Books-n-Kisses is pleased to Welcome Kallypso Masters to our blog.
Kally, Thank you so very much for stopping by Books-n-Kisses to talk about your Rescue Me series. I am so excited to have you here *squeeekkk*. I have to say a huge thank you for allowing me to advance read Master at Arms, the first novel in the series.
Kally: I’m thrilled to be here, Kelly! You were the first reviewer to ask to interview me for a blog. Such a honor! Thanks so much!
Kelly : *looks around* Looks like it is just me and you today. Shall we get started?
Kally: Wait! Let me see if I can tear the guys away from the Masters at Arms club playroom so they can join us. Hopefully, they won’t dominate the interview. You know how much they command attention. *Kally calls Masters Adam, Marc, and Damián in. Master Adam stands with hands on hips (same pose he’s in on the cover of MASTERS AT ARMS); Master Marc flicks his riding crop against his thigh; and Master Damián glares, hoping to intimidate Kelly. Kally leans over to whisper to Kelly, “Deep down, Master Damián’s really a pussycat. Just don’t tell him I said so.” Oh, now Master Damián turns his glare to Kally.*
Kelly: *Leans over to Kally* they don’t scare me…. *wink, wink*
Q1) Tell us a little about yourself.
Kally: I’m 53 and have been writing off and one for more than 35 years (since high school). My background is in journalism and technical writing/editing, but this is my first novel. I’m happily married (28 years) and have two adult children. This past spring, I decided to quit my day job and try a one-year experiment to see if I can make a living writing full-time. I pulled out my Nobody’s Angel manuscript, which I’d drafted in May 2009, and started editing. Then I realized it was part of a series—and I started writing Masters at Arms to discover how the three masters came to be together and such good friends.
Q2) Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Kally: in 8th grade, I wanted to be a journalist. But I was so shy (I kid you not!) that, when my first assignment for the high school newspaper was to interview the principal, I froze and quit working for the school paper. But I wrote romances for fun. I had a rough childhood and being able to read a romances and watch characters go through all kinds of hell, but still have a happily ever after, gave me hope for my own life. I wanted to write stories like that, too!
I joined Romance Writers of America in the early 1990s, but could never finish a novel. Still don’t know what that was about. Then I went to college, earned a degree in journalism in 2001 (at 44), and went to work as an editorial assistant. That was the job I quit in April after almost 10 years. I had just attended an Artist’s Way workshop and realized this was a shadow-artist job—and a crazymaker to boot. (That’s Artist’s Way jargon.) I was so drained after work that I hadn’t written anything creative in two years. Now when I see people who knew me from that time, they tell me “You’re alive again!” Writing erotic romance is good for my soul!
Q3) How did you get into writing BDSM?
Kally: I attended the annual Kentucky Romance Writers workshop in March 2009 and met a lot of local writers who were writing erotic romances. This was my first foray back into RWA in about 15 years. (We didn’t have erotic romances when I left the association!) I’ll admit, the first thing that caught my attention was how much they were making writing them. Maybe I could make a living writing fiction! So, I went home and wrote one without even reading anyone else’s. (It’s not to be published—at least not without a LOT of work!)
Then I downloaded my first erotic romance—Cherise Sinclair’s CLUB SHADOWLANDS. (I didn’t even have an e-reader yet and read it on my desktop computer in PDF.) Oh.my.God! Amazing! I wanted to write stories like that with strong, loveable Doms! Within a month, I drafted NOBODY’S ANGEL. It was the second novel I finished, in as many months, so I seemed to have gotten beyond that mental block about finishing. But life and work intruded and I wasn’t able to write any others or revised that one until after I quit the “evil day job.”
Q4) Do you see yourself writing in any other genres?
Kally: I think I’ll always have some element of bondage and discipline in whatever I write. For instance, after I finish the RESCUE ME series (with the February 2012 release of NOBODY’S PERFECT), I’ll probably work on a Western historical I plotted it one morning in my Artist’s Way “Morning Pages.” It looks like it will be a ménage, like NOBODY’S ANGEL. In historical novels, it’s socially acceptable for a man to turn a woman over his knee and spank her at the drop of a cowboy hat. And think of those delicious beds with the headboards that just beg to have a woman restrained to them. Whips and ropes were easy to come by, too (pun intended). Oh, and what if there’s a lawman involved and he brings his handcuffs? Anyway, you get the picture. I’ll definitely have bondage and discipline in that one, set in 1883 Deadwood, S.D.
By the way, the other books in the RESCUE ME series are basically m/f—although I don’t always know what the Masters are going to come up with, so we’ll see. For instance, I’m not sure how far Master Damián will go when Karla comes to him for advice on how to become the perfect subbie for Master Adam. (Master Damián’s got a wicked smile on his face—and now Master Adam’s the one who is glaring.) Oh, I can’t wait until I start writing Karla and Master Adam’s story, due out in December! I just put them on the page and see where the story goes.
Q5) Briefly tell us about the Rescue Me series.
Kally: Masters at Arms begins the journey of three men, each on a quest for honor, acceptance, and to ease his unspoken pain. Their paths cross at one of the darkest points in their lives. As they try to come to terms with the aftermath—forging an unbreakable bond—will they ever truly become masters of their own fates? Or would fate become masters of them? (Book One in the Rescue Me series.)
Q6) What is your favorite line or scene in Masters at Arms?
Kally: That’s like asking me which of my children I love most. There are too many favorites. I often put them in my “Six Sentence Sunday” blogs (http://kallypsomasters.blogspot.com), though. Here’s one, though, but actually several consecutive lines that I just can’t break up. This is Master Sergeant (Adam) Montague giving Damián a wake-up call and inviting him to work at the BDSM club he plans to start now that he’s retired:
“Well, last time I checked, most of the ladies at BDSM clubs are more interested in a firm hand and a stiff cock. You still seem to have both of those in your inventory. Sure, there may be some chicks with a foot fetish, but you still have a good one, don’t you?”
Q7) What gave you the idea to write the Rescue Me Series?
Kally: I love stories where the hero and heroine rescue each other. While one might rescue the other physically, there always has to be the emotional rescue, as well. I write about redemption, reunions, and overcoming unspeakable horrors in life to find true love.
Q8) Out of all the Masters who has been the most difficult to work with?
Kally: Oh, that’s a tough one, they’re all a pain in the…. *Kally glances over at Master Marc, flicking the crop again* Um, they like to hold their personal pain inside, so it’s been quite a feat getting them to reveal their secrets. Each time I think one is the worst, then another ’fesses up about something and floors me. But, I’d have to say, it’s Master Marc.
I know, he seems like the most easy-going one. His sense of humor and love of women. Then a beta reader pointed out that he hadn’t grown at all in Nobody’s Angel. Well, HE was really holding secrets from me, one that has really has affected every relationship he’s had since his early 20s. That one is revealed in Masters at Arms, but who knows what else he’s going to reveal as I do the major rewrite of ANGEL?
Kelly: *rolls eyes* I should have guessed… *winks at Master Marc*
Q9) So, now that we know who is the most difficult who has been the most pleasurable to work with?
Kally: Oh, Master Adam. I think I’m a little in love with him myself. *OMG, as Karla would say, did he just wink at me? *MELT* He’s gritty, tells it like it is, but has such a big heart. I call him my guardian of lost souls. I love how he watches over Marc in the hospital, chases away Damián’s night terrors, and keeps watch over the hurting Karla, despite his wayward…thoughts. He seems to have his head on the straightest, too (well, until Karla starts pursuing him in earnest in NOBODY’S HERO). As you know, he’s clueless when it comes to Karla. I think he’s finally met the woman who can help him find his lost soul, even if she is 25 years younger.
Kelly *sigh* Oh Adam, Adam, Adam…. What ever will I do with you? OH I have an idea……..
Q10) What kind of research did you have to do for these books? i.e. the sex scenes?
Kally: My, Kelly, do you have sex on the brain?
Kelly: Who Me? Proceed…. Please….
Kally: I actually had to do a lot more research on things like the Marines, the Second Battle of Fallujah, and the treatment of amputees and casualties. And the places where the story is set. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Surviving incest and being an unwilling sex slave.
The sex scenes just come naturally to me. (Why is it every time I say “come” Master Marc grins wickedly?) *Kally returns her attention to Kelly.* Um, where were we? Oh, yes! Sex scenes. I love to write them. My editor, Jeri Smith, says I write the most awesome sex scenes, too—very hot, but tender. Of course, I do research on some of the BDSM aspects for those scenes in NOBODY’S ANGEL and for MASTERS AT ARMS where Savannah is being tortured. *Kally notices that Master Damián has a very sad look in his eye.* (Kally whispers to Kelly: He’s always wondered what happened to Savannah, but when he looked for her after his discharge and rehab, it was as if she vanished from the face of the earth. So sad. He never got over her.)
Um, I also got quite an education reading Cherise Sinclair’s MASTERS OF THE SHADOWLANDS series. (Highly recommended!) I also found a lot of photos of BDSM equipment and implements in Wikipedia and Google searches. Most recently, I’ve joined the fetlife.com, an online community of BDSM enthusiasts, to read discussions and learn more about the lifestyle, and especially the emotions relating to the lifestyle. As you know, my books are all about the emotions.
Q11) Do you feel that you have learned anything from your characters? If so what?
Kally: Sex should be fun! Get playful with it! Once you’ve established trust, then anything goes—as long as it’s safe, sane, and consensual.
Q12) Any deep dark secrets about the Masters you want to share with me? I won’t tell a soul. *fingers crossed*
Kally: Well, most of the secrets even *I* don’t know yet—until the characters show up on the page when I’m writing. I am not a plotter, although I jot down ideas for scenes and conflicts in my writing journals. They just reveal the most amazing things as I write and journal.
Okay, you will recall the scene where Master Adam is having his fight wounds dealt with by Karla’s mom in her kitchen. (The famous “Karla sees Adam without his shirt” scene from my blog.) Well, Adam’s back is not only scarred from the ambush in Afghanistan that killed Marc’s brother and another man, but he also has made it a memorial to all under his command who have died as a result of the battles he’s led them into. And you’ll have to wait for NOBODY’S HERO to learn how he memorialized them. *Master Adam growls* Well, I hope he’s going to let me reveal that to you!
Kelly: *snickers* I can’t wait to learn more…….
Q13) If you could spend one day doing anything you wanted with any of your Masters, who would it be, why, and what would you do? *leans forward, puts elbow on knees and chin in hands* Details please. *wiggles eyebrows*
Kally: Okay, I did establish earlier that I’m happily married, right? And my beta man is so the antithesis of any of the masters (although some of the sweeter things they do are reflections of my dear hubby).
You know, I’ve given this one a lot of thought. And, truth be told, I think I would go riding through the mountains of Colorado on the back of Master Damián’s Harley. I’ve never been on a Harley and have really been wanting to experience that. I hear it’s quite exhilarating—and sensual. My hubby gave up his motorcycle (a Honda) before I met him. So, this will probably remain a fantasy. *Master Damián smiles wickedly and gives Kally a virtual tip of the hat.*
Kelly: *winks at Damián *
Q14) Tell me the one book you think everyone should read.
Kally: The one that has changed my life most recently—for anyone wanting to recover his or her creativity—THE ARTIST’S WAY, by Julia Cameron. It was a workshop for that book in late March, and the resulting “Morning Pages” and “Artist’s Dates” (two of the tools taught in that book), that I was able to recover my own creativity. The result is MASTERS AT ARMS and my new career as a writer. But this book isn’t just for writers—it’s for anyone wanting to reconnect with that inner child who doesn’t care what anyone thinks about what she or he creates. Anyone who just wants to create for the sheer joy of it all. I know I write first and foremost for myself. If what I write moves me, then maybe it will move someone else. But, that book opened new doors for me, just at a time in my life when another one was closing.
Q15) Tell me what is up next in the Rescue Me series?
Kally: In September, NOBODY’S ANGEL, Master Marc’s story. He’ll meet his lady love while pulling Dungeon Monitor Supervisor duties at the Masters at Arms Club. But she gets away and when he finds her again, she seems more interested in his non-Dom Search-and-Rescue partner, Luke.
In December, NOBODY’S HERO will share Karla and Master Adam’s romance. Karla fell in love with Adam that Thanksgiving morning nine years earlier. Then, in the depths of her own grief, the person she runs to is Adam, who made her feel so safe before. Karla is not at all into BDSM, but she solicits the club’s subbie trainer, Master Damián, to teach her in private how to be the perfect sub for Adam. Master Adam, of course, is tortured by his attraction to her, trying not to give in to his baser needs and take advantage of the innocent Karla. But when he sees her with Master Damián, he suddenly feels the need to protect her from his surrogate son, the sadist. So, she’s definitely going to test the bond between Adam and Damián, just as Karla’s limits are tested and explored in the BDSM lifestyle!
Then, in February, Master Damián and Savannah (now Savi), will find each other yet again in NOBODY’S PERFECT. Secrets will be revealed and they will be thrown together in a desperate situation. Master Damián will try to break through Savi’s stronger-than-ever fortress walls and get her to experience what they did on that perfect day at the beach cave all those years earlier. But they’ll soon see that neither of them is the same as the 19-year-old they had been then, and will have to find ways to adjust their needs and sexual appetites, as well as deal with trust issues resulting from too many secrets in the past, and so much guilt.
Q16) Is there anything else you would like to share with me and my blog followers?
Kally: If you enjoy reading full-length erotic romance novels with lots of emotion (you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and sometimes you’ll scream), then I think you’ll enjoy the Rescue Me series. And, if there’s a secondary character you meet along the way who you think should have his or her own romance, just e-mail me at kallypsomasters@gmail.com and let me know! I can see this series continuing beyond these first four books. You can follow along at my blog with excerpts on WIPs and other craziness at http://kallypsomasters.blogspot.com. And feel free to friend me on Facebook (Kallypso Masters) or follow me on Twitter (@KallypsoMasters)!
Books-n-Kisses: Thank you, Kally, for stopping by my blog and sharing your Masters and the Rescue Me series with me and my followers. I hope to have you back when each of the romances in the series is released. I would love to interview each of the Masters before his book comes out, if they’re feeling up to it…. *wink, wink*
Kally: Well, they were a little quiet today, but I can just see the wheels turning in their heads. I think they’d like that very much. *Kally hears someone growl and wonders which one is balking at the idea.*
Kelly: I think they are afraid I might top them or something… *snickers, hehe* I girl can dream right…. *winks & blows a kiss at the 3 Masters*
Q17) Oh, one last question Kally. Do you think we should give away a copy of Masters at Arms to one of my followers?
Kally: I thought you’d never ask! I’d love to! Please comment below, including your e-mail address and we’ll select a lucky winner on August 15th.
Giveaway Time
You heard the Girl…
Leave a comment along with your email (VERYIMPORTANT PART)
We will pick a winner on Monday August 15th
if my new Facebook Page Books-n-kisses makes it to 100 likes by Monday morning I will giveaway a second copy of Masters at Arms
if my new Facebook Page Books-n-kisses makes it to 100 likes by Monday morning I will giveaway a second copy of Masters at Arms
Great interview. I haven't read any of the books before but will add this to my TBR list. Thanks for the giveaway.
truebloodfan AT rock.com
Very nice interview. Beautiful covers on your books too! I'm always on the lookout for new authors to enjoy and hot stories to read, so will def. be picking up somthing of yours. :o)
Michelle
bettina142@juno.com
Love the covers. Fab intervew, too. Thanks a lot for the giveaway!
Count me in 🙂
sk_86(at)gmx(dot)de
Awesome interview!! Loved it!!
What an amazing interview. I'm do excited for this series. Congrats, Kally <3 xx
hgamergirlATgmailDOTcom
Great interview. I'm really looking forwarding to reading this! 😀
Oh! Here's my e-mail;)
daniellehurrell@yahoo.com
this is a new author for me, but one that I'm going to have to discover. I LOVE when characters are brought in for an interview – cracks me up every time.
Jacki
shelby15@clearwire.net
Thanks, all! Keep the comments coming!
Amy, this is my first book, so you don't have to look for a backlist. LOL
My cover artist, Linda Lynn, is a personal friend and Nobody's Angel was the first one she ever did (as a favor to me). She's amazing and this might be her next career!
Jacki, they have me anxious to see what comes out of their mouths during their character interviews! (Not necessarily anxious in a GOOD way, either! Maybe they're just playing mind games with me–as all good Doms do. 🙂
Wow! Incredibly awesome interview! Looking very forward to reading this series Kally. You've impressed me and that is not an easy thing to do! 🙂
Please enter me in the draw. Would love a chance to get started on some pleasure reading!
Off to like your new page for a second chance!
Yours,
Gina
Ginakincade@naughtynightspress.com
Great Interview! Thanks for giving us the opportunity to win!
Kushka4paws@yahoo.com
Beth
"Well, last time I checked, most of the ladies at BDSM clubs are more interested in a firm hand and a stiff cock. You still seem to have both of those in your inventory. Sure, there may be some chicks with a foot fetish, but you still have a good one, don’t you?”
I remember that snippet from your Six Sunday post. What a hoot! I'm looking forward to reading Master at Arms. It sounds great.
Great interview.These books sound awesome.They are going on the TBR list. Can't wait to read the Masters interviews when their book come out and get to know them better 🙂
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
LOL, Cara! No pity-parties with Master Adam! Yup, that's one of my favorites. And so is he!
Loving all the comments! Thanks, y'all!
Kally
Loved this interview of Kally, Kelly. Wish the Masters had decided to actually come out and "play" with us though. 😉
I also encourage everyone who hasn't read Masters At Arms to go get it. It is a very unexpected delight!!
everitnm (at) hotmail (dot) com
Thank you for the interview and the chance to win a book. 🙂
Great intervew and giveaway.. never read any of this author's book but I am looking foward to now.. I love finding new authors to read. Shannon S.
calitigerlilly@yahoo.COM
Thanks to everyone who posted! What a great response!
Congrats to the winners. (I don't know if I'm supposed to say who they are here–but Kelly announced it elsewhere in the blog.
Now I need to get back to Master Marc. Angelina's just come out of deep subspace to find that she's not in the arms of an angel, but a wolf. 🙂
Kally