Romantic Suspense/Psychological Thriller
Date Published: September 2018
Grace followed the rules. She always played it safe and never put her heart in jeopardy. Until the night she met Ryan. She’d never imagined that she could connect with an alpha male like him. Giving herself to him as he'd cradled her in his arms came naturally... until she sobered up. He was everything that she’d convinced herself she didn’t need. Or was he everything she needed?
Ryan balanced on a thin line of gray. He’d killed his share of demons but managed to live at peace with his actions. Then he met Grace, a woman who pushed all his buttons and shook him to his core. The need to have her overwhelmed him, but she kept shooting him down. Could he convince her that he was exactly what she needed?
Interview
with Karen Tjebben
Can you
tell us a little bit about the characters in Grace’s Kiss?
Grace’s
Kiss
was released September, 2018. It focuses on Ryan Mark’s relationship with Grace
Berry. Ryan is everything Grace has avoided in her dating life. He’s wild,
cocky, and has an air of danger that takes her breath away. But as much as
she’s attracted to him, she’s also intimidated by the sexy confidence that
oozes from him. After a bumpy start, she realizes that she has more in common
with the buff alpha than she ever expected.
Can you
tell us a little bit about your books or what you have planned for the future?
The
Savage Security books are a mixture
of romance and suspense infused with a healthy dose of creep factor.
Book 1 - Blood
Kiss is about a woman who is threatened by a stalker. Alisha is pro-active.
She isn’t waiting around to see what her stalker will do. She decides that she
will protect herself. While gun shopping, she meets Mike, a man with the skills
and will to help her. I love Alisha and Mike. They are both smart, assertive,
and have big hearts.
Book 2 - Avenging
Kiss - I verged off the regularly taken path within the romance genre and
opted for two romances within one story. One is a dark romance between Logan and Adita that ties in with the
suspense or psychological thriller aspects of the book. The other romance is an
unrequited love between Jack Black and Bella Chan. Jack is used to getting what
he wants, but in regard to Bella, she is off limits. Good thing he isn’t a rule
follower. The problem/solution is resolved in Avenging Kiss. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but some
threads are left dangling that will be resolved in Coveted Kiss.
Book 3 - Coveted
Kiss deals with the fallout from Avenging
Kiss. It can be read independently of Avenging
Kiss, but it would be most enjoyed after reading Avenging Kiss. Jack is in full alpha-male mode as he protects Bella
in the aftermath of Hazeem’s murder attempt. Logan discovers the motives behind
Adita’s actions and learns how to forgive. Hazeem realizes that he’s not as
brave as he thought he was. And the men of Savage Security must hunt down the
terrorists living within their community.
Book 4 - Stolen
Kiss focuses on the romance between Cole Savage and Julia Romero. The men from Savage Security are hired to
look into a suicide. They discover a damning photo which launches their hunt
for a murderer. Cole must reconcile his desire for justice with the burning
ache in his heart for Julia Romero. Enlisting her help as a realtor, they work
together to find a new home for Savage Security while the hunt for the killer
continues. As the men discover more victims, they piece together the clues and
realize that one of their own may be in the sights of a ruthless killer.
Book 5 - Grace’s
Kiss was released September, 2018.
I am currently working on edits for Book 6 - Lizzy’s Kiss. It will be the last book in the Savage Security Series. The book focuses
on Lizzy and Tyson. After doing her civic duty by sitting on a jury panel, Lizzy
is added to a kill list when the person the jury condemned to prison is
murdered. Tyson appoints himself as Lizzy’s guardian after she barely escapes
an attack on her life. Together, they must locate and stop the man who is
killing off the jurors.
How long would you say it takes you to write
a book?
It
takes me about four to eight weeks to get a rough draft down. After that, I
have several rounds of edits to do. Then I send my book off to my beta-readers.
Once my book is returned with their edits, I go through and add more details to
firm up the story. The entire process typically takes me between four to five
months. To use my time wisely, while waiting for edits or for the cover to be
finished, I typically work on more than one book at a time.
What is your favorite childhood book?
I’d
have to say The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe. This book is
fantastic on so many levels. Children can enjoy the story because the characters
are young, like them, and they get to travel to a fantastical world filled with
magic and talking animals. Adults can enjoy the story for the symbolism and
religious themes that are subtly woven throughout the story. This story opens
the door to conversations with children about forgiveness, trust, honesty,
integrity, love, and commitment.
If you could spend the day with one of the
characters from Grace’s Kiss, who
would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you
would go and what you would do.
I’d
have to say Ryan Marks. I love how he understands Grace and the way her
religious background affects her view of herself and her actions. He never
pressures her to do anything she isn’t comfortable doing, yet he’s always ready
to shower her with affection. In many ways, this story is a sort of ‘coming of
age’ story for Grace as she decides for herself how she will live her life.
What made you want to become a writer?
I’ve
always thought it would be cool to write a book. In college, (while studying
elementary education) in my literacy courses, I’d peruse the picture books and
nonfiction children’s books and dream about writing my own book. At the time,
it seemed impossible, but as the internet expanded and companies like Amazon
grew, the dream started to take shape and become a reality. When my twin
daughters went to kindergarten, I set aside time each day to dedicate to
writing. Surprisingly, the story that unfolded in my head was not for
elementary students, but it was better suited for young adults who enjoy
supernatural thrillers. When I finished the first series, The Scintillate Series, I
transitioned to adult, romantic suspense and began The Savage Security Series.
Just
for fun
(a Favorite song: Don’t really have one. It changes too often
to commit to one.
(b Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice
(c Favorite movie: Pride and Prejudice – BBC edition with Colin
Firth as Mr. Darcy.
(d Favorite tv show: I love Dexter
and Game of Thrones.
(e Favorite Food: Sea salt caramel covered in chocolate or
peanut butter and chocolate ice cream sundaes.
(f Favorite drink: Dr. Pepper
Thanks so much for visiting
with us today!
About the Author
Karen Tjebben lives in central North Carolina with her wonderful husband, twin daughters, and two hamsters. When her girls left for kindergarten, Karen discovered that she needed to fill her days with something, and that was the beginning of her new career in writing. She loves to create worlds filled with unique characters that she hopes will delight and raise goose bumps on her readers. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and seeing the world through her daughters' eyes.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
1 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Post a Comment