Tuesday, May 19, 2015

A Soul to Keep by Moira Keith Interview & Giveaway


BLURB:
In the realm of the Fallen, there’s a little saint and sinner in us all…

One moment can impact the future.

Love never served Jayde Cross well and owing a debt to a demon is the proof. Reaping is a lonely existence and with her thirtieth birthday approaching, she's got enough to worry about without adding romance to the mix. It's why her friendship with the man living next door works so well. They both live lives filled with secrets and ignoring their self-imposed rules isn’t an option. Too bad her heart disagrees.

The past is about to come back and haunt one of Heaven’s Fallen.

Caleb Thorne always found living among mortals difficult, until he met the intriguing woman down the hall. She demands nothing of him and is completely safe. When an enemy from his past catches up with him, Caleb soon discovers the rules of the Fallen exist for a reason and loving a mortal may prove to be the bigger danger.

In a world where their love is forbidden, Jayde and Caleb may just discover that sometimes breaking rules is the only thing that can set you free.

INTERVIEW:
Q: Tell us a little about the series and how you came up with the idea for it?

A: Well, the series is titled the Saints and Sinners. I imagined a world where the fallen walk among us, battling to claim our souls for their respective sides. But what if they were all looking for some form of redemption? Whether it was in the eyes of a lover, or within themselves? And the idea grew from there. Caleb and Jayde’s story came first. The next will be Azrael and Syn who you meet in the first book, and the rest of the lineup, the characters aren’t revealing yet…not even to me. There is a quote by Oscar Wilde that always comes to mind when I think of this series~ The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. It seems quite fitting.

Q: Caleb Thorne and Jayde Cross are the two main characters in A Soul to Keep. How did their development come about? Are they based on anyone you know?

A: They aren’t specifically based on a single person in my life. They are a mash-up of characteristics, traits, and mannerisms from many people I interact with on a daily basis. Slowly the bits and pieces culminate into a character that I can hopefully be proud of and the reader can identify or fall in love with. If I’ve developed them well enough, the creative process kicks in, then they will talk to me, tell me their flaws, their struggles, likes, and dislikes. So, yes, and no, is my short answer.

Q: How long have you been writing?

A: I’ve dabbled in writing on and off for years, but I didn’t write my full complete story until about seven years ago. It was a story I wrote for my mom as a birthday present, which I had no intention of submitting for publication, but did at the promptings of some wonderful authors I met early on in this journey. I've been writing ever since.

Q: What tools are must-haves for you when you sit down to write (besides the obvious things)?

A: Cherry Coke or energy drink (which I know are not the healthiest choices), paper and pen. (Oh, those are the obvious things), the writer’s bible—a.k.a. the Chicago Manual of Style, research books, and I hate silence when writing so I often have music playing in the background and create playlists for every book.

Q: What books do you read when you have the chance? Any must have authors or series?
A: I’m currently reading The Fault in Our Stars, and have a few other young adult novels I’ve picked up from the library. My go to authors though aren’t young adult and I’m dying for the new Vicki Pettersson book to come out. It’s a slight break from her usual gritty urban fantasies I love, but it’s mystery which is another favorite genre

Q: Have you had dreams realized as a result of your writing? Any special memories that you would like to share...please, oh, please?

It took me a minute or two to come down out of the clouds enough to see the small accomplished moments because with my first novel I went a little crazy fantasizing about how much my life was about to change. I just knew I would be the next Nora Roberts, or Sherrilyn Kenyon, or lunching with my idol Vicki Pettersson, dishing publishing stories. Alas, those things never happened, though I did have the honor of meeting my idol at a book signing and getting a completely fab bunny ear picture with her (she was totally the giver of bunny ears in the photo). While I'm still waiting for the big moment to actualize, I work a day job, live paycheck to paycheck, but fully enjoy the ups—a new book cover in my inbox, interacting with readers—and push through the downs by reminding myself that every step is a part of making the dream a reality.

EXCERPT:
While he was preoccupied, I glanced around at the other patrons. They all appeared focused on their meals, or their dates. I reached over, flipped open the ring, and let the liquid pour into the glass of scotch sitting on the table. With a flick of my finger, the ring snapped shut and I pulled away from the man at my side.

“How about a toast?”

“What should we toast to? Your beauty?” He winked at me. “Getting lucky.”

Not in a million years.

“Survival.” I raised my glass.

“Odd thing to toast to.”

“Why is it odd?” I studied him for a moment and when he didn’t respond, I continued. “I learned a long time ago the will to survive drives people. It’s what drives you.”

“And you,” he said as he took a healthy swig of his scotch. “It’s one of the things that draws me to you.”

“Then I’m sure you will understand.” I watched over the rim of my glass as I took another sip and his face quickly began to turn shades of red and purple.

“What have you done?” He managed to choke out the words.

“What was necessary to survive.” I leaned in close and whispered against his ear. “Azrael's expecting you.”

Marco's eyes widened and he gasped for air. Before anyone noticed their beloved boss was choking, I grabbed my purse and slid out from the seat. I walked away, but not fast enough to avoid hearing Marco struggling to catch his breath and the commotion behind me as people rushed to his aid. There would be no saving him.

Once a name landed in the hands of a reaper, there were only three things that could stop the order from being carried out—a mortal willing to make a deal on their behalf, the demon in charge of the assignment, or the reaper themselves.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Moira Keith is a lover of shoes, a connoisseur of Guinness, baker of cocktail themed cupcakes, and an overall complete mess! She is also a proud Texan by birth (and true Southern girl at heart).

Moira lives in the city of neon with her twin zombie sons, a fish, three parakeets, and a turtle.



Buy Links:




GIVEAWAY:
Moira Keith will award a $15 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/03/vbt-soul-to-keep-by-moira-keith.html
a Rafflecopter giveaway

7 comments:

  1. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

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  2. Okay, Mai, I'm going to try this again. I tried multi-tasking at work and my answer got lost in cyber space. :(

    Names...oh how I obssess over them. I have a spreadsheet of all the names I like. But when it comes down to the choosing, it's a combination of how it sounds, the meaning behind the name, and if it fits the story and the character. I like my names to tie into the mythology or theme I sprinkle in to the story as well. For example if the story is Celtic in nature, I want some names that will be more in line with that region or background. I read the name meanings. Does it fit the characters personality? Their role in the book? That sort of thing.

    And no, I don't have a particular resource I can recommend or utilize more than others. The tried and true baby name books or websites are always good because you can find meanings, but even some genealogy sites are good resources too if you want historically accurate names.

    Whew, that was a lengthy answer. 😊

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  3. Appreciate you taking the time to stop in and take a peek!

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  4. Enjoyed reading your interview, thank you!

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