Today we have two special guests. Kerry Marchant and Cat Kincaid from Hywela Lyn's BELOVED ENEMY.
Diane: Please introduce
yourself for those who haven’t met you in your author’s other books.
Kerry: Good morning, may I say
what a pleasure it is to be here with you today. I am Kerry Marchant, the
second in command of the starship Destiny.
You want to know more about me?
I suppose many people would describe me as a loner. I don’t make friends easily
and I have learnt to depend on myself and not to rely on anyone else. However
the crew of the Destiny and I have
come to know each other very well after nearly ten Earth years in space, facing
many perils together. I am not very good at showing my feelings, but I would do
anything to protect them if they were in danger.
He turns to Cat:
Hello, I’m Cat Kincaid. I’d just crash landed my escape vehicle when I
came across Kerry. And this is Shifter (she indicates the large animal lying at
her feet, which slowly seems to disappear in front of their gracious hostess).
(Cat laughs softly) Oh, don’t
worry about him, he has a knack of blending into his surroundings. He’s still
there, just hiding. He’s a chameleopard. Kerry calls him a wolf but he’s really
more related to the cat family. He’s much friendlier than he looks – when you
can see him, that is.
Diane: Tell us about your
family.
Kerry: I have no recollection
of my father and my mother died when I was very young. I was raised by an Aunt
and her partner. They did not treat me particularly well and eventually sent me
to the Formal State Centre for Education. It was the best thing that could have
happened to me. I met Jon Quinlan there and we became friends, a friendship
which has continued into childhood. Eventually we realized our childhood dream
of building a great exploratory starship, the Destiny. I suppose you could say that the crew of the Destiny are the nearest thing to a
family I have ever known.
Cat: For a long time Shifter
was the only family I had. My sister left home shortly after my father left us,
and my mother died several years ago. I suppose you could say Kerry is my
family now, and of course, like Kerry, the crew of the Destiny.
Diane: How did your upbringing
influence who you are today?
It taught me to rely on myself
and to fight for what is rightly mine. My experiences with my Aunt, and later
on, with a woman who tried to steal the Destiny
meant that for a long time I kept my distance from most of the women I met
and believed them to be devious and untrustworthy. (He flashes a rare smile at Diane.) Present company excepted, of
course – and naturally there were other exceptions, one of our ship’s medical
officers, Zeldra, and our ecologist, Laitha. (There is a long pause and a distant, far away expression crosses his
face) and…Jess—but that is a different story.
Cat: And me I should hope! She
turns and gazes at Kerry with a stern look that quickly gives way to one of
affection.
(Kerry takes her hand, his
expression serious.) Of course. I would trust you with my life – now. But it was
not always the case, I don’t think either of us trusted the other at the start.
Diane: What was your first
thought when you met the Kerry, Cat?
Cat: (Grinning wryly.) My intention was to kill him – I thought
I had a good reason at the time. However we were forced to face a hostile
planet and dangerous situations together, and I began to suspect that I might
be mistaken about him. I shouldn’t really say this in front of him, but he is very
charismatic, as well as being too good looking for his own good, and although
he could be sarcastic and a bit patronizing, I can give as good as I get, and we
gradually formed a grudging respect for each other.
Diane: Kerry - what was your first thought
when you met Cat?
Again that
flashing smile crosses Kerry’s face. My first thought
was that she was about to kill me—since she was leaning over me with a knife in
her hand. Once we got over our initial mistrust of each other however, I
realized that she was not only very attractive, but extremely brave, strong,
and independent as well as being a very capable fighter. She also seemed to
share my own rather dry sense of humour, when she wasn’t actually trying to kill me, that is.
Diane: Why did
you fall her?
Why does anyone fall in love?
It was certainly the last thing on my mind – my main concern was to get off
that wretched planet. However we were forced to work together and I realized
that in fact we made a good team. The more I got to know Cat—the real Cat, the
one she tried so hard to hide, the more attracted to her I became, despite my
determination not to allow myself to get too close to her, and never being
quite sure which side she was on. There was something about her that called to
something in me, and ignited a spark which I thought had long since died, a
spark that became a flame so strong, I would have given up anything for her,
even my life.
Diane: Why did you fall for Kerry?
Cat: (Blushing ever so
slightly) You mean aside from those mesmerizing blue eyes and devastating
smile? I’m not sure. I grew to admire him as a person, his strength of
character, his intellect—we just seemed to have a connection and much as I
tried to fight it eventually I had to admit that I’d fallen in love. He means
everything to me now, and I couldn’t imagine us being apart.
Diane: How would
you spend a free day?
A free day? Away from the Destiny
you mean? I would take one of the ship’s ferry craft and show Cat a beautiful paradise
planet I know, in the Andromeda system. It is completely unspoiled and sparsely
populated. I won’t say any more though, as I have sworn to keep its precise
co-ordinates a secret--but I could not think of a more perfect location for
romantic break for two people who have only recently discovered are in love! His mouth twitches at the corners and he looks straight into Diane’s
eyes. Did I really say that? I do not normally show my feelings so openly,
especially to someone I have only just met. However, love makes fools of us
all, as someone once said, and now I would not have it any other way. Cat is my
love, my life, and I could not imagine a future without her.
(He stands and takes Diane’s hand in a formal handshake.) Thank you for the
interview, it has been delightful to meet you, but we have to return to the Destiny – if Cat can persuade her tame
wolf to re-materialize.
Cat: Goodbye, as Kerry says, we’ve really enjoyed meeting
you and your readers. Come Shifter, time to go home.
Wow. What a couple. Let's learn about their story.
BLURB:
Cat Kincaid is obsessed
with killing the man she believes is responsible for the torture and death of
her sister, but when she eventually catches up with him, survival becomes a
greater priority than revenge.
Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret, and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red-haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.
Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?
Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret, and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red-haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.
Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?
EXCERPT:
(This takes place shortly after Cat and Kerry first meet,
he has been shot and she tends to his wound.)
She put the tri-dee-viewer to
her eyes again and scanned the area. “There’s no sign of life over there. They
must all be dead or badly injured. They’d have shot at us again if they were
still capable.”
“Unless they are waiting for us
to show ourselves, so they can pick us off more easily,” Kerry said.
He made as if to stand, and in
an instant, she drew her pistol.
“Like I said before, no sudden
moves. Get up—slowly.”
“So you are making me a
prisoner?”
“Not exactly, but I’m not stupid
enough to take any risks.”
He rose to his feet, his gaze
not leaving her gunhand. Several inches taller than her, broad shouldered and
slim, he presented a commanding figure. His expression froze as his gaze homed
in on the insignia on her breast pocket, his eyes like chips of blue ice.
“You work for the Union.”
“I work for myself.”
“Then why are you wearing the
insignia of the Global Union of Earth and Allied Planets?”
“I have a license to requisition
any enemy ship trespassing in the sectors of space over which they hold dominion.”
“A licensed pirate in the pay of
the Global Union,” Kerry’s eyes showed outright contempt. She almost preferred
the icy coolness.
“I prefer to think of myself as
a freelancer—doing a service.”
His expression did not change,
although he did change tack. “You could have left me to die—or just shot me.
Why didn’t you?”
“Call it a personality flaw. I
don’t like abandoning someone who’s wounded even to save my own skin. And I
don’t kill in cold blood. If I have to shoot someone, I’d rather they were
facing me with their eyes open.” Even if
I did swear to leave their dead body for the Union to use in their hideous
experiments. Keep it casual. Don’t let him guess what’s really in your mind.
To her amazement, he smiled the
most devastating smile she’d ever seen, made even more remarkable because he
didn’t look as if he did it very often.
“My own philosophy as it
happens. It seems almost a pity we are on opposite sides.”
“Opposite sides?”
“I have no love for the Union.
That puts us on opposite sides, even if you are just a pirate, doing their dirty
work for them.”
She gave him her best withering
look. “Fine. And just because I decided to save your hide, don’t get any ideas.
We don’t have to like each other.”
Buy links
Bio
Hywela Lyn lives in a small
village in England, with her long suffering husband Dave, although her heart
remains in her native rural Wales, which inspired much of her writing.
Although most her writing tends
to be futuristic, the worlds she creates are usually untainted by crowded
cities and technology, embracing the beauty and wildness of nature. Her
characters often have to fight the elements and the terrain itself. Her heroes
are strong and courageous, but chivalrous and honourable–and of course,
handsome and hunky. Her heroines are also strong and courageous, but retain
their femininity and charm. However difficult the journey, love will always win
in the end.
Her first novel, a futuristic
romance released by the Wild Rose Press was followed by a sequel 'Children Of
The Mist'. A third novel 'Beloved Enemy', released on 11th March 2016 continues
what has now become a series known as 'The Destiny Trilogy'. Although some of
the characters appear in the other books, each story is complete and can be
read as a ‘stand alone’.
She is a member of The Romantic
Novelists' Association (UK) and Chiltern Writers, her local writing group.
When she is not writing, she can
usually be found enjoying the outdoors with her two horses and little ‘rescue’
dog - or just reading and eating chocolate!
Author Page: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/138_hywela-lyn
