It's complicated: Interview with Kayden McLeod about Books and More!

Thanks for being my guest today--and this week--Kayden! It's great to have you here :)

Let's get started with a little background. Tell us about yourself.

Great to be here! Thank you, Cindy.

I am a paranormal author of various flavours, who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia—where a majority of my books are set. I work at my day-time job, being an office manager at a real-estate research firm, and several writing and publishing-industry-related endeavours. I thoroughly enjoy anything and everything paranormal, whether reading, movies and writing.

When did you become interested in writing Erotic Paranormal Romance?

I actually started writing an unpublished paranormal-romance series, The Foxworth Coven, some years ago, which started my world. But I knew it needed to grow, and the Vancouver Coven, The Cornwalls, was born shortly after. In the end, it was the characters that dictated the specifics and requirements of the genre the books immersed themselves in. Being set in a fetish club in downtown Vancouver, and the vampires’ temperaments, shaped their experiences and wants. More detailed sex came with it, part of how they acted and reacted, with the progression of the stories. I just flowed with the muse, and her demands.

How do your family and friends feel about your work? Do they read your books?

They are fine with it. My mother especially knew from the beginning what I wrote, and how I did it. She was there for my transition into the more graphic side of sex. She adjusted with me, while I went through my “uncomfortable” period, where I hesitated with what I wrote. Since then, I’ve grown more into the role. Though I will admit, there are some things that still made me a little shy to put to paper. My dad, brother and the rest of my family—including my grandmother either know or have read the darkest or most sexual of what I’ve put into distribution.

Your book Masquerade released October 30^th with Silver Publishing.

Yes it did, and I am so excited to have it come out!

This is the summary:

What lies behind the façade isn’t always what it seems

Abigail claimed the land of North Vancouver as her own, sharing it only with a clan of vampires, The Jericho Coven, who accepted the werewolf into their territory without qualm. Within their numbers is one, Cyrus Jericho; a suave, brooding vampire who isn’t quite as he appears. He declares Abigail for his own the moment they meet, despite the fact that another werewolf pack is in British Columbia looking to claim Abigail into their midst, no matter what they must do to see that goal complete.

What inspired this tale?

When I first sat down to write it, I was actually thinking of a masquerade ball with a more in-depth setting that centralized around that, where two masked people ended up having a hot encounter at the spur of the moment, only to find out that their veiled partners were someone they knew beforehand, outside of the party. The main-characters had been from The Foxworths Coven, and not The Jericho Coven. But even half-finished, it didn’t sit well with me, so I started over. When choosing the characters for the second try, I thought of the Jerichos, and how their stories at this point only include Jezebel’s Article. When changing gears, I came across this photo with a paranormal flare: a man holding a bloodied skull in the middle of a graveyard, with a broken angel-statue in the background and thunder in the skies. This inspired me and the first and last chapters of Masquerade were born. I had always used vampires and I thought about what other paranormal Halloween-related beings I hadn’t written about yet. So with the Jerichos, are the first appearance of werewolves and zombies to shake it up a bit.

Will there be more books with The Jericho Coven?

While I have some thoughts and half-done drafts set out for more books, I really can’t say for sure as of yet when that might be. While my first two Covens have been thought-out, with full-length series to go with them, the Jerichos aren’t nearly so vivid in my mind. I haven’t played with them nearly to the same length. Perhaps, one day they will have a set series, or more single titles central to their vampires.

And I can't help but ask about my favorite coven—The Cornwalls! What's in store for us next with the delicious Cornwall family?

Ah ha! Glad you asked. In The Cornwall Coven Series, there are two more books in this series.

The second book, due out with Silver Publishing January 8^th 2011, is entitled Carnal Magnetism. This is Ryder’s story, where he meets an unusual American vampire, Catalym, who has the power over sexual-energy to call her own. And a lot of trouble chasing closely behind her.

The third book, Demonic Pandemonium, is also due out by Silver Publishing, January 29^th 2011. This is Kevlar’s book, where he meets a half-demon named Pandora Cyprus. She is the only one of her kind on earth, and has an even more convoluted past than he does. And that says something. They are destined to be together—to bring a solution to an apocalyptic problem.

How do you find the time to write so many books?

The Foxworth and The Cornwall Covens have been written for a long time. At this point, it was only a matter of rewriting/updating them with all I have learned since my first publication almost a year ago. The shorter works, like Masquerade, which fall into different spectrums of my world, are relativity simple for me to write. Many of these characters and situations they find themselves in are already laid out for me with all these plots and ideas constantly swimming in my head. It’s only a matter of selecting the right one with the right character.

When a reader chooses your book, what do you hope they'll take away from it?

It really depends on what the story is. A lot of the time, it’s just entertainment and hopefully they end up enjoying it. At others, I do my research that threads its way throughout the work(s). I hope they learn something new, because I know I always do. But then, some fragment of life makes me think in a new way, or create a different view on something. Sometimes, this will effect me to the point that it will actually do an 180 to my current story, and I try to put that into a specific character/situation, trying to make it shine through and show a different facet and all it entails. Perhaps some of it may make a reader see something different or new they hadn’t previously considered.

Aside from writing, what's your favorite past time?

Reading. If I am not writing, there is a book in my hands, on the desk beside me, on every available crevice. I also have my animals, a dog and cat, which take up a lot of my time. Otherwise, my boyfriend introduced me to the television Supernatural. We are watching the first five seasons before moving on to the one in progress—right now has us at the end of season three.

Okay, I know it's a bit off topic, but again, I gotta ask--what's your favorite flavor of cheesecake?

Oh gosh! I have to pick just one?! That is like torture. Fortunately, you share my weakness for such a delectable treat, hehe. So I’m sure you understand. I think I am going to go with chocolate-caramel (after eating one so recently), after that it would have to be pretty much anything with fruit on it.

Anything else you'd like to add?

First off, thank you Cindy for having me this week. And thanks everyone for being here today!

This was a blast, and a great way to start off the next four days! Tomorrow will be a blog-entry entitled What’s Up With The Cornwalls, with more about my up-and-coming release with the Cornwall Coven, including a Christmas Story coming out with Mojocastle Press, for an Anthology Just Another Paranormal Christmas.