How far will two sorcerers go to save humanity? Will they give up their lives? Will they give up their hearts?
Blurb
A broken mage. A penitent vampire. Can they put aside the horrors of the past to save each other?
Plagued with erratic. volatile magic, Nicodemus Green focuses his entire life to stop an evil sorcerer who brainwashes or kills anyone in his path to domination. Ten years into this crusade, Nick stumbles upon his former Academy instructor in the Austrian Alps. The strict and pious Byron Domitius has cloistered himself in an isolated manor. Alone and starving, he hates the twisted, damned creature he has become.
A prophecy calls for Nick and Byron to bond by blood to finally bring an end to the sorcerer's hidden agenda. The two are forced to see beyond their shared past, and Nick finds himself desiring more from his old instructor than just his magic. But are these emotions real, or do they come from the heat of their bond?
Excerpt – Stargazing
They stood side by side, almost close, looking up at the twinkling stars. Byron pointed, and Nick followed his finger to the sky.
“Perseus,” Byron said. “Do you see that, the upper right branch of Perseus? Do you know what I’m talking about?”
“I had astronomy with you two years in a row. Or did you forget?”
“I didn’t forget. I nurtured the assumption that you and your gang of goons had more important things to do than pay attention in my class.”
“Goons? We did pay attention. I know the constellation.” He didn’t remember it from Byron’s class, though. They had a Mentor of the Month who lived at an observatory near the top of Mt. St. Helens in Washington, and they’d spent hours staring at the stars. It had been windy and cold, and the sky had been clear, the stars brilliant.
“Fine. That star, the bright one, is Algol. It means Demon Head. Fitting for the constellation that is supposed to hold the head of Medusa.”
Nick hmmed to show he was listening. Byron's voice was soothing, deep and quiet in the dark of night. Comfortable. Safe. “Algol is actually a tertiary star, but the third star is so weak, it puts off little shine. It’s used by celestials as a binary system to imbue power into obsidian.”
“A twin star.” Suddenly invested, Nick gazed up with a sense of wonder. “Is that the power that was in my obsidian, sir?”
Byron nodded, then turned to Nick, his dark eyes fathomless, his face young and smooth and illuminated from above. “Yes. There are two stars there, circling one another. Their individual gravitational pull keeps them in a perfect orbit, tethered in their eternal spin. And together, they are brighter for it,” he said softly, reverently. The air felt heavy, and then Byron faced the sky.
Nick watched his old professor out of the corner of his eyes, unmoving, like a statue, gazing upon the night sky with a depth of sorrow and yearning Nick couldn’t understand, never could understand, even after his years of wandering. He wanted to reach out, touch him, perhaps melt his cold flesh, make him come alive with contact, and then he realized he was staring and thinking inappropriate things.
He cleared his throat.
“Well, I should get back in, Byron. Enjoy your evening.”
Byron slowly looked down at him, a small smile on his lips, not a smirk, but a close cousin like he could read Nick’s thoughts. Felt Nick’s desire like a breeze on his arms.
“You as well.”
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello Wonderful World of Words! Let me start by thanking you for this opportunity to answer your questions. I'm Nat Kennedy and I live on the West Coast, USA. I write mainly gay fantasy with romantic subplots that can (often?) include steamy scenes. My books always include magic, a bit of angst, dedicated and supportive romantic partners, and dastardly bad guys. In the romance subcategory, I always deliver an HEA.
And it is a wonderful world. As being an author, I am also a magician. I grew up harassing my mother with atrocious adverbs, but I'd never thought about being an author. I was always a dirt girl, a tom boy, a farm hand and thought I would do something with animals. But, instead I'm in the city, writing stories in my free time. This is my 'second job', as I work full time as well. I love both dogs and cats, though I'm more of a cat lady now (living in the city.) I still love hiking and camping and for those on my Instagram (@natkennedybooks), you can see a lot of pictures from those adventures.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
Honestly, I've no idea. I'm vegetarian (but so is one of my main characters in the Wielder World, well actually he's vegan.) I am an environmental engineer for my day job. I go on long road trips alone. I'm a gamer (rpgs) and have been since college. I speak (poor) Japanese. I have a good hand at reading the Tarot.
How long have you been writing and what made you fall in love with writing?
I completed my first NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month) in 2004, and that's when I finished my first 'novel' of over 50,000 words. I'd written stories based on my roleplaying characters before, but nothing so long. I always loved how novels took you away from the every day, the horrible grind, the boring or vicious world. I try to write good escapism, which is different for everybody. I think I also started to write the stories I want to read. I mean, don't give me a love triangle... let's just let all three of them be happy together.
What’s your favorite part of writing?
There are many steps to finishing a novel. Ideas brewing, outlining, rough draft, rounds and rounds of writing off of that, fine tune polishing. For me, I think the idea brewing, rough draft writing and fine tune polishing all have aspects I love.
Tell us about your writing style.
I aim for a balance of concise to flowing. I like both. I love purple prose when done correctly. I like deep thoughts for characters. I love sharp action scenes. So, I aim for a balance.
On another note, I usually want to write heroic MCs. I am great with angsty back story or redemption arcs (I love Xena and Rurouni Kenshin.) but I like the character in the present to do the right thing. So, that's certainly a flavor I carry through my books.
Why did you choose to write GLBTQ romance/fiction?
Initially, I liked to lift up gay characters. Often, they were back burner characters and I wanted them to stand in the spotlight. Also, I never liked heterosexual romance because there seemed to be a power imbalance where the woman was always 'lesser'. Too often the women were written in ways that I didn't enjoy. Now, this isn't so true anymore. I should probably give modern romance a try. Voices, styles, tropes are always changing.
Do you write any other genre?
Typically I say I'm a fantasy writer with romantic subplots. That's what I've published so far. I also write science fiction and horror that are not romantic at all, but I haven't published those yet. Someday!
Give the readers a brief summary of your latest book. What genre does it fall in?
Blooded comes out on September 25! It's is a contemporary fantasy with a thick romantic subplot involving a vampire and mage. There are heavy doses of angst and a redemption arc. All of my favorites! Byron (the vampire) and Nick (the mage) are battling against an evil megalomaniac (heroes need an evil counterpart – Sauron, Voldemort, Palpatine) to assure he doesn't gain enough power to rule the world. The real story is about the characters learning to live with the lives the dice have given them. The dice don't seem to be kind, but there is often a silver lining.
Plus I wanted to write steamy vampire feeding scenes. Really, that was what it was all about.
Give us a little insight into your main characters. Who are they?
I'm going to focus on Nick. Nick wants to be a good guy. He’s worried that sometimes, in his past, he hasn’t been. He’s burned out on his decade long hunt for Wormwood, my antagonist, but is still marching forward, because if he doesn’t, who will?
This [edited] excerpt summarizes Nick quite nicely (don’t want to give too much away).
“We are the good guys,” Nick said.
Byron wondered if this was one of those self-searching moments and decided to indulge Nick. “If you say so. Who ever considers themselves on the side of evil?”
“I’m sure Wormwood doesn’t think of himself as good. Remember Vaasa. Wormwood killed the entire student population at the academy there when he couldn’t take captives like he had at my graduation. Do you think he considers that the act of a good man?”
“I’m sure Wormwood wouldn’t even engage in a conversation about this topic.”
“But we are the good guys. We’re fighting the good fight.” It was more of a question now. More of a need.
“Of course, we are.”
Nick’s hand squeezed his own. “We might lose. I—I don’t want to dwell, but we might lose. We don’t know what he has up his sleeve. And it’s got to be something unexpected.”
“If you feel that way, why are you fighting?”
Nick faced Bryon. Byron looked into his eyes, shimmering in the faint light of stars sparkling in from the window. “We have to. Somebody has to. We fight not only the fights we know we can win. We fight the fights that need fighting, no matter the outcome.”
Will we be seeing these characters again? Is this book part of a series?
No, Blooded is a stand alone. I feel like I told their story pretty completely. No cliffhangers.
What genre/s do you enjoy reading in your free time?
I read anything. Seriously. From gay fantasy/romance, to fantasy (contemporary, urban, epic, you name it) to science fiction. Horror was a childhood favorite I still revisit. Mysteries and thrillers are a bit newer for me, and Westerns are the newest. I do find I burn out on a certain style of book and need to switch to something else. Westerns are the 'new flavor' to keep me reading. And I read a classic here or there.
I don't like 'grim dark' or rape/torture focused fiction, and I don't like agenda-focused books (don't preach at me!). So, I guess I don't read anything.
What was the last book you read? What did you like about it?
The last book I finished was “In the Heart of the Fire” by Dean Koontz. Koontz is one of my horror favorites (especially is older stuff that I read in high school.) I loved the vigilante justice of our Nameless hero. He's a guy doing bad things for a good reason. Hmm, I think I see a pattern. I like heroes; I like redemption arcs.
What hobbies do you have outside of writing?
I'm a hiker, birder, biker, camper. I love the outdoors and whatever gets me out there makes me happy! Plus, I do read. Quite a bit. And I guess it boils down to a lot of escapism. :)
THANK YOU
It was wonderful to stop by and share a little about myself with your followers. Thanks for having me!
About the Author
Nat Kennedy writes fantasy fiction of all kinds. She strives to create engaging, plotty romantic stories. In her worlds, Heroes abound. She lives in the Pacific Northwest where the rain keeps the world green. Find her online at natkennedy.com or on IG natkennedybooks.
Join us for the #NewRelease Tour with Guest Post & #Giveaway#blooded #fantasy #mmromance #natkennedyFacebook @gaybookpromotions Instagram @gaybookpromotions @natkennedybooksTwitter @gaybookpromo
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