamus nearly gets killed in action on an operation gone terribly bad, she realizes she doesn’t want go through the fear of losing him every time he deploys into the field.  So it takes everything she has and a few tries (Seamus doesn’t want to let her go either.), but she finally does it.  And it breaks both of their hearts.   But she forces herself to move on, and she starts seeing a new guy.  Seamus can’t stand seeing them together, so he starts taking every field assignment he can to get as far away as he can from seeing Maddie with another man.

And here’s where it gets tricky.  I’d love to tell you more.  But I can’t.  It would ruin the story.  Every moment from this moment on in the story is non-stop.  Maddie unknowingly has put herself in danger, and it will take the bulk of the STI forces to try to save her … including Seamus.  It’s action.  And explosions.  And revenge.  It’s a race against the clock.  It’s hope, love, fear.  It’s loss and tears.  It’s family and friends.  And if all goes as planned, it will take you on a fantastic ride that will make you want more, love the characters and story, and need to read it all over again when you’re done.

Thank you for your visit!

Below you will find upcoming blog tour stop info and lots of links for things like book trailers and how to get more information about me and my books.

Coming up tomorrow (Tuesday, August 19th) in my blog tour, I will be interviewed by Eclipse Reviews, www.totaleclipsereviews.blogspot.com.  Additionally, Darkest Cravings will be hosting the Top Ten Highlighted Scenes/Moments from the Love AND … series in my guest post at www.darkestcravings.blogspot.com.

In the meantime, you can watch the book trailers at the following links.  And you can find my full blog tour schedule on my website and on my Facebook page.

Love AND Bullets Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/MTrON4X1yl0
Love AND Leaving Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/QpzL4FJwSWY
Love AND Revenge Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/dZ-vxUx3qlU

You can read more about me and my books at:




All my books are available at Amazon in both print and ebook versions.

Happy Reading to you always,
Mary Kate

PS:  For bonus blog tour material for today’s stop, visit my Facebook page for the Love AND Revenge Soundtrack!  When Love AND Revenge gets made into a movie … and it So should … there are some songs that have to make the soundtrack.  They’re they songs that fed my emotional writing state for some of the big scenes in Love AND Revenge.  I’ll talk about the songs and how they inspired me, and you can tell me what you think and offer your own suggestions.


Love and Bullets
Love And Series
Book One
Mary Kate Kopec

Genre:  Romantic Action Suspense

ISBN: 978-0615968957
ASIN: B00AP54YTS

Book Description:  

Three years ago Giffin Reese fell for the man of her dreams. But it wasn't meant to be. She was already married to a good man. A man who believed in her. Needed her. Loved her. Sometimes in life we do what it calls upon us to do.

It wasn't your everyday protection detail of a Senator plus trophy wife. First, she was no trophy. She came with brains and an attitude. Just what he liked. And two, the case was all kinds of screwed up. A threat with no name on it. Maybe even a leak. And it all turned to hell when the Senator got taken down by a sniper shot.

Devon Monroe still doesn't know what the hell went wrong that day. But he's not going to let it happen again. Someone's serious with an itchy trigger finger, and this time the target is squarely pointed at a certain Senator's beautiful widow. But not if he can help it. It'll take everything he has to set things right, clear his conscience, and prove himself to her. Even if it means dying, trying.

Love and Bullets is an action packed steamroller of mystery, suspense, and rekindled desire. Come join Devon and Giffin as they race against the clock, explore their hearts, and dodge bullets in this story of secrets, deception, betrayal, and love.

Sparks fly and so do the bullets!

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/MTrON4X1yl0    

Available at Amazon


Excerpt, Love AND Bullets:

“As you can see, Mrs. Reese, we can quite easily get to you.  You cannot be protected, despite what Mr. Monroe seems to think.”
Devon?  They knew him?  How could that be?
“So unless you choose the same fate as your husband, I suggest you reconsider your current ventures.”
She was baffled.  What current ventures?  She helped people.  How could that be a problem?
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He continued, ignoring her interruption.  “Mrs. Reese, you will die if you do not heed my warning.”  As if to emphasize his words, he raised a gun and pointed it in her face.  “This is not a negotiable request.  Do you understand?”
No way did she understand, but she nodded anyway, afraid to ask and not wanting to get shot.  What current ventures?  What could she be doing that would get her killed?  What could she be doing, and had it gotten her husband killed?  She felt sick with fear and confusion.
Without warning he leaned over and opened her door.  Keeping his gun leveled on her, he added flatly, “Now get out.  Your ride is coming.”
Abruptly the car stopped.
You didn’t have to tell her twice.  She didn’t hesitate.  She jumped out.  But before she could get all the way out, the car began accelerating again.  And in her efforts to clear the speeding vehicle, she fell to the ground and rolled, skinning her hands and knees.
Pain shot through her, and tears stung in her eyes.  Giffin attempted to get up, but stumbled back down to one knee.  Her arms and legs shook like leaves.  She was in a full body tremble.  Not for trying, but she couldn’t quite catch her balance, and she realized that her heel had broken.
Giffin reached around, and with a shaking hand, removed her shoes.  Holding them in her hand, she pushed herself up and tried to stand steady on her two feet.  She looked up the road to where her abductors’ car was disappearing into the horizon and a wave of overwhelming relief flowed through her.  They didn’t kill her.  It was over.
But then the other side of brain fought back and asked, What the hell is going on?
She was unsurprised now, when Devon pulled around the bend in a shiny silver Lexus sedan and came to a stop beside her.
“Get in,” came the voice in the car.

She knew that voice, knew it well.  It did something to the pit of her stomach.  She got in, tossed her shoes to the floor, and fastened her seat belt.  Throwing him a sidelong glance, without humor, she asked, “Just in the neighborhood?”

Love and Leaving
Love And Series
Book Two
Mary Kate Kopec

Genre:  Romantic Action Suspense

ISBN: 978-0615988610
ASIN: B00BH51P4W

Book Description:

Emma June Carter’s life is as normal as can be. All except the part where once upon a time she was Miss Michigan and a finalist for the Miss American Sunshine pageant. She's a baker and a co-owner of Delectable Delights, a sweet treats bakery that she loves. She has good friends. A best friend. And it was all going so well - until her boyfriend dumped her. The boyfriend that had hinted at love and a life together - and then disappeared.

Detective Jack Haley is good at his job, likes life, and knows how to laugh. Poker and his luxury ride with perfect performance and buttery soft leather seats take the edge off of the grit and grime of his work in property crimes.
For them, it was any other day. Until he got the call. And she went out for one last drink to shake off the breakup. A chance meeting in a bar, and neither gets what they came for. They get so much more. Neither know it, but danger is trailing Emma's footsteps, and her life is about to go from normal to hell in six seconds, flat. It doesn't take long before their paths cross again, and this time it won't be so easy leaving.

Love and Leaving is a story about nothing being safe, but in life, having everything to gain . . . at a cost. Jack and Emma will have to decide what is worth it and what isn't.

He's coming, and she's leaving!

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/QpzL4FJwSWY    

Available at Amazon


Excerpt, Love AND Leaving:

Emma June Carter, former Miss Michigan, now successful pastry chef and master of all things sweet, sat twirling her pathetic excuse of a lemon twist stormily about in her second, now half-empty, vodka tonic, swearing off men and their many useless promises.
Twenty-nine—for real—and three days shy of being thirty, she thought she’d found the one.  But after six months of crazy-for-you, non-stop fun and abandon—and a major hint at permanent things to come—Max Stone, man of her dreams, had abruptly called it quits.
One phone call.  No explanation.  And he was gone.
Now all she wanted to do—when she wasn’t bawling miserably—was rip his lying heart out of his gorgeous, too-fit chest and feed it to him for lunch.  Or at least sit here for the moment, alone, to enjoy a short, self-indulgent and well earned—if you don’t mind—pity party.
And a drink or two.
Emma wasn’t one for anger or wallowing, but this really hurt, and she just needed a moment to cope.  And process.  And get a grip.  And to stop seeing herself stomping her pain out all over Max’s, now annoyingly, beautiful face.
She smiled.  Stomping on his face wasn’t the nicest of thoughts.  True.  But “It’s over.  Take care of yourself.  Bye.” followed by a dial tone just wasn’t the way it was done.  The weasel hadn’t even been respectful enough to do it in person.  And now, all she got was voicemail and a visit to his empty apartment.  So yes, not a nice thought, kicking the crap out of Max, but Max didn’t deserve a nice thought.  And as wishful thinking went, it was a pretty good image, and so even though it really wasn’t like her, it made her smile.
“Your drink’s getting low.  Lemme buy you another.”
Emma dropped her smile and slid her eyes left to the gravelly and deeply masculine voice interrupting her lament to find Mr. Ripped and Ruggedly Handsome in black leather and jeans eyeing her up appreciatively.  Good grief.  Not another one.  She barely suppressed a sigh.
Ruggedly Handsome was just that and then some.  But he and his molten-chocolaty brown eyes, heavy jaw, thick brows, and perfect lips—minus the hairline scar—were all bad-boy to the bone.  And if you weren’t convinced, the spider web and dagger tattoos on his hands and hard-ass biker boots should finish off the story.  He was oozing sex appeal like the Hoover Dam had just let loose.  And barking up the wrong tree.  Emma had had enough of suave and slick.
She shook her head, “No thanks.  I’m good.”
Returning to her drink and her thoughts, it occurred to her that perhaps having a pity party publicly—even if she was situated at the end of the bar, with her face tilted down, hair falling forward, staring morosely into her drink—wasn’t the best signal for personal time.  But still.  Couldn’t Mr. Ripped and Ruggedly Handsome see that she wasn’t up for company, especially male company?
Apparently not.
Mr. Handsome followed with, “I can see that, and it’s just a drink.  Give me a chance.”
Oh God.  He was going with a lame line.  Seriously?
Not really wanting to engage hotty biker dude in a verbal duel over drinks, Emma thought to cut him short, so she could get back to her alone time.  But she wasn’t the mean type, so she returned his appreciative once over and sighed in mock disappointment, “Sorry, but you’re way too cool for me.”
Not-getting-it biker guy edged closer with an undeterred glint in his eye and gave her comment the brush off.  “Don’t say that—”
So much for being nice.
Emma realized her pity party was over.  Ruined by Mr. R. and R. Handsome and his annoying persistence.  And this time, she dropped a very heavy sigh for real.  He made to continue with his pitch, but frustrated by his intrusion, Emma pushed back from the bar, scraping the metal feet of her stool on the stone tile floor beneath, and dropped a ten spot next to her drink as she made to leave.
“Hey,” he said, and inappropriately reached for her arm. “You don’t have to go.”  But Emma firmly deflected his touch with her hand.  “Let me stop you right there.  No means no.  I’m done.  Got it?”
The molten look in his eyes wasn’t chocolaty anymore, and he said, “Got it,” like he meant it.  And then he called her a bitch as he turned to the barkeep and signaled for another round.
Emma stood, shouldering her purse, back to thinking feeding men their hearts for lunch was a good idea and came to the conclusion, Bars are bad.  Next time just buy a bottle and take it home.
But there wasn’t going to be a next time.  She’d sworn off guys, and Mr. Ruggedly Handsome Jerk had just sealed the deal.
Shaking her head, fully irritated and no longer feeling any form of self-pity, Emma angled for the door wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of this bar.  Two strides into her escape, the front door pulled wide and bright-ass sunshine poured in, silhouetting her view of the incoming human.  She blinked to shake off the flashbulb effect and kept marching toward the door.  And subsequently plowed headlong into a six-foot tall wall of solid muscle.
Bouncing back, jolted, and losing her footing, Emma once again noted that Bars are bad, and this time added, Men are worse.  As evidenced by the shadowed cretin blocking her getaway.
“Whoa, hey there,” came the solid hands that kept her from stumbling, and the calm, even-timbred male voice that felt soothing on her angry nerves.  “You okay?”

Love and Revenge
Love And Series
Book Three
Mary Kate Kopec

Genre:  Romantic Action Suspense

ISBN: 978-0692212103
ASIN: B00K7J85EM

Book Description:

Maddie Monroe has had better days. And made better choices. When she wakes up kidnapped--used for bait--and in more danger than she could have ever imagined, it's all she can do to hope that she'll live to regret telling Seamus no.

Ex-Navy Seal Seamus Kincaid knows that the only easy day was yesterday. And in his line of work, enemies happen. He just never thought anyone would use Maddie to get to him. And now her life is on the line.

Maddie's dimples bring hard men to their knees, and her smoothies make them beg for more. She's smart, funny, and just one of the guys. She wields a computer like Seamus wields a knife. And she's a spunky ray of sunshine in skinny jeans and a bop-tail who gives his serious, get-it-done attitude the adjustment it needs. She's happiness in his life, until he scares the hell out of her on a mission gone bad, and she can't deal. Letting her go won't be easy, but losing her forever is unacceptable

Love and Revenge is a story about facing your fears, fighting for what's important, and learning that you can't control life--you can only decide which life you want to live.

Fight for love - die for revenge!


Available at Amazon


Excerpt, Love AND Revenge:

“Maddie,” he said, and reached out to pull her into his reassuring embrace before she could retreat any further.  “That was a bad day.  One of the worst.  But I made it.  The whole team did.  Everything’s okay.”
No.  It wasn’t.
He held her tightly, but her arms stayed at her sides.  His chest was solid, his arms strong, but they no longer brought her the comfort they once did.
Every time he had to deploy to suppress a hostile environment—even though it was completely unlike her—all she could do was think the worst.  And she didn’t want to do it anymore.
Seamus, refusing to accept her withdrawal, kept her close and lovingly whispered into her ear, “Maddie, you are my world, my joy, my laughter, the sunshine in my days.  I love you.  You are the only woman for me.  My family.  Maddie,” he whispered low, with his heart in his words, “marry me.  Be my wife.”
Maddie stopped breathing.  Her lungs froze.  Her breath got lost somewhere in the silence between the stalled beats of her heart.  Unwanted tears blurred her vision, so she closed her eyes and leaned into his shoulder.
Seamus cradled her as though she was the most precious person in the world to him, but his words coaxed aching misery into the very core of her bones.  Her body.  Her heart.  They had so much in common.  Yet they were so very different.
She was the light to his darkness, the laughter to his calculating necessitated tenacity, the warmth to the loneliness of his life, and she knew it.  And they both valued family and could see their hopes fulfilled in each other.  But she wouldn’t ask, and he wouldn’t offer—and his job was her breaking point.
She’d known it was going to tear her apart, facing him down again.  But no way was she prepared for this.  He was pulling out all the stops, save one.  And she knew that if he gave up his field work for her it would be poison to them both, so she never asked and wouldn’t.
She just needed to let him go, so he could do what he was driven to do, and he needed to let her.
It took everything she had to step back from him, out of his embrace, away from his love.  Tears rolled heavily down her face.  She couldn’t seem to stop them, and rather than brush them away, she ignored them and stood up straighter, gathering her strength and will.
Seamus looked confused, but no less determined.  “Maddie,” he said reaching for her again, but she took another step back and out of his reach.
“No Seamus.  If you really love me, you’ll let me go.”
His eyes briefly clouded, then cleared.  His ironclad willpower maintained his control.
“Maddie, this doesn’t make any sense.”
Matters of the heart rarely did.
“We can do this.”
She shook her head, and his frustration began to break through.  “You’re not thinking this through.”
It was the perfect thing to say to move her from disconsolate agony to biting anger.  He was telling her she wasn’t being rational, and there was a part of her that agreed, but he didn’t get to make that call.
“You’re wrong Seamus,” she said with heat in her voice.  “I have thought it through, and I’ve met somebody.  I’m moving on.  I suggest you do the same.”
Maddie’s stomach clenched, and she’d gone cold with the pain of her own words.  Her heart was breaking, and from the look on his face, so was his.  But he said nothing.  He just stood there searching for a new tactic, a solution, a way to win the fight, and if she didn’t get him out of there, he’d find one.
She couldn’t take much more of this, so she didn’t give him the chance.  She couldn’t cave.
A desperate force of will incited her tone with something so harsh it made her nearly sick.  She didn’t want to hurt him, but before he could find his bearings, Maddie dismissed him with a firmness that shattered like ice across her skin and made it hard for her to breathe.  “Please.  Leave.”
To her relief and misery it worked.  And her stomach sank as she watched the light in his eyes fade, shutting her out.  Where once she was his joy, now she was not, and the determination in the strong lines of his face turned flat.  She could have never imagined how bad this was going to feel.  It stabbed at her heart and ground her stomach into bits.  She wanted to crumple into a ball and cry the horrible river she knew was coming, but she’d made him let her go.
Seamus stood there a moment longer, staring at her with strengthening detachment, and if she wasn’t mistaken, disgust.  He shook his head, then stiffly turned and walked out of her room and away from her.

About the Author:

Mary Kate Kopec creates steamy character driven stories of hopeful love. She thinks love and life are worth fighting for and that at times both are filled with hard bits and messy emotions. She likes a good mystery, lots of action, and a heavy dollop of humor to lighten the mood. She writes what she loves and wishes you great enjoyment in everything you read.






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5 comments:

Belinda said...

I have read the first two book in the Love and series and can't wait to read Love and Revenge. Dip & Devour was a yummy read as well.
Mary Kate Kopec is an amazing writer that takes you on an adventure and holds you through to the end. Hop on and enjoy the ride. ;)
Check out her amazing book trailers on YouTube. :)

bn100 said...

Interesting series

Unknown said...

Hello Belinda!!! I am thrilled you are enjoying my books <3 Thank you so much for the glowing endorsement!!! I hope you love Love AND Revenge as much as the others!!!

Hugs and Chocolate! <3
Mary Kate

Unknown said...

Hello bn100! Thanks for stopping by my blog tour and commenting! I always love to hear from readers. I'm excited that you find my series interesting as I do so love the characters and stories in these books! They've been such a happy experience for me, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Hugs and Chocolate!
Mary Kate

Unknown said...

Hello Roxanne and Fang-tastic Books!!! Thank you so very much for the fabulous spotlight on my Love AND ... series, and the opportunity to share more about my books with today's guest post Love AND Revenge: A Closer Look!

I super appreciate your support and helping me to spread the word!

Hugs and Chocolate!
Mary Kate

 
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