Welcome Guest Author - Kayelle Allen

STEPH: I'd like to welcome author Kayelle Allen to the blog today. I just want to wish a happy birthday since I know it was yesterday. *smile*

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable--or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

I don't know much about "At The Mercy of her Pleasure." What's it about?

KAYELLE: At the Mercy is about a gifted, professional thief who's climbing to the top of the Thieves' Guild. He's hired by a female officer in the rebel army. Her parents were recently killed and their belongings confiscated by the imperial armada. What Senth doesn't know is that the simple locket she wants him to steal back from the government contains data for a prototype transport system NarrAy's parents were developing. It's a challenge stealing the item, and there are a few close calls, but he manages to get them in and out of the facility. Just when they think, "Whew! We made it!" they find out the locket is only the first clue to finding the data. He and NarrAy have taken the first step in their adventure, and there is more to come. At the Mercy is full of action, excitement, twists, and overall, humor.

STEPH: What was the inspiration for the story?

KAYELLE: I was looking for an idea in old notes, and came across a scene of two brothers who were thieves. One was watching the alley while the second one stole something. It was just one tiny scene, but it had heart, and showed that these two characters cared about each other. It became the opening scene in the book, but instead of being two thieves, Senth is the thief, and his older brother is... well, I'll let readers discover what Khyff is for themselves. He is an unconventional character.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

KAYELLE: About three months. It flowed.

STEPH: Senth is the hero. What are his strengths? Weaknesses?

KAYELLE: Senth is fun-loving, gregarious, and energetic. He's brilliant, and has broken records in the Thieves' Guild for every sort of endeavor. The flip side of all that is he doesn't like rules and regulations. Rules are for the other guys. He will lock himself inside a device and try to break out of it, because breaking in is no longer a challenge. Senth is half human and half Kin, a feline humanoid. He has fangs and catlike eyes, the only evidence from his alien father, and he's accustomed to the prejudice he faces for not being fully one race or the other. He's sure of himself, and that confidence is appealing, but he's sometimes a little too sure of himself for his own good. Senth believes if an item is not nailed down, then it's his. If it is nailed down, then he just has to pry it up, and then it's his. Considering he falls in love with a woman who's a captain in the military and a by-the-book hard ass... well, things get a little dicey.

STEPH: What does NarrAy find attractive about him?

KAYELLE: Senth is everything her parents warned her about. He's rarely serious; he's irreverent, cocky, and a rule-breaker. If they were alive, they'd warn her away from him in a heartbeat. In an impulsive moment, she decides that alone is reason enough to pursue him, and she does. Senth is adorable, he purrs when he's happy, and she loves his long, curly hair. What she expects is a quick fling with a gorgeous young man -- but soon finds out this maverick thief has stolen her heart.

STEPH: What attracts you to writing science fiction/fantasy?

KAYELLE: I've loved scifi since I was a kid. I love the freedom of creating my own world and rules, and not being stuck with specific dates in history that I have to remember. Of course, the flip side is that you have to create your own history. My favorite part of writing is creating new cultures and worlds. I wrote a language for my Kin people (feline based), and have an entire tour on my website of the various planets in the Tarthian Empire, where most of my books take place. http://kayelleallen.com/TTC-Home.html

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

KAYELLE: I'm like a genie in a bottle. My office is a literal closet. When I'm sitting at my desk, I can stick out my elbows and touch the walls. This is a good thing. In summer, it's right by a cooling vent, and in winter, I shut the door. ;) No distractions from people passing through the room, either. I have my back to the world when I'm writing. The walls are covered with posters, book covers, awards, and I have my writing tools all within reach. My little hole in the wall.

STEPH: Are you a plotter or a panster?

KAYELLE: I'm a plotser. ;) I have a detailed plot with lots of details - and my characters (bless them) take me for a ride every now and then and I end up north instead of west, or on planet A instead of B. I don't write the first scene of a book until I know it well enough to write the blurb for it. That said, I tend to be a big-picture person. I see the whole thing at a glance and can't imagine writing and wondering what will happen next. I know where I'm going, and I'm always writing toward an end. I do like to explore along the way, however, and often come up with good twists to add to the plot, that I had no idea I would even consider when I started. So... plotser.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one? What do you like about it?

KAYELLE: I ordered a Kindle for my birthday (which was yesterday), and I should be able to tell you more about that in a few days. One reason I ordered it was because I've been using the Kindle to PC app for nearly a year, and have lots of books gained on sale or through giveaways. I'm looking forward to carrying it with me, and taking it out to the living room, sitting in bed, or anywhere other than the computer, and having many books to choose.


STEPH: Fun Question: Spring is in the air. Do you have any spring rituals you'd like to share? Go to any festivals? The Beach? Plant a garden?

KAYELLE: I love to see Bradford Pear trees in full blossom. They're huge, white, and are the most picture-perfect trees on the planet. In spring, I go looking for them in various areas around town. I don't feel like it's officially spring until I've seen them. One street near my home has a tree in every yard, all the way down a long drive, with one on each side. On a sunny morning, I look forward to standing there, gazing at these beautiful trees all lined up. And then a few weeks later, when we get a stiff breeze, it's amazing to watch the white blossoms as they float to the ground like snow. Once I've seen the pears bloom, I know summer is on its way.

Find me here:
Homeworld
http://kayelleallen.com

Facebook
http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
http://facebook.com/kayelle.allen

Twitter
http://twitter.com/kayelleallen

Romance Lives Forever Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancelivesforever

Unstoppable Heroes
http://kayelleallen.blogspot.com

Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/kayelle_allen

Reviews
"Multi-dimensional characters, a fast paced storyline, mystery and some simmering sexual tension keep the readers on edge as AT THE MERCY OF HER PLEASURE draws the reader in and never lets go until the very end." Love Romances and More

"Kayelle Allen delivers a well-plotted story, as always, with fascinating twists you don’t see coming." Literary Nymphs

"...a dazzling cast of characters and an action packed plot..." Romance Junkies
"The relationship between Senth and NarrAy is one that will leave you thinking about these characters even after you finish reading this story." Whipped Cream Reviews

Link to trailer
http://youtu.be/E-rlffo7fO0


Excerpt
Antonello Brothers 1: At the Mercy of Her Pleasure (a Tarthian Empire Story)
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure

When NarrAy steals a kiss from Senth, he steals her heart, but how much more are they willing to take -- for each other?

Senth holds a lofty position in the elite Thieves' Guild. Drugged since puberty to suppress his feral half-feline side, nothing suppresses his daredevil, risk-loving human half. His master offers him a deal. Work with a Better, an enhanced woman with addictive, pleasure-laced pheromones, and he'll buy and free Senth's cruelly enslaved older brother. The job? Grab-and-go. The condition? Remain a virgin. The drug he takes ensures it, no matter how tempting the woman or her pheromones. The problem? Nothing goes right. The job outlasts the drug's effect. All Senth wants is one touch, one kiss, one oh-so-tempting lick of her perfect, lush skin. The downside? With his brother's freedom at stake, how can he risk putting himself at the mercy of her pleasure?

Warning: Contains half-feline thief who plays with what he steals, and a by-the-book military heroine whose passion he liberates. Author not liable for items missing once book is open, including hearts.

In the beginning of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, Senth practices on a particular kind of lock. It's vital he knows how to open, but because he's nervous, he keeps fumbling. His mentor gives him a piece of advice that gets him through the moment. In this scene, he shares the same advice with NarrAy. They are using perjump, a personal portaling system to enter the palace and search for Senth's brother, who's held captive.


NarrAy expected queasiness when her body reassembled inside the palace. Instead it was as if she'd closed her eyes in one place and opened them in another. They stood in a utility room stocked with linens and deactivated housecleaning droids. The swift disorientation of different surroundings startled but didn't hurt.

Senth, on the other hand, dropped to his knees at her side and doubled over.

"Oh no!" She knelt beside him. "Didn't the jumpdrug help? Are you sick?"

He braced one arm across his stomach. "I got punched yesterday." He grimaced. "Been hurting ever since."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you'd worry like you are now." He was ashen and shaking. Moments ago he'd been fine.

"I have good reason to worry, Senth. My parents knew perjump couldn't be used by an injured person."

He looked up. "Why not?"

"When there was an injury, perjump accelerated the damage." She laid her hands on his shoulders. "They wanted to use it to move casualties off a battlefield or accident victims to a hospital, but in every test, it made the injury worse. You should have told me!"

Senth grunted, still on his knees on the floor.

"We have to get you back on board." She reached for the perjump controls.

He grabbed her hand. "No! Not without my brother."

"Senth, I—"

"No." His grip tightened on her hand. His pale eyes were flinty, hard, determined. "You said there was only enough power for one jump here and back. I'm not leaving without my brother!"

"And just how are you going to work in your condition?"

"I can make it." He clenched his teeth. "Help me up."

"Senth—"

"NarrAy, I need you to trust me. Let me do my job." He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. His innocent blue eyes pleaded with her. "Please. Help me save my brother."

"All right." She let him lean on her arm and helped him rise, supporting his weight as best she could. "If we landed where we thought we would, security should be through that door."

She put her left arm around Senth's waist. With his right arm draped over her shoulder, she helped him into the security room.

A wall of lights, switches, and monitors glowed in the eerie dark. How would he ever know where to find his brother with all those indicators?

Grimacing, Senth dug his left hand into a pocket and retrieved his lockpick. With his arm still over her shoulder, he used both hands to set the lockpick's controls and held the unit up in front of the panel of lights. He passed it slowly across each row, then down and back in the other direction.

The pick bleeped, and Senth turned it off and slid it back in his pocket.

"This is the last room locked, so I'm betting that's where she's keeping him."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then we're about to pay a visit to a total stranger." He moved his arm off her shoulder. "Can you hold me up on the other side instead? I need my right hand for this."

NarrAy slid around and took her place on his left. "What if someone comes in?"

"Guild intel says all the security is automated." He touched part of the panel and then worked so quickly, his fingers blurred. "Done." He motioned to the door. "Let's go get Khyff."

"Are you sure it's safe now?"

He gave her a perturbed smile. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That was awfully quick. Are you sure it's—"

"NarrAy, never think about the importance of a lock. Just pick it." He jerked his head toward the door. "Come on."

Loose Id: http://tinyurl.com/atthemercy

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Get an electronic autograph for the Kindle version of this book at Kindlegraph.

Print: http://tinyurl.com/atthemercy-p

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