THE SUMMER LOVE BLOG TOUR - Fantasy Romance, Mindy Klasky

Hi everyone, and welcome to week three of the Summer Love Blog Tour!

We’re counting down the days to my book release! The June 1^st post will be the cover reveal for THE FIRE WALKERS!

You’ll see it here first, so please join me for the big event, here at the CN! J

And to keep us entertained until then, the Summer Love tour is introducing you to awesome authors who specialize in the different sub categories of romance.

One thing I love about writing love stories is how the genre spans such a broad spectrum. Like flavors of ice cream, there is something for everyone.

This week we get to enter the fun-tastical realm of Fantasy romance. Here the love story can be magical, mythical, and limited only by the author’s imagination.

While all books are an escape, fantasy romance takes readers on a magic carpet ride of endless proportions…like a librarian who discovers that she’s really a witch. J

Our guest today knows her fantasy. The multi-talented, Mindy Klasky!

CN Q&A:

What do you love most about fantasy romance?

When I write my fantasy and light paranormals like Girl's Guide to Witchcraft (about a librarian who finds out she's a witch), I'm able to play with serious issues in our real world (e.g., how women can build friendships and families that help them achieve the most they can achieve) while I explore supernatural possibilities.  I can craft magic to make my characters' lives easier -- and substantially more difficult!  I can use real history, science, and fact, but I can bend the details through a paranormal lens, explaining what the real meaning is!

What’s is the weirdest research you’ve ever had to do?

I do a lot of "spot research" for my books -- reaching out to find what herbs are used to cure what ailments, what crystals are associated with what attributes, etc.  I've looked into the breeding habits of ospreys, the farming practices of colonial forefathers, and the menu for Thomas Jefferson's favorite meal.  But the weirdest research I've ever done was building a martial art for humans to use in protecting themselves from vampires.  I consulted with friends who practice martial arts and -- after much discussion -- decided to use Brazilian jiujitsu as a model.  After that, I watched lots (and lots and lots and lots) of videos, "translating" the sparring matches into human/vampire battles.

What is your favorite scene in Girl's Guide to Witchcraft and why?

I've always loved the early scene where Jane awakens her familiar, Neko.  She stumbles onto the magic and has no idea of the power she's harnessing.  I've always dreamed about discovering my own magical powers (doesn't everyone?  Please say yes!), and I can't imagine a better way to do that than bringing a statute of a cat to life as a human man!

Tell us one unique fact about you (something that few people know).  

Um...  I majored in computer science for my first two years in college, and I thought I'd write programs for a living.  (I came to my senses, though, and switched to being an English major.  I can't imagine what my fiction would be like if I'd stuck with programming instead of literature!)

New/Latest Book:

The Diamond Brides Series, hot contemporary romances about the players on an imaginary baseball team and the women who love them.  (There's no paranormal element, but the world of baseball is as detailed and important to the stories as magic is to my fantasy books!)

PERFECT PITCH

Reigning beauty queen Samantha Winger is launching her pet project, a music program for kids. All she has to do is follow the pageant's rules—no smoking, drinking, or "cavorting" in public.

That's fine, until D.J. Thomas—God's gift to baseball—throws her a wild pitch.  He slams her in an interview, and the video goes viral. Sam's no shrinking violet. She parlays D.J.'s apology into a national T.V. appearance—and a very unexpected, very public kiss.

Soon, paparazzi catch the couple in a steamy make-out session, and Sam's music program is on the block. The blazing hot relationship is threatened even more when D.J.'s son begs to trade in Little League for music class.

Can Sam and D.J. sizzle past the sour notes and find their perfect pitch?

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Big thanks to Mindy for being our guest today.  For a bewitchingly fun read, check out more of her JANE MADISON series. And her contemporary treat, PERFECT PITCH is available now!

Next week:  We have a surprise guest here to discuss one of my favorite categories, contemporary romance!

Please stop back then for more Summer Love on the Narrative! J