Lea and I met online. We chatted for a little bit about being busy. The work of a writer is never done. Knowing how busy she is, I want to thank her for taking the time to answer my questions.
Author Bio:
USA Today Bestselling Author Lea Kirk loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her science fiction romance Prophecy series (Prophecy, Blue Christmas, All of Me, Salvation, and Collision). She’s made one foray into paranormal with her Kindle World vampire novella, Made for Her.
When she not busy writing, she’s hanging out with her wonderful hubby of twenty-eight years, their five kids (aka, the nerd herd), and a spoiled Dobie mix pup.
Now for the questions:
1. Tell us about yourself.
Thank you for having me today, Eileen! My name is Lea Kirk (pronounced “Lee”), and I am the author of the Sci-fi Romance series The Prophecy Series.
2. When did you know you wanted to be an author?
Consciously, in third grade. Before then, I can’t remember a time when books didn’t resonate with me. Even before pre-school I felt them calling to me. Learning to read and write where huge milestones in my life
3. What genres do you like to read? Are these the same genres you write in?
My first love is Sci-fi Romance, and it’s the primary genre I write. I also love Paranormal Romance and Romantic Suspense. I’ve written one PNR, a vampire romance for S.E. Smith’s Magic, New Mexico series. (Made for Her) As for Romantic Suspense, I have a lot to learn before I even attempt to write that genre.
4. Is your book for adults, young adults or children?
Definitely adult/new adult. Although, my six-year-old niece is Jonesin’ to read all my books. My sister has had to hide her print copies.
5. What is your current release or project?
My newest release, Blue Christmas, released today on Amazon! (Due to a scheduling snafu, it won’t be available on B&N, iTunes, and Kobo until November 1st. You can pre-order it from those sellers, though!) This is a novella-size continuation story of my first book, Prophecy. It’s about what happens when the hero and heroine’s youngest daughter realizes it’s almost Christmas and decides she must get word to Santa Claus that they’re living in space now. It’s sweet enough that my niece will be able to read it.
Also, a little promotional bonus, I have marked down Prophecy to celebrate this release. Right now, you can buy both stories for less than Prophecy at full price!
6. Tell us about the key characters.
Blue Christmas centers on four-year-old Maggie and her parents. Alex and Gryf have some unique challenges. For one, Gryf is an alien. He married an Earthling and adopted three Earthling orphans. Having five kids of my own, I have discovered that there is a lot of humor in raising them. Some of that humor is reflected in this story.
7. What is your blurb or synopsis of the book?
Four-year-old Maggie Bock loves living aboard her parents’ space cruiser, but it’s almost Christmas. What if Santa doesn’t know where she is now? Someone will have to find him and tell him, of course. But when she stows away on her mother’s transport to Terr, she sets off a chain of events that brings the holidays to the Atlantis.
Join Maggie and her family for a hilarious and heart-warming adventure as Matirans and Terrians come together to celebrate what makes the holiday season so very special.
8. Share an excerpt (up to 800 words).
Gryf lifted one hand and covered his eyes, but it would take more than that to tame the chaos in his mind. “I am unsure how to explain all this to a four-year-old.”
Alexandra chuckled again. “I know what you mean. Do you have a similar holiday?”
“None of our holidays involve a large man dressed in a red suit entering homes to eat sweets and leave gifts to ‘deserving’ children.” He raised his hand and met her gaze. “As a father, I want to believe my children can do no wrong, but we both know this is not the case. Do we perpetuate the myth by giving Maggie a gift from Santa Claus, thereby condoning her recent misbehavior?”
“And Flora’s and Juan’s, too. They haven’t admitted to it yet, but they helped her.”
He lowered his hand until his arm rested at his side. “At the same time, they are overall well-behaved children. There must be a way to honor these traditions.”
“True. I want to make it happen for them, but the one thing I hated about Christmas was the commercialism. For a lot of people, it’d become a contest to go bigger and better. The money you spent on a person equaled how much you cared for them. How do we do this without falling into that trap?”
That was certainly not the original message of the holiday. If he understood correctly, Christmas should serve as a reminder to love one another. To help the less fortunate. But, Alexandra seemed to feel the meaning had been lost.
He reached for her and rolled her atop him. Her soft breasts flattened against his chest in the most enticing way. “I believe I am formulating a plan.”
9. Do you have a favorite scene?
The popcorn scene. It was fun to research and write.
10. What advice would you give a beginner?
The one piece of advice that was given me that I foolishly ignored was to have a few books already finished before publishing my first book. Another is to give yourself a break on two levels. 1) Take the weekend off from writing. It’s okay. 2) Be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up when things aren’t going well. Have your cry, then carry the lessons you’ve learned in your heart.
Please provide the following:
Social media links:
WEBSITE: http://www.leakirk.com/
NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/bwGBDT https://dl.bookfunnel.com/etlqasjiv7
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LeaKirkAuthor
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LeaKirkWrites
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lea-kirk
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: amazon.com/author/leakirk
GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14584538.Lea_Kirk
Blog links:
Purchasing links:
Amazon: mybook.to/BlueChristmasLeaKirk
B&N, iTunes, Kobo (release day Nov. 1, 2018): https://www.books2read.com/u/4Dl7Qg