Today I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Author, Heather Kuehl and get to know more about her and her charcter Sara Vargas from the extradorniary series Blood Moon. If you've not had the opportunity to check out this amazing author or her works then sit back and enjoy -- you're in for a treat.
Heather is an award winning poet - 2010 Preditor & Editor's choice for Beauty's Beast - Best Poem
She is also an award winning author:
"Susan's Ghost."
"Susan's Ghost."
Tales from the Moonlit Path - Tales of Torment Contest honorable mention, June 9, 2009
"Redemption."
Fantasy Gazetteer - Second place short story contest, March 2009.
"Miscommunication."
The Drabbler 11: SETI Calling. Sam's Dot Publishing - Second place, June 2008.
"Blythe's Vengeance."
Fantasy Gazetteer - Second place short story contest, May 2008.
Aphelion Webzine - Aphelion's Best Poetry of 2008, March 2008.
“Hidden.”
Wild Tales by Cool Kids - Second place Wal-mart choice award; Post and Courier, 2001.
Her Critics have said:
Trent at Siren Book Reviews (rated 4/5 Siren Stones) - "FADE TO BLACK is an action packed story with little room for rest: both for her characters and her readers."
Tammy at The Pen and Muse has describes her work of Malevelolent Dead saying - "Kuehl's skilled writing brings an added dimension to Sarah Vargas without compromising the ass-kicking sensibility of this determined heroine."
Trent at Siren Book Reviews (rated 4/5 Siren Stones) - "FADE TO BLACK is an action packed story with little room for rest: both for her characters and her readers."
Tammy at The Pen and Muse has describes her work of Malevelolent Dead saying - "Kuehl's skilled writing brings an added dimension to Sarah Vargas without compromising the ass-kicking sensibility of this determined heroine."
Bitten By Books (rated 4.5/5 Tombstones) lists - "Once again, Kuehl does not disappoint with this excellent tale filled with interesting characters caught in the midst of pedal-to-the-metal suspense and action in an intriguing supernatural world."
In regard to Promises To Keep -- M. Arkenberg at Mirror Dance said - "This is the perfect book for the fantasy fan who wants to kick back with an adventure but doesn't want to dedicate weeks to a 500-page doorstopper. Its small size and strong focus on plot make it a good read for a commute or a day in the park."
So, with out further audieu -- Let me say congratulations on your most recent novel! Why don’t you tell us a little bit about your book.
Thank you! Blood Moon is the third book in the Sarah Vargas series. All proceeds for this book will be going to the MUSC Children's Hospital. Why? Well, when my son was three weeks old he had a condition known as Pyloric Stenosis; the muscle exiting the stomach had closed shut and he couldn’t digest his food, resulting in him vomiting everything he ate. If untreated, he would have starved to death. It’s actually quite a common condition, with our surgeon having performed around 70 of those surgeries that year alone. The staff was so friendly, from the surgeon to the nurses to the cleaning staff. I’ve always wanted to give back to them for helping my son (who, by the way, just turned two and will never ever have to worry about that complication again thanks to that surgery). More information about this awesome hospital can be found at http://www.musckids.com/.
That is so awesome that you're giving to such a wonderful charity. I think that is the best thing we can do as authors - give back. That we try, in our own small way, to make a difference in the world.
So, do you have an excerpt from your book that you’d like to share?
Excerpt (before final edits):
At times, I loved my mentor. It was a pity the BMC let him go. So many people like me needed a teacher like him.
Just like Jared’s death, the BMC’s abandonment of Dom made no sense. Why would they get rid of one of their best teachers?
I gasped as it came to me as clearly as a premonition. I felt my connection with Damian flair as my mind went into shock, putting pieces together that I didn’t know fit. It couldn’t be…
At times, I loved my mentor. It was a pity the BMC let him go. So many people like me needed a teacher like him.
Just like Jared’s death, the BMC’s abandonment of Dom made no sense. Why would they get rid of one of their best teachers?
I gasped as it came to me as clearly as a premonition. I felt my connection with Damian flair as my mind went into shock, putting pieces together that I didn’t know fit. It couldn’t be…
I looked up at Dom. “Why didn’t the BMC save you from Marcellus?” I asked with my voice barely above a whisper.
It was the most obvious question, one that should have been asked the moment the vampire necromancer died. I had been too busy grieving over Jared to think straight.
Damian kept the metaphysical lines between us open, listening but careful not to say a word to distract me. I could feel him in my head, and I didn’t mind, one less person to tell.
Dom looked into my eyes and I could see indecision filling their black depths. He sighed as he backed away, and I thought that he decided not to tell when he faced me and said, “They ordered me to kill you.”
“And?” I asked. My blood ran cold. I felt the wolf inside me tense, preparing for an attack.
“And I refused,” Dom growled with disbelief written on his features. “Sarah, you’re like a daughter to me. I could never cause you harm.”
“What did the BMC do?”
"They said that they understood. The next day they sent me to take out Marcellus.”
I licked my lips. “They sent a vampire to kill a vampire necromancer?”
“Yes, that’s…” Dom froze. “They set me up.”
“No. I don’t think they did.”
“How do you figure? Sarah, I was controlled…”
“By a creature sent here to kill Damian, not me.”
Dom cocked his head to the side, and I screamed with frustration that he wasn’t putting it altogether.
“Think about it Dom! There are four people that I can fully trust; you, Donavan, Jared, and Damian.”
“Go on.”
“They sent Marcellus here to kill Damian. If he had succeeded, that would have taken care of one of my four. In doing so, the throne of Charleston would have been open to him, and I would be out of a safe place to live. Donovan should have killed you for killing his Weres. I should have been kicked out of the Clan for letting the dead Weres happen on my watch. Luckily, Donavan is more understanding than the BMC give him credit for. I would have been out of another safe house as well as a Clan to protect me. You, a vamp would sacrifice his own life to keep me safe. Jared…” I couldn’t say any more, and Dom started nodding as he thought it over.
“I can’t believe they would do this,” he said.
Donavan came over as Dom said these words. “Who?”
“The Blood Moon Corporation,” Dom and I said in unison.
“We’ve got to tell Damian,” Dom said as he dug into his pocket for his phone.
“There’s no need,” I said before he could pull it out. “He’s been in my head listening since I figured it out.”
I felt Damian’s anger rise to the surface, and suddenly I saw Damian as though I actually stood in his office. His black hair, once long enough to touch his knees, now barely brushed his shoulders. His plum-colored eyes burned with anger as he pulled book after book off the bookcase against his back wall.
Wow! ok, I'm hooked - sign me up...well, not for the Corporation - lol!
Where do you find your inspiration?
Everywhere! Music and TV mostly, but sometimes I can be out with my family and hear a snippet of someone’s conversation. The littlest thing can send my Muse into overdrive. It made too much sense not to.
Do you ever listen to music when you write? And if so, what kind of music do you like?
It depends on the character. For Sarah, I listen to Evanescence and Avenged Sevenfold. She seems to favor rock music.
Yeah, I've found that most hunters get that thunder and beat thing thrumming through them - driving them.
Promises to Keep - Eternal Press - http://eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781770650480
Yeah, I've found that most hunters get that thunder and beat thing thrumming through them - driving them.
Do you have any other juicy tidbits in the works right now?
I’m working on finishing two books that are in varying degrees of completion. Gray Magic follows T.D. Drake, a character that pops up throughout the Sarah Vargas series. Of Wolf and Man is a YA paranormal romance set in the same world as my series; I think Sarah even has a cameo.
Niiiiice!
We, as authors, get our inspirations from so many different places -- Who would you say is/was your biggest inspiration and why?
When I first started writing, my biggest inspiration was my dad. All I wanted was to make him proud. Now, while my dad is still my inspiration, my son is as well. I want to be an example to my son; that with enough hard work and determination you can reach your dreams.
Can't say enough for that dream reaching! Right there with you on that one.
What do you find to be the hardest thing about creating your stories?
Creating doesn’t ever seem to be a problem. It’s the editing that I hate. The entire time my mind is screaming “we’ve written this! Lets do something new!”
Do you currently have a favorite character?
While Sarah is fun to write, I enjoy writing about T.D. more. I wish I was more like her; she’s so feisty and bad ass.
For me, personally, I try to save my 'To be read pile until I finish a piece of my own works. What are you reading right now?
I’m reading the Fallen series by Thomas E. Sniegoski. I saw the movie ABC Family made a couple of years ago, which was really good for a made-for-TV movie, and I recently discovered that the movie was based off a book series. Let me tell you, the books are WAY better than the movie.
They usually are....
Wow, our time went by so fast. So, Heather where can readers learn more about you and all of your wonderful works?
Readers can visit my website (www.heatherkuehl.com) or my blog (heatherkuehl.blogspot.com). I’m also found on Facebook and Twitter.
Buy Links:
Malevolent Dead: Book Two of the Sarah Vargas Series - Eternal Press - http://eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615722037
Fade to Black: Book One of the Sarah Vargas Series - Eternal Press - http://eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781926704692
Promises to Keep - Eternal Press - http://eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781770650480
Coming Soon
Blood Moon: Book Three of the Sarah Vargas Series - Eternal Press - http://eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615723065
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