Her One Desire
Kimberly Killion
originally featured Summer 2008
1. Hi Kimberly welcome aboard, it'ss great having you with us on The Mystic Castle, to get started can you please tell the readers about your debut novel HER ONE DESIRE.
HER ONE DESIRE will be a July 2008 Zebra Debut by Kensington. The story is set in 1483 England, a time when the nobles would do anything to gain King Edward's crown.
My back cover blurb says it best:
Astride a stolen horse, encircled by the shackled arms of Broderick Maxwell, a Scottish spy escaping certain death in the Tower of London, Lizbeth Ives rides to the north, hidden by the merciful darkness. By stealth and by cunning, the daughter of the Lord High Executioner has undone her father's cruel work, compelled to save the innocent man with her. There is no turning back ”they are bound as one in his iron chains. Consumed by mortal fear, driven by passion, they disappear into the night!
A single raven follows them. Is it an omen? Or only the first of those who would capture them? They must ride on. If captured, they will face death together. But if they reach Scotland, he will claim her for his own forever.
2. Your heroine comes from unusual circumstances, I couldn't imagine being in her shoes and seeing all that she saw on a daily basis. How did you come to making her the executioner's daughter?
Lady Lizbeth Ives is a character who intrigued me from the start. Her very existence is interesting simply because of who she is. It was difficult to imagine her childhood. Lizzy has a slew of fears. She fears the dark, water, actually, she is pretty much terrified of her own shadow. But she has reasons for those fears she wasn't exactly raised in an environment becoming a princess. I think what makes the book so full of drama is the life that Lizzy lived and the person she becomes.
3. What about your hero what can you tell the reader's about him that will have them falling in love with him?
He's HOT! <grin>
Actually, Lord Broderick Maxwell's best characteristic, aside from his abs, is his humour. He makes Lizzy laugh and, as you can imagine, Lizzy doesn't laugh often. Broc wants to see her happy and goes to great lengths to see the task done.
4. Your favourite scene in HER ONE DESIRE is?
This one is easy. There is a scene where Lizzy is angry with Broc and stomps off into a field of bluebells. Broc follows her with a candlebox (because she is afraid of the dark) and they end up laying inside this pocket of flowers—bare toe to bare toe, knee to knee, eye to eye—with the candlebox between them. He offers her a small flower, knowing she likes flowers, but says not a word and waits for her to speak. It is during this scene she reveals some of the reasons for her fears. I just love the way the scene is set up—the smells of bluebells in the air and a sky full of starlight. Of course, I tie the characters into knots by the end of the scene, but this is the scene that will forever stick in my mind about this book.
5. During the editing process was there a scene taken out of the book that you sort of wish was still there?
Nope. I am very particular about every word I write and I'm so thankful that this book was not butchered. In fact, the edits were so minimal that I completed all the correction in eight hours.
6. Which character scared you the most and which character delighted you as you were creating them?
Without a doubt, Lord Hollister is the most frightening character. What I enjoyed most about writing this book was breaking out of stereotypes. Picking up a book about the executioner's daughter, one would think the villain would be the executioner. But that wasn't the case. So I had to create a villain that was even viler than the Lord High Executioner. Not an easy task, but Lord Hollister developed quite nicely over the course of the book.
I also enjoyed bringing a bit of historical fact into the book with the mysteries that surrounded the princes in the Tower and their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. So many books have been written about the king's evil brother. Shakespeare even wrote a play regarding Richard III's desire to steal the crown. I enjoyed tossing bits into HER ONE DESIRE regarding this five-hundred year old dispute and my take on what happened to the princes in the Tower.
I could go on and on about characters as I'm a character-driven writer. The secondary characters in HER ONE DESIRE make the book rich with emotion and humour. I think a favourite will be Smitt. I'm already getting requests for his story.
7. Tell us about you, what made you decide to become an author?
I've always been creative. Mostly artistic, but my mind is never as rest. I'm always thinking about˜things" and ˜what-ifs". I think if I didn't write, the people in my head would drive my mad. I like to tell stories and part of me hopes I touch someone with my imagination.
8. HER ONE DESIRE is your debut novel and judging from early reviews it's going to be a hit with the readers. What advice would you give to other aspiring author's hoping to break into this tough and demanding market?
I am so pleased with the reviews, as well as overwhelmed. As a new author, my greatest fear right now is failure.
New authors must persevere if they intend to see their manuscripts in print. If you want it bad enough, it will happen. You must continue to learn. Find a critique partner or group. I found it easier to learn the craft of writing from reading ˜bad writing" vs. "good writing". Join online writer's group and take classes. Read all the How-to books and never, under any circumstances, should you ever give up.
9. I loved the fact that your book is written in a time period not often written about anymore. What made you decide to base your novel in this era and how was the research? Were there any surprises along the way that may have influenced the direction your novel was taking?
I have always loved the 15th century. It is when Italy exploded with art and when England was trying to be the Big Bad Wolf. This time period is made of heroes. Research for HER ONE DESIRE was fascinating. I bought books on the history of torture and execution, the mystery behind the princes in the Tower, and biographies of Richard III. I discovered that things are not always as they seem and this became the "theme" behind HER ONE DESIRE.
If I asked you to form a mental picture of the executioner, here is what you might conjure up in your mind; a man in a black cloak with an ax who mercilessly takes the lives of both the guilty and innocent. While most of us might picture this man as grotesque, that is not how I portrayed him.
10. Could you possibly give the readers a sneak peak of what is to come and when it will be published?
HIGHLAND DRAGON comes out in October 2009. It is a story of vengeance that takes place in 15th century Scottish Highlands.
At ten years old, Calin MacLeod secretly followed his father into the enemies keep. He witnesses the birth of his betrothed, but also his father's murder. Akira Neish has belonged to him since birth. She is the key to an alliance between the MacLeod and Kinnon clans, but also the daughter of the beast who murdered his father.
In a struggle between love and revenge, only one can emerge victorious. Eighteen years after hiding the secret of his betrothed's lineage, Laird Calin MacLeod is forced to choose between avenging his fathe's death and surrendering to the passion he finds in the arms of his enemies daughter.