Author Kendra Leigh Castle Giveaway!! Day 3

MsM: It's day three already! Where does the time go when you're chasing drunken pirates and hiding jugs of rum? I want to thank Kendra for coming to the island and sharing about her books and heroes. It's been a pleasure having her here on DIK. Thank you Kendra.

Kendra writes: This is my last day on the island, and I’d like to thank my lovely hostesses, especially Ms Moonlight, for inviting me. It’s been a relaxing little respite from the usual insanity I live in the middle of, and I’m trying to make the most of my last day of sun and fun. Oh, so the sand castle building contest yesterday went a little awry. That kind of thing happens when you have a dragon-shifter who doesn’t know how to lose and thinks breathing fire is an acceptable outlet for frustration. It was a shame, though…Bastian’s ice castle might have been a little outside of the rules, but it was pretty amazing until the big meltdown. Gideon and Gabriel tried to work together, but…well, I think it would have been beautiful, if they hadn’t started throwing one another into it. Brothers. *eyeroll*

My one consolation is that Captain Jack hasn’t burned anything down this time. Okay, I admit it. I let Jack Sparrow tag along. But he’s been so good about not destroying anything. He loves this place! And if you’ve never seen Jack taking an afternoon swim with all of that bronzed skin glistening in the sun, then I suggest you check it out. Nothing finer.

I told you all that I’d introduce my little band of heroes at some point, and I think today’s the best time to do it, when they’re all too tired from causing trouble to move much. I’m very proud of bringing each of them to life, and just like real men, they’ve each brought me their share of joy and headaches.

First up is Gideon MacInnes from my debut novel, Call of the Highland Moon. He’s a big, sexy Scotsman who also happens to be next in line to lead his pack. He’s also starting to panic at the responsibility that entails, which is why he takes off for one last trip to wander America and, possibly, find a mate. The problem is that in my mythology, werewolf bites are fatal to all but the strongest humans. Add to it that my werewolves know their mates almost immediately, bonding permanently on their end even if the human never knows about it, and you can see why Gideon would want to be careful. But he doesn’t know he’s been followed to America by an enemy who’ll stop at nothing to get what he has…which is how he winds up in the care of exactly the kind of woman he can never have. And of course, the only one he’ll ever want. In my mind’s eye, Gideon always looked like Gerard Butler in Timeline. Now who wouldn’t chance a bite for that?

Next is Gideon’s brother Gabriel, the hero of my book Dark Highland Fire. Gabriel is his brother’s opposite in almost every way, a cheerful slacker with a healthy case of Second Son Syndrome. He owns a pub in Tobermory and spends his time partying and chasing women. Well, actually, having women chase him. But after the events of the first book in the trilogy, Gabe is feeling restless and a little useless. The fact that his pack is being hunted by a bunch of otherworldly shifters has been, as you might imagine, a little hard to digest. Then, in a single wild night, Gabriel finds himself responsible for a demigoddess on the run from their mutual enemy…and for the first time, Gabe finds out what it’s like to want what he can’t have. At least, he can’t have Rowan an Morgaine without a lot of work and a couple of near-death experiences. Which is exactly why it was so much fun to write this book! I envisioned him as looking something like Marco Dapper, here.

The third hero I’ve brought along is Bastian an Morgaine, the quiet, strong, brooding brother of Gabriel’s heroine and the heart of Wild Highland Magic. Everyone assumes Bastian is just sort of cold, but there’s a lot more to him than the icy stoicism he projects. Bastian has been dealing with a hereditary curse for most of his life, one he’s been warned never to tell another soul about because of the danger it would pose to them. As the game of cat and mouse he’s played with the shadow stalking him nears its inevitable endgame, Bastian heads for the Scottish Highlands, and the home of his kind’s new allies, the MacInnes Werewolves, to try one last time to defeat the thing that has isolated him from the life he longs to live. But he’ll need the help of an old enemy to do it. And he certainly never counted on a certain beautiful, precocious werewolf who’s determined to have him no matter what his issues are, ready or not. Bastian looks quite a bit like Ingo Rademacher, though with even lighter hair and paler blue eyes. Same smokin’ bod, though!

Lastly, I brought Wild Highland Magic’s co-hero/anti-hero, Lucien Andrakkar. I can’t tell you much about him without giving the story away, but he’s actually in all three books of the trilogy, and his journey may be the one I most enjoyed. He’s a dark, bad boy dragon shifter with a very big chip on his shoulder, not so much hulking Alpha male in looks but more lanky and hawkish. Kinda Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne!

Oh. And there’s Captain Jack. Ah…Jack? You might want to get away from the tiki bar with the torch, Jack. Jack? Jack, noooooo!

**Sounds of hollering, a very nice male voice slurring the words to A Pirate’s Life for Me, cries for buckets of water, and eventually, the roaring of an angry mob of women apparently impervious to Jack Sparrow’s impassioned declarations of his love for every last one of them. Eventually, there is a loud splash, and cheering.**

Well, looks like Jack’s been tossed out to sea. I think he can make it back to the ship we have anchored out there for our departure…I mean, he seems to swim pretty well while intoxicated. In any case, thanks so much for the vacation ladies (and, um, sorry about the tiki bar…I’ll be sending funds to rebuild that).

Time for me to depart, but before I go, I’d like to give away a signed copy of one of my books to a commenter. Winner can choose which book. What I want to know is, which hero of either book or film would you want to be stranded on a desert island with? Thanks again for the party, ladies!

Kendra's books...

-Call of the Highland Moon

-Dark Highland Fire

-Wild Highland Magic

MsM: Thank you Kendra! And someone help Jack, he won't let go of the rum and can't swim with two jugs in his hands for goodness sakes!! Jack! Jack!! Let go of the rum!! *Jack tosses evil drunken glare at me* Oh well... I guess I'll go find the DIK lifeguards.

Thanks again Kendra!! It's been a delight to have you here on the island!

Don't forget to visit Kendra Leigh Castle at her blog!!! It's a great place to visit!