Today, I'm pleased to have a dear friend, Kinley Baker, here to talk about the fantasy books which have inspired her writing. Please check out her recent releases too!
Thank you, Marsha, for allowing me to visit today!
Thank you, Marsha, for allowing me to visit today!
Recently I wrote a post about the top five books that
inspired me. I was very surprised by what I chose. I
won’t go into a lot of detail about that specific post, but the books I chose
were Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The Villa by
Nora Roberts, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and everything by Larissa Ione (but
specifically Lethal Rider).
That’s not to say that I think I write like any of these
authors. I don’t think I do. Of course, I’m not the best judge. I don’t know
how my voice comes across to other people, but I think most of my content is
very different from these stories. But there are certain things I learned from
each that transcends the plot.
For example, I’m pretty sure Harry Potter taught me to
believe in magic.
Twilight captured all my adolescent dreams and reminded
me of those feelings when I read the saga as an adult.
The Villa taught me about passion, intrigue, suspense,
the vital importance of family, and it made me believe in the power of
relationships.
The Giver taught me that the world is socially
constructed, and our limits are only of our own creation.
Lethal Rider and Larissa Ione showed that everyone has
good and bad inside them and pushing our boundaries of comfort can be an epic
adventure.
These inherent truths transcend the books. They’rewhat
molded me into the person I am today. And that is a powerful thing.
Some lessons we learn from books are impossible to
define. Maybe we don’t even realize how they change us until years down the
road. For that reason, I have a hard time criticizing any book. I have trouble
denying that any book doesn’t have value.
There are some novels that I have a tougher time
supporting. But anytime I read a book and it draws me in so I can’t put it down,
I can only be thankful. Compelling books from my past are why I write now.
The dream is to create stories that change people like
the five I mentioned above. You probably recognize a few of the names. And if
you don’t, what are you waiting for?
What’s a book that inspired you?
~*~*~
SHADOWED LOVE, BOOK
TWO
By Kinley Baker
Genre: Fantasy
Romance
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
When invaders brutally massacred the women and children of the
Varner, Caleb witnessed loss and destruction on a scale few can comprehend. As
the leader of a race on the brink of extinction, his only hope for survival is
gaining acceptance into the Shadow Shifter Kingdom. Struggling with new
customs, he meets Tabitha, a woman who challenges his limits.
Refused the right to join the king’s guard because of her gender,
Tabitha must be stronger than the men to prove she deserves to be the first
accepted female Warrior in the kingdom. She believes Caleb will help improve
her abilities, until she learns her goals conflict with the foundation of his
culture.
When the realm is attacked, Tabitha and Caleb must come together
not only to fight, but to find the strength to win against an evil with the
potential to destroy everything they revere most--including each other.
Add DENIED as To-Read on GoodReads!
By Kinley Baker
Genre: Fantasy
Romance
BLURB:
Jessa
is one healing away from death. Under the thrall of her gift, the Court's
Senior Healer risks giving her life in exchange for her patient's.
Vale
is a rebel ruler. When his brother is killed, he's given the throne and the
decree from the Court to produce an heir or lose his family's hold on the
land--and his deceiving advisors aren't afraid to use murder as a weapon if
their directive to stay away from the Senior Healer goes unheeded.
But
Vale burns to possess Jessa. The heat between them leaves a wake of smoke, and
even the powerful forces above want to bind them in a union that lasts forever.
Vale taking another would be a betrayal neither could survive.
Their
enemies fear a child born of such a powerful Healer and Warrior, but the true
threat lies in the bond forged in shadows and fused in fire.
EXCERPT RUINED:
"You."
Fury burned hot under Jessa's skin as she glared at Vale. "Who do you
think you are, demanding I come live in this castle? You can't just order your
guards to enter a woman's home and pack up her things."
"Well,
I did." Vale came around the desk and propped one hip against it, more of
a threatening than casual movement.
"Someone
tried to kill me. It makes sense that I have my Healer close by."
She
released a pent-up breath. "Why couldn't you have explained that instead
of mandating?" Silly. Her imagination had run away with her. The king
needed his Healer. But the realization he didn't want her made her angrier.
"Because
I didn't want to give you the option of saying no."
She
most definitely would have said no.
"If
you would have explained your reasoning, I would have complied. Your safety and
health come first, even if I-"
"Even
if you what?"
"Loathe
you." She bunched her fingers into two fists, seriously tempted to hit
him. For all the nonexistent pain it would inflict upon him.
"Do
you?" His tone deadened with calm. "Because I can't stop thinking
about you."
"That's
normal." She brushed off the claim. "I saved your life."
He
moved in a blur. A true Shadow Shifter. One second he stood near his desk, the
next he had her in his arms, one locked around her waist and one hand tangled
in her hair. Their lips almost brushed.
"I
can't stop thinking about you." His murmur played down her spine, leaving
a tingling trail. His scent invaded her. His voice embraced her like bare skin
against satin sheets.
Her
heart beat fast, her pulse jumped.
She
disliked him, but didn't want him to let her go.
"Have
you been thinking about me?" His soft tone feathered over her flesh.
"Only
how much I dislike you." Lust pulsed in her belly.
He
pulled her head back gently by her hair, so they looked straight into each
other's eyes. Their bodies pressed tightly together. "Liar."
BLURB:
After
mortal invaders slay a Shadow Shifter woman, Queen Ella knows there is more
blood on the horizon. As the most powerful Sensitive in the village, Ella has
always known she’s destined to save the kingdom. But her task seems impossible.
She must move the Well of Souls to a new realm to save her people or risk
failing the Ancestor gods.
The
woman King Falon loves will never love him back, despite a binding marriage
built on regal decorum. Falon’s first duty is to his people, and he only wants
to provide the Shadow Shifters with a safe future. He must assert his power to
gain the respect of the warriors.
Harder
still, King Falon must accept the salvation of his people lies with his own
Queen Ella, a woman who speaks madness... a woman he’s always loved, but hardly
knows.
EXCERPT ~ Chapter One:
The Mortal
Realm, 657
King
Falon looked up at the darkening sky, and a heavy burden settled inside his
chest. Where were their Ancestor gods?
From
his castle balcony, he stared over the hills of his homeland in Northern
Britain, the place the Shadow Shifters had always called home. Their history
and their hearts were embedded in these lands.
The
mortals had always been a danger, but his people had escaped their persecution.
That was no longer the case. The martyrs wanted to annihilate the Shadow
Shifters, a race who thrived in the darkness, who thrived in the shadows, who
thrived in the night.
Holy
believers were coming for them, without any understanding of what they
attempted to fight. The Shadow Shifter village had remained protected on these
hills, with their Ancestor gods watching over them. Now, their existence was
threatened.
“It
isn’t your fault.” The sound of Pavel’s voice came from behind him.
Falon
couldn’t bear to face his oldest friend and advisor. “Then whose is it?”
“We
knew we couldn’t stay hidden here forever.”
“Why
must they attack during my reign? Why must this fall to me?” He sighed. “For
centuries, peace existed for our people.”
New to the throne, newly wed, newly orphaned.
Too many firsts weighed on his shoulders. He didn’t know how to handle the
burden.
Pavel
seemed to read his mind. “The Ancestors would never give you this challenge if
they didn’t believe you capable of discovering a way to provide for our
people.”
His
friend had so much faith in bodiless apparitions. As the Spirit Teacher,
perhaps Pavel had to have faith. But Falon struggled. He’d always struggled.
“That
girl--” He couldn’t finish. Seeing the mutilated body of one of his people had
made bile rise to his throat. His people had looked to him for answers, and
he’d nearly crumbled in front of them.
“You
did your duty per our traditions and honored her family.”
Falon
had done his duty, but the young girl’s face. He’d never forget it.
“When
do you think they’ll come?”
Pavel
sighed. “After their savagery, it could be this night, it could be a fortnight.
I do not have the answers.”
“We
must prepare the Warriors.” To stop his people from being destroyed.
“Then
you’ll fight?”
“What
other choice do I have?” He glared at his friend, freeing his frustration.
“None
that you see.”
“I
don’t have time for riddles.”
Pavel
smiled. “You never did.”
“I’ll
do whatever’s necessary to protect our lands and the Well of Souls. We can’t
afford to allow the mortals access to our sacred power source.”
“I
trust you’ll do what you must.”
His
friend might have too much faith. Falon studied their lands for another long
moment, watching the sun fall into the lure of the mountains.
“Of
course I will.” But when he glanced back again, Pavel was gone. He had a way of
disappearing.
Falon
knew he couldn’t dwell on the events of the past week. A young girl was gone,
killed by bloodthirsty strangers, but the rest of his people remained. He could
not allow her tragic death to befall the whole.
He
strode through his private chambers to an adjoining room, deciding not to use
the shadows to shift so he could take a deep breath and collect himself. After
passing through the doorway, he came to an abrupt halt.
His
breath caught at the sight before him. A woman of supreme elegance stood in the
last flickers of light, staring out at the disappearing sun from her balcony.
Heavy,
thick robes lined her luscious form. Beautiful velvet in a rich blue color fit
snugly to her curves. A crown of entwined flowers sat proud atop her head. Her
delicate profile showed her true regal magnificence.
Light
hair curled down long and brushed against the fabric of her dress. She stood,
ethereal, like an Ancestor goddess in his midst. Perfect. Untouchable.
Supposedly his.
She
didn’t turn to look at him, although he knew she always knew when he entered
the room. This was a woman of ultimate power, the strongest Sensitive in the
kingdom. And one of only a few in the village who seemed to glow with magic.
So
soft. So kind. So distant.
She
was his wife. His queen.
And
so far out of reach. He wanted her with a desperation that made him ache. But
he often thought his wanting of her would be the death of him. He couldn’t
allow it to be the death of his kingdom.
“We’re
expected for the evening meal.” His tone was rigid.
Her
stance remained the same, as if she couldn’t hear him.
“Ella,”
he said.
She
didn’t move.
Ella
made him question himself in a way no one ever had. As a royal and now a king,
he wasn’t used to scrutiny. No one seemed able to read his shortcomings as
easily as his wife.
His
patience frayed. Defiance was not a battle he needed to wage this day.
Especially against the one woman who was supposed to stand by him always. Newly
married and he’d already learned. The wife he’d married for love would never
love him back. And she’d never be on his side.
***
War.
Ella’s blood boiled with the truth. The scent of blood drifted on the horizon.
As the sun faded behind the mountains, her people’s safety faded with it. She
felt this truth as surely as she felt her nails curling into her palms.
Loss.
The wind swirled with it. Inevitable sacrifices lingered in their future, but
she couldn’t define what they risked. Everything inside her yearned to place
the pieces into a discernible pattern, something she could give to the king to
use. But for the first time in her life, answers eluded her.
Were
the Ancestors punishing her? She stared into the angry gray clouds and
questioned. Something she’d rarely had to do. As a Sensitive, she’d always
known the truth. Not now. Everything was changing, evolving, yielding, one day
into the next, a whirlwind she couldn’t stop.
Despair.
She could feel the pain in the air, like a blade suspended in time, destined to
kill through the ages, destined to harm. A tear slid down her cheek. She was
supposed to save her people. She’d always known it. But how?
Kinley Baker is the author of the
fantasy romance series, Shadowed Love. She read her first romance at the age of
thirteen and immediately fell in love with the hero and the genre.
She lives with her husband, Benjamin,
and her dog, Joker, in the Pacific Northwest. Ruined, Denied, and Freed are all
available now from Crescent Moon Press.
Look for a new paranormal romance series
in 2013. As a firm supporter of all supernatural lifestyles, she writes
fantasy, paranormal, and futuristic romances.
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