Spotlight & Giveaway: To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Katherine Quinn to HJ!

Hi Katherine and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, To Kill a Shadow!

 
Hello HJ!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

To bring the sun back to her cursed kingdom, a warrior and a handsome commander must venture into a monster-ridden fog in the first installment of this sweeping, romantic fantasy.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Few people knew that the night spoke.
Even fewer knew how to answer when it did.
Right then, it was taunting me. The hissing winds and the bloodred moon caused the hair on the back of my neck to rise, the crimson halo an omen of the cruel grief that would soon reach into my chest and make a home there.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I wrote the first (rough ) draft in two weeks
•  Jude is my favorite MMC I’ve written
• I was inspired by my nightmares
• This book became my personality for a year
• I secretly enjoy writing the gruesome scenes the most

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

Jude and Kiara both have scars–both visible and hidden. In my mind they sensed a kinship in one another right from the start, and the magnetic pull between them only grew as the story progressed and secrets were reveled.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

1. Magnetic
2. Slow burn
3. Forbidden love
4. Fiery
5. Heartbreaking
 

The First Kiss…

Now, with her under me, it was a damned miracle I could form any coherent thought at all.
“I’m flattered, Jude,” she sneered, though I noted how her voice wavered. “If only I could return the favor.”
I smirked as the silver of the blade flashed in the soft moonlight. Without breaking contact or losing my hold on her, I sheathed the weapon.
I lowered my mouth to her ear, her hair tickling my cheek. “I’d imagine you would rather enjoy that. Perhaps too much.”
I had just raised my head when she struck.
Her lips captured mine, the force of her kiss catching me off guard.
I groaned into her mouth, stunned beyond belief, but not disappointed by the turn of events. Kiara let out a breathy sound, and my entire world tilted on its axis.
Gods, her lips were just as soft as I’d imagined, just as plush. Kiara tasted like adventure itself, like a wine I’d happily grow drunk off.
I brought my hand to cup her cheek, the other winding around to the nape of her neck. My fingers fisted her silken hair, gripping the strands and pulling her impossibly close.
A soft sigh escaped her, and I felt her melt into the kiss, into me, as her hands traveled to my chest, her fingers clutching the thin fabric of my shirt, her grip unrelenting and desperate.
For a moment we were suspended in time, where the only reality that existed was the sensation of our lips moving as one. Gods, we fit together so perfectly, like we’d been created solely for the other—

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

This scene was by far my favorite. It’s the moment after the characters truly open up, exposing all of themselves to the other without fear.

Snippet:

“You wear your scars well,” I said, echoing the words she’d once told me. “If anything, they draw me to you.”
Her head gradually rose, a beautiful kind of wonder painting her stunning features. Carefully, I lifted one of her hands to my mouth, pressing a kiss upon each finger, each twisting mark. She trembled in my hold, but I continued, my lips expressing what words failed to.
Before I could make my way to the inside of her wrist, Kiara thrust her fingers into my hair and yanked me close, our noses brushing. She inhaled my every exhale, and I breathed in her trust, her fears, her doubts.
And then I lowered my mouth to hers and captured her lips.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

There’s this scene where Jude shares the truth of how he became a Knight and some of the horrid acts he’s been made to commit. It’s the first time he allows himself to be vulnerable, and I love how he releases his truth so easily with Kiara. In her, he sees his redemption.

Snippet:

“For such a tiny person, you carry an obscene amount of confidence.”
She scoffed at my astute assessment.
“I suppose we’re lucky we’re both here to balance one another out.”
That last part slipped out. But it held enough truth that she grinned, the pure genuineness of it devastating me. I dug my nails into the flesh of my palms. The bite of pain did nothing to break her hypnotic hold, so I pressed harder.
I’d killed and tortured men, had their blood paint my face and hands.
I could ignore their desperate begging, turn off my emotions as they screamed for the pain to end. For me to end it.
But one spirited girl could send me to my knees.
Kiara didn’t seem to notice my struggle. “Together, we make one almost stable individual,” she replied, repressing a snort.
I wondered what her laughter would sound like if she truly allowed herself to be free. If the weight of this world wasn’t so devastating.
That magnetic pull I’d failed to fight pulled us together, and as if an invisible string was tethered between us, we drew closer. Kiara’s face hovered but inches before my own, and a burst of adrenaline prickled at my insides, a fiery heat coiling in my stomach.
The rest of the world could go screw itself.
I hardly noticed the others playing their card game, hardly made out their voices.
I forgot about all the reasons I shouldn’t be talking with her, leaning into her body, allowing my baser desires free rein.
I forgot myself, and therefore, I lost control over my mouth.
“You are what I imagine the sun to be like,” I whispered so softly I wasn’t sure she could hear the admission. “Fiery. Beautiful. Damning.”
She didn’t reply, didn’t move. But her eyes… They fell to my mouth, a rosy blush creeping up her chest and to her neck. The instinct to lean down and taste her heated skin had my hands twitching, my control slipping.
I shouldn’t have even said those words, but it was too late, so I hastily added, “Don’t have anything to say now, Kiara?”
She shivered as I spoke her name, which came out as a raspy plea.
All the cockiness, the swagger, had been wiped from her features. I had the impulse to close the distance and see if she tasted as I remembered. It had been too brief, that kiss. If anything, it had been a tease of what might happen should we both give in, which was probably why I was acting against Isiah’s warning.
I’d never wanted anyone as badly as I did her, and how she looked at me—like I was a hero, a man worthy of her respect—had grown addicting. I wanted to drown in that look and never come back up for air.

Readers should read this book …

…If they enjoy romantasy with a tinge of horror.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m working on another YA fantasy duology with Entangled Teen that speaks to my background. Of course, it includes a strong heroine and a sarcastic anti-hero. There are also two books on the back-burner: one is a whimsical YA, and the other, a fantasy, murder mystery NA–which I am excited to explore more!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Signed copy of To Kill a Shadow

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: The Mist is filled with your greatest fear. What would you see out in the cursed lands of Asidia?

 
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Excerpt from To Kill a Shadow:

Bursting to the surface, I sucked in air, reality crushing me with every sharp inhale.
It was the growl of a curse that had me jerking my head around, my wet hair coiling around my shoulder. I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips.
Behind me, with his hands stilled on the button of his trousers, stood a bare-chested Knight.
I joined him in his cursing, dipping below the water and covering my breasts with my scarred hands—though that was hardly necessary, as I doubted he could see through the dense layer of mud and foam.
I was helpless to do anything but ogle him, my eyes traitorously slipping to his toned stomach, which I was stunned to see was covered in pink scars and raised lesions. They traveled across his rippling abs and dotted his pectorals, some of the wounds not fully healed.
But his face…
In the low light of the torches, I took in his features—a masterpiece and a thing of ruin. He was young, likely a year or two older than my eighteen years.
Straight raven hair tumbled across his forehead, playfully curling around his ears. The hazy yellow glow of the flames highlighted his cutting jaw and high cheekbones, which could have been weapons all by themselves. And his lips, well, I’d never seen a man with such full lips before, yet somehow, they fit him well.
But it was the left side of his face that added to his unearthly beauty. Two red scars—starting above his eyebrow and ending at his razor-sharp cheekbone—cut across his eye, which was nearly devoid of a visible pupil and held a milky-blue hue. The color was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, but beneath the clouds of roiling ash and shadows, beyond the mystery of his stare, was a spark of fire, its light fighting to break free from the darkness. A look I sometimes recognized in my own reflection.
He captivated me wholly and without apology.
“What are you doing here, recruit?” he barked, dropping his hands to his sides, a look of surprise granting him a boyish glow.
I squeaked in reply, water sloshing around me as I angled my feverish body, all the while scolding myself for admiring him.
“I was told I could come here after dinner and bathe. In private,” I enunciated, regaining what little composure I had left.
There wasn’t much to work with.
The Knight showed no visible reaction to my words, but his eyes flickered to the stone floor. I might have been mistaken, but his pallid cheeks appeared washed in pink.
“I see,” he ground out, a note of agitation deepening his voice. Hesitantly, he raised his gaze, his tone severe as he said, “Well, I usually reserve this time for myself.”
“Then it appears as though we have a problem.” I spoke without thought, though fire burned in his brown eye as though he secretly enjoyed the challenge as much as I did.
He was a distraction, and gods knew, I needed one.
He shoved his hands deep into his trouser pockets, leaning back on his heels. I kept my attention on his brooding face, denying myself glimpses of his strapping physique.
I wondered who he was. If he were some grunt or an illustrious officer. Based off his many scars alone, I suspected he’d been with the Knights for some time.
“For a recruit, you’re awfully brave,” he muttered, his nostrils flaring slightly.
I shrugged. “Isn’t that the whole point? If I wasn’t brave, what use would I be to the king? Though, I suppose even the brave die out there.”
His right eye darkened. “Perhaps brave isn’t the right word for you, then,” he remarked dryly, assessing me with cold detachment.
Cocking my head to the side, my smile grew shrewd, and I savored every thrum of my wildly beating heart. “If you’re insinuating that I’m dim-witted, then maybe it’s you who should embark on some inner reflection.”
Dropping my hands from my chest, I rose dangerously close to the top of the dense water. That tinge of pink on his cheeks deepened.
I had his full attention.
The Knight held my gaze, his milky-blue eye a cloud of mystery. Something flashed across his face, and I might have believed it to be intrigue, had I been in my right mind.
I doubted a recruit had ever spoken to him this way, especially face-to-face. But a little scarring wasn’t enough to frighten me, of all people, away, and the adrenaline that came with challenging him gave my lungs new life.
“I’m more than open to share.” I smiled, feeling bold and altogether unhinged. “If you’re still wishing to utilize your scheduled bath, that is.” It was a taunt, nothing more, but my heart plummeted as I awaited his response.
“I take it back.” His muscled arms rippled as he crossed them over his chest. “I do believe there to be a third option, little recruit.”
“And what is it you think now?”
The Knight and I faced off, neither one of us breaking contact. But I never received his answer. Instead, he turned around abruptly, giving me his equally muscled back. An onyx tattoo twisted around his shoulder, three interwoven circles with odd, vine-like branches curving around the loops. It was a shame he was too far away for me to get a decent look.
“I’ll be back in five minutes. I expect this room to be empty upon my return.”
I stared, open-mouthed, as he marched away, his steps heavy.
Either I hadn’t learned my lesson, or I simply wasn’t done playing, but I opened my mouth one more time.
“Wait!”
His boots froze, though he kept his back to me. It wasn’t an altogether displeasing view, I hated to admit.
“What’s your name?” Besides Sir Tall-Rude-and-Growly?
His shoulders tensed, the only sign he heard me. “Commander Jude Maddox.”
Shit. All air rushed from my lungs.
The commander.
I’d just verbally sparred with the damned Hand of Death, the same man who’d taken me in place of Liam. I hadn’t recognized him without his helmet.
“Five minutes, recruit, and this better not happen again.”
And then Jude—Jude Maddox, Commander of the Knights—was gone, leaving me speechless for the first time in my life.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Jude Maddox knows nothing of love or even light. He knows only his grim duty as the Hand of Death, to lead the Knights of the Eternal Star into a land filled with nightmares and certain demise. It’s only when he sees her ―a young woman with wild, amber eyes who’s as fierce, defiant, and swift as the shadow beasts themselves―that he feels the warmth of life in his blood…

The other Knights may fear their lethal commander, with his hard, merciless demeanor. Outcast Kiara Frey sees only a leader, a man who knows how to survive. Someone like her . But wanting him is as treacherous as the shadows themselves…and just as seductive.

With a kingdom on the verge of collapse, the Knights must now venture into the darkest heart of the land and uncover the secrets of the misted shadows, where evil will prey upon their minds and feast on their flesh.

It will betray their senses.
It will surpass their nightmares.
Most of them will die.

But they have no other choice. Because the only way to fight the darkness… is to become it.
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Meet the Author:

Katherine Quinn is a fantasy romance author and poet. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in psychology. She resides in Houston, Texas with her husband and three children.

Her love for writing began after she read her first fantasy series, Song of the Lioness, by Tamora Pierce. After that, she wanted nothing more than to be a dagger-wielding heroine. Unfortunately, it’s frowned upon to give a child a dagger, so she settled on writing about daring adventures instead.

Coffee is her true love, and she believes anything can be fixed with Starbucks and dark humor.
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