Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today, Kasia Bacon – AUTHORDESC.
Thanks so much, Kasia, for joining me!
Giveaway
Kasia is giving away three copies of her book “The Poison Within” with this blog post. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. 🙂
J. Scott Coatsworth: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Kasia Bacon: A dentist, at first. Then a spy. However, I came to the conclusion-reasonably quickly-that I preferred to be my own boss. So when anyone asked me what I wanted to be at age ten, I’d answer: a freelancer. Well, guess what? I now am one.
JSC: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it?
KB: Well, I produced my first paperback, art and all, at seven years old. It was an adventure piece about a mouse called Mrs. Spade. The story featured some mad paranormal twists and a crime or two-a combination I considered a gripping storyline. The whole thing had the adults in my family cracking up. I remember feeling baffled about that because, in my eyes, it was Super Serious Literature.
JSC: Describe yourself using… ( a food, a book, a song, a movie, an animal, a drink, a place etc.)
KB: Dark chocolate comes to mind: bittersweet and sophisticated. *cracks up* But if we’re talking in terms of cocktails-a refreshing but potent Caipirinha. Just because, err… I wouldn’t mind one of those right now.
JSC: How would you describe your writing style/genre?
KB: I’d say I write high fantasy based in a historical setting, but with a modern vibe to it, if that makes sense? My writing style? Hmm. I’m fond of writing shorts, so succinct? *laughs* Perhaps descriptive and a tad lyrical, too? I always aim to involve the reader’s senses as much as I’m able.
JSC: Which of your own characters would you Kill? Fuck? Marry? And why?
KB: Oh, this is fun!
Kill: Lochan, a half-breed assassin and man of few words. He was the biggest challenge (meaning a pain in the arse) to write. The bastard doesn’t speak much and instead prefers to monologue internally. Not that I would actually kill him, though *rolls eyes at self* In fact, I’m super sweet on the dude. He was the first character I dreamt up, and he also resembles me in a lot of ways. Wait…that’s, err, disturbing.
Fuck: All of them? Just, um, not necessarily at the same time? Well, my first choice would be Ervyn, but the Dark Elf doesn’t swing my way. So, then it’d be a close call between long-haired aristocrat Elly-because he’s so beautiful (I’m shallow, all right?), and he doesn’t mind being bossed about a little-and pansexual Verhan. If the latter could shut up for long enough to perform the deed, that is. Hmm… there’s also Eryssa, who’s a formidable, blood-drinking Furia. OK, you know what? I can’t give you an unequivocal answer. *shrugs*
Marry: Inspector Käyru Skaer-kind, caring, loyal to a fault. This one is a no-brainer.
JSC: What was your first published work? Tell me a little about it.
KB: Funny you should ask. My first ever self-published story, The Mutt-which is book one in The Order series-is exactly a year old today! Yay! So surprise! This is an anniversary interview. *trumpet fanfare sound effect* The Mutt laid the foundations for the Order Universe. I’m super happy with the reception this story has received, especially bearing in mind that it’s only some forty pages long. The readers’ feedback has been amazing and has given me motivation to keep writing. I’m very grateful for all the messages and gestures of support. Fantasy readers are the best, dammit!
JSC: Were you a voracious reader as a child?
KB: Absolutely, yes. Initially, my parents read to me aloud a lot, but at some point, they got fed up with my increasing demands and constant requests for more books, so they taught me to read early. At six, I was already a proficient reader with a library card and a small collection of my own books. Funnily enough, reading became a source of conflict in my house. I argued with my parents over the Lights Out time, wanting to postpone it to continue reading deep into the night. And I fought with my brother and father over the books we all wanted to read at the same time.
JSC: What’s your writing process?
KB: Ha! I would not use the word process. I’m a highly disorganised individual. There is some method to my madness, though. I usually start with a Pinterest board. Images are an integral part of my planning stage. I visualise a lot before I start putting the words down. I take notes, but I don’t prepare elaborate outlines; there’s not much point in putting myself through such a palaver because I’d never stick to it. While I always know how the story will begin and end, the middle tends to be a free-for-all inside my brain. I don’t write linearly, which suits my chaotic and impatient nature.
JSC: What speculative fiction character would you like to spend an evening with and why?
KB: Geralt from Rivia, also known as the Witcher. I have a thing for the silent assassin/mercenary type, who is occasionally a smartarse. When I was a student at Uni, stories about Geralt got my imagination going on many an evening (when I was supposed to be studying). So I’d gladly spend one in his thrilling company. Well, I wouldn’t exactly mind him staying for breakfast, either. Yennefer be damned! As for my husband? Well, he’d just have to deal. *winks*
JSC: What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?
KB: Due to recent hurdles life has thrown my way, my entire schedule has been delayed. *dramatic sigh* I’m not going to give specific dates, in case-you know-someone might want to hold me to it, or something crazy like that. However, I should have something new out fairly soon. Pinky swear! And it’s to do with an Order character who hardly ever stops talking, for a change.
I’m still fussing over The Scouts (Order Series #3). I’m halfway through writing When I First Saw Red (a standalone in the Order Universe). Apart from that, I’ve got four other stories stewing away on the back burners: a fated mates story featuring a cougar shifter; an arranged marriage tale; a story about a kidnapping; and one about a broody hunter and an adorable, untrained Mage.
And now for Kasia’s new book: The Mutt:
I, Ervyn Morryés of the Black Mountain Clan, know all about control.
As the only fair-haired Dark Elf in the Highlands, I had to learn to control my temper and my fists in the face of derision.
To become the best archer amongst my peers, I had to learn to control my breathing and my movements.
But the day the half-breed called Lochan Féyes arrived at the Queen’s Army training camp, my discipline faltered. Because-sweet gods-around that aloof, blue-eyed assassin, my need is uncontrollable.
The Mutt is FREE over the weekend of 20-21 January to celebrate its one-year publication anniversary.
Order Series Buy Links
Excerpt
I WANTED HIM FROM THE start. From the very first time I laid eyes on him. Everyone kept talking about him in the days prior to his arrival to the camp, curious about this half-breed born to an influential Elven clan, but brought up by humans. A hybrid. A mutt.
Lochan Féyes.
I was curious as well. Maternal half-breeds such as him were a rarity. They retained all physical qualities of a pureblood and enjoyed, at least in theory, equal social status. Not that discrimination didn’t occur. The real losers in the biracial game were the paternal ones. Considered downright human and non-citizen, they constituted the lowest caste in society.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he exceeded my expectations. Later I discovered he had a knack for doing just that.
If I hadn’t known human blood flowed in his veins, I wouldn’t have been able to spot it. The tips of his ears were perhaps less pointy, and his eyes—not as distinctly angular as those of an average Elf.
Even back then, at seventeen, he proved every bit a killer. He made that obvious during the first training session. He was deadly. Calm. Steady. Cold. Disinterested. So self-assured that he seemed arrogant. I wanted to bring him down a peg. Teach him a lesson. Break him. Taste him. Make him beg me to kiss him.
I wanted his attention, but he refused to give it to me.
So I had to find a way to claim it.
His eyes were blue—so intensely the colour almost appeared offensive. Fuck, it offended me. I was just an unworldly Dark Elf at the time, unaccustomed to irises that weren’t obsidian. The azure hue of his gaze reminded me of the glass crystals that grew in caves in the highlands of the Black Mountain. I used to collect them as a child.
I wanted those eyes on me.
He struck me as all attitude and stark contrast, emphasised by the juxtaposition of his glossy black hair and milky, luminous skin. A combination of sharp angles and sinewy planes of hard muscle.
I craved the feel of his body under my fingers.
If I had to describe him in one word—apart from infuriating—I’d choose refined. Everything about him, from the aristocratic bone structure to the posh lowland accent, screamed polished. One thing in particular dripped effortless elegance and insisted on notice: the way he fought.
The first time I watched him fight, I got hard. My heart pounded in my chest, and I chewed on my lip until it bled. I vowed then I would make him mine.
Author Bio
A linguist and an avid reader with a particular fondness for fantasy and paranormal genres, KASIA BACON lives in London with her husband. When not tearing her hair out over a translating project, she writes stories about the shenanigans of emotionally constipated assassins and sexy Elves.
Otherwise, she can be found shaking her loins at a Zumba class, binging on anime or admiring throwing knives on Pinterest. She has a mild coffee and lemon tart addiction.
A lover of MMA and Muay Thai, she also enjoys nature and the great outdoors. She dreams of becoming independently wealthy, leaving the city and moving into her wooden mini-manor—located in the heart of stunning forests resembling those of the Elven Country depicted in her tales.
Find Kasia online:
Sign up for her mailing list to receive freebies and updates and learn about new releases.