Kiss
of the Jinni Hunter Series
Book
Two
Sharon
Buchbinder
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: October 14,
2015
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0392-5 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0393-2 Digital
ASIN: B015ATFQTA
Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 75K
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Book Description:
Homeland Security Special Agent
Eliana Solomon is on a mission to prevent terrorist attacks. Hard enough to do
when the threats are human, almost impossible when it's an evil, shape shifting
jinni. Eliana needs help so she calls the sexy and beguiling psychiatrist, Arta
Shahani. However, no matter how good he is at his job, the man is on her
blacklist. On their last case together, the guy left her for dead.
Arta is stunned when he receives
Eliana’s call. Forced to abandon the woman he loves, he now fears she won’t
accept his shape-shifting skills as a Persian Lion. Eliana, in the meantime
discovers she is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
with special powers of her own. But will her skill and Arta's be enough to
defeat the jinni, or will they lose the love history decreed for them as well
as their lives in this battle of good versus evil?
Book
Trailer: https://youtu.be/4ONWBeBZXlw
Bonus and Spotlight Material
Short
intro:
This full length novel is the second in the enthralling new Jinni Hunter series
from award-winning author, Sharon Buchbinder. Edgy and suspenseful, this
paranormal romance series explores diverse cultures and an array of
supernatural beings. Join the Special Agents of the Anomaly Defense Division as
they race to save humanity—and the people they love.
Tagline: No matter how
far we are in the future, everything connects us to our past.
Two
sentence blurb:
Forced to work with sexy and secretive Dr. Arta Shahani, Homeland Security
Special Agent Eliana Solomon isn’t sure she can trust him—or her heart. Will
Eliana’s skill and Arta’s be enough to defeat the evil jinni—or will they lose
the love history decreed for them as well as their lives?
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Summertown,
West Virginia, U.S.A., Present Day
A picturesque
flight over the Appalachian Mountains to Summertown, West Virginia gave Special
Agent Eliana Solomon of the Homeland Security, Science and Technology
Directorate, Anomaly Defense Division time to process the urgent report she’d
received by email. Up until this week, the existence of werewolf packs had been
concealed from the general population. Now reports of the secretive shape
shifters exploded in her inbox. Where had this information been all this time?
Had the government monitored them all along? If so, why had her boss, Bert
Blackfeather, insisted on her obtaining proof of their existence, along with
the jinnis? She’d pry an answer out of that closed mouth man—someday. Right
now, she had a more pressing matter at hand.
About
the Author:
Sharon Buchbinder has been
writing fiction since middle school and has the rejection slips to prove it. An
RN, she provided health care delivery, became a researcher, association
executive, and obtained a PhD in Public Health. When not teaching or writing,
she can be found fishing, walking her dogs, or breaking bread and laughing with
family and friends in Baltimore, MD and Punta Gorda, FL.
Interview
Thank
you so much for allowing me to guest on your blog. You ask excellent questions!
I suspect I have over responded. J
Where are you from?
I
was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Connecticut, moved to Chicago Illinois
for almost a decade, then moved back the East Coast and currently live in
Baltimore. We also spend time in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Tell us your latest news?
This
summer, I kicked off a new multicultural Kiss of the Jinni Hunter Series. Book
1, Kiss of the Silver Wolf released
in August, and Book 2, Kiss of the Virgin
Queen released in October. The jinni hunters work for Homeland Security in
the Anomaly Defense Division of the Science and Technology Directorate. Their
mission is to protect the Homeland. In the
wrong hands, a jinni could become a weapon of mass
destruction. If a terrorist ever found a way to conjure
and command a jinni, the world would be on its
knees. All the jinni hunters report to Bert Blackfeather, who has a few
secrets up his sleeves, too.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve
been telling stories since I was a child—and got in trouble for “making things
up.” Once I learned how to write, I put my stories on paper. That kept me out
of trouble.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
When
I published my first short story. Despite the fact that I had a PhD and written
a dissertation and numerous journal articles and even a textbook, after the
fiction publication I said, “I guess I really am a writer!”
What inspired you to write your first
book?
When
I turned 52, I had achieved my academic career goal of tenure and promotion to
full professor, the brass ring, if you will. I realized at that point that I
had set aside my fiction writing dreams long enough. I went to our home in
Punta Gorda, Florida and began to write a mystery about a child stolen in the
1940’s. I had already completed a lot of research on the topic. The era was
pretty rife with unwed mothers who were told they had still births, when in
reality, their child was handed off to a couple waiting in the hallway. These
“rapid adoptions” stories led me down a rabbit hole of research. Because of my
own childhood, I am intrigued by the concepts of family and identity. This
fascination ultimately led to the publication of Some Other Child, many years after I wrote it and re-wrote it at
least ten times.
Do you have a specific writing style?
A
few people have likened my work to that of the thriller writer, James Rollins,
because like him, I enjoy blending science and history in my stories,
especially in my new series. However, I also write pretty steamy sex scenes,
too. My first published romance was an erotic noir thriller, Desire and Deception, which was
nominated for an RT Best Erotic Novel Award in 2011. So, if I had to describe
my writing in three words, I’d say: sexy, romantic, thrillers.
How did you come up with the title?
The
title, Kiss of the Virgin Queen,
comes from one of the four major religions that are fascinated with the King
Solomon, Queen of Sheba epic romance. In the Kebra Negast, the Ethiopian sacred text, Queen Makeda was supposed
to remain a virgin, never to marry nor have children. Her role was to rule her
kingdom. Elizabeth I of England was also called the Virgin Queen. The idea of
the Virgin Queen exists throughout history, and is discussed in depth by British
historian and novelist, Antonia Fraser.
If you are interested in this topic, I highly recommend her brilliant books, The Warrior Queens and The Weaker Vessel.
Is there a message in your novel that
you want readers to grasp?
Yes,
my tagline is “No matter how far we are in the future, everything connects us
to our past.” We must understand our history and the history of other people to
know what motivates us. We need only look at the news to see what old injuries
and hurts continue to damage relationships and nations today. When I research
different cultures and histories, I try to see what we have in common and focus
on that, rather than on what divides us.
How much of the book is realistic?
The
story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba comes from four different
religious traditions. Much archaeological research has been conducted and is
being conducted to find “hard” evidence of this great king and queen. It is
difficult for me to believe that four major religions could be basing this
story on pure mythology. In writing about these religious traditions, I invited
feedback from people of multiple faiths to ensure I handled the material with
accuracy and sensitivity.
With
respect to the contemporary portion of the book, Homeland Security and the Science and Technology
Directorate are real. I added a new division, the Anomaly Defense Division.
However, based on the latest news that the CIA used remote viewer and
researched ESP, for all I know there really could
be such a division! The medical impact of radiation exposure and all the
hospital evacuation procedures are based in reality. As a healthcare manager
and RN, I took great care with the scientific portions of the story. I was most
fortunate to have over twenty subject matter experts, including a health
physicist, review the story for verisimilitude. In fact, John
Darrin suggested incorporating a natural nuclear reactor into the story.
With
respect to the world of Jinn, which is the plural of jinni (male) and jinniyah (female). Many
ancient cultures believe Jinn are another entity like humans. Created from
smokeless fire at the same time as angels and man, they have been with us from
the start. Jinn have families, clans, and can live to be over 1,000 years old.
A jinni could be sitting next to you right now. They live alongside humans in
an alternate dimension and when invisible to adults, can be seen, on occasion,
by animals and babies. If they wish to manifest themselves, they can appear as
humans, black dogs, snakes, goats, and other animals. There are also stories of
people becoming possessed by Jinn. If you are interested in an accessible and
well-researched examination of Jinn, I highly recommend Robert Lebling’s book,
Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and
Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar.
Are experiences based on someone you
know, or events in your own life?
Kiss of the Virgin Queen is a paranormal
romance and a historical fantasy, however, I do blend in fictionalized people
and events to lend verisimilitude. For example, in one scene in the
contemporary portion of the book, a hospital has to be evacuated due to a
radiation emergency. All the procedures, protocols, and responder behaviors are
based in fact. The source of the radiation, however, is fantasy.
What books have most influenced your
life most?
I
was raised on Bible stories. The collection of stories in that sacred text is
amazing. If you haven’t read it lately, I urge you to consider reading it. It
has mystery, romance, horror, power hungry despots, heroes, heroines, demons,
witches, and multitude of everyday, regular people trying to do the right thing
in the midst of chaos, war, and evil. You won’t be able to put it down. I
recommend the Oxford
Annotated Bible with Apocrypha. It has extensive footnotes and
historical information.
The Eight by Katherine
Neville had a great impact on me as reader first, then as an author. I think I’ve
read the book at least eight times and it is one of my desert island reads. I
was inspired by the story and structure of the book, and attempted to emulate
her story telling technique with the structure of Kiss of the Virgin Queen. Katherine Neville is also one of the most
gracious authors I have ever met.
If you had to choose, which writer would
you consider a mentor?
My
editor, Amanda Barnett, is my writing mentor. She has been working with me
since 2010, on the first release on Kiss
of the Silver Wolf and the new Kiss of the Jinni Hunter Series, as well as
on Obsession, which was picked up in
August 2015 by AmazonEncore for exclusive digital release with Amazon. Kathryn
Cottrell, also coached and mentored me with a number of novellas, and with Some Other Child. I’ve been blessed to
have wonderful editors/mentors with the Wild Rose Press.
What book are you reading now?
I’m
reading three books at the moment: Dying
Light by Kory Shrum; Pretty Shield:
Medicine Woman of the Crows by Frank B. Linderman; and Day Shift by Charlaine Harris.
Are there any new authors that have
grasped your interest?
Kory
Shrum has captivated me with her interesting urban fantasy series about
necronites (do NOT call them zombies!) She is entertaining and tackles tough
topics without beating the reader over the head. Plus, she has a pug, as do I,
so clearly, there is a connection. J
What are your current projects?
My
big textbook, Introduction to Health Care Management, is in copyedits for the
third edition, so that’s a huge project right now. In addition, I have two
paranormal books in the works, the 3rd book in my Kiss of the Jinni
Hunter Series, Kiss of the Burmese Prince.
I’m also plotting out a novella, The
Haunting of Hotel Labelle.
What would you like my readers to know?
I
love to hear from readers and have an occasional newsletter
which has offers opportunities for complimentary ebooks, romance trading cards,
and other swag to subscribers.
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001IODIE2
Twitter ID @sbuchbinder https://twitter.com/sbuchbinder
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharon_buchbinder/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sbuchbinder/
Goodreads author page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417344.Sharon_Buchbinder
Link to sign up for Newsletter http://www.sharonbuchbinder.com/contact.html#newsletter
Tour
Giveaway
1 Kindle ebook copy of Kiss of
the Silver Wolf, Book 1 (Novella)
1Kindle ebook copy Kiss of the
Virgin Queen, Book 2, full length novel.
2 Luggage tags
5 sets Romance trading cards (1
for Kiss of the Silver Wolf, 1 for Kiss of the Virgin Queen in cellophane
wrapper)
10 Book marks
Thank you for hosting my Queen.
ReplyDeleteSharon Buchbinder