WELCOME to Christina McKnight! Her new novel,
Only in Her Dreams, has been released this month and she took her time out of her busy schedule to be interviewed by me. Hope you enjoy!
1. What sparked your interest in becoming a romance writer?
My love of historical romance novels! Since I was young my mom
hounded me to write. Most of the time we read the same romance novels and I’d
guess the ending half way through…to both our surprise I was right most of the
time. If I wasn’t right, my mom always said my endings were better. I think
I’ve always been a romance writer, even if the stories only existed in my
imagination.
2. How did you come up with your ideas for Only in Her Dreams?
Only in Her Dreams actually came to me in a dream. Ironic, I
know. Several times I dreamt of a man watching me. He never approached, moved,
or spoke, but stayed silently in the background. I starting thinking: Who is
this guy? What does he want?
A fellow writer -and self-proclaimed dream expert- said the man
may be someone I’ve come into contact with recently. My next question: What if
this mystery man from my dream showed up in real life? Only In Her Dreams, The
Oneiroi Book 1 took off from there.
3. You have an amazing way of organizing your writing time.
Want to tell the readers about it?
Ha! By ‘amazing’ do you mean crazy? I find I work best when I’m
faced with deadlines. So, I set attainable deadlines and goals for all my
projects...then (this step is very important) I tell everyone about my deadlines.
This helps keep me on track and focused because I loathe disappointing people.
I also schedule my writing, editing, and blogging time each day.
4. Any advice for indie authors?
Ask questions! Seek out other writers and learn as much as you
can from their experiences. I have a wonderful support group of writers, some
indie and a few traditional. Something I’ve learned is that writers are more
than happy to share what they’ve learned. And if they don’t know the answer,
they will point you to another writer who does. In addition, as a writer you
must be willing to help others as well. Share what you learn with other new
writers.
5. What are your future plans as an author?
Oh, I have A LOT planned! Right now I’m writing the first book
(out of 3) in my historical romance series.
A few months ago I read Wallflower
by Catherine Gayle and she wrote a scene that involved a duel. The heroine
wanted to take the place of her beta male counterpart. She was scared to lose
him. Talk about true love!
I started thinking...what if a young
girl of the ton was responsible for the death of a man because of a duel she
egged on? The next logical question was...what if BOTH men died? Then I took it
one step further...what if the men were brothers? Shunned No More, The Forsaken Lady Series (Book 1) progressed from
there. I have a heroine that the reader should despise during the prologue but
hopefully I can redeem her by the end of the book.
Oh,
and of course I’m working on Only In Her Nightmares, The Oneiroi Book 2, but
you’ll have to wait a bit longer for deets on this project.
Author Bio:
Christina
McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her mother encouraged
her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since.
In
college, Christina took many courses to help develop and enhance her writing skills.
She completed a seventy-page dissertation on the need for community policing in
American society. Now, she focuses on Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, and
Paranormal Romance.
Christina
lives in Northern California with her husband, daughter, two boxers, two cats, and
a Beta fish named Marmaduke. If she’s
not behind a computer screen or book, she’s busy leading her daughter’s Girl
Scout troop. She is very active in several writing groups and a local book
group.
Book Excerpt:
Chapter 8
Darius
preferred to let his brothers believe his powers had indeed been stripped, gone
with his banishment. That’s where his deal with the Dark One came in handy.
He’d had a link to the girl for years now, bringing a dark presence to her
dreams-her nightmares.
Closing
his eyes he concentrated on the dark side. A thrill coursed through his body
every time he traveled to this forbidden land. He would lead these people, his
type of people.
His
eyes opened and he stood in front of a rusted, black iron gate. It parted to
allow him entrance.
He
proceeded down the fog-ridden path toward the castle in the distance. It was an
imposing structure covered by black tinted ivy. Everything in this place held a
black tint; the streets, the building, and most of all—the people. Soon-to-be, his people.
As
he approached the massive fortress, the doors glided open of their own accord.
The interior was as dark and fog laden as the exterior, dim candles shown upon
the rug laden floor he moved across.
“The
Dark One will see you in the billiards room.”
Darius
stiffened and stopped his progress, turning toward the voice behind him.
No
one in sight. What the fuck?
He
straightened his shoulders and continued through the foyer and down the hall
leading to the billiards room. Again, doors parted and he entered.
The
Dark One lounged against the far wall, cue stick in hand. He studied the
freshly racked pool table. “You’re in time for a game. Grab a cue, Darius.”
“Yes,
My Lord.” Darius retrieved a cue stick from the wall and turned toward the
table. The Dark One leaned across it, aiming for the racked balls.
“I
hear you have good news for me,” he said as his stick connected with the white
ball. On impact, the colored and striped balls rolled toward the corner
pockets.
Darius
watched in awe. Every ball found its home in a hole, ending the game before it
start. What the fuck?! he thought to
himself, for the second time in less than ten minutes.
“Well?”
“Yes.
My informant gave us accurate information about where the girl lives,” Darius
said.
“Have
you confirmed this for yourself?” The man stood straight and returned his stick
to the rack on the wall. He faced Darius across the table, hands on his hips.
The man was intimidating, the thing that nightmares were made of.
“Of
course.” I’m not an idiot.
“Well?”
“Well…what?”
Darius asked. Standing around a pool table, in such a casual setting should be
relaxing, but he was on edge.
“Why
isn’t Erebos mine yet?”
Good question. How to answer that without getting his
ass set on fire, he wondered. “I’m working on it.”
“Work
faster. I’m in need of a new home, this one’s going to shit.” The Dark One
stared at Darius, no hint of a joke on his face.
“I
don’t plan to drag this out longer than necessary.”
