Donya, welcome to Books-n-Kisses. Can you please share with us a little about yourself

I live in Indianapolis, Indiana, enjoy writing with my window open even when it’s a tad nippy outside, and love listening to all kinds of music when I’m writing. And I’m a huge cat lover.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes. I’ve been writing since grade school, and always knew I wanted to be a writer, but it took me until I was 42 years old to become confident enough in my skills as a storyteller to take the plunge. Thankfully, the risk paid off and readers seem to like the worlds I’m creating. In hindsight, there is really nothing else I could have been than an author. Everything in my childhood, from my hobbies, to school, to the way my mind works, to my tendency to daydream stories inside my head almost nonstop, should have told me to go to college to study creative writing.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I get ideas from everywhere. Yesterday I watched a TV show called 16 and Pregnant, and while the show was still on, I was already developing a story idea in my mind. I can read about bullying in The New York Times and suddenly get an idea for a story or character. Even commercials have sparked ideas. I feel as if I can take any idea, no matter how dark or challenging, and turn it into a good story readers will want to read. I love turning hardships or the unbelievable into emotional character journeys or viable plots readers can see happening.

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

Return of the Assassin is book five in my award winning All the King’s Men Series and is already continuing the award-winning trend by being named a finalist in the RWA Heart of the West contest before the manuscript was even finalized.

In Return of the Assassin, the heroine, an assassin named Gina, has an abusive past that left her barren. Between the traumatic memories of her abuse and the low self-worth at the thought she can’t bear children, she has no interest in being mated again, but when she meets Malek, a flutter of desire sparks to life in her soul that she can’t ignore. But Malek is also dealing with an agonizing past. Malek was once mated, but she died. Now he’s formed a mating link to Gina that he doesn’t want to acknowledge, because he never truly accepted the death of his first mate. Divided between two desires—1) to keep his first mate’s memory intact, and 2) the need to mate Gina—Malek’s mind fractures and he falls into the vampire phenomenon known as suffering. If Malek and Gina can’t move past their fears, they’ll lose each other forever.

Plus, there is a healthy dose of danger and tension as a pair of vicious vampires hunts Gina for blood vengeance. There are lot of twists and turns in this one, and the story was very intricate since so much was happening, but I’m delighted with the final product. Return of the Assassin is a heart-wrenching story of learning to let go of the past to embrace the present and live for the future, and many readers have told me this is their favorite in the series so far, and almost all have said they needed to reach for a box of Kleenex a time or two. I always feel as though I’ve succeeded when readers tell me one of my stories touched them so deeply they cried.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

Return of the Assassin was the logical progression of the series, but a lot of the plot ideas occurred to me when I decided to introduce a bunch of characters into the AKM Series from an old project I worked on but never got published. I loved the characters I created for that other project, and I thought it was a waste that they weren’t going to be seen by readers, so I decided to bring them in. A few of them get introduced in this latest book, but still more will come along later, but all of the new characters have added a wonderful richness and depth to the series, especially my bad guys. I love a good bad guy, don’t you?

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

Of course. I have a few WIPs, but the ones highest on the radar are an AKM mini-prequel that will serve as a lead-in to the first book in the series, Rise of the Fallen. Next year, I’ll begin work on the major prequel, which I’m really excited about. Other than that, book one of my upcoming Mark Strong Chronicles, Good Karma, is in its second round of edits. Good Karma is a contemporary romance with an erotic spin, and I’m in love with my main characters, Mark Strong and Karma Mason. They’re both so playful and witty. Book two of that series, Bad Karma, is in the draft phase, as is the next book in the AKM Series, Bound Guardian Angel. BGA is Trace’s book, and fans have been dying for this one since book one, and from what I’m getting from the characters, it won’t disappoint. I already drafted one of the love scenes, and I think readers will have to peel themselves off the ceiling when they read it.

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

There are so many, but I think I’d like to meet Stephen King, even though I haven’t read but a couple of his books. But he’s the master, and he’s so inspiring. I also like that he says it like it is. People who don’t mince words are refreshing.

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

KNOW WHAT READERS WANT and give it to them. Writing is not for someone who only cares about making him/herself happy and/or rich. There is something known as the writer/reader agreement, and every author who publishes a book enters into it. This agreement states that the author agrees to give the readers what they want and that their story will be well-written, well-edited, entertaining, and will follow the rules specific to its genre (ie. In romance, there is always a happily ever after; otherwise, it’s not romance. In erotica, the sexual relationship comes first, the romance (if any) is second. Each genre comes with a set of “rules” the author must follow or she/he breaks their agreement with the reader). Writers must write with the readers in mind. Those who don’t, fail. So, it’s highly advisable to study good writing technique specific to the genre the author is interested in so he or she can learn what the readers want.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

I would love to be a cat breeder someday. When I was a kid, we had tons of cats, and I loved when a new litter was born. Another item on my bucket list is to visit Italy someday, and the hubby and I want to take an RV and travel across the country. That would be a treat.

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

I can’t wait for Gayle Forman’s next book, the sequel to Just One Day. That book was unputdownable, and I’ve been waiting impatiently for the sequel for months. Forman has become my new favorite author. Another book I’m looking forward to is the final book in The Taker Trilogy by Alma Katsu. The first two books were spellbinding and so well written. She is a gifted writer and a joy to read.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just that Micah wants to say hi to all the ladies out there. He’s a hoot, and right now, in my head, he’s got his shirt off and a bottle of baby oil in his hand, with this wicked, mischievous look on his face, as if he’s teasing everyone that he’s going to oil himself down and do a striptease.*sigh* Micah, Micah, Micah. He’s my most intense character, but also the biggest clown.

*****

Return of the Assassin

All the King’s Men – Book 5

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

3rd place winner – RWA Heart of the West contest

“If you’ve been waiting for the next Black Dagger Brotherhood, this is it…” -GraveTells Review

Assassin Gina Carano doesn’t have time for love. In fact, the last thing she wants is a mate. But Gina can’t stop thinking about Malek, the handsome AKM enforcer she met in Chicago. And now she’s beginning to fear Malek’s memory is the reason for her crippling panic attacks, which have assaulted her relentlessly since she left him.

Malek has never dealt with the centuries-old death of his first mate, but now that he’s formed a new mating link to Gina, he has no choice. Stuck between the agony of mourning and the despair of being without Gina, his mind fractures as he attempts to reconcile the two halves of himself.

When Gina botches a hit on two vicious vampires in Miami, she reluctantly flees back to Chicago, where Malek must choose between the past and the future before he loses Gina forever.

Warning: This book contains explicit sexual content, sensitive subject matter, references to non-traditional/alternative lifestyles, and profanity.

Donya Lynne Bio

Donya Lynne is the author of the award winning All the King’s Men Series. Making her home in a wooded suburb north of Indianapolis with her husband, Donya has lived in Indiana most of her life and knew at a young age that she was destined to be a writer. She started writing poetry in grade school and won her first short story contest in fourth grade. In junior high, she began writing romantic stories for her friends, and by her sophomore year, they had dubbed her Most Likely to Become a Romance Novelist. In 2012, she made that dream come true by publishing her first two novels and two novellas. She has several more stories planned for the AKM Series, as well as two sister series that are in development.

Author Links: Donya Lynne Fan Page | AKM Reader Group | Donya Lynne Profile | Donya Lynne’s Blog | Donya Lynne’s Website

*****

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

I have one e-copy of Return of the Assassin to giveaway.   To Enter please fill out the 1st Rafflecopter below (2nd is for Grand prize drawing)

Grand Prize #1: Coach bag and a $50 Amazon gift card

Grand Prize #2: The newest version of the Kindle Paper White, leather cover (winner’s choice of color), and an AKM blanket

Grand Prize Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway