Unwrapping: Interview with KC Klein + Giveaway

I'm very excited today, I know it's Wacky Wednesday but this is special because we have a very special guest with us - KC KLein, author of DARK FUTURE, a sci-fi/urban fantasy romance. DARK FUTURE is her very first published novel and she's agreed to give away one e-book copy to one lucky commenter.  So I hope you will make her feel very welcome.

When I first read the back cover of DARK FUTURE, I knew I was interested but had no idea just how much I was going to enjoy this action-packed, fast-moving story.  Kris Davenport was just living her life, working hard to become a full-fledged doctor when one night her future self pays her a visit. Her life was about to change in ways she couldn't fathom. This is a once-you-start-reading-you-can't-put-down book ... in fact, I was up until nearly 5:30 AM reading it because I just had to know what happened next. I want to thank KC for sending me this fascinating, humorous yet dark and gritty romance ... it's a great read!

DARK FUTURE Back Cover Blurb:

Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go forward in time to save the world—and His life. Of course, her future self doesn’t tell her who he is, just sends her into an abyss and straight into an alien invasion.
He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting Commander of Earth’s army and the world’s last defense. There’s only one way to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy—slice her throat. Except, he didn’t anticipate the heat he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman. For a man whose sole focus has been survival, she’s more temptation than he can handle. But a world on the brink of destruction leaves no room for love…and time is running out.

Amy:   Without further ado, please welcome KC Klein!

KC:  First, I wanted to thank Amy for having me on her blog. I’m real excited to be here. I always love being able to talk with readers.

Amy:  It's most certainly my pleasure, KC.  After reading DARK FUTURE, I just knew I had to have you visit.  To start, I'm sure the readers would like to know a little bit about you.

KC:  I’m a mother of two beautiful girls, I work outside the home, and actually enjoy going out for a mile run. I’m also fortunate to have been married to my best friend for the past sixteen years.

Amy:  Sounds like a idealic life and now you've added being an author to it as well.  When was it that you knew you wanted to write?

KC:  I truly believe the desire to tell stories are weaved into the very essence of writers. No one would pick this career unless it was something that they were born to do. I still remember being in second grade and reading my first Judy Blume book. It was then when I realized that stories were a way of living outside of myself, and I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since.

Amy:  It's hard to escape that desire, I know.  KC, DARK FUTURE is your first published novel. Is it your first full-length work and what inspired you to write it?

KC:  Yes, it is. It took me close to nine years from conception to publication. So even though it was my first book I rewrote it over three times. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on DARK FUTURE. I think aspiring authors need to learn not to quit, not to throw in the towel even when the first love of the story has worn off.
I was inspired to write this story when, nine years ago, what I was reading wasn’t dark and gritty enough for me. So I wrote what I wanted to read, and DARK FUTURE was born.  : )

Amy:  Well, KC, I, for one, am very glad you never gave up and I agree that quitting is too easy. I like that since you couldn't find the kinds of stories that you wanted, you created your own. DARK FUTURE is very dark, gritty and as you called it, snarky! It immediately had me thinking of The Matrix and Terminator Salvation, did you intend it to be that way when you began writing it or did it just evolve?

KC:  I don’t know what I intended DARK FUTURE to be. Mostly it was me just listening to the characters in my head. In the beginning I was worried that people wouldn’t get the humor in the book, but after a while I stopped worrying. People will either find it funny or not, which is very typical of my sense of humor.

Amy: I caught the humor and appreciated it. It gave Kris an edgy sarcasm that contrasted a near innocence in the hard and rough ConRad. It was obvious he wasn't sure what to make of this woman from the past. Time travel is a difficult subject to tackle and I, for one, am always skeptical about most approaches but was quite pleased with how you handled it.  Did you research the idea or was your approach more a seat of the pants evolution?

KC:  Most everything I do is by the seat of my pants. My one secret weapon is that I keep at it. I’m like a dog with a bone. When I was writing DARK FUTURE I had to find a way of getting my modern, snarky heroine into a world that created my untrusting, callus hero. Time travel seemed the best fit.

Amy: Brava! A girl after my own heart. My favorite lines in DARK FUTURE come from the scene when Kris interrupts ConRad's workout and he, in turn, tells her she needs to workout. 
My mouth fell wide open and my brain had a hard time wrapping around the fact that he had just called me fat and stupid.
"I never said that you were fat. I said YOU - NEED - TO - WORK - OUT."  He spoke as if I was hard of hearing and ... stupid.
How about you, do you have any favorite lines from the book?

KC:  HA! I had a lot of fun writing that scene. Men are great, aren’t they? I can’t remember a favorite line, but one of my favorite scenes is when Kris is getting interrogated by ConRad when she first travels to Dark Planet. I really tried to push the boundaries in that scene. Judging by the reactions (readers either hated it or loved it) I accomplished what I set out to do. Folks, you get a sneak peek of that scene since I put it as a teaser further down in this post. So let me know what you think.

Amy: I know the scene and loved it, I hope y'all will, too.  Do you think there will be a sequel?

KC:  A sequel is always possible. I would love to write DARK FUTURE 2. I even have a title for it, The Breaking of Dawn. Of course, that was before the whole Twilight craze, so maybe not.  : )   I believe that Kris and ConRad’s daughter, Dawn, has a story to tell.

Amy:  I was hoping that was the case and I look forward to it happening.  Are you working on anything right now?

KC:  Right now, I am working on a fun, sci-fi, bodice-ripper, anthology with two other very talented authors, Jessa Slade and Erin Kellison. I do believe wine was involved when they invited me to do the anthology, but I accepted so fast they didn’t have time to retract the offer.

Amy:  Sounds like fun and I hope you'll give us a heads up when it's published. One more quick question before we get to the teaser you brought with you. If you could become any character in any book, which character and why?

KC:  Umm, I’m not sure. All the great characters I know have been through some really tough stuff, and I’m pretty much a wimp. I panic over a hang nail and wouldn’t trust myself with much more. I prefer sitting in my yoga pants, in the comfort of my own home, writing about a tortured character then actually being one. HA!

Amy:  LOL! As it should be. Thanks for being so candid.  Folks, KC was kind enough to bring a teaser from her novel, DARK FUTURE, to share with us today. We both hope you'll enjoy it enough to want to read more.

From DARK FUTURE by KC Klein:

“Mmm, you taste human. Like salt or more like … warm sunshine?” He pinned me with his gaze. His eyes spoke a primal language. Desire warred with anger; need against punishment.

I looked away. Embarrassed. Violated. His body crushed mine, suffocating in its nearness. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe without crushing my breasts against him. I always considered myself strong and physically fit, but he subdued me with barely any effort. Heart racing, I panicked.

The feeling of no control would break me—complete powerlessness always did. I used whatever weapon was available; whatever maneuvers would give me a fighting chance. This was no different. I turned my head, opened my mouth against his neck, and … sunk my teeth in.

He cursed. Grabbed hold of my shirt, picked me up, and slammed me back against the wall.

A painful whoosh came from my lungs. My vision rocked—brain swished inside my skull.

“You bit me.” He sounded shocked.

My head hurt so bad I had to blink hard to keep my eyes in their sockets. “You licked me,” I shouted back.

He assessed me, aqua blue eyes hooded with thick, long eyelashes, for what seemed like an eternity. “I will ask you one more time. Who are you?”

“I’ve told you everything.” My voice sounded desperate, tired, even to me. “I went running and fell into the dark … I’m a doctor at a hospital. If you don’t believe me, just call them. I’ve worked there for years.”

He stood still, his body hard against mine, creating an insurmountable barrier. His face so close I could see his pupils enlarge, almost hiding the hard blue of his irises. The rage in him lived and breathed. One hand ran along my scalp in a mock caress, grabbed hold of my hair and pulled.

“Liar,” his voice barely a whisper, the knife was back … shaking at my very exposed, very vulnerable artery. “There hasn’t been a hospital anywhere on Earth since the year 2075.” And in one efficient movement, he drew the knife across my throat.

Amy: Wow! You can't get more intriguing than that!!

KC and I would both like to hear what you think about the scene ... in addition, I was wondering what you would do or say if your future self showed up in your house one night. 

KC is graciously giving away an e-copy of DARK FUTURE to ONE (1) lucky commenter,  So please, include a valid e-mail address in your comment so we can contact you if you happen to be that lucky winner.  If you're worried about spam, please modify your address, example: admin.myblog AT aol.com.
(This giveaway is open only to US entries - sorry. Winner will be randomly selected from comments posted on or before Monday, Dec 12, 2011.) see my FTC guidelines for more information.

I want to thank KC for joining us today and to everyone, happy reading and GOOD LUCK! 

You can visit KC at her website, on Facebook, or at Twitter.

DARK FUTURE is available in Kindle or print at Amazon and all e-book formats at Avon Impulse.

                                         This Giveaway is now closed - the winner (mauratroy) has been notified, thanks to everyone who commented.