Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge
Holiday Series Boxed Set
By Kryssie Fortune
Kryssie is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate and 3 ebooks of Submission, Secrets, and the Soldier to lucky winners during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember there is a chance to enter every day, so please follow us along on the tour. You may find the tour locations here.
Welcome Kryssie to my little corner of cyberspace! Lets let the readers get to you a little...
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
My friends tell me that even at eleven I wanted to write books. My first, very youthful effort, was about a teenage girl wanting to become a model. It was comic book fodder at its worst, but I still remember it fondly.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I think about a book for weeks before I start writing—usually while putting the finishing touches to something else. I’ll randomly google various things and build the book’s world in my head. Finally, when I feel like I’m exploding with the need to write it, I’ll start the first draft. After that, the hard work really starts. For one, I’m dyslexic and have to double check everything. Once I’m satisfied with the story, I’ll think about how my characters feel then go back and add some of that in too.
How do you select the names of your characters?
This is the hardest thing. I can’t start until I know my characters names and background. For contempory romance, I work out the year they were born and look at popular names back then. Hopefully, there’s something there I like. I like my men to have sort names that sound tough. I have a Jared, and Sean and an Adam in my Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge series.
For paranormal, I give my heroes medieval names or names from legend. Leonidas, in Curse of the Fae King, is named after a famous Spartan. I took that a stage further in Claimed by the Vampire, Seduced by the Werewolf. I made my hero a Spartan and an ancestor of Alexander the Great. If my paranormal heroines aren’t from our world, I give them flower or plant names. The heroine in my work in progress is called Sorrel. I have a Viola and an Iris in To Seduce an Omega.
In my book, Knights Vampire, my hero is Blaxton de Ferrars. That was as medieval as I could get. A few people have asked for a sequel to this one, but I haven’t thought about it yet.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t be so hard on yourself and learn to let go of your writing. I can faff around with it forever, but I’m not sure that makes it better. Or maybe I should say “Listen to your editor.” I’ve worked with two fabulous editors and learned a lot from them. (Not that I agree with everything they say)
What do your plans for future projects include?
Stormy Night expressed an interest in a very naughty regency romance of mine. We haven’t got as far as contracts or edits yet, but I’m really excited to work with them. It’s about an heiress who wants to lose her virginity—a most unregency concept, but in this case, it works.
I’m just finishing the first draft of To Submit to an Overlord. Like all my books it’s a stand-alone romance, but it ties up some loose ends in the ongoing story arc too. Then I’ve got a mystery series I want to write. Another vampire story—completely unconnected with my Scattered Siblings looms too. In a perfect world, I’d write a few more regencies for Stormy Night too. In fact, they’re growing in my head as I write this.
Thank you again Kryssie! It is pleasure getting to know you. Happy Holidays.
My friends tell me that even at eleven I wanted to write books. My first, very youthful effort, was about a teenage girl wanting to become a model. It was comic book fodder at its worst, but I still remember it fondly.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I think about a book for weeks before I start writing—usually while putting the finishing touches to something else. I’ll randomly google various things and build the book’s world in my head. Finally, when I feel like I’m exploding with the need to write it, I’ll start the first draft. After that, the hard work really starts. For one, I’m dyslexic and have to double check everything. Once I’m satisfied with the story, I’ll think about how my characters feel then go back and add some of that in too.
How do you select the names of your characters?
This is the hardest thing. I can’t start until I know my characters names and background. For contempory romance, I work out the year they were born and look at popular names back then. Hopefully, there’s something there I like. I like my men to have sort names that sound tough. I have a Jared, and Sean and an Adam in my Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge series.
For paranormal, I give my heroes medieval names or names from legend. Leonidas, in Curse of the Fae King, is named after a famous Spartan. I took that a stage further in Claimed by the Vampire, Seduced by the Werewolf. I made my hero a Spartan and an ancestor of Alexander the Great. If my paranormal heroines aren’t from our world, I give them flower or plant names. The heroine in my work in progress is called Sorrel. I have a Viola and an Iris in To Seduce an Omega.
In my book, Knights Vampire, my hero is Blaxton de Ferrars. That was as medieval as I could get. A few people have asked for a sequel to this one, but I haven’t thought about it yet.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t be so hard on yourself and learn to let go of your writing. I can faff around with it forever, but I’m not sure that makes it better. Or maybe I should say “Listen to your editor.” I’ve worked with two fabulous editors and learned a lot from them. (Not that I agree with everything they say)
What do your plans for future projects include?
Stormy Night expressed an interest in a very naughty regency romance of mine. We haven’t got as far as contracts or edits yet, but I’m really excited to work with them. It’s about an heiress who wants to lose her virginity—a most unregency concept, but in this case, it works.
I’m just finishing the first draft of To Submit to an Overlord. Like all my books it’s a stand-alone romance, but it ties up some loose ends in the ongoing story arc too. Then I’ve got a mystery series I want to write. Another vampire story—completely unconnected with my Scattered Siblings looms too. In a perfect world, I’d write a few more regencies for Stormy Night too. In fact, they’re growing in my head as I write this.
Thank you again Kryssie! It is pleasure getting to know you. Happy Holidays.
About the Boxed Set
Kryssie Fortune's holiday series, Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge, is now available in a convenient e-boxed set!
Marriage, Mobsters, and the Marine
Abigail Montgomery, a small town schoolteacher with zero self-confidence, dreams of the Dickensian Christmas her family never enjoyed. Each month she attends a masked BDSM club, but her next visit will be her last. If she doesn’t marry within the next year, her brother won’t inherit Montgomery Hall. Desperate, she advertises for a husband.
Jared Armstrong, a former Marine sharpshooter and occasional Dom needs $125,000 to get his family out of a hole. His solution--to marry Abigail Montgomery for her money. His only regret is his wife won’t accept his spanking lifestyle.
Gradually, Abigail comes to dream of making their marriage real, but she promised Jared a divorce two years after their wedding. Can they share some Christmas magic as their relationship faces extortion threats, a kidnapping, and an attempted murder? Or will Jared break her heart when he walks away?
Sex, Scandal, and the Sheriff
Jasmine Stewart (Jazz to her friends) falls for the blond stranger when he spanks and seduces her at a Washington soiree. Later, when she discovers her flatmate is trying to draw her into a spy ring, she goes to the authorities. The ensuing publicity costs her her job, her security, and her future. Starting over in Westhorpe Ridge is her only option.
Sean Mathews, former SEAL and Westhorpe Ridge’s sheriff, can’t forget the woman he spanked when he visited Washington, but he thinks she’s a spy. When she turns up in Westhorpe Ridge, he tries everything to make her leave town. Despite their misunderstandings, though, they can’t keep their hands off each other.
As Year’s Eve looms, the spy ring resurfaces. Jazz will need all of Sean’s SEAL prowess to survive. But because his wounded leg cost him his speed in the water, will it be enough?
Desire, Deceit, and the Doctor
Twelve years ago, Mandy Devlin moved away from her friends and family--under threat. If she returned in the next ten years or told anyone who fathered her baby, her boyfriend’s great-aunt would bankrupt her family. She’s a single mom who dreams of her lost love and a good spanking. When she’s finally free to return to Westhorpe Ridge, the last person she expects to see is Adam--the man she loved and lost so long ago.
Dr. Adam Montgomery doesn’t know he has a son. Thanks to his great-aunt’s will, he has nine months to find a bride or he loses Montgomery Hall and the fifteen million dollars she left him. Although he seduces Mandy on his first night home, he still believes she betrayed him twelve years ago. No way would he marry a woman like her.
As Valentine’s Day looms, someone tries to kill Mandy. Is Adam trying to get rid of her? Or can Mandy trust him to protect them?
Note: All of the books in this set were previously released as single titles.
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Excerpt from Marriage, Mobsters, and the Marine
Abigail gazed Jared’s his face, her eyes still awash with tears. “Okay, but I expect you to tell me what’s going on. Who were those men? And why did they destroy your truck?”
He slid out from under her, brought a sponge, and gently wiped her face. Once he’d dried her cheeks, he pulled her back onto his knee. “I need to tell you about those personal reasons I mentioned when I accepted your proposal.”
Abigail didn’t speak, just rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. He liked the way seemed ready to move forward. “My cousin’s life is a mess. A few years ago she married a small-time crook with a bad gambling habit, but she didn’t deserve to watch the mob murder him over his debts. She’s agreed to testify against them and go into the witness-protection program. The mob still wants their money, and they threatened to go after her mom and dad, always assuming they could find them. My aunt and uncle are off exploring the Amazon basin or something.”
Abigail listened intently. When he paused for breath, she shook her head. “The mob? The Amazon basin? It sounds like B-movie plot to me. Just throw in a few killer tomatoes.”
Jared held her tight against his chest. “The phone call earlier was from my cousin. Since the mob can’t find her parents, they’ve decided to come after me. Destroying my truck was a warning. Here’s the thing… You know I married you because I needed money. I wanted pay them off and keep my unsuspecting family safe, but I’ll be damned if I’ll pay protection money to keep them away from me. They’re parasites who won’t leave until they’ve taken everything I hold dear. I’m only sorry I sucked you into my mess.”
She hiccupped against his shoulder. “So what happens now?”
He almost stroked her wire-wool hair but thought better of it. “I don’t suppose you’d take a month’s holiday somewhere?”
She sat up, her eyes gleaming with anger. “No way will I abandon my class. We’ve got Christmas projects to finish and the nativity to rehearse. I try to make everything special for them, with it being their last year before they move on to junior high. I’ve already bought them all individual Christmas presents. In between that, we’ll be measuring daylight hours and checking the shadows at midday. Hopefully our solstice project will help them get their heads around shortening days.”
He felt ready to argue but said nothing.
He slid out from under her, brought a sponge, and gently wiped her face. Once he’d dried her cheeks, he pulled her back onto his knee. “I need to tell you about those personal reasons I mentioned when I accepted your proposal.”
Abigail didn’t speak, just rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. He liked the way seemed ready to move forward. “My cousin’s life is a mess. A few years ago she married a small-time crook with a bad gambling habit, but she didn’t deserve to watch the mob murder him over his debts. She’s agreed to testify against them and go into the witness-protection program. The mob still wants their money, and they threatened to go after her mom and dad, always assuming they could find them. My aunt and uncle are off exploring the Amazon basin or something.”
Abigail listened intently. When he paused for breath, she shook her head. “The mob? The Amazon basin? It sounds like B-movie plot to me. Just throw in a few killer tomatoes.”
Jared held her tight against his chest. “The phone call earlier was from my cousin. Since the mob can’t find her parents, they’ve decided to come after me. Destroying my truck was a warning. Here’s the thing… You know I married you because I needed money. I wanted pay them off and keep my unsuspecting family safe, but I’ll be damned if I’ll pay protection money to keep them away from me. They’re parasites who won’t leave until they’ve taken everything I hold dear. I’m only sorry I sucked you into my mess.”
She hiccupped against his shoulder. “So what happens now?”
He almost stroked her wire-wool hair but thought better of it. “I don’t suppose you’d take a month’s holiday somewhere?”
She sat up, her eyes gleaming with anger. “No way will I abandon my class. We’ve got Christmas projects to finish and the nativity to rehearse. I try to make everything special for them, with it being their last year before they move on to junior high. I’ve already bought them all individual Christmas presents. In between that, we’ll be measuring daylight hours and checking the shadows at midday. Hopefully our solstice project will help them get their heads around shortening days.”
He felt ready to argue but said nothing.
About the Author
Kryssie Fortune writes the sort of hot sexy books she loves to read. If she can sneak a dragon into her paranormal books she will. Her paranormal heroes are muscular werewolves, arrogant Fae, or BDSM loving dragons.
Kryssie likes her contemporary heroes ex-military and dominant. Her heroines are kick ass females who can hold their own against whatever life - or Kryssie - throws at them.
Kryssie's pet hates are unhappy endings, and a series that end on a cliff hanger.
Her books are all stand alone even when part of series. Plot always comes before sex, but when her heroines and heroes get together, the sex is explosive and explicit. One review called it downright sensual.
What a fun interview! Thank you so much for sharing :)
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