Can you tell readers a little bit about
yourself and what inspired you to write in this particular genre?
My name is Ash Krafton, and I’m
proud to call myself a speculative fiction writer. Speculative fiction covers a
whole range of wonderful ideas—fantasy, science fiction, horror, and every
single shade in between. Speculative fiction begins with a question: What if…?
I have loads of fun finding new ways to answer that question. I’ve wanted to
write romance for a very long time. This is my first romance novel—paranormal,
of course. Wouldn’t do having everyone in the book being human.
What is it about the paranormal, in
particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
I love the endless possibilities
that the paranormal realm offers us as readers and writers. It’s true my first
and best love will always be vampires (and my own demivamps) but, with so many
amazing stories out there, I can’t help but developed an appreciation for the
other intriguing species of beasties out there.
What inspired you to write this
book?
The
inspiration came while I was writing another book. My best cure for writer’s
block is to flip to a fresh page and write something else.
My
sister-in-law is one of my most cherished beta readers; she’s also a licensed
clinical social worker. I wrote the scene in which a genie walks into a therapists’s
office as a sort of present for her.
Although
it started as a way to “blow out the carbon” and clean my brain’s carburetor,
my sister-in-law had other plans.
Please tell us about your latest
release.
In my
paranormal romance WORDS THAT BIND, a social worker breaks the cardinal rule:
never fall for your client. Especially when your client is an immortal djinn and you are the talisman to which
he is bound.
Do you have a special formula for
creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning
to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain
time periods or regions?
I
put a lot of stock in character’s names—a name is another layer to tailor when
creating our characters. In WORDS THAT BIND, Tam Kerish’s name was selected for
the rhythm and feel more than a particular meaning. Her full name, Tamarinda,
however, has a different feel to it—even a taste, as the hero might say.
Tamarind fruit is both sweet and sour—complexity in its simplicity—and the tree
flowers “inconspicuously”. I think it rather suited Tam, who begins the story
as a closed and reserved woman.
The hero,
Burns, is a fire elemental (a djinn, actually) who has chosen his own name. It
describes him from head to toe, inside and out, from the flame that sometimes
erupts along his skin to the force of his firestorm emotional outbursts. He’s
cheeky, that one.
Was one of your characters more
challenging to write than another?
By far, Tam was the toughest character I’ve ever written,
because of her spell-bound condition that prevents her from experiencing true emotion.
Considering my last project was a trilogy featuring an empathy, and this book
is a romance novel, trying to write a possibly non-emotional heroine was a
challenge, indeed. Thank goodness that Burns has a thawing effect on her.
What is your favorite scene from the
book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
My favorite scene is one in which
Burns apologizes to Tam—it took so much for him to humble himself to do so, and
it revealed his tender, vulnerable side.
Did you find anything really
interesting while researching this or another book?
Absolutely. As the heroine is a
social worker, it was very important to research her role, as well as the code
of ethics to which she is bound. In fact, in studying the ethical code and all
its provisions, I had to rewrite the plot because I didn’t want to dishonor the
profession. Tension and conflict are
good things for a book, though, and I think the story is much better for the
research and the hard work it brought.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s
block? How do you deal with it?
I do get writer’s block—and I just write on through it. As I
mentioned earlier, writing something completely different. Sometimes, those exercises
take on life of their own.
Do you write in different genres?
While WORDS THAT BIND is a
paranormal romance, I’ve also published an urban fantasy trilogy as well as
several speculative fiction short stories. I’m no stranger to poetry, either,
and usually prefer dark fantasy and other speculative kinds of verses.
Would you like to leave readers with
a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Sure!
“So.
You’ve destroyed a stereotype for me. A genie who lives in a library.
Different.”
“When
in Rome, no?” He stirred his cup before setting down the spoon with a light
clink against the saucer. “Or, I suppose it is more accurate to say when in
human form. When I am Burns, I prefer here.”
“Human
form.” It didn’t sound right. Who said things like that, and meant it? “Can you
change into anything you want? Any shape at all?”
He
stretched out his legs and cocked his head, sliding his gaze up and away. “I
suppose I could. I’m getting old and set in my ways. There’s this…” He swept
his hands down the line of his body.
Her
eyes were unable to keep from following, not even when he lingered over his
midsection. Even lounging, his shirt was tightly tucked into his beltline. No
belly fat there.
He
tilted his head and gave her an upper-teeth smile, nibbling gently at his lower
lip. “And apparently this form is pleasing to the eye, so I wear it often. But
there are others. Tiger, a favorite. Savage and regal and the colors of flames
in the night. Fearsome to behold, but very useful when dealing with physical
conditions in which a human form may be outmatched. Plus, I can lash my tail.”
His
voice took a teasing, conspirator’s tone. “I love my tail. You’d love it too,
if you saw it.”
She
trained her eyes firmly upon his. No way would she give him the pleasure of checking
out his tail.
Words That Bind
Ash Krafton
Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: Oct. 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62830-560-9
ISBN: 978-1-62830-561-6
Number of pages: 314
Word Count: 75000
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Book Description:
Social worker Tam Kerish can’t keep her cool professionalism when steamy client Mr. Burns kindles a desire for more than a client-therapist relationship—so she drops him. However, they discover she’s the talisman to which Burns, an immortal djinn, has been bound since the days of King Solomon…and that makes it difficult.
Ethical guidelines are unequivocal when it comes to personal relationships with clients. However, the djinn has a thawing effect on the usually non-emotive Tam, who begins to feel true emotion whenever he is near. Tam has to make a difficult choice: to stay on the outside, forever looking in…or to turn her back on her entire world, just for the chance to finally experience what it means to fall in love.
Available at Amazon and Wild Rose Publishing
Excerpt
Chapter One
Damn, but this
was a miserable city.
A miserable
city, in a miserable season, with a miserable chilly dampness oppressive enough
to put out the hottest of fires. If he didn’t have to be here, he’d be
reclining on a low couch surrounded by silken-clad women and the open sands of
the high desert.
If he didn’t
have to be here, he wouldn’t be standing in a cramped parking lot in an East
Coast city (really. East Coast. The very thought made him curl his lips in
disdain) staring up at a balcony three floors up.
If he didn’t
have to be here, he wouldn’t. But it was here, and it was close, and he
wouldn’t have to put up with this permeating on-again off-again rain much
longer.
The thought of
it being so close made him dizzy enough to sway on his feet. Ah, well. Wearing
a human form had so many limitations. Take skin, for instance. And this
ridiculous human obsession with trousers.
A loud argument
erupted on the balcony above, catching his attention.
Women. Of
course. Emotional, volatile, dangerous, loud…sometimes, good qualities.
Especially where low couches could be found.
On balconies,
peppered with vulgar language…just annoying.
Still. It was
here, its presence burning like a dull itch in the back of his brain. That
particular sensation, too, was annoying, but after so many decades of not
feeling it all, it was a good kind of annoying. One that soon would be
quenched.
Forever.
Suddenly, the
sensation brightened, became sharper, clearer, like the full moon sliding free
of the clouds. The argument stopped.
Ah. Finally. He
turned up the collar of his overcoat against the nip of a sudden breeze and
tilted his head, scanning the balcony, watching. Waiting.
A young female
with tousled purple hair hunched over the railing, resting on her elbows, trying
to light a cigarette. Repulsive things, cigarettes. Lacked elegance. Why not a
hookah, or even a slender golden pipe? This modern age was all substance. No
style.
He unfocused his
gaze and looked through the girl. Nothing remarkable about that female whatsoever.
She had nothing to do with the object of his desire and so was of no
consequence to him. He disregarded her completely.
Another figure
appeared at the rail. Another female. This one seized his notice, snapping his
spine ram-rod straight.
Long chestnut
hair swept in waves over her shoulder, hiding her face. He zoomed in on her and
almost fell flat backwards, buckling under the smacking impact upon his heart.
Her. She had it.
Suddenly, the
low gray clouds burned off in a blaze of summer brilliance, so great was the
feeling in his chest. Hope. Hope eclipsed centuries of despair in that single
moment.
She had it!
He side-stepped
the BMW behind him, wanting a better angle, wishing to see her face. So intent
was he upon the other woman that he nearly missed the cigarette that sailed
past his cheek to land on the car. He curled his fists, an oath on his lips. He
should be used to the crude behaviors of mortals, but still, how it bristled
against his insides. Obviously, they’d been raised by very different mothers.
But then woman
turned, and his scowl melted from his face. Her dark eyes met his, a
split-second connection that felt like the bite of an electric current. His
heart tripped on a beat and he gaped.
Remarkable. This
noisy, chaotic city where all was a tangle of technology and confusion and
those odd diagonal streets—she stood out: a straight line, a calm constancy,
the eye within the storm. He was confounded by the impression of her psyche.
Unique was too commonplace a word.
A place to sit.
He rubbed his mouth, staring up at her. To sit would be good right now. He
didn’t want to end up on his knees, not here amidst the puddles and wet leaves.
The young girl
twisted around and hopped up on the rail. Odd. The railing didn’t look wide
enough to make a comfortable seat. Well. Considering her choice of hair color,
he wasn’t surprised by her action. Obviously, she was a little off.
He thumbed the
edge of the business card in his hand, one that bore the address and the name
of the counselling center to which the balcony belonged. Of course, she was.
Why else would she be visiting a therapist?
Apparently, the
bird reconsidered her perch, because she disappeared in the next moment. A
piercing shriek sounded, loud enough that he had to cover his ears. It only
lasted a few seconds, however, followed by a few more desperate shouts.
And then there
came no sound at all, except for the traffic and the sparrows making a racket
in the hedges bordering the parking lot. The women and the mental itch had
retreated back into the building.
He stood a few
moments longer, watching the balcony, hoping for another glimpse of her. But
the remarkable woman and that wonderful sensation did not return.
He brushed his
fingers together and tugged his suit jacket straight. No matter. She may have
that which he sought, but she did not need to come back out.
Because he was
going in after it.
And this time,
he was going to get it.
About the Author:
Ash Krafton is a speculative fiction author from northeastern Pennsylvania. Krafton’s first novel, Bleeding Hearts was published in 2012 as part of a three-book urban fantasy series The Books of the Demimonde (Pink Narcissus Press).
An urban fantasy novella, Strangers at the Hell Gate, was published by Wild Rose Press in 2013. Her latest project, Words That Bind, won first place in the HeRA RWA “Show Me the Spark” 2013 competition; it is also available through Wild Rose Press as an October 2014 release.
Krafton also writes New Adult speculative fiction novels under the pen name AJ Krafton. Upcoming titles include The Heartbeat Thief, Face of the Enemy, and the award-winning Takin’ It Back. She is part of a YA/NA collective known as the Infinite Ink Authors.
In addition to novel-length fiction, Krafton enjoys writing poetry and short prose, some of which earned distinctions in various writing competitions. One of her poems was also nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She’s a proud member of Pennwriters, Romance Writers of America, and Pikes Peak Writers. Krafton is also a staff blogger for the Query Tracker Blog.
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6 comments:
Thank you for hosting me!
And thanks to the readers who have already reviewed Words That Bind...we were at 4.7/5 stars this weekend on Amazon and I'm just humbled by the comments. Thank you!
Congratulations for your new release and perhaps it's a "forbidden wish" but i can only hope i will be lucky this time as my wishlist for your books is only growing so far ;)
after shifters, djinn i can't resist!
i wish you a lot of success
Congrats on the new release Ash!! I will be getting this from Amazon momentarily :) Love the cover for this!
Thank you, Brandi and Miki!
Fun "Forbidden wish" teaser
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
I have heard so many wonderful things about this book! It is my "forbidden wish" that I win an autographed copy for my special shelf!! :)
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