GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Interview: Tawdra Kandle (The Serendipity Duet Books) | I Smell Sheep

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Interview: Tawdra Kandle (The Serendipity Duet Books)

Sharon: Welcome to the Flock Tawdra. Please keep your hands and feet inside this ride, because we have a dragon…enough said!
Donna: And unfortunately, nobody bothered to socialize him as a baby and now he bites.
Tawdra: Hmm, did you know I have a dragon, too? My dear friend C.G. Powell wrote me into one of her short stories, and in that episode I am Lady Tawdra. . .and I have a dragon. Perhaps we could get our pets together to play.
Sharon: sure, but first we will have to pass out the asbestos suits…the dungeon still smells like mutton.
Tawdra: Sounds like a plan. I’m a pseudo-vegetarian, so air that place out before we come over, please!

Sharon: You are a new to me author. Tell me about your successful YA The King Series and the spin off series The Serendipity Duet.

Tawdra: The King Series is a YA quartet that follows Tasmyn Vaughan, who moves to a mystical town in Florida, where more than one person is interested in her ability to hear thoughts. As she’s fighting off crazy witches and over-zealous preachers, she also falls in love with Michael. The books are really about her journey from a scared girl, who doesn’t know how to handle her gifts, to a confident young woman who can take care of herself. Along the way, Tasmyn meets Rafe, who has been described as terminally-sexy. . .he wants her, but despite a brief fling with him during her walk on the wild side (in RESTLESS), she ultimately breaks his heart. That’s where The Serendipity Duet picks up Rafe’s story. We follow him from graduation, through a summer of debauchery, to New Orleans, where his life changes forever. His path crosses with Nell’s, another popular character from The King Series, and we get her story—and more Rafe--in UNQUENCHABLE.
Sharon: You had me at terminally sexy and sealed the deal with debauchery!
Tawdra: I know, right? I loved Rafe from the moment he came on the scene. He convinced me he needed his own book, and let me tell you, I was easy. . .to convince, that is.


Donna: Love the purple streak in your hair and was very inspired by the story behind it. Do you have any events coming soon that you would like to share?
Tawdra: Thank you! I do love my purple. I’ve actually just finished a few months of being on the road at different cons, but for now, I’m home until I head for New Orleans in May. I’ll also be at Indie BookFest in Orlando in August, and then in Tampa at Indie Mashup in September. I love to meet readers, so I hope to have lots of visitors at all those events.


Sharon: Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight…oh, wait! Wrong question. What do you think is the key element to a successful YA romance story that probably doesn’t work in adult romances?
Tawdra: There is an innocence in YA that doesn’t translate to adult, or even to New Adult. Even if the YA is a little edgy, most are about first love in one form or another, and first love is a different animal in a sixteen-year-old than it is in twenty-year-old. In my YA books, Tas was ultra-innocent: she had been so protected her entire life that when friends and love came, it was an entirely new world for her.


Donna: You mentioned you love to travel. Where's the craziest place you've been?
Tawdra: I am a huge fan of US travel. I think our country is so vast and varied that we can never really experience its splendor. Crazy? Hmm. About six years ago, we did a three-week family road trip across the country and back again. We stopped at all the campy Route 66 sites. I love to take my kids to off-the-wall places that are not typical tourist spots. And I’m a sucker for Civil War battlefields. Oh! I’ve been to see where Stonewall Jackson’s arm is buried. Is that crazy.

Sharon: *looks at Donna* arm? Yeah, that qualifies. You did a cross country road trip with kids and everyone lived? I bow down to your superior mother skills.
Donna: Hang on there, Sharon. We don't know if they were taking turns beating each other at the rest stops. Did everyone return unbruised and in good health? (Mental health isn't included in this, as we aren't expecting miracles here.)
Tawdra: They all did. We all did. It was actually one of those ‘wow, this is something we’ll always remember’ deals. We homeschool, so my kids were used to being together all the time. And nobody got tossed down into the Grand Canyon.


Sharon: Undeniable is book one in The Serendipity Duet and the male protagonist is Rafe Brooks…it looks like he hooks up with Jocelyn. In Book two, Unquenchable, Rafe is back but this time with Nell…my, my, what is up with Rafe?
Tawdra: Rafe is running from a broken heart. When he meets Joss, they have instant chemistry. . .and his power—mind bending—doesn’t work on her. He’s been sleeping with all these women, then making them forget him, and Joss calls his bluff, big time. Theirs might have been an epic love story. . .but then something happens. A tragedy sets up the events in UNQUENCHABLE. So Rafe has a good excuse. As if he needs one.

Donna: That must have sucked when he was trying to grab his pants and sneak out the door, lol.
Tawdra: She actually caught him the next day leaving his hotel. And it wasn’t his pants that were the problem. . .it was that she had ripped all the buttons off his shirt. Joss is a fireball.


Donna: What was the last story concept you've heard of that made you say, damn, I wish I'd thought of that?
Tawdra: Isaac Marion’s WARM BODIES. Loved that story, and the idea of redemption and rebirth.

Sharon: I didn’t read the book, but the movie was so cute!
Tawdra: Right? Having warm and fuzzy feelings about zombies? Why didn’t I ever think of that?

Donna: It just made the top of my TBR list!
Tawdra: I met Isaac last year at Indie BookFest. He is way awesome and very laid back. My son met him and decided to be a writer. I was like. . .ummm. . .you know what I do for a living, right? He said, “Yeah, but Isaac makes it look cool.” Okay.


Sharon: Are your children old enough to read your books and do you let them?
Tawdra: They are. My girls are 25, 22 and 18. However, while they loved my YA books, only my oldest daughter will read my NA or adult books. The others just can’t get past Mommy writing “THAT” kind of stuff. And my son is 13; he says until I write a dystopian fantasy, he’s not interested.

Donna: Your son has good taste. That's one of my favorite genres as well.
Tawdra: He and my youngest daughter have ordained that when I write the dystopian book, it can have no sex. That really cuts into my story line.


Donna: Five cats and only one dog doesn't seem fair. Do the cats at least hang out with the dog?
Tawdra: It’s a very complicated relationship. We had three cats, then the dog, and then the last two cats. So the dog thinks he’s a cat, and the last two cats act like a strange mix of feline and canine. Three of the cats are fond of the dog, and two push him around.

Donna: Knowing that they are confused as to their species does oddly make me feel better for the dog.
Tawdra: Yes, don’t feel sorry for him. He lives a good life.


Sharon: Which Disney story would you like to rewrite and how?
Tawdra: Sleeping Beauty. I want more of the prince and Aurora—they meet and fall in love in one day, and then she’s asleep and then they’re married. We need more romance. More build-up!

Donna: I completely agree! The story has a serious lack of sexual tension. What was Disney thinking!
Tawdra: I have a feeling ‘sexual tension’ wasn’t high on their priority list. Whatever. . .


Donna: What is your favorite fantasy movie?
Tawdra: I adore all the Marvel/Avenger movies. Love. Them. Outside of those, Lord of the Rings, Return of the King.


Sharon: Which Marvel/Avenger character is your favorite? You can’t have Thor…he’s mine!!!!
Tawdra: You can have Thor—I like him, but not enough to throw down. Well, we have a life-size cut out of Loki in our house. I love the snark of Iron Man, the earnestness of Captain America, but Hawkeye makes me weak in the knees.
Donna: Return of the King is fantastic! Good choice.
Tawdra: I am a sucker for strong female characters, and Eowyn. . her line gets me every time. “I am no man!” 
http://fav.me/d3gh29d
Sharon: What is the strangest thing you could pull out of your purse right now?
Tawdra: I just returned from a trip to NJ, and I have a map of the cemetery where my ancestors are buried, with directions to their graves. It’s a big cemetery, and I always get lost. 
Rapid Fire:

Sharon: Coke or Pepsi?
Tawdra: Pepsi, though I rarely drink soda anymore

Sharon: that’s okay, it is still a win for Pepsi!!! *does the Pepsi is best dance*
Donna: COKE!!! I don't care if it's not my question. Ha ha ha…now we're tied!
Tawdra: Full disclosure: my husband is a huge Coke fan. I used to drink diet Pepsi with lemon all the time. I miss it, but I bow to the knowledge that water is better. . .but I do miss it!


Donna: Beach or Forest? 
Tawdra: Beach! Always.


Sharon: Kiss or Journey?
Tawdra: Journey

Sharon: got a favorite Journey song?
Tawdra: Sentimentally, ‘Faithfully’ from my high school dances.

Donna: I do! I do! Oh yeah, I keep forgetting, this is Tawdra's interview. Fine. Maybe I don’t' even like Journey.
*Sharon hand flyswatter to Tawdra* if she jumps in again you have permission to swat her.


Donna: Cheesecake or Chocolate Cake?
Tawdra: Chocolate Cake


Sharon: The Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island?
Tawdra: Brady Bunch

Donna: Sneakers or Heels? 
Tawdra: Heels

Sharon: Drive the Millineum Falcon or The Enterprise?
Tawdra: Millennium Falcon.

Donna: Barefoot or Shoes?
Tawdra: Barefoot

Sharon: eat a grasshopper or eat a worm?
Tawdra: Ugh! Yuck! Okay, a worm.

Donna: That was Sharon's evil side coming out. You should have read the original choices.
Tawdra: Did you ever read “How to Eat Fried Worms?” Great kids’ book. The question reminded me of that.


Donna: Night Owl or Early Bird?
Tawdra: Night owl, always.


Sharon: Thank you Tawdra! I am very interested in meeting Rafe. Eowyn might not be a man, but Rafe sure is ;)

UNQUENCHABLE: The Serendipity Duet Book Two
Nell Massler is a powerful witch from an ancient magical family. Before she was eighteen years old, she attempted murder—not once, but twice. Committed to a psych ward, she attempts to right her wrongs and almost loses her life.

While she’s lost in a coma, Caruthers Initiative Institute develops a vested interest in waking Nell—and offering her a chance at redemption.

Nell is given a fresh start in exchange for saving her fellow agent, Rafe Brooks. Keeping him alive and in hiding will require every ounce of her extraordinary abilities. Not falling head over heels for the sexy mind manipulator will take a miracle.

It's when they uncover a plot to destroy the world that Nell will be put to the test... will she choose Rafe and to do the right thing? Or will she succumb to the temptation of evil yet again?

only $.99
amazon buy link

About the Author:
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Tawdra Kandle has been a writer since the invention of the pen. Her first published work appeared in Child's Life magazine when she was 13. After a brief, thirty-year hiatus, she published a young adult quartet, The King Series. More recently, she's released both adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance novels. Tawdra lives in central Florida with her husband and children, of both skin and fur types. And yes, she has purple hair.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the interview--it was a hoot! I'll be in touch about setting up a dragon playdate.

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  2. So much work on your book markers, but they are so beautiful. Would love to have one!
    I have so many varied book markers, I keep them because they represent to me the hard
    work of the authors who wrote the books. I have two special albums which I am going use
    to display my collection!

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  3. I love those covers, they are so sexy. Great interview, so much fun to read.

    ReplyDelete