Author Interview & Giveaway: Assassins In Love by Kris DeLake

KD: Thank you! I’m happy to be here.

KD: I’ve written in almost every genre under a variety of names, but I’ve never written historical romance. I really want to. I’ve been meaning to—for nearly thirty years now. It’s my favorite genre to read. I really should try my hand at writing it.

KD: I have an office in my house. I used to have an outside office, but I missed the comfort of home—and the cats. (And the refrigerator.)

KD: Harder. I had to figure out how the world worked. I know a lot of writers don’t do that kind of backgrounding, but I got my start in science fiction. (I still write it as Kristine Kathryn Rusch.) I learned how to do rigorous world-building. In fact, under my Rusch name, I wrote a Star Wars novel, and I asked LucasFilm how far it was from one planet to another. (Tattoine to somewhere else [can’t remember exactly]) and the woman I asked said, “Why do you science fiction writers always want that information?” So not even LucasFilm does that kind of backgrounding. But I’m so anal that I have to.

KD:I wish I could say yes. It would make me sound so smart. But no. I didn’t even realize it until you asked the question. My characters just come to me, fully formed. So they are who they are.

KD: Honestly, the first scene around that body. That’s when I fell in love with both Rikki and Misha. Now I want to know what yours is. ☺

KD: I want them to remember that they liked the book enough to buy the next book. ☺ Seriously, I just want readers to have a great reading experience. I know that’s what I’m looking for when I buy a book.

RTD: If Assassins in Love were ever on the big screen, who would you choose as your cast?

KD: Actually, Sourcebooks asks for this stuff when you turn in the book. Here’s what I wrote for them: “Misha looks like Brad Pitt. Sometimes he’s the Brad Pitt of Thelma and Louise, impossibly beautiful, very young; and sometimes he’s the Brad Pitt of Meet Joe Black, every serious, very dapper, somewhat sad.

Rikki is much more flamboyant and noticeable. She’s a Presence. She looks like Deborah Messing (Smash), beautiful but the kind of woman who has no idea that she’s so stunning.”

But honestly, I don’t think those two actors would match up well. I think we’d probably need a different Rikki. Even though she doesn’t look right, Rooney Mara has the right energy—when she’s not all punked-out like she was for Dragon Tattoo.

KD: For a planet, I’d have to say Mars. I’m intrigued by the fact that it’s so diverse and there’s a possibility there might’ve been life on it. But I really want to go to the Moon—which isn’t a planet, of course. I write a series of science fiction/mystery novels set on the Moon (The Retrieval Artist books), so the Moon really factors into my imagination. I want to see if I got it right.

KD: I’m reading Anne Stuart’s Kindle collection. It’s actually called Anne Stuart’s Out of Print books. I had read several of them, and now I’m reading the rest. I love her categories. Beneath it is Robert Harris’s new thriller, and next to it is Jonathan Strahan’s best of the year short story collection for science fiction & fantasy. I’m also reading a nonfiction book called The Wrecking Crew, about the back-up musicians from the 1960s. As you can tell, I read just about anything. (I also blog about what I read once a month on my kristinekathrynrusch.com website.)

RTD: Can you give us a little peak into the next book in the series?

KD: The next book in the series features Rikki’s friend Jack Hunter. The story actually starts just before he meets Rikki on Krell. So you’ll see that scene from Jack’s perspective—and you’ll find out why he was so preoccupied.

Just for fun:
Favorite sci-fi movie? The Empire Strikes Back

Morning Person or Night Owl? Night owl.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would you want for company? My husband. Not only is he great to talk to, he’s endlessly inventive and extremely capable. He’d either keep us alive or get us rescued or both.

What’s your current guilty pleasure? The TV show Revenge. I love that show.

KD: Thank you for inviting me. I had fun.

Kris DeLake, also known as Kristine Kathryn Rusch, is an award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance, and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists all over the world and have been published in 14 countries and 13 different languages.

She is the former editor of prestigious The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Before that, she and Dean Wesley Smith, started and ran Pulphouse Publishing, a science fiction and mystery press in Eugene. She lives and works on the Oregon Coast.

When one killer falls for another…

Misha’s mission is to get Rikki to join the guild or give up her guns. He completely underestimated the effect she would have on him…and what heat and chaos they could bring to each other…

 Read an excerpt | Read my review

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