AGAINST THE EDGE: AUTHOR GUEST POST AND BONUS ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDED 
AGAINST THE EDGE

Raines Of Wind Canyon Series, #8

BY KAT MARTIN

Kat Martin's latest novel from the "Raines of Wind Canyon" Series, AGAINST THE EDGE, was released yesterday so you can run out and get your copy right away. However, if you want to try and win a copy, here is some more interesting information about the book and author and ways to enter to gain even more entries. My giveaway ends on May 4 so you still have time. If you missed my initial AGAINST THE EDGE post with my review, HERE is the link to get there. Check it out for a summary of the book and lots more about Kat Martin!

KAT MARTIN GUEST BLOG POST:

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

In the course of writing more than fifty books, I can tell you that a character’s name can be extremely important.  I spend hours pouring over lists of names:  American, English, Italian, French, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, etc. 

Months before I start a story, I work on choosing the right names for my hero and heroine.  It’s my way of getting to know them.  Choosing their names is the way I begin to find their identity. 

I like names that evoke an instant picture.  Ben Slocum, for example.  Ben is the hero in AGAINST THE EDGE.  Dark and slightly brooding, Ben’s a hard-edged man who’s been hurt before and is determined to protect his heart and never fall in love again.  I can’t imagine a man named Ben Slocum being a guy with a weak chin.

Jake Cantrell in AGAINST THE SUN stands six feet five inches tall and weighs two-hundred thirty pounds.  Jake is no wimp.  He is a body guard, a former Marine.  His name resonated with me from the moment I said it out loud.

Alex Justice in AGAINST THE ODDS is solid as a rock.  He’s extremely intelligent and though he’s an exceptionally good-looking man, he’s tough when it counts, and wildly protective.

Women’s names are almost as tough to choose.  I find them unconsciously popping into my head as I begin to mentally work on the story.  Sometimes I try to change a name, but it never feels quite right.  Claire Chastain was Claire from the start and I couldn’t make her be anyone else.

I like to choose the names way ahead so that I have a little more input in what they are (as opposed to the character demanding a name and refusing anything else.  Okay, I know that’s crazy, but...)  I try to pick two different first letters so they don’t confuse the reader.  Ben and Claire instead of Ben and Bonnie or something, though occasionally, as I said, a name will come to me so strongly I don’t have any other choice.

I wrote a book called THE DREAM.  I knew it was going to be Jack and Jenny, nothing I could do about it, so I changed the spelling and made it Jack and Genny, and that solved my problem. 

I don’t like weird spellings of names.  It bothers the reader the entire length of the book.

As for secondary characters, that’s when it gets to be fun.  The villain in AGAINST THE EDGE uses a number of aliases.  Each one is a clue that leads Ben and Claire closer to finding him.  It’s a wild ride that eventually puts them into a race to survive, a journey that ultimately leads to a powerful love.

I hope you’ll watch for AGAINST THE EDGE and that you enjoy Ben and Claire’s story. 

What are some of the names of your favorite heroes and heroines? 
Very best and happy reading, kat

MORE ABOUT KAT MARTIN: 

Currently living in Missoula, Montana, Kat is the New York Times bestselling author of over fifty Historical and Contemporary Romance Suspense novels.  Before she started writing in 1985, Kat was a real estate broker.  During that time, she met her husband, Larry Jay Martin, author of more than twenty books, both westerns and mysteries.  Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History.

"I've always loved books.  I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head.  Writing them down seemed a logical step."

"I love anything old," Kat says.  "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set.  My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past.  It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

Kat began with historical romance and is currently writing romantic suspense.   She is published in twenty foreign countries.

 Kat's lovely home in Montana!

 GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO RITA AND KAT MARTIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF AGAINST THE EDGE

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

   
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

BONUS ENTRIES

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON KAT'S GUEST POST ABOVE, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK 

+1 MORE ENTRY: VISIT KAT MARTIN'S WEBSITE HERE FOR A CHANCE TO ENTER A SPECIAL CONTEST SHE IS HOSTING AND YOU MIGHT WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF AGAINST THE EDGE PLUS THIS GORGEOUS PAIR OF CRYSTAL EARRINGS

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT IF YOU ENTERED THIS GIVEAWAY ON THE ORIGINAL POST WHICH IS HERE

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
6 PM, EST, MAY 4
 GOOD LUCK!