Monday, April 6, 2015

Feature: H.K. Savage, author of the Empath Trilogy


Empath
Empath Trilogy # 1
By- H.K. Savage
Genre- YA Paranormal Romance

All she wanted was to disappear…

Claire Martin is an empath. She’s lived her entire life as a slave to a constant barrage of emotions that weren't hers. Off to college, she hopes simply to blend with the crowd where she can best hide her curse. Within her first few weeks at school Claire meets Stephen Andrews, a small, fragile looking boy who changes her life forever. 



Stephen, a boy with a secret of his own, instantly recognizes Claire for what she is. It is through Stephen's aid that Claire meets James, a vampire with a talent of his own. As soon as they touch, their abilities connect in a way that has not occurred in over three hundred years forming a bond that cannot be broken.

  



Bonded
Empath Trilogy #2
By- H.K. Savage
Genre- YA Paranormal Romance

The bad guys are licking their wounds leaving Claire and James to enjoy what promises to be a merry Christmas. Until a traitor among them delivers Stephen and Claire into enemy hands.

Past lovers, obligations and rivalries compete, all the while the bond between Claire and James grows and Claire is pulled further toward the vampire side. James is growing dependent upon her to feed his humanity, and the boundary that separates them is no longer clear.

A potential husband and a job working for the Court threaten to take Claire's newfound control over her life from her and stick her firmly under someone else's thumb. She must try to keep her wits about herself enough to figure out what she wants before the ability to decide is gone forever, and try not to get any of her loved ones killed in the process.

   


Secrets
Empath Trilogy #3
By- H.K. Savage
Genre-YA Paranormal Romance

Paris, everyone is together and forgets for one night about the looming threat of war between the races for a wedding. But no sooner are their vows exchanged than the newlyweds are called upon to serve the Court.

Stateside, an old photograph turns up with a member of the vampire's Court and several other men linked to an organization called Nightshade Holdings, LLC. More digging reveals how deep Nightshade's influence extends and just how deeply the Court itself is involved in the plot to start an interspecies war.

Love is found, old friends die and a greater enemy than any thought possible is revealed. It will take everything for the clan and the vampires to stop the war before it is too late.

  


Author Interview

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve been in love with vampires and the paranormal for over 20 years and was kicking this story around for a long time but was a little nervous about putting out a vampire book. Weren’t we supposed to grow out of paranormal and just read books Oprah tells us to? Then the paranormal resurgence hit and I thought, why not publish Empath. The reception it’s received has been absolutely amazing.

Can you give us an interesting fact about your book that isn't in the blurb?

This book started out as one book and adult to boot, then as it grew and expanded I decided to bring the main character back and let her grow up a little slower.

How did you choose your title?

From the main character, of course.

Tell us about the cover and how it came to be.

The first cover was a set of eyes, book 1 was her, book 3 him, book 3 the two together. These new covers came with the third edition reboot. New editing with a very talented partner, Karen Reckard and these gorgeous covers from Airicka’s Mystical Creations. We thought they were a nice visual acting out Claire’s opening up, metamorphosis, from apprehensive teen to bold young woman.

Did you self­publish or publish traditionally and why?

I suppose you would say I self-publish but I opened a company with my print and editing background and it’s in the traditional style (royalty structure vs pay for service). The decision to do it myself came from the feedback I was getting from interested agents and publishing houses. They liked the story and even the way I told it, but they wanted things changed. I felt the story was told truthfully and to change it for someone else’s vision was untrue to the story. So, I learned more about publishing.

What do you consider the most important part of a good story?

Character development. I can follow a good character anywhere, but a hollow or unidimensional character can be on the quest to end all quests but I’m not interested if I can’t relate on some level.

What is your writing process?

Playlist, tea, laptop, go.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was a little girl.

How did you get started writing?

We moved a lot and when you move in the summer there’s no one but your siblings to hang out with so sometimes a break is in order. Queue books. Whether reading or writing I have always been drawn to good stories.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser all the way

What part of the writing process is the hardest for you?

Starting and scene transitions. Once I’m there I can go but if I’m not sure where we’re going next I just stare at the screen and wonder where the words are.

What tips can you give on how to get through writers block?

Walk away for a bit, try again. Don’t get frustrated or let yourself talk smack to your inner writer, it doesn’t help. Just keep at it, and do try every day even if it’s for 30 minutes. Give yourself enough time to clear your head, read the chapter or at least few paragraphs where you left off and any notes you had on plot or characters then just start and see what comes.

What kind of music do you like to listen to while you write?

Depends on the scene. Action gets loud and fast, loving/squishy scenes I’ll have something sweeter or even sexy. Classic rock, hard, pop, rap, none of that matters once I’m started though.

Who is your favorite author?

Edgar Allen Poe or Jack London

Who is your favorite character from a book?
Zaephod Beeblebrox (no clue if I’m spelling that right) from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

What is your favorite book?

I don’t know as I have just one. Some move me, some make me think, and some are just plain fun larks.

Read anything good lately?

I’m lucky enough to be friends with a ton of talented indies and I read for them sometimes, plus I publish 10 amazing storytellers. I can tell you I haven’t read a traditionally published (meaning with the big NY houses) for years and I think I’m reading better books than I have in a long time.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Mixed martial arts and hiking are my two current hobbies with some gardening thrown in randomly (I pull weeds when I have the urge but don’t go out every Saturday and mini farm my yard).

What advice would you give an author just starting out?

Write. Don’t listen to others until you have given yourself time to develop your own habits. It’s like everything else, writing is individual. Everyone will give opinions on process, your story, how you should be different, the list is exhausting. A new writer is like a new parent, you just have to figure it out for yourself and ask questions when you have them. You never want to walk into a room filled with other writers or aspiring writers and ask “hey, how do you do it?” or you’ll:
1) never get out of there
2) when you finally do find the door you’ll have lost your confidence, forgotten your story ideas, and, most likely, forgotten your name.

Have you had anything else published?

I’ve got a few, actually. The Empath Trilogy was my first series of books then I went on to write a romantic suspense/speculative fiction called Life Blood that was being considered for a movie, The Path, the Admiral’s Elite series is up to book 3 now, An Undying Oath, and Whispers. A few others are in the works as well as a top secret project I’m working on with some folks.

What's your next project?

Working on finishing book 3 of the Admiral’s Elite series, Clarity which I’m hoping to have out by summer/fall and started book 2 of the Undying Oath series. 


About the Author

HK lives in the frozen hinterlands of the far North.  The long, cold months provide ample opportunity to hunker down with her computer and create adventures far more enticing than scraping ice and getting frostbite.

Between books HK reads voraciously.  Anything with a good plot and compelling characters are her broad parameters.  One is as likely to catch her with a copy of Don Quixote as with the latest Kristen Ashley.

When not writing or wowing the corporate world by day, HK practices martial arts, plays with her dogs and matches wits with her teen. Next winter she intends to brush up on her Spanish and escape the cold for somewhere more tropical.



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