The Gladiator Chronicles, Book 1
Kate Lynd (Amy McCorkle)
Genre: Dystopian Erotic Romance
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
ASIN: B0094JN30M
Number of pages: 122
Word Count: 37,774
Cover Artist: Delilah Stephans
BUY IT: Amazon
Book Description:
Ten years ago Tristan Shane had failed to pick sides and he paid with the ultimate price—his family. Enslaved as a post-apocalyptic gladiator, he is now faced with a similar dilemma, serve the despot Queen and murder her innocent sister, or face certain death himself. What will he choose?
Tristan Shane was a moderate before the nuclear and economic crisis which plunged the world into darkness. While his sister Aidia ran off to fight the rebel’s war he desperately tried to hang onto normalcy and lost his wife and children in the process. Spending the next ten years as the Crown’s favored and the mob’s favorite Gladiator, he never expects to meet the Queen’s sister, Alexandra, a Healer.
She claims to be the much whispered about Savior sent to heal the wounded Earth and oceans, the one who would bring about her cruel sister’s dethroning. But is she? Or is she just a fraud? But he quickly learns her erotic touch has the power to heal his heart and his to save her life. But as the passion heightens and the danger increases will they have forever or will he have to give up everything to save the planet?
Tristan Shane was a moderate before the nuclear and economic crisis which plunged the world into darkness. While his sister Aidia ran off to fight the rebel’s war he desperately tried to hang onto normalcy and lost his wife and children in the process. Spending the next ten years as the Crown’s favored and the mob’s favorite Gladiator, he never expects to meet the Queen’s sister, Alexandra, a Healer.
She claims to be the much whispered about Savior sent to heal the wounded Earth and oceans, the one who would bring about her cruel sister’s dethroning. But is she? Or is she just a fraud? But he quickly learns her erotic touch has the power to heal his heart and his to save her life. But as the passion heightens and the danger increases will they have forever or will he have to give up everything to save the planet?
“What is it you want, Veronica?”
She leaned in close and whispered seductively, “Why, you know I only want you, Tristan.”
He snatched her up by her throat, pinned her against the wall and kissed her passionately, brutally, and without clemency. When he pulled away she was smiling with a darkness that made him angry. She was a power-hungry mongrel who played on her husband’s weaknesses and jealousies. Tristan hated her. And he hated himself for f***ing her. But this was his life. He let go of her and walked away.
“Is my poor Gladiator jealous? There’s really no need for that, is there? You know you’re my favorite.”
“What is it you really want, Veronica?”
She came up behind him and seductively began to ease off his armor. He was covered in sweat and blood and he felt her shiver against his body. And as always there was a twinge of nausea that would precede the raw animal aggression.
She turned him around. He looked at her. There was no doubt about it; she was beautiful. But she was poisonous—a rattlesnake with crystal green eyes and flaming red hair. Her father had promised peace and a return to normalcy and democracy in the wake of economic and nuclear disaster, and instead this was what had become of the world. And she was no doubt always enjoining her father to maintain her life in this fashion. He loathed her. He detested her. And every time he had sex with her his intense hatred for himself deepened a little bit more.
“My dear, sweet Gladiator, as much as I’d like to celebrate your victory with you tonight, my husband wishes me to share his bed. But fear not—I do have a consolation prize for you.”
His skin began to crawl. Veronica had a twisted way of looking at what constituted a consolation prize; it was usually just a groupie who wanted to watch what the queen did with the equivalent of rock stars of the former United States of America
“What is it this time?”
She smiled. His response had given her the mistaken impression that he cared.
“The rebels have been restless. And it seems there is a young woman we have in our prison whom they want terribly. Well, frankly, they are in two minds as to what to believe. It is rumored she is the mythical Healer. The one meant to find her soul mate, so together they will lead our Nation out of the so-called darkness into which it has plunged itself.”
“And what do you want me to do?”
“Oh Tristan, why are you being so defensive? I just want you to find out whether she really is the Healer, and report to me if she is.”
“And then, what?”
“And then you let me handle it,” Veronica said, sliding back into the evil skin that was her natural state. “The rebels have no idea what it takes to run a country.”
The image of his wife being raped and murdered flooded him and it was all he could do not to throttle the queen right then and there.
“So can I count on you to do this for me or do I need to find someone else who can?”
He was no one’s hero. But she had said young woman. And he couldn’t just allow his wife’s fate to be visited upon some other unsuspecting girl. “I’ll do what I can.”
Veronica ran her index finger down his cheek and whispered, “Good boy, Tristan,” she purred. “Guard! She’ll be delivered before the night is over. I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to you, but I expect that you’ll have had enough time to gain her trust by then.”
Tristan’s stomach churned. The Healer? In the beginning there had been whispers of it. But he had never believed in such a thing. It had been years since the crown had feared anything. And now this. He said nothing as the queen was escorted away. He was left to think about the young woman he might be forced to turn over in the end.
Hi Kate! Thanks for stopping in so I can grill you to find out more about you and your books. :) I'm so excited to host you! How did you start your writing career?
Really I’ve been writing since about the age of five and pursuing my career at eighteen. My dad always told us bedtime stories and I loved to read, watch movies, and television. My first real taste of validation came at the age of 13 when I won Young Authors. It was a story about the French Resistance during WW2.
Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
Tristan Shane, the jaded, disillusioned hero at the beginning of the story. He looks like Daniel Craig and his ultimately heroic in that he would do anything for the heroine who may or may not be to much whispered about Savior sent to heal the world and usher out the oligarchy that has taken over in the dystopian vacuum.
Where do you dream of traveling to and why?
Does travel play in the writing of your books?
Yes, in part I think because I don’t get to travel much in life.
Tell us about your current release.
Gladiator is ultimately a story of triumph of good over evil and how no matter how far down you’ve fallen you can rise above and still get your happy ending. It’s about true love, strength, and honor. And it’s about how people will believe the lies if you shout it out long enough and loud enough and convincing the world there is hope to be had when it seems there is none. Oh, yeah, and lots of hot, steamy sex.
Bounty Hunter tells the tale of half-breed human-alien Logan Mitchell Jr, who must decide whether to help his bounty and save her life, or turn her over to the authorities and face certain death.
Who is your favorite author?
Kurt Vonnegut
Who are your books published with?
MuseItUp Publishing and Hydra Publications.
If you were stranded on an island name 10 people you would want with you.
1.) My best good friend Missy Goodman, because she knows me like no other and I would need someone to talk to late at night.
2.) My Mom
3.) My Dad
4.) Daniel Craig (in this parallel universe he has no wife or child lol)
5.) Maurice Benard (he can bring his wife)
7.) Maurice's wife
8.) George Clooney (for Missy)
9. and 10.) President and First Lady Obama
An award winning blogger she is also a successful author in both the sci-fi erotic romance genre with No Ordinary Love and the upcoming release a dark romantic suspense tale Another Way To Die. She also has been contracted for GLADIATOR a Mad Max meets Gladiator series set to be a trilogy. She has placed second in the 2011 Preditors and Editors Readers Choice Poll for Best Short Romance Story. And semi-finaled with Another Way to Die in the 2012 Moondance International Film Festival.
From Hydra Publications, Set Fire to the Rain recently released and her first print novel, Bounty Hunter is due out in October. She is also contracted for the Gunpowder and Lead series she is co-authoring with Melissa Goodman.
Her work is flavored by her childhood heroes, pop culture, music, and the cinema as well as the writers she still enjoys reading today.
Next few Stops
October 20 Interview
Laurie's Non-Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
October 21 Interview
Fang-tastic Books
October 22 guest blog
Erotica For All
1) 5 ecopies of GLADIATOR,
2) a short story prize pack of ebooks No Ordinary Love, Another Way to Die, Set Fire to the Rain,
3) Halloween Trick or Treat mystery prize basket.
1 comment:
Thanks for hosting me!
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