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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Guest Post and Giveaway: The Lycan Hunter (Gardinian World #1) by Kelsey Jordan

Cover Artist: Greg Simanson

Description: 

When Alexis James arrives at her first assignment in months, she anticipates the danger and violence rife in her calling as a Lycan Hunter. What she doesn’t expect is a handsome, blue-eyed wolf saving her life and kidnapping her. Surrounded by the enemy, Alexis must not only survive her prisoners but the bonds of a different sort that begin to form against her will.

Mikko Kyran was chosen by the gods to lead his pack, and he has made it his mission to end the eight thousand years of war plaguing his people. The Alpha never suspected that the key to the prophecy ending the Forever War would be held by a smart-mouthed, sexy Hunter determined to kill him.

Can two people from different worlds set aside everything they know about one another long enough to survive retribution from the Hunters, the pack, and the gods? Or will their differences start a war that neither can win?

Written with intensity and depth, The Lycan Hunter is the first in a thrilling new series.


GUEST POST
Paranormal Romance Musts

Any romance genre is expected to have romance. That’s a given. The “heat” of that romance will depend on the author, but the romance and expected happy ever after or happy for now should be in the story. However, in order for a paranormal romance to be more than a regular romance it needs more than the “average” human.

The genre of paranormal romance is full of a various takes on the same group of supernatural beings. Their creation may vary from book to book, but essentially, those of us who write in the paranormal genre are drawing from the same pool of creatures. In order to create something unique, authors have to put in some work, some of which readers never get to see.

Personally, it is important to me that I understand the how and the why of the creation of my characters within my universe. This results in a ton of world building. For me, this is where the fun begins.

World building is something that really excites me and is one of the things I like most about writing. It’s my first act of creation, the first chance I have to shine light into the darkness and put the world dancing in my head down on paper.

To me, paranormal romance needs good world building in order to make the world the author is trying to create more plausible. Books based in the contemporary world are not exempt from needing thorough world building. If the paranormal world is a secret from “normal” humans, it may require even more work to make it plausible.

Part of world building is the inclusion of rules. When I write the rules of my universe, they typically cover things like procreation, food habits, religion, if there is any, and all aspects surrounding creating and distributing powers among my book’s characters. The rules create a balanced (as much as possible) world and keeps me from going off the rails in later books.

Keep in mind that the rules shouldn't be ones that can be easily broken. This means an author may end up lightly plotting the (likely) future books in order to avoid backing themselves into a corner, or they may write themselves a plausible out in the event that the rule needs to change in the future.

Truthfully, I don’t think it is possible to create a believable paranormal world without a good sense of the rules. I honestly believe this background work translates into a more immersive novel and makes it easier for the reader to buy into the created world. Which is the point, right?

Tell a lie so real that it’s easy for the reader to fall in and forget the world around them.

About the author: 
Kelsey Jordan is the author of The Lycan Hunter, the first book in her Gardinian World series. Though she has a preference for all things paranormal and romantic, Kelsey admits she just writes what her muse demands of her. It’s less painful that way. When she isn’t enjoying the momentary benefits of playing god to the many characters that live in her head, she can usually be found curled up with a book, killing something in a video game, or spending time with her family. At some point in the day she is probably drinking more than her recommended dose of coffee, but don’t tell her that. She doesn’t care about recommended servings.

As a Texas native and self-described Air Force brat, Kelsey now lives in Georgia with her husband and their tutu-wearing minion. Book 2 and 3 of the series will be published by Booktrope Editions late Summer/Fall 2014. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the rules of paranormal are fluid to a certain degree. But some things should not be changed. I watched the T.V. series being human the other day ,for the first time. I didn´t like the fact that the vampire could go out easily in daylight.
This book looks like a good start for a series. I´m allways looking for new to me authors.

Joseph Hawkshaw said...

Cover looks very cool.

Unknown said...

Hello, everyone! Thank you for stopping by and thanks to Mythical Books so much for having me over.

Linda Romer said...

Hi Kelsey, the Lycan Hunter sounds like an exciting read. I'm sure to love it. Thank you

Mad_In_Wonderland said...

The cover looks great, I love all things Lycan, even their hunters. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

Unknown said...

love books like this, and this one looks great, thank you for the giveaway, would love the paper back of this!!!

CCAM said...

Having fun between why and how is the key... and keeping real in an unreal world. :D
Thank you for the GP (and the giveaway)