Today we say hello to Chris T Kat joining us on Love Bytes on her blog tour for new release “Breeding Stations”.
Author Name: Chris T. Kat
Book Name: Breeding Stations
Series: Alliances Book: One
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anne Cain Tour Dates & Stops: July 28, – August 10, 2015
Release Date: July 27, 2015
Pages or Words: 204 pages or about 65,000 words
Blurb:
Spunky commander Berit Turner is known for two things: his huge libido and his lack of a filter—he says what he thinks. Berit sets his mind on being part of the mission to Ligador, to make sure the planet is habitable for humans. He’s ecstatic when his team is assigned to the task force. A delegation of Nadisc, a humanoid alien race, accompanies them, and passion ignites between Berit and their commanding officer, Tom. But Berit is determined that Tom is just another notch on his bedpost, as he doesn’t do relationships.
The excursion to Ligador goes wrong from the beginning, when they discover Ligador has been established as a breeding station by their worst enemy: the Tash’Ba. Dinosaur-like creatures become the team’s worst nightmare, and staying alive is going to take everything they’ve got… and then some.
Categories: M/M Romance, Science Fiction
Today I’m very happy to be interviewing Chris T. Kat, author of Breeding Stations.
Hi Chris, thank you for agreeing to this interview.
Why do you write?
I love to create my own worlds and have my characters do my bidding. At least that’s the idea—that the characters do what I want. Some are more cooperative than others. 😉 I started writing because I couldn’t find the type of stories I wanted.
Which of your books was the most difficult to write?
That would have to be Silver Lining because it was emotionally draining. It’s part of Dreamspinner’s Bittersweet Dreams, which means it doesn’t have a traditional ending or HEA. It worked well for that particular story, and I couldn’t have written it any differently, but that book really got to me. It physically hurt to write that story, and I don’t want to do that again.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
Outwardly, Berit appears to be cocky and only interested in sex. The more you get to know him, you realize he speaks his mind—which admittedly is somewhat inappropriate most of the time—but he’s deeply loyal and kind. He’ll do anything to keep his team safe, even if it means sacrificing himself. I think that tells a lot about him.
How much research do you do for your books?
That depends on the book. For some books, I didn’t have to do much or any research. For the books that feature disabled characters, I refreshed my memory, but so far I’ve only described disabilities I know well due to my work.
For Breeding Stations, I had to read about science, other planets, what humans need to be able to settle, etc. I also read a lot about dinosaurs since the Tash’Ba, the alien race in my book, created war beasts from genes of dinosaurs and genes of their own home planet’s war beasts.
Who designs your covers?
That’s the decision of the publisher. Most of my covers were designed by Paul Richmond and Anne Cain. For Breeding Stations, I got very lucky that Anne Cain created the cover. She illustrated the cover for my very first book, Seizing It, and I’ve always been very fond of her art.
Excerpt from Chapter Two
Several alarmed shouts warned me of something going on, but I had no time to process what happened. Something roped around my waist and yanked me over to the side. I crashed into Tom’s chest as a harsh growling sound erupted from his throat.
I tried jerking myself free, but he held onto my wrists with one hand, while his tail kept me tethered to his body. “What the hell?”
Niyara squared off in front of Tom, her dark eyes gleaming with an eerie, demonic red glint where her pupils should’ve been. Her long tail swished from one side to the other and her arm muscles flexed.
“What the ever-loving fuck is going on?” I asked.
“Quiet!” Tom hissed.
My mouth fell open, and I gaped at him. Okay. Enough was enough. I caught the tip of his tail in my hand and pinched it—hard. He roared, but I used the chance to slip free. A Nadisc’s tail tip was the most sensitive part, which came in handy during sex but was a real disadvantage in a fight. Or maybe not. I’d never heard of someone winning a fight against a Nadisc when—
Niyara’s fist closing around my shirt stopped all my pondering. She lifted me off my feet, hissing and boring her eerie gaze into mine. Maybe I should’ve stayed with Tom. He’d felt slightly less dangerous than she did.
Carson appeared next to Niyara’s side, eyes as large as saucers but an equally determined look on his face. He reached out. As soon as he touched her arm, her head whirled around. I held my breath. Would he be able to save me from Niyara’s wrath? She’d seemed rather taken with him earlier. What the hell had I done, anyway, to agitate her?
As I wracked my brain, Carson and Niyara gazed at each other. The next instant he rose on tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
She let go of my shirt, and I would’ve landed flat on my ass if Tom hadn’t snatched me around the waist. Niyara rested her head on Carson’s shoulder, which meant she had to stoop because of her height. No one said anything, and no one moved for what seemed like a long time. When she lifted her head, several people—including me—hissed, afraid of what she’d do next.
Niyara bowed her head toward Tom. “I apologize for my outburst. I’ve never encountered a jealousy spell before.”
“Jealousy spell?” I echoed.
She gazed at me, suddenly looking sheepish. “Feeling such a strong connection is new to me, and I didn’t like Carson using an endearment toward you.”
I blinked, then looked over at Carson. He gawked, and his eyes were the same size as before. Would they stay like that forever?
Niyara swept an arm around to include everyone in her proclamation, which resulted in startled jerks and coughs. “I’m claiming Carson as my mate. Anyone who’d like to object has to fight me.”
No one objected. Everyone seemed busy inspecting their boots or the ceiling. I never noticed before how very ugly the hatch’s ceiling was.
“Berit!” Carson wheezed out.
I sighed and transferred my gaze from the ceiling to Carson. “Congrats?”
Someone cheered and the others followed suit, clapping their hands to add to the noise. Carson was so pale I feared he’d faint, but Niyara cupped his face in both hands and kissed him. After that, he didn’t seem to mind that much, not anymore.
Chuckling, I told the others to open the hatch and take up their position. The hatch opened with the usual buzz, but when I started to walk, Tom’s arms around my waist tightened to an almost painful level.
“Tell them to secure the area and wait for further instructions,” he whispered into my ear.
“Dream on. I won’t do—” My words ended abruptly when the steel bands around my waist left me no room for breathing.
“Now.”
Tom allowed me more breathing room, and I gave the desired order. No one looked twice or questioned my instruction, for which I’d have been grateful on any other day, just not today. Ticking off a Nadisc was a bad idea. One of the worst, really.
We waited until everyone had cleared the hatch’s area. Tom spun me around in his arms and lifted me up until we were face-to-face.
“You accepted me as your leader on this mission, remember? That means no punching me,” I said, “or doing anything that would harm me.”
Tom’s gaze intensified, and my mouth went dry when he spread out a red and orange speckled frill around his neck. I’d read about this display, but had never seen it before. Only a few Nadisc still had those frills—most opted for surgery because it gave away their emotions too easily—and those that did had a very tight control over it.
“But it’s okay for you to hurt me?” he rasped.
I tried to reason with him. “I… look, I’m the commander here. You can’t just order me around or hold me captive, okay?”
“Niyara could’ve killed you.”
I shrugged. “She didn’t, and she’ll just have to get used to the way Carson and I talk to each other.”
The frill around his neck unfolded even more. He said, “I’m not fond of the way you talk to each other.”
I had an inkling where this conversation was headed. I had an even bigger inkling that I’d panic if Tom said anything, so I closed my eyes, wrapped my arms around his neck—over the frill, which was kind of awkward—and sought his mouth with mine.
He opened up immediately, and I dipped my tongue into his mouth, licking along his teeth and eliciting an approving hum from him. Somehow I ended up with my legs wound around him and one of his hands steadying my ass.
When we broke apart for air, he said, “I won’t forget what you did.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” I replied. His eyes lit up with interest, so I added, “Deal?”
“Deal.”
Sales Links:
Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there’s any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat
Twitter: http://twitter.com/christi_kat
Other: GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/ChrisTKat
Blog: http://christikat.blogspot.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-T.-Kat/e/B008FQQH2Q
Tour Shedule
28-Jul
Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
29-Jul
30-Jul
31-Jul
3-Aug
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
4-Aug
Cathy Brockman Romances
5-Aug
6-Aug
7-Aug
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
10-Aug
Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Amazon gift card
What was the hardest part to write in this book?
There was no real hard part in this story, I have to admit. It just flowed and was great fun to write.
where do the ideas come from
I have honestly no idea. I can stand somewhere and all of a sudden I’ve got the plot for a whole book in my head…
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How many books do you think will be in this series?
There will be two books in this series. 🙂