Interview #Spotlight on Paranormal Romance Author Christina McKnight

Today, we are very fortunate to have the highly talented author, Christina McKnight, with us.  First, check out the cover and description of her book.

When Lucessa Sarcona awakes from a recurring dream, she has no idea her life is about to be turned upside down. A stranger, familiar to her dreams, shows up in the flesh, and Lucessa knows she’s either crazy or experiencing something not of this world.

A war ensues between three demigod brothers. One, trained to rule Erebos, is violently replaced. One forced to return to his homeland and lead the dream-gods of the Oneiroi. And one is charged with the impossible task of protecting Lucessa. How is she linked to the Oneiroi? Why do two brothers seek to keep her hidden and protected? And how does another plan to use her against the two demigods who love her?

Will Lucessa’s dream man have the courage to claim her as his own or will he bow to the command of another, forsaking the one he loves?

Only in Her Dreams is a modern spin on a Greek legend--the new direction of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, moving from angels, demons, vampires, and witches and toward the realm of demigods.

Amazon Product Page

Thank you so much, Christina, for agreeing to be here.  You must be very excited about releasing Only In Her Dreams, The Oneiroi Book 1. 

Thanks for having me, Chantel. I’m a bit over excited about the release of my 1^st novel.

Well, I have to admit, I'm a bit overexcited about it too. It's a great book! Tell us a little bit more about the Oneiroi. Who or what are they?

Great question! The Oneiroi are the Greek demigods of dreams. While actual mythological legends state they are winged, bat-like creatures who take to the sky at night, my interpretation is a bit different.  My Oneiroi are hot men with iridescent blue eyes who visit our dreams.

Hot men with blue eyes? Yummy! My favorite! :-)

Who is your favorite character from the story and why? Anyone you’ve got the hots for?

This answer will go along with the next question. For some reason I really enjoyed writing from the POV of my bad boy, Darius. He is a troubled soul with many layers of hurt that are developed during the course of book one. Now, I must admit I’ve always had a ‘thing’ for bad boys. I watch Vampire Diaries and my favorite character is Damien Salvatore. I’ve been drawn to him from the first episode. I can’t say how my fetish with bad boys has affected my personal life, LOL.

We'll skip right past the personal life issues ;-) I'm definitely team Maxim, but Darius does have his own brand of charm.  

Is this a part of a series or a standalone book?

When I originally wrote my novel it was a standalone book. It wasn’t until my 3^rd revision that I thought, ‘There is more to this story then I’m able to tell in just one book.’ As you’ve probably guessed, Only In Her Nightmares, The Oneiroi Book 2 will feature my bad boy, Darius. I’m excited to have 80k words to explore him and his unique story. Only In His Visions, The Oneiroi Book 3 will feature Alexander, Darius’ right hand man.

Where does the inspiration for you stories come from?

Only in Her Dreams actually came to me in a dream. Ironic, I know. Several times I dreamt of a man watching me. He never approached, moved, or spoke, but stayed silently in the background. I starting thinking: Who is this guy? What does he want?

A fellow writer -and self-proclaimed dream expert- said the man may be someone I’ve come into contact with recently. My next question: What if this mystery man from my dream showed up in real life?

Only In Her Dreams, The Oneiroi Book 1 took off from there.

What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?

Ask questions! Seek out other writers and learn as much as you can from their experiences. I have a wonderful support group of writers, some indie and a few traditional. Something I’ve learned is that writers are more than happy to share what they’ve learned. And if they don’t know the answer, they will point you to another writer who does. In addition, as a writer you must be willing to help others as well. Share what you learn with other new writers.

That's terrific advice, and I've found that to be true as well. Authors are always willing to help out. Do you have another book in the works?

OMG! I do…

A few months ago I read Wallflower by Catherine Gayle and she wrote a scene that involved a duel. The heroine wanted to take the place of her beta male counterpart. She was scared to lose him. Talk about true love!

I started thinking...what if a young girl of the ton was responsible for the death of a man because of a duel she egged on? The next logical question was...what if BOTH men died? Then I took it one step further...what if the men were brothers? Shunned No More, The Forsaken Lady Series (Book 1) progressed from there.

I have a heroine that the reader should despise during the prologue but hopefully I can redeem her by the end of the book.

Oh, and of course I’m working on Only In Her Nightmares, The Oneiroi Book 2, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer for deets on this project.

I'm glad you have so much planned, 'cause I'm going to need more books from you! Thank you so much for being here today, Christina!  I wish you the best luck in your writing career. 

Thank you for having me!

Want to connect with Christina? Her are her links:

Follow her on Twitter!

Blog: www.christina-mcknight.blogspot.com

Email: christinamcknight.author@yahoo.com

Like her on Facebook!

Connect with her on Goodreads

Here's the link for Amazon again so you can buy this great book: http://amzn.to/SxcmMM

Read on for an excerpt from bad-boy Darius' point of view!

Chapter 8 

Darius preferred to let his brothers believe his powers had indeed been stripped, gone with his banishment. That’s where his deal with the Dark One came in handy. He’d had a link to the girl for years now, bringing a dark presence to her dreams-her nightmares.

Closing his eyes he concentrated on the dark side. A thrill coursed through his body every time he traveled to this forbidden land. He would lead these people, his type of people.

His eyes opened and he stood in front of a rusted, black iron gate. It parted to allow him entrance.

He proceeded down the fog-ridden path toward the castle in the distance. It was an imposing structure covered by black tinted ivy. Everything in this place held a black tint; the streets, the building, and most of all—the people. Soon-to-be, his people.

As he approached the massive fortress, the doors glided open of their own accord. The interior was as dark and fog laden as the exterior, dim candles shown upon the rug laden floor he moved across.

“The Dark One will see you in the billiards room.”

Darius stiffened and stopped his progress, turning toward the voice behind him.

No one in sight. What the fuck?

He straightened his shoulders and continued through the foyer and down the hall leading to the billiards room. Again, doors parted and he entered.

The Dark One lounged against the far wall, cue stick in hand. He studied the freshly racked pool table. “You’re in time for a game. Grab a cue, Darius.”

“Yes, My Lord.” Darius retrieved a cue stick from the wall and turned toward the table. The Dark One leaned across it, aiming for the racked balls.

“I hear you have good news for me,” he said as his stick connected with the white ball. On impact, the colored and striped balls rolled toward the corner pockets.

Darius watched in awe. Every ball found its home in a hole, ending the game before it start. What the fuck?! he thought to himself, for the second time in less than ten minutes.

“Well?”

“Yes. My informant gave us accurate information about where the girl lives,” Darius said.

“Have you confirmed this for yourself?” The man stood straight and returned his stick to the rack on the wall. He faced Darius across the table, hands on his hips. The man was intimidating, the thing that nightmares were made of.

“Of course.” I’m not an idiot.

“Well?”

“Well…what?” Darius asked. Standing around a pool table, in such a casual setting should be relaxing, but he was on edge.

“Why isn’t Erebos mine yet?”

Good question. How to answer that without getting his ass set on fire, he wondered. “I’m working on it.”

“Work faster. I’m in need of a new home, this one’s going to shit.” The Dark One stared at Darius, no hint of a joke on his face.

“I don’t plan to drag this out longer than necessary.”

Happy reading everyone! Have a great weekend!

eeeChantelfff