Title: Avenging
Series: The Rising Series, Book 3
Author: Holly Kelly
Published: April 21st, 2015
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Genre: NA Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Violence
Recommended Age: 16+
Synopsis: Two thousand years ago, King Triton witnessed the slaughter and total annihilation of his merchildren. He vowed then and there to never again father a child. Powerful and eternally youthful, Triton was no stranger to seduction. But his resolve was unwavering—until he met Nicole.
Unable to resist the human woman, he found himself swept up in her arms. When he finally came to his senses, he abandoned her to return to his refuge in the sea.
Twenty years later, he comes face to face with his daughter. Triton is both thrilled and frightened to learn he’s a father. Meeting the child he never knew fills a void in his life. But at the same time, he once again finds his heart at risk. Even more terrifying, he’s forced to admit he’s still in love with Nicole. Gathering his courage, he leaves the sea to seek her out. But the pain he caused is not easily forgotten. And mending broken hearts should be the least of his worries. The elements are in commotion, threatening the utter destruction of mankind. And much to the sea god’s surprise, the human woman he loves may be the key to saving them all.
Excerpt #1 for Avenging by Holly Kelly:
Fish swam around the room as if they were swimming laps in a giant track. There were hundreds of them: colorful ones with long tails, lumpy, grey ones, long, sleek fish with sharp, pointy teeth, and many more she couldn’t even begin to identify.
“Um, are we going to be swimming laps before dinner?”
Ty smiled and shook his head slowly.
“You don’t mean… This room full of fish can’t be dinner?”
“You’re not going to be eating all of them, just one or two.”
“No, I’m going to be eating zero of them.”
“Nikki, if you’re going to live down here, you have to learn to eat down here.”
“But… I’m a vegetarian.”
“Since when?”
“Since… now.”
“Nicole Taylor, just give it a try. That’s all I ask.”
She frowned and then got an idea. “You’re a god; can you cook one for me?”
“No, I’m not going to cook one for you. But I’ll catch some. I’ll be right back.” He manifested a trident in his hand and shot through the center of the circling fish. Seconds later, he swam back, with three fish speared, one on each of the three points of his trident.
“Fish kabobs are served.”
Nicole winced. “They’re still wiggling.”
“Fine,” he said, pointing his finger at the squirming fish. They immediately went limp. “There, now they’re dead.”
“You killed them just by pointing your finger at them?” she squeaked in surprise. “If you wanted to, could you kill me that easily?”
“Great gods of Olympus, why in Hades would I want to do that?”
“I don’t know. If I ever annoyed you—”
“You’d already be dead,” he interrupted. “Many times over.”
She held back a smile. “Very funny.”
“I thought so. Okay, now here.” He pulled a fish off the spike and handed it to her. “Give it a try.”
She learned two valuable lessons minutes later. First, when you threw up in the sea, it went everywhere. Second, whatever dinner you were not eating made a wonderful clean-up crew. She could have gone without learning either of those lessons.
About the Author:
Holly Kelly is a mom who writes books in her spare time: translation–She hides in the bathroom with her laptop and locks the door while the kids destroy the house and smear peanut butter on the walls.
Holly was born in Utah but lived in Salina, Kansas until she was 13 and in Garland, Texas until she was 18. She’s now back in Utah–“happy valley”. Holly is married to her wonderful husband, James, and the two of them are currently raising 6 rambunctious children. Her interests are reading, writing (or course), martial arts, visual arts, and spending time with family.
Holly Kelly’s first published book is: Rising. Rising was published by Clean Teen Publishing on September 6, 2013.
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Interview
Where are you from?
I was born in Utah but moved around a bit—living in Utah, Kansas, Texas, and Hawaii. Hawaii was my favorite place to live. I absolutely adore the ocean and would love nothing better than to live close to the shore again, but alas I’m back in landlocked Utah—but my husband and I have aspirations of buying a winter home in Fiji.
Tell us your latest news?
Avenging—the third installment in The Rising Series—has been released and is a solid bestseller not only in the US, but internationally as well.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I considered myself a writer when I started writing. I think people put too much stock into what it means to be “a writer”. To me, if you write, you’re a writer—end of story.
What inspired you to write your first book?
Do you have a specific writing style?
I’m a pantser—which means I don’t outline, I write by the seat of my pants. I’ve tried outlining; in fact, I spent a lot of time outlining Avenging. I hoped that it would speed up my process. It turned out to be a complete waste of time for me. I couldn’t for the life of me, stick to it. It felt constrictive and unnatural, and it actually slowed me down. I ended up abandoning it and just wrote. I just let the story lead me, and often I’m just as surprised as my readers when something exciting happens or when secrets are revealed.
How did you come up with the title?
I actually didn’t have the title for Avenging until I’d finished the book. It was a lot harder to come up with than the first two books in the series. I knew it had to end in “ing”, but I couldn’t figure out a title that fit the story, ended in “ing”, AND sounded cool. But then once the book was done, it was easy to see how well Avenging fit with the story.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t try to have a theme to my books. I don’t want them to come off preachy. But often I can see a theme once I’m done writing the story. This one I think seems to focus on families. This book reunites several characters with family members and shows the importance of family relationships.
How much of the book is realistic?
The book takes place part in the “real world” and part in the mythological world. The main characters are mythical beings with real/relatable personalities. If I had to be pinned down to how much…I’d probably say 50% realistic, and 50% fantasy.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
There are elements of each story I write that draws from my real life, but most of the story is wishful thinking—wishing this world were real, because I think it’s totally amazing!
What books have most influenced your life most?
This is a really hard question! I simply love books—paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, romance… there are just so many. It’s easier to say what authors have influenced me. My favorite author is Amy Harmon. She writes mostly contemporary and a few paranormal. Her books are powerful! I’ve never read an author who has more heart than Amy Harmon! With her books, you laugh, you ball your eyes out, and you become so involved with the characters, that you literally feel you are inside the story. Some of my other favorites are J.K.Rowling, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Julie Garwood, Janet Evanovich, Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Mull, Rick Riordan,
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Actually, I consider a Facebook group my mentor. I’m a member of The Author’s Think tank. There are many amazing bestselling authors—including New York Times bestsellers—who are active in that group. I would be lost without them. Any question I have related to writing and publishing, they can answer and have. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
What book are you reading now?
I’m reading two, actually. I’m reading Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison (book 5) to my kids, and I’m also reading Chasing Daylight by Ranae Glass. I adore the Fablehaven series, and I just started Chasing Daylight—so far, I love it too!!
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
With all the authors I associate with, it’s hard to pick just a few. There are many talented upcoming authors. My favorites are the authors from Clean Teen Publishing. CTP has an amazing eye for spotting a good book. I’m continually amazed at the caliber of the books they release. Of course, I may be biased seeing as they are my publisher, but they really have a treasure trove of talent!
What are your current projects?
Interview
Where are you from?
I was born in Utah but moved around a bit—living in Utah, Kansas, Texas, and Hawaii. Hawaii was my favorite place to live. I absolutely adore the ocean and would love nothing better than to live close to the shore again, but alas I’m back in landlocked Utah—but my husband and I have aspirations of buying a winter home in Fiji.
Tell us your latest news?
Avenging—the third installment in The Rising Series—has been released and is a solid bestseller not only in the US, but internationally as well.
When and why did you
begin writing?
It’s funny, but I’d never considered writing fiction until eight years ago—when I started writing my first “practice novel”—I actually wrote three of those. And no, they will never see the light of day. That ship has sailed.
Why did I begin writing? Well, I’d always been an avid reader, but it never crossed my mind that I could write a book myself. Then eight years ago, I read something Stephenie Meyer wrote. It was rough, it was unedited—it was a scene her publisher cut from Twilight. When I read it, I thought it was horrible. And then the thought struck me. I bet I can write better than that. That moment, I opened up Microsoft word and started writing. I didn’t think it over, I didn’t plan it out, it was an impulsive thing. But then, once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. And when I wasn’t writing, I was imagining scenes in my head, thinking out characters, and basically spending my time in the world I was creating. And this is how I live even now—always with one foot in the real world, and one foot in the world of my imagination.
It’s funny, but I’d never considered writing fiction until eight years ago—when I started writing my first “practice novel”—I actually wrote three of those. And no, they will never see the light of day. That ship has sailed.
Why did I begin writing? Well, I’d always been an avid reader, but it never crossed my mind that I could write a book myself. Then eight years ago, I read something Stephenie Meyer wrote. It was rough, it was unedited—it was a scene her publisher cut from Twilight. When I read it, I thought it was horrible. And then the thought struck me. I bet I can write better than that. That moment, I opened up Microsoft word and started writing. I didn’t think it over, I didn’t plan it out, it was an impulsive thing. But then, once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. And when I wasn’t writing, I was imagining scenes in my head, thinking out characters, and basically spending my time in the world I was creating. And this is how I live even now—always with one foot in the real world, and one foot in the world of my imagination.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I considered myself a writer when I started writing. I think people put too much stock into what it means to be “a writer”. To me, if you write, you’re a writer—end of story.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I actually got the inspiration for my book from a picture. I
saw a picture of a mermaid, but this mermaid’s tail was unlike any I’d seen
before—it was flesh colored. And it got me thinking, what if a mermaid was born
on land, but she didn’t know she was a mermaid? She simply thought she was
horribly deformed. That day, I started writing Rising, the first book in my
series.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I’m a pantser—which means I don’t outline, I write by the seat of my pants. I’ve tried outlining; in fact, I spent a lot of time outlining Avenging. I hoped that it would speed up my process. It turned out to be a complete waste of time for me. I couldn’t for the life of me, stick to it. It felt constrictive and unnatural, and it actually slowed me down. I ended up abandoning it and just wrote. I just let the story lead me, and often I’m just as surprised as my readers when something exciting happens or when secrets are revealed.
How did you come up with the title?
I actually didn’t have the title for Avenging until I’d finished the book. It was a lot harder to come up with than the first two books in the series. I knew it had to end in “ing”, but I couldn’t figure out a title that fit the story, ended in “ing”, AND sounded cool. But then once the book was done, it was easy to see how well Avenging fit with the story.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t try to have a theme to my books. I don’t want them to come off preachy. But often I can see a theme once I’m done writing the story. This one I think seems to focus on families. This book reunites several characters with family members and shows the importance of family relationships.
How much of the book is realistic?
The book takes place part in the “real world” and part in the mythological world. The main characters are mythical beings with real/relatable personalities. If I had to be pinned down to how much…I’d probably say 50% realistic, and 50% fantasy.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
There are elements of each story I write that draws from my real life, but most of the story is wishful thinking—wishing this world were real, because I think it’s totally amazing!
What books have most influenced your life most?
This is a really hard question! I simply love books—paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, romance… there are just so many. It’s easier to say what authors have influenced me. My favorite author is Amy Harmon. She writes mostly contemporary and a few paranormal. Her books are powerful! I’ve never read an author who has more heart than Amy Harmon! With her books, you laugh, you ball your eyes out, and you become so involved with the characters, that you literally feel you are inside the story. Some of my other favorites are J.K.Rowling, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Julie Garwood, Janet Evanovich, Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Mull, Rick Riordan,
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Actually, I consider a Facebook group my mentor. I’m a member of The Author’s Think tank. There are many amazing bestselling authors—including New York Times bestsellers—who are active in that group. I would be lost without them. Any question I have related to writing and publishing, they can answer and have. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
What book are you reading now?
I’m reading two, actually. I’m reading Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison (book 5) to my kids, and I’m also reading Chasing Daylight by Ranae Glass. I adore the Fablehaven series, and I just started Chasing Daylight—so far, I love it too!!
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
With all the authors I associate with, it’s hard to pick just a few. There are many talented upcoming authors. My favorites are the authors from Clean Teen Publishing. CTP has an amazing eye for spotting a good book. I’m continually amazed at the caliber of the books they release. Of course, I may be biased seeing as they are my publisher, but they really have a treasure trove of talent!
What are your current projects?
I’ve got two
projects right now. I’m currently working on book 4 in The Rising Series. Drakōn,
one of the minor characters introduced in Descending, is getting his own book.
And the woman who will win him over—if she doesn’t burn him to death—is Tana,
daughter of Hades. And then I’m dabbling in another book—possibly the beginning
of a new series. This one comes from my love of Halloween. It’s a spooky ghost
story, with specters, demons, and lost souls.
What would you like my readers to know?
For those who are aspiring authors, don’t let anyone tell
you that you can’t do it. I heard it all myself—even from close family
members. I heard I would never get
published, and that I would never write anything people would want to read. I
didn’t believe it, and you shouldn’t either. Use criticisms as a spring board.
Prove those naysayers wrong! It’s not an
easy journey, it will take time and a heck of a lot of writing under your belt
to get there, but you can. If you just move forward and never give up, you too
can become a published author!
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