Black Lust Review + Interview with Karyn Gerrard + Giveaway

Reading Romances: How was the transition from being an author to having your first title published?

Karyn Gerrard: It  happened so quick I am still reeling! I was offered my first contract  in March 2011 and it feels as if I have been on a roller coaster ride  ever since. I am starting to feel a little more grounded now and am  slipping into a more comfortable groove. I honestly didn’t think it  would happen this fast. I’ve been lucky and I am very grateful. I have  fulfilled a lifelong dream, how cool is that?


Please tell us which authors do you consider your romance “goddesses” and your favorite fictional couples?

Hard  to believe but even though I am a voracious reader I only started  reading romance five years ago. The first genre that pulled me in and is  still my favorite is Historical. It is no surprise that my first  novella effort had a historical hero! One of the first historical  novelists I read was fellow Canadian Mary Balogh. I soon became an  admirer of Lisa Kleypas and Anna Campbell for their heroes and the  emotion of their writing.

Favorite fictional couple, wow. I love  Marcus and Lillian from Lisa Kleypas ‘It Happened One Autumn.’ Also a  paranormal couple, Serena and Wraith from Larissa Ione’s ‘Passion  Unleashed’.

What do you find the toughest part about writing romance?

The hardest part? The heroines. I have no idea why but I connect  more with the heroes of my stories and it is very obvious, lol! My  critique partners and even editors have had to tell me to go back and  flesh out the heroine more. In my romance reading I prefer the heroes as  well. Chances are if a book has a strong, tortured, sexy hero I am  going to like it a lot.

Easy? Surprisingly, the love scenes and the  emotion surrounding it. No worries there at all. I can boast that my  love scenes have never been changed by my critter ladies or any editors.  So far, lol!



Black Lust has two characters finding their mates, how  did you come up with the idea of writing a short story using both of  them as protagonists?

Actually Black Lust was a submission to a  Halloween Anthology at Evernight Publishing. They sent it back saying it  had great potential but would work better as a novella or novel length.  They were right; I tried to shove too much plot into 9000 words.  Keeping the core story, I added extra scenes, gave Wolfram the secondary  character more of a plot and tied them all together. Ta da, a novella. I  resubmitted and they accepted it.  I have always loved paranormal  themes, the question of immortality, the agony of living different  lives, the torture of watching loved ones die. I touch on the themes in  this book and in the sequels.



Is there a possibility of a series in order for the secondary cast to have their own stories?

Funny  you should ask that! I already have two sequels written for Black Lust  and there are more plots swimming in my head for these characters. I  left it open so I could revisit secondary character Wolfram and I  certainly plan to do so. One of my top priorities in the new year is to  get these two sequels cleaned up, edited and submitted.

Do you have  plans to release a full romance novel?

I have three full-length  manuscripts that I wrote a couple of years ago. A Victorian historical, a  contemporary and a historical paranormal. They need major reworking.  Yep, I have a lot of editing in my future, lol! I like writing in  different lengths, different sub-genres and different time periods.  Keeps things interesting!



Your first title, Timeless Heart was a time travel romance so  I have to ask: If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back  to the past or into the future? Where would you go?

As long as this  was not a one way trip, I would love to go to the past. The Victorian  Age always fascinated me. Such a thin veneer of society and civility but  underneath was wretched poverty and true debauchery. There was one  prostitute for every four men in Victorian London.

I wouldn’t rule  out a fling with a handsome rake! I would also love to be waited on hand  and foot, breakfast on a tray, all that. I wouldn’t want to stay there  permanently, unless said rake turned out to be astounding in all ways!  *wink*



What makes a romance novel a great love story and how would you  define “romance”?

To me, it’s the deeply felt emotions. I know  everyone has different explanations of romance, erotic romance and  erotica. Right now I would say I write erotic romance. The deeply felt  emotions are there intertwined with really hot love scenes. To me, the  two go hand in hand. We remember the thrill of falling in love, the  intense feelings and the off-the-chart physical yearnings. We as readers  and writers for that matter can relive it through a romance novel. Romance  encompasses the ups and downs of obtaining that one true love. We are  swept away into the adventure, larger than life heroes (and okay,  heroines), drama and always that happily ever after.

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Black Lust
by Karyn Gerrard

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November 16th 2011 by Evernight Publishing

Lucius Black lives a debauched and wild nightlife. Being a ‘Quarter’ (1/4 vampire), blood and sex are what he is. However, his existence wears thin after a century of hedonistic pleasure.

Trevina Patterson lives a quiet, happy life running a hair salon in a village on the east coast of the United Kingdom. It was a perfect life and all she could ask for, until a chance encounter with Lucius Black.

What was it about him that was so unsettling and yet so attractive?

For Lucius, no woman had ever been enough, until Trevina. She awakened in him feelings he had not thought possible. Passions considered by him to be little more than vampiric mythology. She awakened his…black lust.

Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Trevina strolled up the stone walkway and knocked at the door. It was ajar, so she stuck her head in. “Hello? Anyone here?”

No one answered so she took a hesitant step across the threshold. Oh brilliant, it had hardwood floors and a fireplace. She felt the nearby wall, plaster, but with a fresh coat of paint. It was clean and bright. She imagined where she would place her few sticks of furniture when a deep voice boomed from the hallway.

“Who the hell are you, and what do you want?”

Her head turned toward the direction of the irritated voice. Her breath caught in her throat. A stunning looking man stood opposite her, his legs apart, and his arms crossed. He was in black leather from his long coat to the skin hugging leather pants and black boots. A tight black T-shirt accentuated rock-hard pectorals.

Trevina assumed this stunner looked like a fallen angel or a sexy demon, maybe both. At least that is how they seemed in the movies and on the telly. He had full red lips no man should possess and a scruffy days-old beard and chiseled handsome features. But it was his eyes, the same silver-gray as the sky over a stormy North Sea. They were very large and expressive, framed by long black eyelashes. She imagined the lashes were as soft as mink. He appeared dangerous, and she should be scared, but those eyes had her locked in a searing sexual Svengali-like gaze. He exuded perilous detachment. Impenetrable, guarded, and shielded from emotions. Why she sensed all that, she had no idea.

Instead of running to her scooter for safety, she stepped forward holding out her hand. “Trevina Patterson. Do you own this lovely cottage?”

The man stared down at her hand as if deciding whether to take it. He uncrossed his arms, took her hand and shook it. His hand was large, masculine, and very warm. His touch almost brought her to her knees it was so potent. His thumb stroked the top of her hand in a gentle circular motion. A slight sly smile curved his ruby red lips. She tried to bite back a moan but a shaky exhale escaped her throat. He let go of her hand. She felt anger mix with the intoxicating attraction. Did he get off making women react to him, especially women who were not beautiful? She knew she wasn’t. She accepted her blunt-plain features years ago; it saved her plenty of heartache.

“No, it belongs to a cousin of mine. I was looking at it, deciding if I was going to rent it. Why do you ask, Trevina?”

He used her first name. Oh, he was skilled at seduction. It dripped like molten honey in his voice, and she noticed he didn’t have a British accent. She moved closer to him. She would show this sexy leather clad demon she wasn’t intimidated. She looked up at him. Bloody hell, he was tall. “I would like to rent it myself. What’s your name?”

He crossed his arms again, a defensive posture to be sure. “Lucius Black.”

She couldn’t help but smile. The name fit him like a leather glove.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Something amusing?”

She bit her lower lip. “No. Nothing. So I’m out of luck apparently.”

He shifted his stance so he was, just inches away. Her breasts brushed by his impressive muscular chest causing a gush of liquid between her legs. He stared down at her, and his warm breath fanned her cheeks like the incendiary breath of a dragon. A damned sexy one. He exuded a spicy, woodsy scent that was bloody appealing. Warm flickering flame, fire and brimstone perhaps?

“I would not say that,” he whispered sensually.

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Black Lust is a strong paranormal tale, and not what you would expect from one! It was much more than I hope it would be.

The characters are very well build. I enjoyed Wolfram’s part of the story too, but I wanted to see more scenes between Lucius and Trevina. The world building is enough to support the novella, and I would have loved to have read this title would be a full length novel, it certainly has all the right elements – even to a series! I want more!

SEXUAL CONTENT: /5

RATING: /5

*I have received this book from the author in exchange for a honest review*

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Ends 12/18 – International

Karyn has a PDF copy of her paranormal novella BLACK LUST or her first title, TIMELESS HEART, up for grabs, just answer one of the following questions:

To win BLACK LUST: What is it about paranormal heroes that appeal the most to you, if anything?

To win TIMELESS HEART: If you could travel in a Time Machine where would you go?

 Also, if you are on Facebook, Stop by and ‘like’ Karyn’s author page. Mention you ‘liked’ Karyn in your comment and you get another chance at winning! Good luck to all!

And don’t forget you can also win BLACK LUST when you enter the ROMANCING CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY HOP!

• Read my review of TIMELESS HEART

• Buy TIMELESS HEART