Crave the Heat Blog Tour with Laura Kaye's IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING

Continuing the Crave the Heat Blog Tour, please join me in welcoming Laura Kaye.  From her bio,

Since awakening, Laura’s inner muse has insisted on making up for lost time by whispering ideas for new stories and new characters into her ear faster than she can write them—but she wouldn’t have it any other way! A published non-fiction author, Laura’s “real” work as an historian and training as an archaeologist help her create vivid and accurate portrayals of other times and places. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day. 

Kim:  Tell us about your part of Maryland - your favorite sight, smell and sound!

Laura:  Ooh, what a fun question! And thanks so much for hosting me! I live right on the Chesapeake Bay. The water has always called to me, and living on the Bay just eases a part of my soul, I think. I love the rolling sound of the gentle waves against the sandy little beach of the inlet by my house. I love the way the moon sparkles a line of diamonds across the surface at night. And I love the smell of sea air on the breeze.

I’ve never been to Hawaii—it’s on my bucket list!

Chesapeake Bay
wjla.com

Kim:  I am curious about your archaeologist training - where did you accomplish it?  Can you share any stories from a dig?

Laura:  I received my archaeological training while attending graduate school at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. That whole coastal area, from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Yorktown is jam-packed with both prehistoric and historical archaeological sites, so it’s a great place to learn and to practice archaeology. I’m a colonial historian by training, and archaeology provides an invaluable additional source of evidence about the past from a time when not everyone could write or leave written records.

The two sites I helped excavate that have stuck with me the most are: 1) a 17^th century site where enslaved people lived over several generations. The in-ground remains of their houses still had a lot of integrity and the artifacts were plentiful for sites that early. At the very end of the dig, as backhoes rumbled at the edge of the site ready to build a housing development, we discovered a slave cemetery. The developers were none too happy about that. 2) the original 1607 Jamestown fort on Jamestown Island. I dug there two summers, including the summer we found the palisade line to the fort which definitively disproved the decades-long assumption that James Fort had long ago eroded into the James River. The 16^th century European and Indian artifacts on that site were fascinating and will take decades to fully analyze.

Jamestown archaeological dig.
news.nationalgeographic.com

Kim:  Can you share a snippet from a family story involving paranormal creatures?

Laura:  Oh, so many to choose from! My own personal most striking ghost story occurred when I was about 17. My mom and I lived on the main street of a small town next to two elderly sisters, one of whom had been in the hospital for a few weeks. I left the house to run an errand into town, and cut through our back yard, only to find the previously ill sister, Miss Betty, walking up the back yard. I said “hi,” happy to see her home and better, and she smiled and kept on walking. When I got home again, I told my mom Miss Betty was home and must’ve been better, and my mom stared at me a long minute, then said, “Laur, that can’t be possible. Miss Patty just called to tell me Miss Betty died this morning at the hospital.” True. Story.

Kim:  Tell us about the Hearts of Anemoi series - what inspired it?    

Laura:  I didn’t realize it was going to be a series at first, though I’m so excited it is! I was very interested in exploring a character suffering under the weight of a deep grief she just couldn’t let go, and that’s how North of Need’s story started. But when I realized that the hero, Owen, was a snow god come to life, that opened the door for other similar gods to be at work in the world, too, and that gave birth to the series.

Kim:  What's next for Laura Kaye?

Laura:  Oh, so many things! The first book in my Vampire Warrior Kings series, In the Service of the King, releases on February 1. The second book in my Anemoi series, West of Want, releases in April. And then the second book in my Vampire Warrior Kings series will come out some time this summer. I have several different projects I’m writing right now, so stayed tune because there’s more, more, more to come!

In the Service of the King:

Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires, loathes the Night of the Proffering. He needs the blood of either his mate or a human virgin to maintain his strength, but hasn't enjoyed the ritual since he lost his mate centuries ago. Kael doesn't want a new companion, yet his resolve is tested when he lays eyes on his new offering, Shayla McKinnon. He is drawn to Shayla's beauty and poise...and the submission she offers. She is eager to give him anything he wishes, including her innocence, to please him. Will Kael give in to their overwhelming desire--even if it means risking Shayla's life?

About Laura:

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of a half-dozen books. Hearts in Darkness is a finalist for the EPIC eBook Award for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Buy Laura's Books

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Mahalo, Laura, for visiting us at SOS Aloha!  I love the title IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING and I know readers will love the story!

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Hawaii had a King and still has paranormal elements!