Author Interview and GIVEAWAY!! with Kait Ballenger

I'm thrilled to have a new authors with me today.  I read and enjoyed her first novella, leading into her Execution Underground series.  Oh, I think you Romance UF/Paranormal lovers are going to eat this up!

Please give a warm welcome to Kait Ballenger!

M:  Hi Kait! Thank you for stopping by the blog on your tour. I’m thrilled to have you by!

KB:  Thanks so much for having me! It’s great to be here.

M:  Today we are talking to you about your novella – Shadow Hunter - in the book After Dark, which also has a novella by Gena Showalter in it. This is a great introduction novella to the world of Execution Underground and what we will have to look forward to.

KB:  I’m glad you enjoyed the glimpse into the Execution Underground! I can’t wait to hear what readers think of it and also what they think of the first book in the series following Shadow Hunter, which is Twilight Hunter (releasing August 27th)

M:  How did you know you had to share Damon’s story?

KB:  Because my editor told me to LOL! Honestly, I’d never planned on writing Damon’s prequel story, but then Harlequin contracted me to be in the After Dark anthology with Gena and they requested a prequel novella that told the origin of the Execution Underground. Naturally, since Damon is the founder of the division, it defaulted to him. I always knew there was more to him than what we’re shown when he is introduced in the first full length book, Twilight Hunter, but I’d never planned on writing it.

M:  We will get to see Damon more in the future? And maybe Tiffany too?

KB:  Definitely. Damon and Tiffany will have a full length book all to themselves that tells the rest of their story later on in the series—tentatively book number six, Dark Hunter. Though there are no plans for Tiffany to appear in the series again before that book, Damon will be featured as a secondary character in all the books, since he’s leader of the division. But the Damon readers see in Twilight Hunter and the subsequent novels is a very different Damon from the one in Shadow Hunter—those who have read Shadow Hunter will know why, from obvious reasons.

M:  You have created a whole secret organization of powerful men in Execution Underground. Was there anything that helped trigger this creation?

KB:  If I had to pick something as a source of inspiration, I would say the T.V show Supernatural. That’s my favorite T.V show—even though I’m currently on a kick of catching up with the series Breaking Bad (“yeeeah science, bitch!” That's for fans of the series lol).  In Supernatural, I love the concept of normal human guys who hunt supernatural creatures, rather than superheroes saving the day. I’m a big Dean Winchester fan. So I thought: how badass would it be if guys like that were a part of an international organization and had unlimited resources at their disposal? That sort of sparked the initial idea and then I went my own way from there and created my own unique thing.

M:  Is there a chance of women joining the Execution Underground?

KB:  There are no plans of it at the current moment. The Execution Underground was founded hundreds of years ago in a time where women weren’t hunters, and the E.U is pretty set in their ways. I wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility though.

M:  Rochester sounds like it’s an area the Execution Underground didn’t suspect so much supernatural activity in. Is that so? Damon really seemed to open a can of worms here.

KB:  For a long time, Rochester didn’t have a division of the Execution Underground stationed there because there weren’t enough supernatural creatures to warrant a full division. But since there were no hunters in that area, over time, supernaturals started flocking there to escape, so when Damon shows up in Rochester he kind of stumbles into a whole labyrinth of monsters he never expected to find.

M:  This is a beautiful setup for what’s to come. We see Damon create the team that will be located, and

working to protect, Rochester. I have a feeling we are going to get a lot from them all, up close and personal?

KB:  Yes, each hunter in the division has his own supernatural specialty and each of division members will receive his own book. As of current, the division is comprised of vampire hunter Damon Brock (who gets his own full length book, plus the prequel novel Shadow Hunter), werewolf hunter Jace McCannon, demon hunter and exorcist David Aronowitz, occult specialist and witch hunter Dr. Shane Grey, ghost medium and poltergeist hunter Ash Devereaux, and shapeshifter hunter (specializing in non-werewolf species) Trent Garrison. That makes for six full length books in the series, plus the prequel, but more members may be brought into the division if they’re needed.

M:  Oooo, now I'm loving all these men even more.  Can't wait to meet them all!

M:  Okay, since I don’t want to hit you hard with questions that could potentially be spoilers for readers to come, I’ll stop there. But, I look forward to having you back by for Twilight Hunter, the first full novel in the series.

Now, on to fun questions I ask all my first time visiting authors…

M:  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

KB:  At the moment, somewhere in Southeast Asia, like Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, etcetera. I think traveling to that region would be amazing. I’ve traveled all over the world, but the only place I’ve been to in Asia is Japan, so I really want to remedy that.

M:  Tea or Coffee?

KB:  Tea

M:  Favorite Color?

KB:  Green

M:  Favorite Childhood Fictional Creature?

KB:  Hmmm. Favorite fictional creature. Probably one of the creatures from Harry Potter—like Hedwig, or Dobby, or Fluffy. From when I was very small, Barney lol.

M:  Now, as an adult what’s your Favorite Fictional Creature?

KB:  Probably still something Harry Potter related. It’d be hard to choose just one.

M:  Favorite word? (any word at all)

KB:  That’s a difficult one. I really don’t know. I suppose if you went solely based off my writing though it would be the word f**k ROFL!

M:  Kait, thank you greatly for stopping by today. It’s a pleasure to have you on the blog. Please, make sure to stop by in the future!

Here’s wishing you all the best in words and pages.

KB:  Thanks so much for having me! I’m looking forward to coming back again in the near future!

Kait has sent me an extra signed copy of After Dark.

You know what that means.  Right?

Giveaway!

Whoop, whoop!

After Dark

A timeless seduction A unique temptation And a whole world of dark desires... 

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter 

The Darkest Angel 

Winged warrior Lysander has been alive for centuries, and yet he's never known desire-until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long.... 

And from debut author Kait Ballenger 

Shadow Hunter 

Vampire hunter Damon Brock's first assignment with the Execution Underground is Rochester, New York, a city crawling with the undead. But he isn't the only hunter in town gunning for vamp blood. Tiffany Solow is fierce and ruthless when it comes to slaying the monsters that destroyed her family-and she works solo. But being alone is no longer so desirable when she meets the mysterious hunter who wants more than just her turf. As they work to massacre the local covens, the line between good and evil blurs when they are forced to decide between their lifelong beliefs... and their newfound hearts.

I'm willing to mail Internationally

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Bio:
Kait Ballenger is a full-time paranormal romance author, wife, professional bellydancer, graduate student, and soon-to-be-professor. She is the multi-published author of the Execution Underground paranormal romance series about an international network of supernatural hunters who fight to protect humanity alongside the powerful women they seduce.

With a B.A in English from Stetson University, Kait is currently a student in Spalding University’s M.F.A in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, where she studies dual-genre in screenwriting. She writes dark paranormal romance with drool-worthy heroes and kickass heroines as Kait Ballenger, and sassy YA urban fantasy under her maiden name, Kaitlyn Schulz.

When Kait’s not preoccupied with paranormal creepy-crawlies, she can be found slaving over endless amounts of schoolwork or with her nose buried in a book. She lives in Florida with her husband, their doggie-daughter Sookie (yes, like the heroine in Charlainne Harris’ books), and two mischievous cats Elliot and Olivia (yes, like the Law and Order characters), near the love and care of her supportive family. Kait believes anything is possible with hard work and dedication. One day, she will be a bestseller and have people name their pets after her characters too.

Find Kait:
Site:  Kait Ballenger
Blog:  Kait Ballenger
Facebook:  Kait Ballenger - Author
Twitter:  @kait_ballenger