Blog tour - North of Need by Laura Kaye

I'm very excited to host author Laura Kaye here on my blog during her blog tour for her newest book, North of Need. Now, I have to admit that I just finished this book so I haven't had a chance to get my review written - but you will not regret reading it. I really enjoyed it, and will have my review posted within a day. I was lucky enough to interview Laura, so keep reading to learn more about the author, her book, and to read an excerpt from North of Need.

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I'm excited about your new Anemoi series. Will there be a total of 4 books in this series?

I’m so glad to hear that! And thanks for hosting me here! Will there be a total of four books? Well… LOL There will be at least four books in the series…how’s that? Some things happen in book two that have me considering the possibility of more. *Gulp*

What does Anemoi mean?

In Greek, the word means “winds”. In mythology, the Anemoi were wind gods the Greeks associated with the seasons. There were four Cardinal Anemoi (north, west, south, east) and many Ordinal (NW, NE, etc.) and Interordinal (NNW, NNE) Anemoi, too—just picture the fact of a compass. The great part about the mythology is that it offers some great material for setting up character backstories and conflict in the series!

What would your ideal career be if you couldn't be an author?

Well, being an author isn’t my primary career—yet! I’m a college history professor in my day job, which I very much enjoy. I’ve also been an archaeologist at various stages of my career, and loved that, too. I’ve had a lot of ideal careers!

What's the best thing about being an author?

Two things, I think: 1) the freedom and independence. You can work at your own pace, set your own schedule, write from home or anywhere, really. I love that. 2) it’s an outlet for creativity. And, for me, it’s an incredibly fulfilling way to spend your time.

Do you have any hobbies?

Writing and reading are my favorite hobbies, no question. I love going to the movies, sometimes I enjoy gardening, and I like to shop. But, writing and reading are how I best like to spend my time, free or otherwise!

Do you have a hard time dealing with criticism?

Hmm. Well, everyone does, I think. I certainly have gotten better at it. I guess it also depends on what kind of criticism and from whom it comes. I belong to a critique group that meets monthly and offers very frank feedback on my work in progress. I value it, and I know they make my writing better. I also really value intensive criticism from my editors. Notice I didn’t say I enjoy their criticism, but I value it because I know unequivocally that a good editor is so vital to a good final product. It’s probably harder to receive criticism from readers—not because they’re not entitled to it, they definitely are—but because it means I’ve let them down in some way, and I hate that! It was probably harder to hear criticism on my first book than it is now, six books in, but there’s always some part of my subconscious brain saying Oh I hope they love me, Oh I hope they love me. LOL

Do you do much reading? About how long does it take you to read a book?

I read a lot, actually, which might be surprising for how much I write. I tend to go in cycles: all reading for like a week, then a couple of weeks of intensive writing. Reading is a very good way to recharge for me. And I’m a bit of a compulsive reader—once I start something, if I like it, I can’t stop until it’s done. That means I read most books in a day or two at most.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Definitely! First, butt in chair, hands on keyboard (BICHOK!). You can’t revise what you haven’t written, and you can’t sell what you haven’t written. And, when book one is written and revised, dive right into book two, don’t sit around waiting to hear from agents or editors. Second, find other professionally oriented writers to critique your work. Other writers can give you feedback that friends or families or even beta readers can’t. Third, join writers’ organizations. Both of these two are about pursuing writing professionally by surrounding yourself with writers and resources that can help you succeed. Fourth, practice your craft—by reading in your genre, writing a lot, reading craft books, or taking workshops. Fifth, don’t give up. A writing career is a marathon, not a sprint, and it requires patience, perseverance, determination, and a thick skin.

What's one thing you can't leave your house without?

My iPhone. I’d be lost without it!

Do you spend much time on social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter, to promote your books?

Er, yes. But not just to promote my books, which I think is important to successful social networking. And, interestingly, to me Facebook and Twitter really lead to different interactions and communities.

Really fun questions! Thanks so much for hosting me here! I’d love to answer any of your questions! Or, share your hobby or thing-you-can’t-leave-home-without with me! xox Laura

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Excerpt:

Out of the darkness, from the heart of the howling snowstorm, a hunched-over man staggered up Megan’s front steps. She wrenched back from the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Panicked, she skittered behind a couch.

Who the hell could he be? Nobody could have walked or driven here in this weather. Her breath came in fast rasps. The lights flickered again, then again. Her eyes trailed to the fireplace tools on the hearth.

Maybe she should grab the iron poker. Just in case.

The lights wavered, struggled to hold on. From outside, a solid, deadweight thump startled a gasp from Megan.

Help him.

The words were so quiet they might’ve been a thought, but in her current state she still whirled, fully expecting the impossible—that someone else was crouched next to her behind the sofa. Of course, she was alone. She peeked around the corner of the couch, her panic subsiding into a feeling of absurdity.

Help who? The man. Just a regular, ordinary man. Who must be in trouble. She remembered how he seemed to stumble on the steps and the thump. He’d fallen. She rushed from her hiding place like a sprinter at the sound of the gun. Peering through the sidelight, she whispered, “Oh, shit.” She was right.

She tore open the door. Jesus, he was big. No one she knew from the neighborhood, though there were always tourists renting surrounding cabins to take advantage of Deep Creek Lake and the Wisp Ski Resort.

God, he wasn’t dressed to be out in this weather. No coat. No shoes.

What the hell was she going to do with him?

Cold wind buffeted her and nipped at her skin, making her nearly frostbitten cheek tingle uncomfortably. Her hesitation wavered, then dropped away completely. What choice did she have? She couldn’t leave him out in this blizzard.

The bitter wind sank into her bones as she stepped shoeless and coatless—like him—onto the porch. She didn’t have to check for a pulse. Each shallow breath sent up a small fog from his mouth. Megan crouched behind his shoulders and wedged her hands underneath. Two fistfuls of red plaid flannel in hand, she pulled. He barely budged as she grunted and tugged. She tried two more times.

Shit, but it was mind-numbingly cold. “Come on, dude. Work with me, will ya?” she muttered, her hair whipping around her face.

Megan rethought the problem and stepped around to his bare feet. How could someone walk to this cabin without shoes? She shook her head and crouched, back facing him, between his legs. Securing an ankle under each armpit, she cupped his heels and pushed herself into a standing position. This time, when she moved, he moved. The guy was so big and heavy, she felt like Rudolph pulling Santa’s sleigh without the help of the other eight reindeer.

The warm air from inside the cabin embraced her body, its comforting tendrils drawing her over the threshold and into the slate-covered foyer. The lights flickered again, sending out a quiet electrical hum that raised the hair on her arms and the back of her neck. She tried to drag the man carefully, but his head still thumped as it crossed the shallow ridge of the doorjamb. She winced. “Sorry.”

As soon as he was clear of the door, she set his feet down and ran to close it. The indoor temperature had probably dropped twenty degrees while she’d been outside figuring how to lug his sorry butt in.

She engaged the dead bolt, and the lights died. She gasped and pivoted, flattened her back to the door. He lay, right where she left him, melting snow all over her hardwoods.

About North of Need:
Her tears called a powerful snow god to life, but only her love can grant the humanity he craves...

Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she's recreated the very thing she'll never have.

Called to life by Megan's tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.

Megan is drawn to Owen's mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration--before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow's grief and learn to trust love again, or she'll lose Owen forever.



About Laura Kaye:
Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of a half-dozen books. Hearts in Darkness is a finalist for the EPIC eBook Award for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.