Demon Lore (A Demon Huntress Novel – Book One) - Interview with Karilyn Bentley
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I am pleased to welcome multi-published writer of fantasy/romance Karilyn Bentley.
Karilyn is the author of the recently released, Demon Lore, a riveting page-turner.
First a few facts about our author:
Karilyn Bentley's love of reading stories, and preference for sitting in front of a computer at home instead of in a cube, drove her to pen her own works—a blend of fantasy and romance mixed with a touch of funny.
Her paranormal romance novella, Werewolves in London, placed in the Got Wolf contest, and started her writing career as an author featuring sexy heroes, and lush fantasy worlds.
Karilyn lives in North Texas with her own hunky hero, a psycho dog nicknamed Hell Hound, a crazy puppy, and a handful of colorful saltwater fish. More on Karilyn and her books can be found at www.karilynbentley.com.
What would you most like your readers to know about you that they might not find in your official bio?
I love hot tea! And have a secret coffee addiction ever since my MIL bought us a Keurig.
So much fun to stick a little K-cup in the machine, push a button, and watch it brew a
cup.
What would you like to tell Scribbler’s Ink readers about your book, Demon Lore?
This was my favorite story to write. It's the story of Gin Crawford, a messed-up ER nurse
who is also an empath. She finds a mysterious bracelet that gives her demon hunting
powers—a gig that she's not too happy about.
Here is a blurb:
Gin Crawford has enough problems dealing with her empath abilities. Finding out she's the world's newest demon-slayer is the last thing she needs. Unfortunately, when she slips on a mysterious bracelet she is given no other choice. On the plus side, her new gig comes with Tall, Dark and Handsome, a mage who may or may not have her best interests at heart. Thrust into a power-play between good and evil, Gin must choose a side before she becomes the next victim in the ongoing battle.
What inspired this story?
It wasn't so much of an inspiration as my muse put two scenes together and came up
with a story.
Writing the story in the present tense makes for an interesting read. Why did you
choose to do this, and was it difficult from the writing-process aspect?
I wanted to try something different and make the story more immediate. It was a little
difficult at first, but once I got into the story and Gin's voice, it got easier.
What are your strongest influences when it comes to character creation?
My characters usually pop into my head. I don't base them on people I know. At least
not the main characters.
Do you develop a deep backstory for all of your characters before ever sitting down to
write, or do you just have a general idea of who they are?
I tend to have a generalized idea of who they are and some of their flaws. The rest
comes to me as I write.
When brainstorming a story idea, do you begin with character or plot?
Hmm. Good question! It's a little of both. I see characters in a scene and then wonder
who they are and what is happening to them. Then I go from there.
How much influence do your characters have over which direction the story takes
you?
A lot. I can come up with a bit of a plot, but my characters show me interesting things
about themselves as I write. It adds depth and can change the story.
What is one thing about your heroine, Gin, that drives your hero, Tall, Dark and
Handsome (TDH) crazy? And, what is the one thing about (TDH) that drives Gin crazy?
Her snarky mouth drives him nuts. His attitude that he knows best makes her even more
snarky.
Gin possesses an interesting mix of flaws, vulnerability, courage and determination. I
don’t see her as a damsel in distress. Do you feel the days of the heroine needing to be
a damsel in distress in a romance story is over for good?
I sure hope so! She might be in distress, but she needs more of a plan to get out than a
prince rescuing her. Nothing wrong with the prince, but the heroine needs to be able to
hold herself up. Gin's definitely not a damsel in distress!
Which secondary character was your favorite to write, and will they warrant their own
story?
T, Gin's twin brother was my favorite to write. I'm not sure yet if he gets his own story or
remains a part of hers. I'll have to think on that one!
What is the most interesting activity you’ve participated in for research?
I'm boring. Most research I do online, in books, or I ask people.
Can we have an excerpt from Demon Lore?
Most definitely! I love to share!
The evil man-thing stands on my porch, his lips turning in a menacing smile of death. I
don’t need to touch him to know he wants me dead. Muscles freeze, trapping my
breath in my lungs. Like a rabbit in view of a wolf, I’m immobilized, waiting for death’s
blow. Time slows, his gaze locks on mine, trapping me in place.
Move, move, move! My mind screams as the man’s fingers twitch.
But the spike of adrenaline explodes into my limbs too late to stop the backhand blow
slamming across my jaw.
I Superman it halfway across the living room. Land on the hardwood floor in a thud of
pain-ridden limbs. My jaw morphs into a screaming ball of nerves. My head no sooner
hits the floor than I hear the bracelet scream, a high-pitched wail quivering through my
skin like vibrations from a tuning fork. The bracelet tightens around my wrist, cutting off
the circulation, and then it loosens with a pop at the same time I hear the door click
closed.
Ohgodohgodohgod, I’m going to die. I don’t want to die. No, no, no, no, no. Pain and
terror hold me crumpled on the floor as my mind crawls backward in time.
But I’m no longer a child, fearful of fists and words, cowering on the ground.
I’m a fighter.
My head spins, but I refuse to lie on the floor waiting to be killed, so I attempt to stand.
Evil Guy laughs as I ass-plant it. Laughs as a moan escapes my lips. He takes a step
toward me, right arm drawn back for a hit. His fist hurls toward my face, but I manage to
block it with my left arm. My right arm, the one with the bracelet, shoves forward,
slamming into his chest.
His black eyes widen, mouth open in surprise, his hands fluttering to his chest before
dropping. I stare at my hand, stare hard, for I’m as surprised as Evil Guy. The bracelet
had become a sword, a long, thin spike of metal extending from the silver links, straight
into Evil Guy’s heart.
A sword?
Definitely a sword. The flat of the blade rests against the back of my hand, cool metal
heating from the warmth of my skin. Small silver links circle around my palm, lending
stability to the two-foot long sword.
I’m not sure which scares me more, Evil Guy paying me a visit or the fact the bracelet
performed a morphing trick.
Do you have a critique partner/belong to a critique group?
I used to belong to a critique group when I started out, but we seem to have gone our
separate ways as far as critiquing goes. I have a couple of beta readers who read
through my work once the book is finished and give me feedback. And I'm a member of
the Plotting Princesses. They're an awesome group of ladies who help each other plot,
come up with blurbs and other writing help. I'm really excited they asked me to join
because I've gotten so much out of the group.
Do you write by the seat of your pants or are you an outliner?
A pantser! In case you couldn't tell! Writing an outline kills the story for me. I usually
know the general idea (as in Gin gets a mysterious bracelet and must come to terms
with wearing it) and a bit on how the story ends (Gin comes to terms with wearing it).
Everything else comes to me as I write. Which means a lot of discoveries from
characters I thought I knew.
What is the writing process like for you?
If you were to describe your process in one word, what would it be?
After determining the general idea of the story and the characters, I start at the
beginning and keep going until the story ends. Usually about 10K words in, I get stuck
and the muse runs off to the beach leaving me to figure things out. Then about a little
over halfway through my muse comes back, which is really good. I miss her! My process
in one word? That's a hard one. Maybe difficult?
Do you write at the same time, same place every day? Do you write every day?
I did, until we got a puppy last year. Now I tend to write more in the kitchen than my
office (puppy likes all her humans in one place, we aren't spoiling her, no, we are not)
and at odd times. As she ages, it's getting better and I'm starting to move back into my
office.
How do you balance the need for self-promotion with the need for writing time?
Good question. Hard answer. I don't know if I have the right balance. I'm still working on
it!
What writer has most influenced your work?
J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Karen Marie Moning. I know, I know, that's three. I
never was good at math!
Now for some fun questions:
If you could have one super power what would it be?
I'd be able to turn into a fly, buzz into rooms with closed meetings and eavesdrop.
Imagine all the ear-burning things I could learn!
If money were no object, where would you most like to live?
Colorado. I love the mountains.
What is your favorite curse word?
Hell. It's versatile.
What is your favorite sound?
Water over rocks.
What is your least favorite sound?
Loud music, and fingernails on a chalkboard.
What are you currently reading?
Burned, by Karen Marie Moning
What is the best and worst piece of writing advice you have ever received?
Best: Put butt in chair and hands on keyboard. I can't think of a worst one.
What books or other projects do you have coming up in the future?
The fourth book in my Draconia Tales series, The Detective's Dragon, is coming out this
year. I also have four more books in the Demon Huntress series planned. Stay tuned!
LINKS:
Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B00PKY3CC4
Website: www.karilynbentley.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarilynBentleyAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/karilynbentley1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/karilynbentley
Blog: http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com