Across the Beer Bar with Ciara Knight

Wrong Place. Wrong Time. The FREE Sag... How To Lose

Across the Beer Bar with Ciara Knight

<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today, I welcome a very creative and fun fellow conference goer, Ciara Knight to the Beer Bar Series....hold it...do you hear that?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-joWcl6lUhTo..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-joWcl6lUhTo..." height="320" width="185" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Liz Goes SteamPunk!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tYcfKVEhxyE..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tYcfKVEhxyE..." height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="color: red;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Welcome to my beer bar Ciara! what can I pour for you to start? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sEISrAwh9V4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sEISrAwh9V4..." height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(...and don't point the gun at the Beer Wench dear, I can't be responsible for what my bar tenders might do...)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hi, Liz! Thanks so much for having me here. It’s a pleasure to hang out with you again. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well, you ARE the Beer Wench. ;) What do you recommend? I read your fantastic book, <u>Paradise Hops</u>, so I am craving something original.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Speaking of Paradise Hops, OMG, I’m still aching for your characters. What a story!</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AW shucks...thanks. I'm pretty proud of that one too. Ok, let's go with our seasonal "Snakes on a Shamrock, Irish Red Lager" ..... </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We met at "romance convention" yet your best selling books (at the moment) are not romance. Tell us about the Neumarian Chronicles series. How did you think of it? Will it continue? </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Neumarian Chronicles does have romantic elements, but the romance really kicks into high gear between Ryder and Semara in the second book of the series, Pendulum.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The original ‘concept’ came to me while watching the news. It was a report about civil unrest due to unmentionable brutality by a countries leader. I’d always wanted to write a series with more science fiction elements and bring light to a terrible situation. These two meshed to form The Neumarian Chronicles.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each book is unique. The prequel, Weighted, goes back to a twelve-year-old girl, Raeth, who is tortured for information. This story is about childhood friendships that blossom into greatness. In Escapement, book I, we fast-forward four years to Semara’s sixteenth birthday where she is ordered to sacrifice a slave to take her place on the council. The slave is her childhood friend. This book focuses on the theme of the series, which is to be bold and brave in order to win freedom in life.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Book II, is where the romance heats up and our hero and heroine lead a rebellion against the Queen’s empire. Of course, that is no easy task. During the epic conclusion in book III, Balance, everything comes together in a startling conclusion.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GVB_JEN6yZM..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GVB_JEN6yZM..." height="400" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hear you have a new novel IS a "contemporary romance." What is it about? Do you have other romance or sexy books that you've released under a different pen name?</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BedAXLuTjWM..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BedAXLuTjWM..." height="400" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do have a sweet contemporary series out now, <i>Sweetwater County</i>. <u>Winter in Sweetwater County</u> released in January and will be followed by spring, summer and fall. These stories are differ from my normal science fiction/fantasy/paranormal books, but many readers are saying it still has that ‘Defy the Dark’ style.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">whoops! empty glass. what can I get next for you.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another one of your delicious brews, please!!</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let's try the Volitionist, our stout lager, in honor of your seasonal series! </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So you went the self-publishing route with your series, correct? How did you arrive at the decision to do that (because don't you work with a small press as well?)</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do work as an acquisitions editor for a small press, and I LOVE it. Working with authors, guiding them toward publication is a joy. The ladies at the press house are so awesome. The reason I’m self-publishing at the moment is because I’m a little bit of a control freak. I did the agent thing, and might still go back to it someday, but I’m enjoying where I’m at right now. I’m not a fan of closed doors, I prefer to keep them all wide open.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J8e0RXk4NL4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J8e0RXk4NL4..." height="400" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You are a ton of fun to party with. I had never been to any writer's convention and when I met you (and Hilde, of course, that gal is the bomb) in Gatlinburg the first year I thought you were a blast and this past year we had a great time too. Do you attend a lot of writer conventions? Why or why not?</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh my goodness, you are SO the fun one. I had a blast getting to know you that first year. It was a fantastic time.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve attended several conferences, but with three boys at home my travel time is limited. I’m hitting Romantic Times this year, The Novel Experience and Alabama Phoenix Festival.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And what is your view on the "blog or not to blog" issue? Does it help you sell books or just provide a convenient venting outlet for you?</span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I actually shut down my blog recently due to taking on a more vigorous writing schedule. I miss my blogging friends and family, but there just isn’t enough time in the day to do it all. I do post news on the front page of my website, but my blog has been removed for now. Each other is unique, in my situation, I reach more readers via Facebook, Twitter and other social media than my blog.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPYxuJR7Uwk..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPYxuJR7Uwk..." height="400" width="275" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ok, nightcap time. What's your poison?</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Night cap? Um…I can’t feel my feet right now. LOL, I’m such a light weight. Besides, your brew is too good to pass up. May I have one last one for the road?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ll let you ease on out of here with Bluewater Light, our new light lager (just 92 calories. Just saying).</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Ciara Knight - Defy the Dark<br />YA Author<br />Visit me at: <a href="http://www.ciaraknight.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ciaraknightw..." target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ciaratknight" target="_blank">Twitter, </a></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/..." target="_blank">Goodreads </a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ciara-Knight/e/..." target="_blank">Amazon</a><br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos..." target="_blank">YA/NA Best-selling Series: The Neumarian Chronicles</a><br />Sweet Contemporary Romance: Sweetwater County<br /><br /> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">MY REVIEW of ESCAPEMENT (book 1 of the Neumerian Chronicles): </span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qb9Vsl95N4Q..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qb9Vsl95N4Q..." height="132" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">A "5 LAGER" READ</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I will state up front that I am not a fan (in general) of the "steampunk" sub genre but I was intrigued by the concept of this novel and since I was hosting Ciara on my Across the Beer Bar with Liz interview series I wanted to have a sense of where she was coming from with this series.<br /><br />The story arc begins quickly and moves fast, faster and fastest, and the world starts building for the reader right away. It's chock full of alien creatures, a new language,odd (to me) machinations about body parts and all sorts of steampunk style elements. But at its heart the novel is about a brave young woman (Semara) who is finally able to look her evil mother in the eye (more or less) and say "Nope, this is not my life."<br /><br />Of course, that sort of complicates things as the young woman in question is being used as a political pawn by her mother the Queen and is slated to be married off to a real nasty dude of a general.<br /><br />That sets up a real thrill ride of an escape. Along with a girl she nearly killed once before AND the girl's hunky, conflicted, broody, arrogant older brother, Semara (the princess) gets knocked down literally and figuratively over and over again, only to leap back to her feet, ready for more. Things progress as you might expect between Semara and the hero but all around their slightly rushed romance is a ton of amazing adventure. With every page turn I encountered the sort of world-building creativity that I really admired.<br /><br />I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys super (duper) fast-paced narrative in a sci-fi, steampunk or fantasy genre--and note that there is definitely an element of romance I expect that will be further explored in the next book.<br /><br />One of my favorite things about this book is its gloriously rendered cover. It says a lot about how Semara is trapped within her life and her body, that has just begun to mature in the usual way but also in a scary, powerful other way. The subtle colors and light say so much about what is contained within it.<br /><br />Well done Ms. Knight.</span><br /><br />I gotta get me some of these: <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yO5PxdCftGo..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yO5PxdCftGo..." height="210" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>

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Published on March 26, 2014 00:00

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