Author Interview and Giveaway: Kate Johnson

Today's guest is Kate Johnson. Welcome! :)

1. Tell me 3 fun things about yourself...or weird things, lol.

I have a huge shoe collection. Some of them are unwearable, but I just like looking at them.

I have three cats; not that many but if it were up to me I'd have dozens!

I haven't eaten meat since 1988. Perfectly normal to me, but apparently weird to some people!

2. How would you explain your new book, Impossible Things, to someone if you only had 10 seconds?

It's about a warlord, a blind slave, and a dog called Brutus. 

3. I really enjoyed this one (and I did already ask) but...will there be more fantasy romance books?

Quite probably! I don't have any definite plans to write one soon but I do love fantasy, so I'd say it's quite likely. 

4. Now who does not love a good warlord, so tell me, what or who was your inspiration behind Kael?

I honestly had this really frightening dream where the devil strode into the room and pointed at me and said, "Her, send her to me." So that's how he started! He does, of course, look just like my beloved Richard Armitage. 

5. And you made poor Isthear suffer so much. Was it hard to write her history?

It was in places, yes. At times I wondered if I was going too far, but I didn't want to soft-soap her story. And having made her suffer so much I wanted to do her rehabilitation properly, which took a lot of thought. And I wanted to get justice for her too, and punish the people who treated her so badly. That doesn't happen often enough in real life, so it was satisfying to do it in fiction. 

6. Last question, if you could live in this fantasy world...where would you live?

Ooh...well, I had great fun creating the city of Ilanium, and the luxurious Draxan villa towards the end if the book, but I think I'd prefer to live in Krulland actually. I like cold weather and spectacular scenery, and I created Kael's home to be cosy, warm and quirky. It's also secretive, with lots of places to hide, and there's always pepparkakor on offer!

thanks!

Giveaway

1 copy of Impossible things

1. Open to all!

2. Ends Feb 19

3. Just go ahead and enter :D

And as always ask questions if you want :D

PS. If I can't find your email in your profile then leave it here (or twitter name) I will not hunt anyone down. and you will have 3 days to respond.

Review: Impossible Things - Kate Johnson

Kael Vapensigsson is one of the elite Chosen—a Warlord whose strength comes from the gods themselves. But despite all his power and prestige, he is plagued by a prophecy that threatens to destroy everything he loves. 

When Kael summons Ishtaer to his room and discovers the marks of the Chosen on her body, including the revered mark of the Warrior, both Warlord and slave seem to have met their match. 

But as their lives become increasingly entangled and endangered, Ishtaer is forced to test whether the Chosen ever have the ability to choose their own fate.

My thoughts:

I really liked this one. I would not call it fantasy romance, because yes there were romance but far at the end. Too many issues before that. So light romantic fantasy, something ;) Cos it sure is not epic fantasy either, not with the whole will they wont they going on.

I liked the world, and the sprinkle of norse words here and there did make it cool. And it does show the difference between places in this world. 

First, the Chosen are those with a mark of a Healer, a warrior or a Seer and they learn their trade so to say at a school. Kael is a warrior and now a feared pirate, warlord, but he does it in service of his Emperor. So he is a good guy. Sure he says some wrong things when he first meets poor Ishtear, but he could not even imagine what she has been through.

Ishtaer our heroine, wow, some of the more damaged heroines of late. I did like how it was portrayed, she was broken, she was timid, after years of abuse you do not just snap out of it. Not if you are that broken. So it takes time. Sure she learns the ways fast after it, but hey if you got it you got it. I guess that is how the Chosen work. So I looked through my fingers with that.

The romance comes late. A slow friendship, getting to know each other, living their own lives. The romance is not the focus, no, she needs to find herself. He needs to learn that everyone can't be protected. 

My thoughts:

Magic, fighting, a cool world, I do feel that Kate Johnson needs to write about other people in this world. She is on to something here.

Cover

Nice

Paperback, 356 pages
Publication: UK Feb 7, US ebook Jan 2014/print March
Fantasy romance
For review