EQ Welcomes Kayelle Allen!
EQ: Welcome to EQ!
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Kayelle Allen is a multi-published,
award-winning author, and the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers. She
holds an honorary lifetime membership to Outlantacon, and is the owner of and a
graphic designer for The Author's Secret, an author support company. Her unstoppable
heroes and heroines include contemporary characters, futuristic immortals, covert agents, and warriors who purr.
EQ: Tell us a little
bit about your most recent release.
Kayelle: My new book
is non-fiction. The Tarthian Empire Companion will release later in August. Long
before I wrote my first Science Fiction book, I wrote ten thousand-plus years
of future history. It spanned Earth and its colonization of the galaxy,
focusing on the big picture. The result of that detail is seen in the coherent aspect
of both series set in the Tarthian Empire, and the Colonies of Man. There is a
sense of history, time, and place in all the books. The Tarthian Empire
Companion is a collection of my worldbuilding notes, tables, and details. It's
an illustrated peek inside the magic that makes my worlds tick. There are no
spoilers, but readers who always wondered about certain details might find a
few answers.
I have books set in
several places. They are a series for that reason, but can be read in any
order. The Tarthian Empire series is set on the far side of the galaxy from
Earth. The Colonies of Man series is halfway between there and Earth, and
coming soon, I have a Scifi Suspense series set in the Terran Crescent. All
these books exist in the same universe and time, and are contemporary to one
another. Meaning, if you read a book set in the Tarthian Empire, it's happening
at the same time as the books in the Colonies of Man or the Terran Crescent.
Why do it that way? I have immortal characters who bounce between the various
points, and this enables me to move them where I need to at will. Besides, it's
so much more interesting to know the same villain who stirs up trouble on one
planet might be the good guy on another one! I love a great twist.
EQ: What was your
defining moment as a writer?
Kayelle: I was a
guest speaker at Outlantacon, an Atlanta-based scifi convention for the
"gay geek." It was the first year of the con, and I didn't know quite
what to expect. The night of my first book reading, when my turn came, I held
up the book I was going to read from and announced the title. A young man in
the audience jumped up and said, "You wrote Wulf? I have to give you a
hug." He started running toward me with his arms out, came right up, and
grabbed me. We both attend that convention every year, and we see each other. He's
become a friend. His reaction showed me that no matter what you write, you can
have an effect on others that you would never expect.
EQ: What is the
biggest risk you’ve taken in your writing?
Kayelle: This sort
of goes with the answer above. It was writing Wulf. It was my first gay
romance. I'd had two male/female romances out in the previous year or so, and
decided to go with a book that I longed to write for me, whether anyone liked
it or not. I figured if it was a flop, I would go back to writing male/female vs.
male/male. Wulf turned out to be one of my all time bestselling books, exceeded
only by another male/male romance, Surrender Love.
EQ: What is
something nobody would guess about you?
Kayelle: I'm a
former Toastmaster member. If you haven't heard of this group, you owe it to
yourself to look them up. Toastmasters International teaches people how to get
over being afraid to speak in public. I'd still be a member if there was a
chapter close enough for me. I was a member for about seven years, and held
every elected office within the club, plus was an Area Governor over six clubs.
I held the Advanced Toastmaster Bronze level. If asked to speak to a crowd of
people, I get excited instead of scared. You know that feeling you get when
you're about to do something a little risky? That butterflies in the stomach
feeling? Toastmasters taught me how to make those butterflies fly in formation.
If you ever need someone to jump up and make an unscheduled announcement in a
crowd, I'm the one to grab. Although, now that I've said that, I'm thinking
maybe I should have kept that to myself. *grin*
Find Kayelle Allen at these places:
Homeworld http://kayelleallen.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Goodreads http://goodreads.com/KayelleAllen
Romance Lives Forever Yahoo http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancelivesforever
The Edge of Peril - the immortal's world http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edgeofperil/
Unstoppable Heroes - Kayelle Allen's Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog
Read these titles by Kayelle Allen:
BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW
Tarthian Empire
series:
Wulf: Superstar Wulf Gabriel must depend on the one man he
swore he would never trust again. The most powerful and feared man in the
empire - the Harbinger. Lust. Power. Forgiveness. A Chosen loves forever. Amazon
http://is.gd/GaySciFi_Wulf
Alitus: The empress asks her trusted spymaster, Alitus, to
discover if a friend's lover is having an affair. The truth could alter age-old
alliances and rock the empire to its core. Passion. Submission. Loyalty. A
Chosen bares his heart forever. Amazon http://is.gd/GaySciFi_Alitus
Jawk: When immortal Luc Saint-Cyr arranges a ménage with
Wulf and Jawk, he gets far more than he bargained for. Pleasure. Trust.
Possession. A Chosen's betrayal is forever. Amazon http://is.gd/GaySciFi_Jawk
Colonies of Man
series: (male/female)
The Last Vhalgenn: Duty to king and country has shaped
Raik's life since birth, but to protect them, she must perform a ritual that
betrays all she holds sacred. Amazon http://is.gd/SciFiFantasy_Vhalgenn
Trailing Kaiwulf: Find an invisible man in another
dimension? All in a day's work at TRAIL. Amazon http://is.gd/SciFiFantasy_Kaiwulf
CONTEMPORARY NOVELS:
Keeper of My Pleasure - Rai trusts Koo to submit. To keep him, she must trust her heart.
Amazon http://amzn.to/1qN5A6E (male/female)
Fifty Gays of Shade - Shady Business, the
hottest gay BDSM club in town. No good deed ever goes unpunished. Amazon
http://is.gd/50gaysshade
(gay)
COMING
SOON (as self-published titles) http://kayelleallen.com/Books.html
The Tarthian Empire Companion
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure (Antonello Brothers 1)
For Women Only (Antonello Brothers 2)
Crystal Clear Truth (Antonello
Brothers 3)
Bringer of Chaos: The Origin of Pietas
Return of the Vhalgenn
19 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today. I'm excited to be here. I often drop by during the week to read blurbs and see what's up. EQ is a great place to find new books, so it's a treat for me to be on the other side of the screen this time. :)
Awesome interview, as always, Kayelle!! Love the story about how Wulf came about, and the reaction to it - just goes to show, you have to follow what your heart wants to create for it to resonate with readers. Hugs and love, Denyse
Thanks! You do so much for authors, Kayelle, it's our pleasure. I have to say your Marketing For Romance Writers help was much appreciated by this new author. I was floundering through those early days and not knowing what I should do next.
I love that your reader gave you a hug for Wulf! How sweet.
Thanks for joining us today. :)
Gee, Kayelle, why don't you do something to keep yourself busy. ;-) Honestly, your work is amazing and impressively creative. Great interview and welcome to EQ.
Thank you. That event is one of the highlights of my career. I agree -- go with what you love.
Aww, thank you Rose! I remember those days. You were so earnest and sincere and wanted to learn. You did it all right too. :) I'm so glad MFRW was there to help. That's what it is all about.
LOL Thanks, Jane. I know. Such a slacker! I need to get going, right? :)
Hi Kayelle, great interview. Anyone in the romance field should know who you are. If they don't, they are hiding under a rock. You are one of the behind-the-scenes movers and shakers of the industry. How you even have time to write or do anything else is amazing. Thanks so much for coming to our blog today. And a big thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone. MFRW is a must for anyone who is an author. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MarketingForRomanceWriters/info
Great interview Kayelle. Thanks for all you do for your fellow MFRW authors. I really appreciate it. Good luck with all your endeavors. Ashley Ladd
You are the sweetest thing. Thank you Elizabeth. I'm blushing. :)
Awww, thank you! I'm so glad you came by. :)
Loved getting to meet you here, Kayelle, and finding out more about you and your novels. Thanks so much for all you do for MFRW. The group has been a great help to me. Good luck with all your projects!
Wonderful to get to know more about Kayelle. You are multi-talented and we all appreciate MFRW. Thanks!!
Great interview and I agree that you are a mover and a shaker in the industry for sure. You are a huge help for authors and we appreciate you! Thanks for sharing!
Great, informative interview Kayelle. Thank you for all the endeavor behind MFRW. We all appreciate it. Just wonder how you can find the time for what you love best - writing.
Best of luck with it!
Always good to meet a fellow author. I'm so glad MFRW has been a help to you. That's what I envisioned for it. Thanks for letting me know.
Thanks so much, Sydney. :)
Angela, thank you for the kind words.
People often ask me how I find the time. The truth is, I don't find it. I make it. Carving out the time to do what is important is hard work, but it can be done. Thank you for posting, Carmen.
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