Writerly Wednesday Welcomes K. S. Brooks!
K S Brooks
Buy Link for The Kiss of Night
Bio:
K. S. Brooks is an award-winning author, photographer and poet. Her work can be found in books, magazines, newspapers, galleries and web sites worldwide. Ms. Brooks started out writing action/adventure, and her first novel “Lust for Danger” was published in 2001. Its prequel/sequel, “The Kiss of Night,” was released on February 1, 2010. The next book in the Agent Night ‘Cover Me’ Series, “Night Undone,” is due out during the Summer of 2011. Ms. Brooks is an advocate of outdoor learning and literacy which is evident in her children’s books “The Mighty Oak and Me” (2009), and “Postcards from Mr. Pish” (2010). The follow-up book, “Mr. Pish’s Woodland Adventure,” is due out this Summer as well. Brooks is author of KSBrooks’ Blog, WriteWriteWrite, and Gluten-Free Gusto Blog, a Founding Blogger at GreenPress.com, as well as a guest blogger for CeliacChicks.com and Celiac-Disease.com. For more information on K. S. Brooks, please visit www.ksbrooks.com.
Blurb:
The world’s top anti-terrorist agent has a new mission: dealing with being forced into early retirement by a debilitating injury. Former Special Agent Kathrin Night fights the demons of her past, present and future while dealing with her new mysterious Russian bodyguard, Agent Aleksey Khovechkin. Sent compliments of the Russian Minister of Defense, refusing his services is not an option. But is Aleksey’s true mission to protect her, or does he have another agenda?
Excerpt:
The next day Kathrin sat at Spokane International Airport’s luggage carousel, her walking stick by her side. She’d never before had anyone glued to her for this purpose. Her injury had exacerbated her lone wolf attitude. Kathrin hadn’t had the opportunity to work with Khovechkin, but she was very aware that he was a highly decorated and deadly agent. He deserved her respect. He had earned it.
The monitors displayed that Aleksey’s plane had arrived. Kathrin was pleased; being in one spot too long really bothered her leg. The passengers began filtering down the ramp. Aleksey immediately stood out; he was the largest, towering far above all the others. Holy crap, Kathrin thought, as his size suggested a thug…or a hockey player, not a highly trained martial arts expert. His black hair and teal eyes commanded you to look at him, and held an intensity that was nearly startling and disarming, edging on anger. She propped herself up from the bench with her cane, hobbled up to him, and extended her hand in greeting. “Welcome to the Inland Empire,” Kathrin smiled.
Aleksey shot her a narrow-eyed glance that would have made a weaker person wet themselves. He marched past her attempt at a handshake. Whoa, she thought, I guess he is angry. He yanked his bag off the carousel then marched towards the exit at Red Army speed.
“What the hell?” Kathrin muttered. There was no way she could keep up with him.
The Russian was waiting outside. “Where is car?” he sneered.
“You keep that up and you’ll walk,” she snapped back at him flawlessly in Russian. That seemed to get his attention. She continued in his native tongue. “What the hell is your problem?”
“I have better things to do with my time than to entertain an American cripple,” he retorted in perfect English, but with a heavy Russian accent.
“Whoa…wait just a minute there Aleksey Vladimirovich Khovechkin,” she replied with a bobbling head, “I understand that this is not the best use of your talents. I told Yuri I didn’t need you or anyone else to babysit me.”
By the cold stare he was sending, it was obvious to her that did not make him feel any better. Kathrin held her ground. “Go home,” she said in Russian as she limped away from him. Once across the street, she stopped to check the reflection in her cane’s mirrored handle. Aleksey was on the phone. Kathrin chuckled. Wearing a wire can be to your disadvantage Aleksey. Home office can hear you…make nice nice with Agent Night now. Kathrin blinked at her statement. She looked down at the cane. I’m not Agent Night anymore, I guess. She grimaced in pain and started forward.
Interview Questions
1.In three days, all electricity is going to be shut off for a very long time. What items are you going to gather in preparation for this event?
I would gather paper, pens, notebooks, a manual typewriter – whatever I could use to keep writing while there was no electricity. In the mountains where I live, there’s plenty of water, and wood for heat – so the next thing I’d collect is food. But paper and pens first.
2.Where did the idea for the work you are promoting arise?
My character, Special Agent Kathrin Night, has been with me for decades. She has many adventures that I planned to write. “The Kiss of Night” wasn’t one of them. The truth is, I was invited to participate in a contest to write a romantic short story which would become part of an anthology, the sales of which would benefit the American Heart Association. The hitch was: it had to be loaded with sex. As this Agent Night story progressed, I became very endeared to it. Thoughts for a new series based on Agent Night’s “post retirement” career began creeping into my mind. I decided that I didn’t want to cram gratuitous sex scenes into the story and that I would take it to the good people at Cambridge Books to see if they would publish another Agent Night tale.
3.What do you like to read?
I read so much when I was a child that it burned me out. I can still be wooed by Oscar Wilde, however, and I devour materials related to anti-terrorism, criminal justice and related sciences, usually online.
4.Tell us about the most exciting place you have ever visited?
That’s a difficult question for me to answer since I’m a closet adrenaline junkie. Anywhere I’m not technically “supposed” to be is super exciting to me. Otherwise, I’d have to say the top of a mountain in Alaska near Talkeetna – I was camping with certified mountain rescue gurus in a pristine and completely wild corner of the world. The only way in or out, really, was by float plane.
5.What is the most mundane, day to day, thing you can share about yourself?
I only put on make-up when I leave the house. And that’s if I manage to remember.
6.What scares you the most?
The thought that some day, my characters may stop talking to me.
7.Tell us anything but keep it G rated.
I can’t stop writing. When I stop typing, the words keep writing themselves in my head. 24/7.
I can’t stop writing. When I stop typing, the words keep writing themselves in my head. 24/7.
K S has been a very interesting guest and again, here is her buy link. Buy Link for The Kiss of Night Thank you K S for such a great post!
Rebecca Forster will be Next Wednesday’s Writerly Guest.
Keywords:
Author K. S. Brooks, action/adventure novels, suspenseful romance, Special Agent Kathrin Night, Cambridge Books, Write Words Inc., The Kiss of Night, Lust for Danger.
Comments
11 responses to “Writerly Wednesday Presents K S Brooks”
Unusual, that electricity question – made me wonder. I grew up with power cuts, so I still keep candles, even though I live in a different country!
Thanks Patricia. I think “The Kiss of Night” is a good bridge between Agent Night’s past (Lust for Danger Series) and her present (Cover Me Series). She’s a tough cookie but she’s got issues. I love to put her in difficult situations and see how she gets out of them. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I agree with others–an intriguing protagonist! I like when both plot and character drive a story. I love what you said about your greatest fear. I hadn’t considered when my characters might stop talking to me. What would I do without them?
Best of luck to you on your release. It sounds like you’ve a great series going here.
Hey Margot, I’m glad you like the tease! I’m sure as a writer you know how hard it is to choose one. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Thanks, Ann! I appreciate your stopping by.
K.S. Your book sounds like it’s just up my reading alley. Your “tease” really hooked me. And what a fun interview. Thanks for those great questions Barbara.
Margot’s Magic Carpet
Books With a WOW Factor
http://perfectmagiccarpet.blogspot.com/
Thank you, Kate! I just updated Agent Night’s site with more information about her and “her” books. http://www.agentnight.com. Thanks for stopping by!
Count me in. Sounds great! Thanks for the heads-up.
Kathrin Night ~ an intriguing protagonist. Thanks Sally for introducing me to K S Brooks. Ms. Brooks, your lyric style so vivid even in this excerpt, I know will take me on an engrossing adventure in reading. Thank you both ~ Write On ^_^
Thanks P.L.! Thanks for stopping by the blog.
This book sounds like one I want to read!