Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Lindsey Piper to the blog for her 1st visit.  We are talking about her cats, her new series and bucket list.

Lindsey, can you please share with us a little about yourself?

I love television from Say Yes to the Dress and Hannibal, I’m a huge fan of Indian food, I have three cats who are currently in a turf war, and I married an Englishman when I spent my junior year of college at the University of East Anglia.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Of course! But I’ve also wanted to breed Siamese cats, be an EMT, draw comic books professionally, and become a rodeo barrel racer. All of them are rather far-fetched, but “author” stuck with me the longest.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I need music. Need it. I feed off the energy and tone of a set of songs, and I have a playlist for every book I’ve written. When I’m writing, I hate to hear the click of keys, so Bose-style noise-canceling headphones are essential.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

CAGED WARRIOR is the first of the “Dragon Kings” series, about a demon race on the brink of extinction. Some of these extraordinary individuals fight in Cage matches at the behest of human cartels in order to pay off debts or to earn the ultimate prize: conception. One particular cartel has developed a means of giving the Dragon Kings a fighting chance at perpetuating their bloodlines, but the price is steep. This debut tells the story of Leto, a warrior raised from birth in the Cages, who is forced to partner with an untrained woman fighting to rescue her abducted son. But change is on the horizon—a prophecy that says the Great Dragon, their deity, is preparing to return.

As a note, the series has a .$99 prequel novella called “SILENT WARRIOR.” The pair of lovers from that novella play a significant role in CAGED WARRIOR.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I saw the movie Warrior with Tom Hardy and became fascinated with UFC-style cage fighting. That seemed the ultimate arena for macho guys to square off, and for women to take them by surprise. The inclusion of paranormal powers probably stems from my long-term love affair with the X-Men comic book series (long live Gambit!) and my children’s current fascination with all things dragon.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I’m currently in the middle of the series’ third installment, HUNTED WARRIOR, which features the head of the Five Clans and an a (hopefully) surprising partner. It’s due out from Pocket in summer of 2014. Whereas CAGED WARRIOR takes place almost entirely within the underground world of the Cages, its sequel BLOOD WARRIOR (due out July 30), travels from the Himalayas to the Highlands of Scotland, and HUNTED WARRIOR jaunts from Crete to the banks of the Thames in London—with all characters compelled by the prophecy “the chasm isn’t fixed.”

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

I’ve been very lucky that in my involvement within the romance genre, I’ve met a number of my romance favorites including Kresley Cole, CS Harris, Laura Kinsale, and Susan Wiggs. That leaves literary fiction, where I’d be flabbergasted to meet Ian McEwan, who wrote Atonement, which was adapted into a film starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

You have a story worth telling. Tell it to yourself first. Leave all other considerations aside. Believe in yourself, but don’t become so arrogant or bitter that you start to think you have nothing else to learn. I’m still learning, after twenty-some published novels.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

Walking the see-through walkway that juts out from the Grand Canyon, and visiting Sorrento, Italy (where I set a short story) and Salzburg, Austria (where I set my first novel). That’s about it, for now. I am at a point in my life where my “bucket list” is more like a “career ambitions list,” with the rest of it very content.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I’m currently reading the Game of Thrones massive-ology, which will take me another six years to finish. By then I’ll be so far behind on my favorite authors that I’ll have to have drinks with them at the RWA National conference and have them summarize for me!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by! And if you enjoy CAGED WARRIOR, be on the lookout for BLOOD WARRIOR on July 30. Should you be attending RWA Nationals, I’ll be signing. Please stop by and say hi!

*****

SILENT WARRIOR

The Dragon Kings, Prequel Novella

Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Publisher:  Pocket Star
ISBN: 978-1476713250
Only 99¢!
Available at:  Amazon | Apple | B&N | Books-a-Million | Google | Kobo

Add to your Goodreads Shelf 

A silent woman ashamed of her criminal background becomes a Cage warrior to seek redemption. An unrepentant fortune hunter will do anything to escape his mounting debts. Although rivals on the streets of Hong Kong, they find common ground when seeking their clan’s stolen idol, but for vastly different reasons. Neither one suspects that love will begin when he becomes the first man in five years to hear her speak.

 *****

CAGED WARRIOR

The Dragon Kings, Book 1

Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Publisher:  Pocket Star
Print ISBN: 978-1451695915
Available Now: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Books-a-Million | Powell’s

Digital ISBN: 978-1451695946
Available Now: Amazon | Apple | B&N | Books-a-Million | Google |

 Ten years ago, Audrey MacLaren chose to marry her human lover, making her an exile from the Dragon Kings, an ancient race of demons once worshiped as earthly gods. Audrey and her husband managed to conceive, and their son is the first natural-born Dragon King in a generation–which makes him irresistible to the sadistic scientist whose mafia-funded technology allows demon procreation. In the year since her husband was murdered, Audrey and her little boy have endured hideous experiments.

Shackled with a collar and bound for life, Leto Garnis is a Cage warrior. Only through combat can Dragon Kings earn the privilege of conceiving children. Leto uses his superhuman speed and reflexes to secure the right for his two sisters to start families. After torture reveals Audrey’s astonishing pyrokenesis, she is sent to fight in the Cages. If she survives a year, she will be reunited with her son. Leto is charged with her training. Initially, he has no sympathy for her plight. But if natural conception is possible, what has he been fighting for? As enemies, sparring partners, lovers, and eventual allies, Leto and Audrey learn that in a violent underground world, love is the only prize worth winning.

*****

BLOOD WARRIOR

The Dragon Kings, Book 2

Publication Date:  July 30, 2013
Publisher:  Pocket Star
Print ISBN: 978-1451695922
Pre-Order: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Books-a-Million | Powell’s

Digital ISBN: 978-1451695953
Pre-Order: Amazon | Apple | B&N | Books-a-Million | Google

As a young man, sarcastic, violent Tallis Pendray believed the Dragon Kings’ survival depended on a prophecy delivered in dreams by a woman named “the Sun.” His role has been to complete inexplicable, even reprehensible tasks. First, by murdering a priest, he united his fragmented clan in their hatred of him. Dubbed “the Heretic,” Tallis fled his family’s Highland estate. Now disillusioned, he seeks revenge on the woman he holds responsible for two decades of exile.

Telepath Kavya Indranan is a charismatic, seductive cult leader born to a prominent family. However, she grew up terrorized by the ominous threat of her powerful, insane twin brother. On the run and hiding among the poor, she witnessed the destruction wrought by her clan’s centuries-old civil war. Maturity nurtures Kavya’s determination to end the cycle of bloodshed. Those who follow her call for peace have nicknamed her “the Sun.”

Bent on revenge, and without knowledge of Kavya’s noble intentions, Tallis kidnaps her on the eve of her groundbreaking announcement. The two watch in horror as her twin brutally smashes the tentative truce…and hunts the sister whose death would make him invincible.

Kavya is the Sun–revered, untouched, and bound by a lonely destiny that promises a deadly showdown against the last of her family. Tallis is the Heretic–despised and exiled because of actions that seem random, heartless, and contrary to the safety of the clans he protects. She’s not a goddess, and he’s not a natural born killer. A desperate trek from the Himalayan foothills to the Scottish Highlands reveals two secluded souls hidden by bloody reputations. Will their trust be strong enough to avert an all-out war that could destroy them, and their kind, forever?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lindsey Piper is the alter ego of an award-winning historical and contemporary romance author. Her hotly anticipated DRAGON KINGS series is her first foray into paranormal fiction. She lives and writes in Chicago.

You can find more info on Lindsey’s Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads pages.

GIVEWAY DETAILS:

Lindsey is giving away the following prizes when the tour ends:

GRAND PRIZE:  $25.00 Gift card to Amazon, an eBook of SILENT WARRIOR and a paperback of CAGED WARRIOR

2ND PLACE: 5 winners will each receive a paperback of CAGED WARRIOR and SWAG

3RD PLACE:  5 winners will receive an eBook of SILENT WARRIOR

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lindsey Piper’s CAGED WARRIOR Blog Tour Schedule

June 24 – July 8

6/24 – Book Monster Reviews

http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

6/25 – Sassy Book Lovers

http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/

6/26 – Book Pages & Dripping Ink

http://bookpagesanddrippingink.blogspot.com/

6/26 – The Jeep Diva

http://thejeepdiva.com/

6/27 – Ramblings From This Chick

http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/

6/28 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind

http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/

6/29 -Mad Hatter Reads

http://madhatterreads.blogspot.com/

6/29 – Fandom Fanatic

http://fandomfanatic.blogspot.com/

6/30 – Crazy Four Books

http://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com/

7/01 – Books-n-Kisses

http://www.books-n-kisses.com/

7/01 – Wicked Readings by Tawania

http://www.wickedreadingsbytawania.blogspot.com/

7/02 – Book Lovin’ Mamas

http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/

7/03 – Books, Books & More Books

http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/

7/03 – Paranormal Romance Fans For Life

http://paranormalromancefanforlife.blogspot.com/

7/03 – You Gotta Read Reviews

http://yougottaread.com/

7/04 – Scorching Book Reviews

http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.com/

7/05 – My Secret Romance

http://www.mysecretromancebookreviews.com/

7/06 – Page Flipperz

http://pageflipperz.blogspot.com/

7/08 – Offbeat Vagabond

http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/