Hi, KevaD! Great to have you here and to be a part of your ongoing tour - I have heard so many fantastic things about Decadent Publishing even though I haven't submitted anything to them yet. They certainly seem to be going from strength to strength - any insider tips for my visitors and I??
Greetings!
I want to thank Ms. Leigh for having the courage and
courtesy to allow me to be here today.
I’m David Kentner, a prize-winning author and journalist. As
KevaD (Dave K backwards), I write mystery, suspense, horror, comedy,
contemporary, historical – pretty much whatever story is demanding to be told.
The one common thread in everything I write is love. I can’t help it. There has
to be some sort of love story or interest, even if that love is a bit
convoluted and perverted. Yes, I’ve gone there. In my short story psychological
horror series Catherine’s Toys, the main character is in physical and emotional
love with his alter ego, the sexually insatiable Catherine. Yes, it’s very
strange, and, no, it’s not an autobiography.
But, that’s why I love writing. Authors have the freedom to
explore anywhere and everywhere our imaginations take us. My stories range from
sweet and innocent to Holy Hannah break out the asbestos gloves – from first
love to an abused sex slave who kills her latest owner and tries to find the
home and family she’s never known and may not have – from contemporary to the
Civil War to a 1955 setting the Historic Novel Society termed “dead on” for
accuracy.
I’m married – my wife reminds me of that fact every payday
when she scarfs up my check – and live in northwestern Illinois about 120 miles
or so due west of Chicago. My secondary hobby these days is buying and selling
farm style antiques. It’s fun. I guess I don’t really need any other reason for
doing it. My primary hobby is writing the weekly national column The Readers’ Writers where I interview
authors for GateHouse News Service. Again, it’s fun. I’ve met, sort of, a lot
of truly wonderful writers who keep me in awe of their work. I suppose, in a
way, I’m an author groupie. Talented storytellers really do fascinate me.
On the reading side of things, I read just about anything
and everything. There isn’t a genre that doesn’t have a place on my
bookshelves, and I enjoy nothing more than discovering a new author who grabs
my attention with their masterful prose and captivating plots. I’m not a fan of
cookie cutter. If the story and characters aren’t original and non-formulaic, I
probably won’t read much past the first few pages. But that’s because I believe
reading should be – here it comes again – fun! If it isn’t, what’s the point? I
love imagination, which brings us to why I’m here today.
My latest release Kantu’s Heart, a time travel romantic
suspense novel published by Decadent Publishing as part of their Western Escape
line – aren’t you glad the commercial break is finished? – is an example of
imagination run amuck.
The story opens with the murders of Kantu and his mate, his
heart, Sanda. They’re cave dwellers who lived and loved fifty thousand years
ago. Kantu awakens in contemporary Freewill, Wyoming. Confused and saddened by
what man has done to the world he knew, Kantu is convinced his ancient deities
are punishing him for failing to protect his mate. That is, until he spots a
woman he believes to be Sanda in the arms of the man who killed her.
Sandra Harn has no idea why the regal, proud, and probably
insane Native American standing in the middle of a rodeo arena has awakened an
intense need within her. After all, the man is offering to fight to the death
the entire Crow Indian nation in order to spare the life of a bull. When the
self-proclaimed warrior suddenly turns and unleashes his unfurled fury on her
male companion, Sandra’s mind screams run, while her body begs to surrender.
Kantu’s Heart is a mixture of historical, contemporary, and
Native American lore and mythology. The real challenge was keeping Kantu’s
appearance in the modern world from eroding to a cartoonish character fumbling
through comical situations. That’s just not who he is. He’s a strong, skilled,
and decisive warrior with little use for insincere words.
Sandra/Sanda was also a bit of a challenge in that she isn’t
aware of her past life, and, because of that, needed a conveyance to bring that
part of her to a level of consciousness. Once more, I drew on Native American
beliefs and provided her the gift of confusing visions that Kantu’s presence
unravels for her.
Thanks for visiting with me. I truly do appreciate it and
hope to see you again.
Title: Kantu's
Heart (DP’s “Western Escape” Series)
Author: KevaD
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Length: 159 pages
Main Sub-Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic
Suspense
Sub-Categories: Erotic
Available
at:
Blurb:
Before
the ice age, warrior Kantu lost his tribe, his mate Sanda, and his life to a
vicious band of cannibals led by his most powerful enemy. He awakens in a world
beyond his comprehension only to find his mate in the arms of her killer.
Misery and strength meld into one goal—to win back his heart and kill his
enemy.
With a
nudge from her gentle guardian, Sandra Harn travels to Freewill, WY, looking
for bargains at the annual rummage sale and, hopefully, answers to her
mysterious past. Once there, visions of a time before the town existed make her
question her sanity. When an exotic stranger with flowing raven hair and a body
she can’t resist tries to kill her companion, logic tells her to run, but her
heart and body have other ideas.
Excerpt:
Sanda’s
gaze dropped to Kantu’s chest. He glanced at his shirt hanging on a fence post
and hoped his skin would not offend her in this world where everyone covered
their bodies.
“How did
you get those scars.”
Her hand
started to reach out to him; she jerked it back and folded her arms under her
bosom. Her nipples dotted the pink of her shirt. Sanda raised her arms to
conceal the delicate rises of flesh he had sucked and licked once upon a time
gone by.
A cloud
of sadness dampened his eyes. He breathed deep to try and clear his mind of the
memory of her breasts, their taste and feel in his mouth, the wetness between
her thighs when he entered her, the tightness of his sac before his seed
flowed. He grimaced and turned his back to her.
“Did I
say something wrong?” Her voice trembled. “I’m sorry if I did.”
“No,” he
said in a constricted breath. “It is not you. The scars are the mark of a
warrior. My father dragged a claw across my body three times - one for each man
I killed my first time in battle.”
“Are you
serious? You killed three men? Were you in the army or something?”
He
clamped his lips together. His eyes burned, and a tear streaked down his face.
This Sanda did not know him at all.
“No.” Her
voice softened to a tuft of air. “You weren’t. I know that. I just don’t know
how I know that.” A barely audible sigh sounded behind him. “I sometimes see
the forest at the MGR before it existed, when it was an open plain. One night
the whole town melted into nothing, and I was alone with grass all around me. I
could feel the dew on each blade.”
Her
fingers touched his shoulder, her natural, wild scent floated into his
nostrils. He rested his cheek on the back of Sanda’s hand. Sparks of desire
flickered through him, a longing to be held by his mate, his heart, quivered in
his chest and arms.
“I know
you, don’t I?” A tremor vibrated from her fingers into his shoulder.
He lifted
her hand to his cheek and turned to face her. Her eyes shone like summer rain
as her gaze drifted back and forth as if searching for something she believed
might be found in his eyes, but couldn’t quite see.
“Yes,” he
whispered.
Video
Book Trailer:
About the
Author:
KevaD
is David "DA" Kentner, prolific author of romance, suspense, horror,
fantasy, and winner of American Mensa, Ltd’s Calliope magazine 18th annual
fiction competition. His weekly column "The Readers' Writers" in
which he interviews famous and soon-to-be-famous authors appears in newspapers
across the country.
When
not writing, shoveling snow, or mowing their 5 acres outside Freeport, IL, he's
trying to explain to his wife the TV has more than SOAP and GAME channels, and
pizza really is a necessary and required food group.
Email: dakentner@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.kevad.net/
KevaD is hosting a fabulous giveaway - go here for the details:
Link to schedule:
Comments?
First, thanks again, Rachel, for hosting me here today.
ReplyDeleteInsiders tips for Decadent Publishing?
Decadent has a number of lines to choose from for both readers and authors. Their 1 Night Stand series are quick erotic reads of the smoking hot kind. There's a heroes line for readers who prefer men who put the "A" in Alpha male. And, of course, there's the Western Escape line my story is a part of. But, Decadent considers stories that don't quite fit into one of their lines either. Like many publishers, Decadent loves originality and a unique, well told tale.
My best advice is to peruse Decadent's lines and see which one is the best fit, then submit a story. The acquisition team will definitely take a look at it.
By the way, if anyone is interested in a FREE erotic anthology, check out Erotic Escapades which contains my short story "One Night Minstrels." Eight authors, eight romantic, erotic stories.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/178676