I'm so pleased to have Lyn C. Johanson here to talk about her new release, Forged In Fire from her Witch World series, and to prove authors can and do argue with their characters! Enjoy! And check out her great giveaway at the end of this post.
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Is it hard to argue with fictional characters?
by Lyn C. Johanson
One would say this shouldn’t be a question at all – they do what you tell them to do, when you tell them. They are the fruit of the author’s imagination after all. And yet…
When I began writing Forged in Fire I had an interesting conversation with Ciaran (the hero). It went something like this:
Ciaran: What do you think you’re doing?
Me: ???
Ciaran: You need to stop or I won’t be responsible for my actions!
Me: I still don’t understand what the problem is.
Ciaran: My book – more specifically, my heroine. That’s what the problem is!
Me: You’ll like her, I promise.
Ciaran: Riiii-iight. A demoness who is referred to as the Green-Eyed Monster. By everyone in the entire Underworld. What’s not to like? I don’t see this ending well for me. I really don’t.
Me: You don’t need to see it. All you need to do is trust me.
Ciaran: Last time I trusted you, I ended up in Hell, of all places. Sorry if I’m not jumping off the cliff. Again.
I lost everything: my siblings and the life I had. I’ve been subjected to one bad situation after another. I watched my freedom being taken away and I didn’t say a word. I endured it because I couldn’t let that demon harm my newborn nephews. But everything has its limits. I may have given my freedom, but not my dignity.
Isn’t that enough for you?
Me: No??? [I ask a bit sheepishly.]
Ciaran: That’s it. I quit!
Me: I only accept handwritten letters of resignation.
Ciaran: And where do you suppose I find a pen and paper in the Underworld?
Me: [Trying not to laugh…]
[Ciaran storms out.]
I'm mean, I know. But this was actually really fun – and believe it or not, that’s how I got to know him. Ciaran wasn’t keen on sharing his feelings with me (if I only knew why), but he argued throughout half of the book; until I discovered what was inside him and he discovered that he should trust me!
Now, let’s just hope he won’t mess up all my hard work.
Forged in Fire
Witch World Series
Book 2
Lyn C. Johanson
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: November 17, 2016
ASIN: B01MEFIZ0A
Number of pages: 326
Number of pages: 326
Word Count: 95 000
Cover Artist: Renu Sharma
Book Description:
Lyn C. Johanson continues her scorching Witch World series with a new story of a human fighting to survive in Hell, and a dangerous beauty who might cost him his soul.
AN EXQUISITE PUNISHER LIVING ON BORROWED TIME…
Desiree ruled a domain swarming with the worst sinners ever to walk on Earth, until her dual nature became too dangerous for the Demon Council to ignore. Now banished, she finds herself intrigued by an enigma she encounters—a decent soul in the land of rotten scum.
A FIGHTER DOOMED TO HELL…
To save his newborn nephews, Ciaran sacrificed his life to spend eternity in the Underworld. Yet becoming a plaything to be used and abused is a fate he is determined to avoid.
A PASSION FORGED IN FIRE…
Temptation stokes the flames in both their hearts and bodies, but when faced with the reality of their circumstances, those flames might burn them both to ash. For in a demon world defined by supernatural abilities, a human must remain a slave, and she—free from any weakness her enemies might take advantage of.
Please note that although Forged in Fire can be read as a stand-alone story, I would strongly recommend reading Till Death and Beyond first, as the world builds from one book to another. Available on Amazon
Excerpt:
“Bow before your master!” One of the guards spat an order.
“I bow before no one,” Ciaran muttered without turning. That was one thing he refused to do. Ever. No matter how many whips sliced his flesh.
Instantly, he felt a fierce blow to his inner knee. His leg bent, and he went down. Ciaran gritted his teeth at the impact with the hard floor, and before the guard could deliver another blow, grabbed for the nearest weapon.
Suddenly fire flashed through the space. As one, the guards sank to the ground, bowing their heads.
“Enough!” Huge eyes appeared in the air, above them.
Ciaran frowned. Stood up.
The eyes narrowed. Green flames consumed the irises, and for a second he thought the room would catch fire.
“Out!” A sharp order rang out, and was followed before the echo subsided.
The moment Ciaran was left alone, shadows began swirling, the eyes got smaller, until a figure stepped out of the darkness. He thought he was prepared for whatever was coming. A two-headed ogre wouldn’t have surprised him, but when the shadows dissipated, and his eyes locked with those of the creature he’d been summoned by, he forgot whatever it was he wanted to say.
Her eyes were no longer round, but almond-shaped, slightly tilted downward toward her straight but narrow nose. Those eyes missed nothing—and right now, they were focused on him. Not burning, but the way her irises caught the glare of light, it appeared to glow with a cat-like luster.
In vibrant copper-red, the strands that escaped her knee-length braid danced like flames against her flawless, porcelain skin, conjuring up an image of a fragile, ethereal beauty.
One look at her, and Ciaran knew there was nothing fragile about her. She radiated power, and he had no trouble seeing why the guards bowed before her. Why everyone was afraid to even mention her name. The raw energy flowing around her was nothing he’d ever experienced. No demon he’d met possessed a smidgeon of it.
He was screwed, he concluded, determined to get this over with as quickly as possible.
“What do you want from me?” he demanded, finally coming to his senses.
She approached, no hesitation in her lithe, tall body. It moved with hypnotizing grace, accentuated by her simple leather pants and top that hugged her like a second skin. If he thought she had power before, it was nothing compared with the sizzle of energy that shot through him when she stretched out her hand, and gently touched his cheek.
It took everything he had to keep his body stone-still. He dared not even breathe. He felt if he did, she could actually bring him to his knees. And as seconds ticked by, her lips curled into a lazy smile, transforming her face from beautiful to stunning. She was a vision—a vision he expected to morph into a nightmare at any moment.
That’s when she whispered, “I want to play.”
About the Author:
A computer science major, Lyn C. Johanson discovered her passion for writing romance stories during the long and stressful months spent finishing her master‘s thesis. It encouraged Lyn to open a new blank page and let her imagination take flight. Several years later, her first romance novel was born.
Her stories transport the reader into the darkly sensual world where the magic of romance meets fantasy. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and sons.
To learn more about Lyn, visit her website at
Tour giveaway
1st prize 1 $25 Amazon Gift Card
2nd prize 1 $10 Amazon Gift Card
3rd prize 1 $5 Amazon Gift Card
JOIN MARSHA'S MAILING LIST and receive a free copy of her paranormal romance story RULER OF THE NIGHT.
Read Marsha's COON HOLLOW TALES of paranormal romance and her ENCHANTED BOOKSTORE LEGENDS for adventurous epic fantasy romance. For a FREE ebook download, read her historic fantasy, LE CIRQUE DE MAGIE, available at Amazon and Smashwords.
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today!
Let this be OUR catalyst:
'The more you shall honor Me,
the more I shall bless you'
-the Infant Jesus of Prague
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God bless your indelible soul.
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