Kade's Dark Embrace Blog Tour: Interview and Giveaway

After a series of girls are ritualistically murdered on the cold streets of Philadelphia, seasoned detective, Sydney Willows, is forced to work with sexy, alpha vampire, Kade Issacson. While working the case, Sydney finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kade, fighting the passion she feels towards him. Kade, determined to solve the case and mete out justice, is captivated by the independent, fiery detective. As he attempts to protect her from a very real murderer, Kade grows concerned that the beautiful, but very human detective, could easily end up dead should she tangle with supernatural forces that are beyond her control.


The investigation leads them into a dark and dangerous world, deep in the heart of New Orleans, where together, they search for the perpetrators of the Voodoo killings. Sydney soon becomes the target of the killer and ends up fighting for her life and love in the Big Easy. If she makes it out alive, will she give into the intoxicating desire she feels for Kade?

The Interview:

1. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?


I didn't start seriously writing until 2008.  At that time, I created my own website, www.AutismInRealLife.com.  My son was diagnosed with Autism in 1999, and I really wanted to write and publish articles in an effort to share my family's journey with other parents, families and professionals.  While I was searching for a place to publish an article/study on autism and divorce, I was offered the opportunity to write on PsychologyToday.com. It has been a wonderful place to write about autism.


As far as writing romance, I just started writing last December.  I love, love, love reading paranormal romances and urban fantasy.  I was thinking of writing an autism book, but I wasn't sure where to go with it.  So I just decided to put it on hold and write a paranormal romance, something fun.  I wrote Kade's Dark Embrace last winter.




2. In Kade's Dark Embrace, your hero is a vampire. What inspired you to write the story? What do you love most about vampires?


I have to say that I have always had a fascination with vampires.  My earliest memory of a sexy vampire is Frank Langella in "Dracula".  The movie made you feel a little afraid, but kept you wanting to see more of those steamy love scenes and hoping they ended up together.


Vampires are my favorite kind of supernatural.  They can be dark, dangerous, mysterious, sexy and of course, they can give pleasure by simply biting you.  I always knew that if I was going to write a paranormal romance, I would start with a hero who was a vampire.  I also like werewolves, so I look forward to writing about Tristan.




3. What is the hardest scene you ever had to write and why?


Believe it or not, the hardest scenes for me to write are love scenes. I really look forward to writing them but the wording is critical to making them feel special. There are a couple of reasons they were challenging in Kade's Dark Embrace. First, I wanted the love scenes to be erotic and sensual without sounding too much like erotica.  At the same time, I didn't want the love scenes to sound too "flowery", for lack of a better word, or come off sweet.  Kade's Dark Embrace is on the hotter side of the scale when it comes to romance.  The second challenge in writing love scenes is using many different words to describe actions, body parts, etc.  It sounds funny but there are a lot of ways to describe a kiss or even a person's lips. You really have to be creative with words.




4. Do you have a playlist for the book?


Great question!  I must admit that this is something that intrigues me, but I didn't have one put together for my website.  Here are some songs that I feel work well as a playlist for Kade's Dark Embrace:
Naughty Girl ~ Beyoncé
I Know You Want Me  ~ Pitbull
Stronger  ~ Kayne West
The Reason ~Hoobastank
Shake It Out ~Florence and the Machine
S&M ~Rihanna
Love is My Religion ~Bob Marley
Zydeco la Louisianne ~Buckwheat Zydeco
Rabiosa ~Shakira (Feat. Pitbull)


5. If you could be any supernatural being, what would it be?


I think I would be a witch.  You don't have to drink blood; you can go out into the daylight; you don't need to shift into a furry animal every full moon; and you could conjure up a a batch of margaritas for friends whenever you wanted. :-)


6. What is your next writing project?


I am busy writing "Luca's Magic Embrace", which is due out Fall 2012.  So excited that Luca is going to find love.  After Luca's book is finished, I will start Tristan's.
And of course, I will be writing autism articles on PsychologyToday.com.  I try to publish at least one or two articles every quarter.


Thanks so much Kym for flying in for a visit at On the Broomstick!

What I liked about the book:


The main characters were dynamic and made the story interesting. I love vampires and especially hunky ones like Kade. Sydney has kind of a foul mouth, which made me love her. I also suffer from that problem from time to time, so it made me laugh and instantly identify with the character. The sensuality of the book was also appealing and kept my interest. I love a good dominant male character combined with a female character that is not going to take  any crap from him. Add vampires and shake= fun read.


What I didn't:


The head hopping bothered me at the onset of the book. When you jump from one character's point of view, it is helpful to identify a break in the train of thought so you can follow a new one a little easier. That said, once I switched gears it was fine. Some of the dialogue was also a bit formal.


Overall:


This book was an entertaining read with a plot that kept you guessing, but some of the dialogue was a little formal and the head hopping was a tad distracting. It was a fun supernatural romance and the paranormal/ voodoo elements were great. The hunky vampire character really appealed to me, as did Sydney and her foul mouth tirades.  Insert cuss jar. Lol. I am looking forward to reading more from this author and can't wait for another installment in the series.

About the author:

Kade's Dark Embrace is my debut paranormal romance novel. I have also written and published several articles about autism. I developed a late interest in writing after my son was diagnosed with autism and started advocating on his behalf. Three years ago, I started my own website, www.AutismInRealLife.com and now blog and write articles for PsychologyToday.com.

I live in Pennsylvania with my husband, two children and our dog, Ace. My hobbies include autism advocacy, reading, tennis, zumba and traveling. New Orleans is one of our favorite places to visit with its rich culture and unique cuisine. But we also love traveling just about anywhere that has a beach or snow covered mountains. 

I love reading mysteries, romances and about all things vampires, werewolves and other supernaturals. I hope readers enjoy Kade's Dark Embrace. I have already started writing the next book in the series, about Luca, due out Fall 2012.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KymGrossoBooks


Twitter: @KymGrosso


Website: www.AutismInRealLife.com


Psychology Today Blog: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/autism-in-real-life

Want to win a copy of Kade's Dark Embrace? Leave me a comment telling me who your favorite vampire is from either a book or movie. Winner will win an e-book copy of Kade's Dark Embrace from the author. Thanks for stopping by On the Broomstick!