Discover Kay Dee, behind the Royal best selling author....Give-away opportunity...

Curvalicious Heroine meets mysterious Werewolves in Kay Dee Royal's Best Selling 'HOT' novel "Big Girls Don't Cry Wolf". For a chance to win a copy,  leave a comment!

Kay Dee, welcome  to my blog. Thanks for being here today. Congratulations on Big Girls Don’t Cry Wolf over all second best selling book at Muse. It’s great to have you here today.

Hello Rosalie! Thank you so much for having me today. I’ve looked forward to this visit.

Me too Kay Dee, I had so much fun at your blog the other day. :)

Other than ‘author’ what are three words you would use to describe yourself?

Wow, only three words? LOL.  Okay…career-wise, “editor,” “blogger,” “reader/promoter,” in that order. Outside of career, “Grandmother,” “wife,” “mother,” also in that order *grins*. Yeah, my husband doesn’t always like it either.

Do they influence you as a writer? Or the genre you write?

Everything I do, read, watch, touch, smell, taste, or dream about influences or inspires my writing…“everything.”

That is so true Kay Dee, I believe an author relies on their experiences to bring a believability to their writing. Even in paranormal and fantasy genres.

What is it about your chosen genre/s that fires up your muse?

Paranormal has been part of my life since youth, when I saw my dead grandpa (and it scared the crap out of me). I grew up on Sci-Fi, and Dracula, Werewolves, ghosts, telepathy, etc. I loved anything to do with the unknown or unexplained. I believe it’s the open-minded creative license that most fires up my muse. Making it plausible is the fun part for my Muse.

Goodness, seeing your dead Grandfather sounds like a story in itself. No wonder you chose this genre! I understand the creative license too!

You have a best-selling book with more about to be published, what inspired your Big Girls Don’t Cry Wolf?

What first inspired me was a call for submission to a Curvalicious contest about a heroine who is strong and confident in her plus-sized body. I loved the idea of it. There’s a twin aspect in my story as well, which came from a news clip I’d read regarding the abduction of “a” twin. It made me wonder what would happen to one without his/her other. And the location takes place at a rustic-like vacation resort. My favorite kind of places of all time. 

I love your heroine, seeing herself as a larger person. Brea and her adventures with Grey make a great read. Obviously others feel the way I do.

Do you have a regime when writing? A special place, time, mood or do you snatch opportunities to pen ideas or write a few lines?

I’ve been writing full time for about ten years and I’m still working on a workable schedule for me. LOL

I’m not afraid to keep my hind-end in the chair, but selecting what’s a priority from my many irons in the fire is a whole other thing. I must love chaos. I always take a moment to write notes whenever they come at me. It’s usually the stars of my stories talking, telling me what comes next. I’ve learned to listen.

Does your Muse follow rules and plot lines or does she offer ideas on a whim?

Oh my. I write a Meet-in-the-Middle plot line, using Claudia Suzanne’s awesome little plot tool. (http://claudiasuzanne.com/) But, even with my fifteen lines of events, they change. Still, it gives me a starting point, a middle, and an ending so I have direction when I write my first word. It’s enough to streamline my focus. Also, if I stop for the day at a place where I know what happens next, I know I’ll start the next day in the flow of words (a Stephen King trick on how to never stare at a blank computer screen).

That's a great trick.

What are the most dramatic changes you have made to a story you have written? What prompted the change?

Under another name I write YA, there seemed a discrepancy with a few in my critique group, thinking my male protagonist came across too sensitive. I modeled him from a nephew, so I personally knew someone like that. I learned a tough lesson…my nephew isn’t like the average boy that age. So I went from first person, present tense, male protagonist, to third person, past tense, female protagonist. I’ve been working on this little gem for at least seven years. Geesh.

I know that feeling too. Hmm... Some stories write themselves, others take more effort.

Has there been one event in your life that changed/inspired your writing career? For example, meeting an author, finding a publisher, joining a critique group?

I virtually met an author/editor early in my career, Lea Schizas. I met her at MuseBigKids critique group, Muse On-line Conference, Apollo’s Lear magazine, bought her book on short story writing, took a couple of her on-line courses, ran into her here or there in different circles, until I heard she’d opened a publishing company. She’s been part of my writing life for a long time, so I took a leap of faith and submitted. AND, it did change my writing career. *smile* 

She is a major influence on my career too!! :) Here's to Lea Schizas.

Would you like to tell us about the main characters of your book? Brea and Grey. Would you like to share an excerpt? Either or both… we are keen to learn more about Brea’s story.

Ahhh…Brea. She’s a caring soul, wants to help her adoptive parents, misses her twin, Belle, and has never had a serious love relationship. Her plus-sized body holds nothing in her head or heart. She’s unhindered by it.

Grey, alpha pack leader, (werewolf) has a twin, Blake, who plays the part of guardian for Grey’s well-being. Grey works hard at keeping the pack running smoothly, rarely plays, too responsible and committed. Nary a time to seek a lasting relationship, he remains mate-less, until...

Now more about the book... Big Girls Don't Cry Wolf... 

 

Blurb:

After the tragic loss of her twin sister, Brea works hard to prove herself worthy of her adoptive parent’s extra attention. She focuses on the success of the rustic resort her parents deeded to her.

Priorities change when sexy twin wolves in human form walk into Brea’s life.

A dangerous rogue abducts her, but whom, if anyone comes to her rescue?

Excerpt:

Brea watched Grey’s truck drive down the dirt path until she couldn’t see it through the trees. She shivered, instantly missing the warmth of Grey’s body next to hers. She looked one more time down the path in case Grey changed his mind about leaving her.

            Did I misread Grey’s intentions? Gads, I threw myself at him. Maybe he isn’t into oversized women after all. I’m such an idiot! 

            Brea stepped through the door of her little stone cottage. She’d never questioned her size before, always fit her just fine. Not questioning it now either. Right now she needed cozy. As crappy as she felt over Grey’s quick departure, her head throbbed like the residual effects of a hangover, but it didn’t hinder her from throwing a few logs into the fireplace. Once a nice flame got going, she absorbed the comfort of its warmth. She lay back on her divan in front of the beautiful stone hearth. 

Brea pulled her favorite blanket with images of howling wolves over her and laid her head on a matching throw pillow. Her whole room reflected her love of wolves, through pictures, statues, lamp shades, and her shelves full of books about them. She needed their comfort right now to take away Grey’s rejection of her.

            Brea closed her eyes for a moment, fighting an overpowering sadness.  Exhaustion finally pulled her into sleep.

* * * *

            A haunting wolf howl crept into Brea’s dream. It wouldn’t stop; it was so loud…until Brea snapped awake. She sat up in darkness, not even embers glowed inside the hearth, moonlight streamed in through her sliding glass door with enough light to help her maneuver through the room. She went to the glass door to draw the curtains closed, but instead she was drawn to what lay beyond her porch.

            Brea opened the door, stepped out, and walked over to the railing of her ground-level deck. She saw the light of the moon cut a path across the calm lake water to the sandy shoreline fifty feet away. Chilled damp air settled over her bare arms.

            She glanced to the south tree line leading into miles of forest. Something shifted the shadows of the trees, maybe an animal hiding. She didn’t hear the rustle of dry leaves that usually accompanies animal movement in the forest. 

            A wolf howled a short distance from Brea. Its sound reverberated against the stone cottage wall behind her, sending a shiver from her skin into her bones. She knew wolves had been sighted a few miles away, but never at the resort. For as long as she’d lived in Northern Michigan, she’d never actually seen one. Now, she was about to have a very personal experience with one.

            Brea had studied them enough to know not to move or she’d spook it. She heard it breathing and slowly turned to look. Wet, warm moisture carried on the slight breeze, settling on, around, and inside her. 

            The moon and all its light vanished behind an ominous cloud. Two glowing green orbs appeared to float in front of her. Somewhere in her consciousness she recognized the green eyes and the assailing breath. 

A direct order, something she must do, jogged her memory, compelling her. She couldn’t look away. Her body became weightless, fluid and she wanted to follow. She moved forward, off the deck, following…following something that called her. She heard it and knew she must hurry. 

Suddenly hands gripped her from behind, stopping her progress. 

Another warm moist breath infiltrated her senses with the scent of pine, musk, and cloves. Her need to follow disintegrated like the ash of a spent campfire. Brea came awake in the middle of the forest. Strong arms wrapped around her waist.

“It’s alright, Brea. I think you were walking in your sleep.” Grey’s voice whispered through the layers of fog that began to break apart in her mind. “Brea, take a deep breath.”

Brea turned to face Grey. 

“What…I’m…it’s night.” She couldn’t seem to grasp a total thought, other than being in the middle of the forest and in Grey’s arms. What was she doing here? What was he doing here?

Grey picked her up and carried her. She heard a wolf howl, so did Grey. He stopped and raised his face. Brea watched him sniff the air. She shrugged it off, her mind in no condition to make a judgment call of what he was doing, especially for something as strange as Grey sniffing the air.

The muscles in his arms tightened, squeezing her closer to him. He ran. How he could navigate through the trees in the darkness and carry her weight, Brea couldn’t fathom, but then her brain didn’t seem to be functioning with all lobes either. She closed her eyes and tucked her head into his shoulder, like a child in his arms, safe and loved. 

Loved? Where did that come from? 

Grey stepped onto Brea’s deck, walking through the open sliding glass door into her cottage. 

“Gads, I left my door open?”

“Like I told you, I think you were walking in your sleep. Have you ever done that before?” Grey set Brea down on the divan and went back to the door to slide it closed. He switched on a small lamp in the corner and proceeded to re-build the fire in the hearth.

“I’ve never walked in my sleep that I’m aware of. I mean I’ve never woke up in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night. I guess I’m lucky you were there. Why were you there?” 

Brea watched Grey’s sleek animal-like movements, stealthy, sure-footed, with muscles rippling. Again she saw him lift his head and sniff the air. His eyes glowed silver, reminding her of other glowing eyes and a shudder quaked down her body.

Where can we get Big Girls Don’t Cry Wolf?

BGDCW at Muse store: http://tinyurl.com/2gyh8gj

BGDCW at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3qn6zoe

 

How can we follow your career?

Blogs: http://www.kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com   http://ravencraftrealm.blogspot.com

FB: http://www.facebook.com/kaydee.royal

 

Kay Dee, Thanks so much for being here today. Great to ‘virtually’ meet you!

Rosalie, I always enjoy time spent with you ~ just a few days ago the virtual shoe was on the other foot. I had the honor of interviewing you and learning about the stars of your Exile series…fascinating, wild adventure. *smile* You can still visit Rosalie here: http://kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com/2011/12/rosalie-skinner-talks-about-her-exiled.html

It was great to be a guest on your blog too, Kay Dee. Thanks.