It is with the greatest of pleasures that I have the opportunity to 'host' Carla Swafford on my blog. I ''virtually'' met Carla when I offered to judge a contest for her Romance chapter; she was the coordinator. A few years pass go by and we had the opportunity to meet at the RWA conference in Atlanta in 2006. In 2011, Carla was sent an email by AVON, requesting her book to be considered for their new Impulse line.
Congrats, Carla!!
Thank you, Margaret, for the invite to your blog. You obviously love to live dangerously by allowing me free rein on what to say.
So I’ll behave myself and talk about how authors love being asked about their story. Not so much how they came up with the idea, but specific questions about the characters and their actions. Like every author, it’s nice knowing that the interviewer has read the book. My first interview was with Morgan Doremus at RT Book Reviews. See below for the interview. She was so enthusiastic and I could tell she’d actually read my book. It was intoxicating. No other word can describe the feeling. What author doesn’t enjoy breaking down their story with a reader?
There’s one aspect of my book most people do not notice or mention. Circle of Desire was written from my love for the now defunct TV series La Femme Nikita (1997-2001) with a little dash of James Bond mixed in. But no, that’s not it. Most people realize that. The part that some don’t catch until I point it out is how the world building is influenced by the King Arthur stories.
The bad guy dresses up in a surcoat (a split tunic) with a red cross on it. Yes. He’s nuts. He believes as long as he possesses the sword called Excalibur, he has the right to lead his mercenary organization called The Circle. Yes. The Circle is a play on words for the Round Table. The hero’s older brother’s name is Arthur.
That’s most of the connections to King Arthur’s legend, but I imagine I’ll add a few more before I’m through with the series. Hopefully most will be more subtle than the sword and Theo’s clothing, but you never know what will pop up.
Do you like to add little nuances to your stories?
By the way, I’ve included a small mystery running through my series that no one will notice until it’s answered in about the fifth book. Yes. I’m a tease.
Twitter: @carlaswafford
Short bio:
Carla Swafford inherited her love of books from her dad and his father. Growing up, she read every book with a horse on the cover until the age of twelve when she read her first romance. Tired of waiting for her favorite authors to publish more books, she decided to write one. She joined Romance Writers of America and was the finalist in several writing contests.
Carla lives in Alabama and works in a male-dominated occupation at the same company with her husband.
Carla lives in Alabama and works in a male-dominated occupation at the same company with her husband.
Blurb:
As the top assassin at The Circle, a shadowy group of mercenaries, Olivia St. Vincent can hunt down anyone. She's been trained since she was a teenager to kill without feeling, to interact with men without love. But when she's kidnapped by the enigmatic leader of a rival organization, she learns she's been lied to for years. She never worked for the good guys.
Collin Ryker believes the sultry woman he's abducted knows more than she's telling about The Circle and its plans for complete domination. Over time, as they work together, Olivia's tenacity and vulnerability captivate him. But if he isn't careful, Collin will fall into the biggest trap of all: caring for a woman who can betray him to his greatest enemy.
Collin Ryker believes the sultry woman he's abducted knows more than she's telling about The Circle and its plans for complete domination. Over time, as they work together, Olivia's tenacity and vulnerability captivate him. But if he isn't careful, Collin will fall into the biggest trap of all: caring for a woman who can betray him to his greatest enemy.
