GFP Pit Stop & Giveaway with Kristin Miller - Vamped Up

Kristin Miller has had a passion for language and literature her whole life. Born and raised in Small Town USA, she often made up stories about faraway places and edge-of-your-seat adventures.

After graduating from Humboldt State University with a degree in psychology, Kristin realized there is no scarier place than the warped human psyche. Wanting to combine her love of writing with her desire to paint twisted villains, Kristin wound up in the unlikeliest of places—the classroom. She taught high school and middle school English before giving in to the desire to create her own world, where villains can be sympathetic and heroes can be devilishly good.

Welcome to Immortality and Beyond. May I offer you a beverage?

Ooh, vampires wine sounds great!

Now that we're all settled in my lair, I'm de-bite-fully glad you stopped in.

Thank you so much for having me. I love what you’ve done with the place!

BK: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Please tell us a little bit about your current release...

Madly possessive Ruan has one thing in mind: keep the dirty fangs of his khissmates off the neck of his one true love—a human with mouth watering blood. The fact that from the moment he invited Eve into his bed, he’s been having eerily real nightmares about violently screwing her, then killing her? Yeah, that part wasn’t fitting too well into his carefully concocted plan to keep her safe. 
Eve has no idea her life is in jeopardy. Ironically, living with the knowledge of paranormal beings and sharing a bed with one of the most cryptic vampires on the planet was not what had her protectively grasping her throat at night. It was the mention of her name in the ancient scrolls; the scrolls written by vampire elders, revealing what’s in store for the end of times…and her spilled blood.
Ruan and Eve set upon a course to stop the future dictated in the scrolls from coming true. It’s not long before Ruan realizes that breaking Eve’s heart and erasing himself from her life might be the only way to save her. If only the pull to her wasn't so strong...

BK: What inspired this particular novel/book?

When Ruan first came on scene in InterVamption as an assistant in ReVamp (Crimson Bay’s rehabilitation center for vampires), I knew he deserved his own happily ever after. He was a bit down, a bit tortured, and couldn’t wait to create a heroine who would rock his world.

BK: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A few years after college, a story idea kerplunked into my head. It was a premise I hadn’t read before. I guess you could say I began writing the stories I wanted to read. It’s been three years since then and I’m seven books deep…

BK: How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?

Ah, the same but different. It’s a fine line to walk, getting inspiration from others in the genre while making your own work unique and viable. That’s part of the reason I can’t read paranormal romances while I’m writing them. Between books I read as veraciously as I can, gather ideas, tweak them, make them my own, spin a plot around a character who emerges from the mist, and off I go! I don’t know the process of others, but that’s what works for me…

BK: What was the hardest thing about writing this story?

Since Ruan and Eve are already together at the beginning of Vamped Up, it was a challenge to show the depth of their relationship to the reader up front. Paranormal readers tend to want to see the journey of first sight, first touch, first kiss, first lovemaking, and although you get to see some of that in InterVamption, it’s not “on the pages” in Vamped Up. I had to push the boundaries a bit (perhaps walking a little on the urban fantasy side) and show the depth of their love through the conflict they face in the story.

BK: What character was your favorite to write for in this story? Why?

That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! If I had to pick (lead characters aside), I’d have to say Lilith. She’s a vampire elder—the oldest on record—and she’s not only smart, but devious in the best sense of the word!

BK: Which was your favorite scene to write?

Honestly, I loved writing the sex scenes. (Particularly the first one in chapter 2.) Ruan was so conflicted, wanting to let go and give in to his desire for Eve…but the more he gave in to her, the more he wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh. And once he tasted her, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. Made for great tension and a scorching hot love scene.

BK: Will this become a series? If so, what inspired it to be a series?

Vamped Up is the second book in the Vampires of Crimson Bay Series. InterVamption was the first. There will be a third—stay tuned…

BK: Now for a little fun, and into your everyday life, What is a day in your life like?

Oh boy, it’s not glamorous at all, let me tell you! I take my kids to school in the morning, come home and write until noon. I pick up my son from preschool, make lunch, do some “motherly” things, then pick up my daughter and do homework, cleaning, cooking, etc. If I’m lucky I’ll get more writing done in the evening, but my inspiration flows better in the A.M, so I try to pump out as many words as I can then.

BK: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to read, watch really outrageous action flicks and romantic comedies. I also love to spin and snowboard, but those happen more sporadically than I’d like.

BK: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I can write really dark romance novels with twisted villains and bloody scenes that’d make you squirm, no problem…but I’m a scaredy cat. I can’t watch horror movies or shows about anything paranormal. (No Fact or Fiction or Supernatural, etc.) Guess I have an overactive imagination!

BK: What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I read romantic suspense and paranormal romance for the most part. Dean Koontz, John Saul, Daphne DuMaurier, JR Ward, and Allison Brennan are my go-to faves. Right now, though, I’m loving the Highland Guard novels from Monica McCarty’s new historical series.

BK: Please tell us one piece of advice you were given as an author that you carry with you when you write?

Make sure there’s conflict on every page, either in action, dialogue, thoughts or motivation.

BK: What is one piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers/authors?

Just write. Don’t worry about grammar, editing, finding an agent or getting published. Just write the best book you can and worry about the rest later.

BK: What are you currently working on?

I’m currently editing Claimed by Desire, an erotic paranormal romance for Harlequin. I’m also knee-deep in the second of that series. The third book in the Vampires of Crimson Bay series is about a quarter finished, and should be complete around mid-April.

BK: Where can readers connect with you?

Website: www.kristinmiller.net

Blog: www.pararomance.blogspot.com

Twitter: KM_Miller

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1541294168

Thank you so much for having me today!

Thanks so much for stopping in and chatting. It was a pleasure and I can't wait to read Vamped Up.

““Vampires in Crimson Bay have been saved by the successful duplication of Eve’s pure blood. The threat to her safety is gone, Ruan. You can return to our haven. But if you choose the love of a mundane over the duty to your khiss, you’re on your own.” — Note from the San Francisco Primus

“I said stop, Eve.” A dark musky smell emitted from Ruan’s skin. It was possession. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

Eve had spent an entire month begging Ruan to drink from her. To share one of the most erotic experiences a vampire and mundane could share. Yet he’d denied her. Now, there was no turning back.

“Either drink from me now, proving to yourself that you have the strength to do this, or let me fulfill my personal obligation to your race on my terms.” Stifling a gasp, she punctured her skin with the tip of the blade, then lifted the steel to examine it. Her blood, red and thick, hung on the edge. “That’s only fair, given what we both want, don’t you think?”

With a hollow-sounding groan, Ruan snatched her hand and licked her palm, sending chills exploding through her hand.

Excerpt:

“I said stop, Eve.” A dark musky smell emitted from Ruan’s skin. It was possession. Deep rooted need. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

It was too late. There was no turning back. Eve had spent an entire month begging Ruan to drink from her. To share one of the most erotic experiences a vampire and mundane could share. Yet he’d denied her. Time and time again.

“Either drink from me now, proving to yourself that you have the strength to do this, or let me fulfill my personal obligation to your race on my terms.” Stifling a gasp, she punctured her skin with the tip of the blade, then lifted the steel to examine it. Her blood, red and thick, hung on the edge. “That’s only fair, given what we both want, don’t you think?”

With a hollow-sounding groan, Ruan snatched her hand and licked her palm, sending chills exploding through her hand.

Giveaway: 

HarperCollins and I will be giving away a $25 Amazon giftcard to one randomly drawn commenter on the Vamped Up blog tour via Goddess Fish. Comment here for your chance to win!