Blood and Moonlight: Special Guest Moira Keith

I'm very pleased to welcome fellow author Moira Keith to my blog today. Moira's here  to talk about her new release, Blood and Moonlight (check out an exciting excerpt HERE)

"Though she shares the bloodlines of both Fae and Wolf, Kiara Morrigan O’Conaill refuses to claim her place in the Fae courts or submit to the animal within. Witnessing the murder of her Fae mother two years ago drives her back into those worlds, to search for answers and revenge.

Devlin McClure lives for one thing—the Pack. When their leader, the Cadeyrn, disappears, desperation sends Devlin to the last person he should be asking for help—the Cadeyrn’s estranged daughter, Kiara.

Kiara and Devlin are drawn to each other by fate and destined to embrace the very thing that threatens to rip their worlds apart. Now, Kiara will have to decide which is stronger, blood or moonlight?"

Sounds great, right? Here's Moira with more on her new book, writing in general and a little about herself as well...

PGF: Hi, Moira. It's a pleasure to visit with you here today. Please tell us a little about your new release.  

MK: What would you like to know? Let's see...the story is about a woman who is of mixed heritatge. She is both fae and wolf and yet not really accepted by either. Exiled after the death of her mother, Kiara is on the hunt for answers. This leads her to Las Vegas and the local wolf pack. When Devlin McClure, the right hand of the pack leader, shows up asking for her help, she finds herself getting a little more up close and personal to her own inner wolf and the one who came seeking her aid. Kiara quickly finds herself looking for a father she thought was dead, fighting attraction to a wolf, and trying to unravel the threads of a mystery that bring both the worlds of the fae and wolves closer together. 

PGF: Mmm. Wolf-shifters and Celtic Fae--it doesn't get much better than that! What inspired you to write this book?  

MK: I've always had a deep love for the paranormal and urban fantasy genres. This story combined elements that I've always been infatuated with - shapeshifters, faeries, and a little dose of Celtic mythology. It was a great opportunity for me to explore a genre that fueled my love of writing and reading. 

PGF: I hear that! What do you like best about your hero? Your heroine? Can you see yourself in any of your characters?  

MK: Devlin McClure, my hero, has a past. There are things we don't learn about in great detail early on in the series. Things that are merely hinted at. They've made him who he is, given him a strength of character if you will. In many ways, he and my heroine are the same in that respect. Kiara Morrigan O'Conaill constantly struggles with who she is. She longs to fit in, yet she doesn't really. I relate to that in many ways. So I think that is what I like most about her. Oops. Guess I unintentionally answered the rest of the question. 

PGF: I think a lot of us can relate to that! And I love me a hero with a mysterious past! Do you have a dream cast for your book?  

MK: Not really. I've tried 'casting' my book and I just can't see anyone particular person in either part. I think perhaps someone that has that Gerard Butler quality to him for Devlin and maybe hmmm... someone like Emilia Clarke for Kiara? I'm horrible at this - especially when the characters are so distinct and alive in my head, putting a living person in their place makes it difficult.  

PGF: Yeaaahh...I think Mr. Butler would be a very busy man if all our books were made into movies (when! when! I meant when--not if!) I'd want him for at least two of my characters as well. ;) Is there a particular song you think of as being the theme song for your book or any of your characters?  

MK: There is a scene in the book that I find to be a huge moment for Kiara and it brings her a little bit closer to feeling accepted. One song played over and over again in my head (and eventually on my iPod) as I wrote it - The Voice by Celtic Woman.  

PGF: Oh, that's such a great song. Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.  

MK: You know I asked my sister this question and she said "Because it's freaking awesome!" - Knowing that isn't what you were looking for, I would have to go with - "The characters make you feel for them, they pull you in and take you along for the ride, and refuse to let go until the very end." 

PGF: Well, I can already feel that just reading the excerpt! Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?  

MK: Too many to list actually, however I am currently working on book two for the Moonlight Trilogy. I also have a contemporary western romance in process as well. Those are the two main focuses at the moment.  

PGF: Well, I'm certainly looking forward to those! Now, let's get personal. ;) What's the best advice anyone has ever given you? Or what's the one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?  

MK: I struggled with trying to force my stories to be what I believed the market, the editors, and publishers wanted. What was selling. The best advice I was ever given was actually given to me by several people (writers and non) and was given in regards to this book. "Write your story. Not the story you think the world wants." I think that is sound advice that I would pass on to aspiring writers as well. The thing is, when you write something you are basically putting yourself onto paper. Your thoughts, ideas, hopes, and dreams. When you force those, I think it is evident in the writing. The manuscript lacks passion that readers tend to notice. 

PGF: What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen? 

MK:  I read so many books that it is really hard for me to name a favorite. However, there was a scene that I remember reading over and over again. It was the scene where the jogger was hit by the car in Pet Cemetery. The descriptiveness in which Stephen King describes the wounds left such an impression on me. It was gross, real, and utterly perfect. I was in awe. Since then, a writer who can pull me in and set the scene ranks high on my list. 

PGF: What's your favorite season?  

MK: Fall. Summers are too hot here in Sin City and winter is kind of well...cold believe it or not. 

PGF: Favorite places to travel?  

MK: Any place where there are family and friends. Anywhere you travel, the connection to the place deepens when you see it through the eyes of the people that live there. To me, that is the best. Go somewhere where there are people you know that can show you the local side of things. Makes a vacation far more interesting. The usual tourist stuff gets boring after a while.  

PGF: Favorite music?  

MK: This changes frequently. I love everything from punk music to country. 

PGF: Favorite color? 

MK: I have two actually. Green and Blue. No particular shade as I find the range in both to be quite lovely. Like the ocean. 

 PGF: Favorite time of day?

MK: Depends on the day. Some days I'm totally a morning person. Other's I'm more of a night owl. One thing is for certain...my favorite time of day is anytime I can sit down and write or spend time with my lil zombies.

PGF: Favorite quote?  

MK: I've always loved Marilyn Monroe and believe she was far more intellectual than the image she projected. This is a quote that hangs over my desk.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” 

― Marilyn Monroe

PGF: I love that quote too! I actually used the last part of it to open one of my own books.  Okay, one more: If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future and why?  

MK: I would go back into the past I think. To be able to experience Scotland and the Highlands, maybe fall for a handsome Laird with a nice thick brogue. 

 PGF: Mmm. Can't argue with that. Thanks so much for stopping by and congratulations on your release. I wish you lots of sales! 

Blood and Moonlight is available now at Amazon Barnes and Noble and Smashwords