SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH KERRELYN SPARKS
Kerrelyn Sparks is the New York Times best-selling author of the outrageously funny Love at Stake series. She excels at mixing laughter with lively imagination to create unforgettably charming characters.
Recently she has embarked on a new and exciting series called the Embraced or Embraced by Magic. These paranormal romances are about orphaned women who become heart sisters. Each is gifted with a unique magic. After a much anticipated wait, her fourth book in the series, How to Love Your Elf, will be coming out this February!!
I had to ask her about her latest series and what new books she has planned for her fans.
1) Wow! Thank you for being here. I’m so excited to have you on our website! Your books always make me smile. 😊 Did you always know you wanted to write romance?
Kerrelyn Sparks: Yes. I grew up reading all types of books, but what always intrigued me the most was anything romantic. For example, the first kiss I remember reading happened in a Nancy Drew mystery, and that quickly become my favorite Nancy Drew book. As I grew older and more widely read, I realized that Romance was the genre I could always count on to have a happy ending. And honestly, I didn’t want to invest my time and heart into any story that didn’t have a happy ending!
2) The joy you spread in your books makes them memorable. However, creating memorable characters is not an easy feat. Where do you get your ideas?
Kerrelyn Sparks: I really don’t know. Ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere. Music, art, people-watching, life experiences, travel, dreams, other books or television shows—they all get mashed up in my head, then ideas pop out in unexpected places, like in the shower or when I’m driving.
3) The book that started my love affair with your novels was the hilarious, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire. Are you officially done with the Love at Stake series? Will there ever be more?! Or more vampire novels?
Kerrelyn Sparks: I’m delighted you enjoyed the Love at Stake gang! I do intend to return to them, but with a time jump into the future so the kids will be grown enough to participate in the stories.
4) Ohhh! Sounds fun. I have to say, I love that your new Embraced by Magic series features women who have created a sisterhood and each have a different ‘magical’ power. What inspired the Embraced books? Was it difficult to come up with different powers for each personality?
Kerrelyn Sparks: After writing sixteen novels and two novellas for the Love at Stake gang, I grew tired of my vamps and shifters all having the same set of powers. I wanted to create a group of people who all had a different power! And I was greatly inspired by the fantasy books and movies from The Lord of the Rings. I thought—why not create a more female-centered fantasy like Game of Thrones? But as I started writing, it soon became apparent that I could not stay serious for more than a page at a time. So, the series became more like Game of Thrones meets The Princess Bride.
I needed something to explain why a small group of people had magical powers, while most people did not. My solution was to give this new world, Aerthlan, two moons. Twice a year, the two moons eclipse each other and, on those nights, any child who is born will be gifted with a magical power. The people on this medieval-type world call the lunar eclipse The Embrace, and the magical children born at that time are called The Embraced.
It was great fun coming up with different powers. In book one, How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days, the hero has the power of lightning and the heroine can see and talk to the dead. In book 2, So I Married a Sorcerer, the hero is a pirate who can control the wind, and the heroine can see someone’s secrets if she touches them. Book 3, Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon, features a dragon-shifter hero and an elfin heroine who can heal. And that brings us up to book 4, How to Love Your Elf!
5) Your fourth book in the series, How to Love Your Elf, is coming out this February. The heroine Sorcha certainly has many surprises in store for her. Can you tell us why your heroine, Sorcha, is so special?
Kerrelyn Sparks: Sorcha has a fiery and volatile personality, which is a great match for her Embraced gift of creating fire. Of all the heroines so far, I think she is the funniest. She’s certainly the most outspoken and surprising! When she’s taken prisoner in the elfin kingdom of Woodwyn, she plans to use her fire power to make her escape. But along comes the Woodsman who upsets her plans and her life. He’s a cool and calm elf, who can communicate with trees and control anything made of wood. His power relies on wood, but Sorcha’s power destroys wood! Their relationship is going to sizzle!
6) I simply adored your hero in How to Love Your Elf. A blindingly handsome and mysterious character that seems straight out of a Robin Hood story! Can you tell more about the Woodsman and how you conceived of the idea for his Embraced power?
Kerrelyn Sparks: The Woodsman was indeed inspired by Robin Hood and also by Legolas of The Lord of the Rings. I envisioned an elf who was stoic, calm, beautiful, and always in control. And then I thrust the wild and fiery Sorcha into his life!
7) So sexy! Later this summer you will be releasing the fifth and final book in the Embraced by Magic series called The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea. I am so excited it will feature Maeve the youngest sister and the mischievous shifter Brody. Will we learn more about his past?
Kerrelyn Sparks: Yes, you will! So far, we don’t know who Brody really is, or where he came from, or how he became cursed. We also don’t know where Maeve came from. Lots of mystery remains-- who is the Chameleon and where did he come from? Who are the remaining members of the Circle of Five, and how will they be defeated? Everything will be revealed and resolved in the last book, The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea!
8) I can’t wait! From the title will much of the story take place at or in the sea? Will Maeve strike out on her own to hunt for Brody? What can you tell us about it?!
Kerrelyn Sparks: Yes, much of the book will takes place in or close to the sea. After all, we already know that Maeve is a siren and a selkie (seal-shifter). And I will say that she decides to use her powers to hunt for Brody, who will have disappeared for two months.
9) I find all the Embraced powers so cool! If you could have an Embraced power, what would it be and why?
Kerrelyn Sparks: I think I would want to be like Brody, able to shift into an eagle and fly anywhere I wanted. Of course, once you arrive, you have no clothes, but that’s another problem!
10) Hah! After the Embraced by Magic series do you have plans for any new paranormal books….please say ‘Yes!’
Kerrelyn Sparks: Yes! I plan on returning to the Love at Stake gang, and I also want to do more with sorcerers and magical powers.
This has been such a pleasure, thank you so much for fitting us into your busy schedule!!
Kerrelyn Sparks: Thank you for inviting me and supporting my work! If you’re enjoying the world of Aerthlan, I would like to invite you to visit my website at www.kerrelynsparks.com. I’m having an interactive map of the world made, so you can travel around. Also, you can keep up with my news and enter my contests by following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Interviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
For additional information about this extraordinary author you can check Kerrelyn Sparks out at her website:
https://www.kerrelynsparks.com/index.html
Upcoming and Recent Books by Kerrelyn Sparks
The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea Book 5 Summer/Fall 2020
The Embraced series comes to a climactic finish with Maeve and Brody, as they uncover secrets, defeat evil, and finally win their own happy ending.
How to Love Your Elf Book 4 Feb. 2020
Raised in isolation on the magic-shrouded Isle of the Moon, five girls became five sisters. Now women, they are ready to claim their places in the world—and perhaps change it forever . . .
FLAME AND FORTUNE
Sorcha knew the mission was dangerous. Leaving the safe grounds of her brother’s kingdom and parlaying with the elves across their border . . . well, treachery seemed at least as likely as true peace. But to support her sister, Sorcha would brave far more than the underhanded ways of the elves. Or so she thought, before she was taken hostage.
Of course, her captors didn’t count on her particular abilities—or on the help of the Woodsman, the mysterious thief who made his home in the forest. He saw the battle from the trees, saw the soldier attacking against incredible odds to save a comrade—and then saw the valiant fighter revealed as Princess Sorcha of Norveshka. He can’t tell if he wants to kidnap her or kiss her. But despite Sorcha’s stubbornness, his inconvenient honor, and a rebellion on the cusp of full war, something burns between them that neither can let go . . .
Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon Book 3
TRUTH—OR DARE?
Gwennore is an Elf able to track down the cause of a certain illness and heal it—a valuable asset to her people. But when she is thrust into the realm of the dragons, she discovers a haunted place of power, passion, and magic—one that is plagued by an ancient curse. When she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, Gwen knows she’s entered a whole new world of trouble. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon. So why does making a deal with the devil feel so good?
Silas has no way of saving the royal family he’s served for years. But when a beautiful, innocent elf comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to desire in a way he’s never felt before. How can he trust a sworn enemy. . .and how can he live without her?
So I Married a Sorcerer Book 2
DESTINED FOR DOOM―OR DESIRE?
Growing up on the Isle of Moon, Brigitta knew that she was born with the magical powers of the Embraced―even if she didn’t know how to wield them. But she has finally learned the truth: Brigitta is the lost princess of the kingdom of Tourin. She was sent into hiding as an infant to escape the wrath of her half-brother, the king. And now he knows just where to find her. . .
Rupert is a notorious pirate and sorcerer who can harness the wind with his hands. He’s spent most of his life plotting revenge on the evil king―and Rupert believes that Brigitta could be the key to finally destroying his enemy. But what begins as a kidnapping of the innocent beauty escalates into something deeper, and more passionate, than either captor or captive could have imagined. Rupert soon vows to protect Brigitta against the king―but will they survive long enough to find their happily-ever-after. . .or does fate have something else in store?
How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days Book 1
As one of the Embraced―one born with magical powers―the beautiful, innocent Luciana escaped certain death after her father hid her away on the Isle of Moon. Now, nineteen years later, her father has returned with a frightening request. He will be executed unless Luciana returns to the mainland and marries a man feared throughout the land: a terrifying brute known as the Beast.
Luciana accepts her fate and agrees to wed the Beast―Lord Leo―in order to save her father. Soon she learns that her betrothed is also one of the Embraced. With the ability to wield lightning, Leo’s immense power strikes fear into the hearts of men. . .and his mere touch can put an end to a woman’s life. But Luciana cannot deny the passion that burns between them. How can she resist the man who scorches her soul and makes her feel intoxicated with desire―even if surrendering to him could destroy them both?