Kira Brady – Sherida Stewart

TUESDAY TEA with Kira Brady launching HEARTS OF CHAOS!

WELCOME TO THE KIVATI HALL TEA ROOM LOCATED IN POST-APOCALYPTIC SEATTLE!

Please join my daughter-in-law, Kira Brady, and me for a special tea in the conservatory of Seattle’s Kivati Hall, as featured in her third book of the Deadglass series, Hearts of Chaos, releasing today.

“Inside, the air was humid. Flowering trees and exotic ferns crowded the tables. The roof and three walls were glass panels between a lattice of iron. Suspended from the ceiling was a miniature iron railroad track; a tea train, puffing peppermint steam, ran between the kitchens and the small round tables in a clover loop. The train stopped at each table to unload its fare. Each car held a different delicacy: cucumber and ginger sandwiches, cinnamon cookies, and scones with huckleberry preserves.” Hearts of Chaos, Chapter 2

We’re sipping peppermint tea. Please help yourself to buttermilk scones and triangle open-face sandwiches spread with gingered goat cheese, topped with cucumber slices. Then have a special Kivati Hall cinnamon and sunflower seed cookie. The recipe for the cookies is at the end of this post.

Now to tell you about Hearts of Chaos!

The thrilling finale to the Deadglass Trilogy.

Lucia and Corbette.

Death can’t stop their love.

To save her world, one woman’s fierce quest will put her up against an ancient evil–and a desire too dangerous to deny . . .

She is betrothed to Seattle’s most feared shifter clan leader. Still, the Lady Lucia can never be the dainty aristocratic wife Emory Corbette thinks he needs. And as a malevolent, all-consuming monster plots to take hold of their shattered world, Lucia will risk her untapped powers to defeat it–and challenge the Raven King’s seductive rule. No one in Emory’s many lifetimes has ever defied him. Lucia’s courage and strength are shaking his iron control to its core. . .and making him hungry for all she can give. But their only hope is a wrenching sacrifice that could unite humans and shifters in victory–or destroy everything Lucia and Emory desire most. . .

Praise for Hearts of Chaos

“Seamlessly weaving threads of Babylonian, Norse, and Northwest Native American fables, Brady creates a dark, rich tapestry. The trilogy ends as it began: with beautifully rendered prose and multidimensional characters who capture readers’ hearts.” – Publishers Weekly

“Brady has a talent for completely bringing the reader into a dark world in an alternate Seattle, full of shapeshifters and magic. The well-crafted world Brady has created is one of the things that sets this series apart in a very popular genre…. The characters are engaging and the mythos is unique, but the spark between Lucia and Corbette is what will really keep the pages turning.” – RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

Praise for Kira Brady and the Deadglass Series

“Imaginative. . .this fast-paced, gritty story will thrill paranormal readers.” –BookPage

“Dazzling. . .thrilling. . .irresistible.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The characters are fresh and exciting, and the story is fascinating.” –RT Book Reviews

MY THOUGHTS:

Review: Hearts of Chaos (Deadglass Novel) by Kira Brady

Brilliant conclusion to an unforgettable paranormal romance series.

Yes, brilliant writing! I felt I was walking among the mists and myths of a very different Seattle created by Kira Brady. Lucia and Emory are intriguing characters as they develop strength and courage during their story of saving their world and of finding faithful love.

My kind of hero: “We can’t afford to be selfish.” “I stand it because there is no other option.”

My kind of heroine: “If she never took great risks, how would she ever know how much she was capable of?”

My kind of theme: “There’s always hope.”

If you enjoy steamy, paranormal romance, with intricate world-building and complex characters, you will want to read the Deadglass Trilogy. I’d suggest starting with the Hearts of Fire prequel novella of Alice and Brand, then the story of Kayla and Hart in Hearts of Darkness, followed by Hearts of Shadow featuring Grace and Leif, then ending with Lucia and Emory in the amazing Hearts of Chaos. Each book is a separate, fulfilling romance, but it’s interesting to see the development of the alternate Seattle, with the blending of different, enchanting mythologies, as each book unfolds.

Watch for mention of the Deadglass (spyglass) in Hearts of Chaos…..intriguing to see who possesses it last. Hmmm……?

For more about Kira Brady and her Deadglass Trilogy, visit her at www.KiraBrady.com. There you will find links to her books, and some of the ebooks may be available at special prices.

Interesting photo: I took this picture on the shoreline of Puget Sound near Seattle. Now I’m wondering what stories these two eagles may be hiding.

CINNAMON AND SUNFLOWER SEED COOKIES (SERVED AT THE TEA ROOM OF KIVATI HALL IN SEATTLE)

Ingredients:

½ cup shortening

2/3 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons molasses

1 1/3 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup cinnamon chips

1/3 cup roasted sunflower nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in egg. Stir in molasses. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir until well combined. Mix in cinnamon chips and sunflower nuts. Roll dough into two 9-inch logs (about 1-inch in diameter). Refrigerate dough or freeze.

Cut logs into ¼ inch slices. Place slices two inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheets to a wire rack until completely cool. (This was adapted from a recipe found on allrecipes dot com.)

TEA ROOMS Kira Brady and I have enjoyed afternoon tea at many lovely tea rooms……The Brown Palace, the Jazz Bouquet Tea Cafe, The Georgian Restaurant, and the charming Wildflower Tea Room Café pictured below. We still have many more on our list to enjoy in the future. Do you have a suggestion of a favorite tea place?

Tea with Kira Brady at Wildflowers Tea Room.

TUESDAY TEA with Kira Brady & chatting about HEARTS OF SHADOW!

Please join me for tea with Kira Brady who is talking about the second book in her Deadglass Trilogy, Hearts of Shadow. I’m serving Dragon Phoenix Pearl tea because of the book’s hero, dragon shapeshifter Leif, and pink cupcakes because of the pink cover of this book. (And the author’s daughter helped me make these cupcakes with icing in her favorite color-PINK!) This multi-talented author also crafted the tea pot and cups we are using today.

Take a look at the cover of Hearts of Shadow. Yes, it is very PINK!

Book Blurb:

Grace Mercer’s unmatched wraith-killing ability made her the unofficial defender of a city shattered by supernatural catastrophe. So there’s no way she’ll allow the new regent of Seattle’s most powerful dragon shifter clan to “protect” her from a vicious evil stalking the ruined streets–and keep her from the freedom she’s risked everything to earn. Leif’s science-honed instincts tell him Grace is the key to keeping shifters and humans safe. But helping this wary fighter channel her untapped power is burning away the dragon’s sensual self-control and putting a crucial alliance at risk. Soon the only chance Leif and Grace will have to save their world will be a dangerously fragile link that could forever unite their souls…or consume all in a storm of destruction.

Chatting with Kira Brady:

SHERIDA: Kira, how did you get the glimmer of the idea for your book, Hearts of Shadow?

KIRA: I took a ghost tour of the Pike Place Market and was inspired by the tales of sin and supernatural hauntings. Seattle was founded as an open city: alcohol, gambling, and prostitution were legal. I liked the Wild West atmosphere of the nacent town at the farthest edge of the civilization, but wanted to set my story in the modern day and make the ghosts of the past haunt the present. On the Seattle Ghost Tour website I found a very inspiring quote attributed to Chief Seattle that I use at the beginning of the book: “These shores will swarm with the invisible Dead of my Tribe. The White Man will never be alone. Let him be kind and just to my People, for the Dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a Change of Worlds.”

I loved the idea of the ghosts swarming the streets of Seattle and people just to blind to the supernatural to see them. I started researching local mythology and found tales of Thunderbirds and Ravens and decided to throw them against the mythology of the Scandinavian immigrants who settled and build the city, dragons.

SHERIDA: Reviewers have mentioned your excellent ability to weave mythologies together in your storytelling. It is interesting you were able to blend the historical elements of Seattle’s many heritages into your books. What do you do to keep the sparkle while you are writing?

KIRA: It’s really hard to keep interested in a project once I reach the dreaded middle, but I know that it will get better if I can just power through to the climax. I give myself permission to make a mess during the first draft. The second draft is for cleaning it up. Having a contract helps, since I know I have to finish! I also try to make sure that I keep fresh in my mind the original idea I had for the story before I sit down to write each scene. The original vision, like the ghosts flooding the streets of Seattle for the Deadglass Trilogy, helps guide the tone of each scene.

SHERIDA: Knowing your busy family schedule, you are remarkable in your persistence to write and complete your novels while balancing (quite well) all your responsibilities. Receiving a contract for a three book series after your first attempt at pitching a book is equally amazing! Beyond family, friends and your writing career, what jewel of a moment has God placed in your path during your life’s journey that you would share with us?

KIRA: I have a lot of jewel moments from backpacking and hiking trips. In particular, I remember being in Yellowstone or Grand Teton with my family as a teenager. We were sitting next to a crystal blue lake with the gorgeous mountains right across from us. I remember thinking how peaceful I felt there, and years later I would recall that mountain scene whenever I felt stressed to try to help me find my center again.

SHERIDA: Thank you, Kira, for joining us today and talking about your inspiration for the Deadglass Trilogy. Fun to have you here!

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT HEARTS OF SHADOW:

Exciting place to be in Kira Brady’s world of shapeshifters!

I LOVE Hearts of Shadow, by Kira Brady! This second book in the Deadglass Trilogy could not come fast enough for me after reading the first book in the trilogy, Hearts of Darkness. After an epic battle, Seattle is being rebuilt by shapeshifters and humans trying to work together to restore the functions of the decimated city. To do this, they must use old technologies, evoking an interesting steampunk element. Dragon shapeshifter, Leif, is an admirable hero who takes on the responsibilities for correcting his brother’s actions. He falls in love with Grace, an emotionally scarred woman who fights bravely in the shadows to save the human race. Their love story is about self-sacrifice–and the true meaning of love. Hearts of Shadow is a steamy, paranormal romance with excellent storytelling, world building, and character creation! Kira tells of the battles of good versus evil while creating hope for the future. I expect to read many more books by award-winning author Kira Brady!

Publishers Weekly included these comments about Hearts of Shadow:

“Brady dazzles in this dark paranormal, a return to a fantasy Seattle introduced in Hearts of Darkness……Brady’s masterful world-building transports the reader to a grim but compelling future, seamlessly interweaving the real and the beautifully imagined.”

You can read more about Kira Brady, her Deadglass series, and see the map of the Kivati and Drekar worlds of the alternate Seattle at: www.KiraBrady.com.

Kira’s prequel novella, Hearts of Fire, is available on Kindle for 99 cents at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Fire-Deadglass-Kira-Brady-ebook/dp/B008847FPS/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1393284362&sr=1-3&keywords=kira+brady

Thank you for joining my amazing DAUGHTER-IN-LAW and me as we discussed HEARTS OF SHADOW. Please join us March 4 for a tea celebration at the impressive conservatory in Kivati Hall as Kira presents HEARTS OF CHAOS, the third book in the Deadglass trilogy……a tea celebration and book launch not to be missed! Hope you can join us!

Dragon Phoenix Pearl Tea from Arbuckles’ in Tucson, AZ.

TUESDAY TEA-The Emerald City Writers’ Conference & Cherry Adair’s tea

In October, I attended my first romance writers’ conference, the EMERALD CITY WRITERS’ CONFERENCE, sponsored by the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America chapter. It was FABULOUS! The experience far exceeded my expectations. I was blessed by my daughter-in-law, author Kira Brady, who accompanied me and was the helpful voice of conference experience.

We picked up our registration packets and tote bags FILLED with goodies–books, pens, notebooks, promotional items and motivational buttons, plus some candy. 🙂

Now, where to begin? Since this is TUESDAY TEA, I’ll start with the Cherry Adair Tea and First Timers Welcome Reception. Cherry Adair, an author from the sponsoring chapter, gives generous support to this conference and offers encouragement to writers. Her tea is a “meet and greet” time at the conference where tea sandwiches and scones were served amid lively conversation and charming autumn decorations–and there was chocolate. 🙂

Major take-away thoughts from the conference:

Self-Publishing is a way to go
Develop a series
Keep writing, never give up
Write a great book, then keep writing
Chocolate is a writer’s friend 🙂

It was such fun to be with a welcoming group of writers who understand the language of HEA, WIP and GMC. The keynote speakers were inspiring. The food served was delicious. The workshops presentations were informative, with chocolate available to snack on. 🙂

Here are highlights from some of the presentations:

Learn to Rewrite: Finishing the manuscript is just the beginning with Anna DeStefano–Print out your completed manuscript. Use Post-it notes to flag each character’s POV passages in a different color. Then read that character’s story from beginning to end. You should see the character evolve in each scene.

Craft of the Short Story with Anthea Lawson–The market for short stories is on the rise, ranging from flash fiction of 300 to 1000 words to anthologies ranging from 5K to 7K. Short fiction needs to give an emotional payoff to the reader.

Secondary characters with Pam Binder–Secondary characters should only be in the story if they have a purpose. This purpose can be to help the main character recognize and overcome flaws by mirroring these flaws or being the complete opposite. Look at the motivation of secondary characters–why are they in the hero or heroine’s life?

Writing Active Setting with Mary Buckham–Details of setting must matter to the story to be included in your writing. Setting can be used for characterization, to reveal emotion, foreshadow conflict, tell backstory, anchor the reader or act as a character. The primary goal for setting is to capture the reader’s attention.

Navigating the Wild West of Publishing with Marie Force and Shelli Stevens–The publishing world is changing and now may be a good time to enter into self-publishing. Timing is extremely important–along with some luck. It is suggested to have many projects ready to publish in quick succession to stay engaged with the reader.

Building a Successful Series with Robin Carr–Series are in the spotlight at this time. A series needs a running theme, then begin with a place which challenges the characters, giving plenty of sensory details. Be sure there is a reader payoff in each book and a hook to entice the reader into the next book. It is best to be authentic to your own personality when writing.

Christopher Keeslar of Boroughs Publishing Group offered wise advice: Spend time outside of your writing cave, living a life full of everyday activities because your writing will be enriched by all your experiences.

Next time, I’ll write about the Book Fair featuring many authors signing books (and giving away chocolate) and the amazing raffle baskets (many of which contained chocolate). (I won one, and, yes, it had chocolate!) 😀

THANK YOU to all the volunteers! Their hard work made the Emerald City Writers’ Conference simply AWESOME!

Thank you, Emerald City Writers' Conference! — Thank you, Emerald City Writers’ Conference!

Romance Writers of America 2012 Convention Literacy Autographing event

RWA Literacy event-Anaheim, CA-July 25, 2012 — Kira Brady autographing HEARTS OF DARKNESS at the RWA Literacy event in Anaheim, California July 25, 2012

Five things to remember for attending RWA Literacy Signing event….

Anaheim, California–July 25, 2012

Having heard about the yearly Romance Writers of America’s Literacy Autographing event, I’m anticipating the fund raiser for promoting literacy during the RWA 2012 convention. I walk into the convention center, filled with famous romance writers, and feel overwhelmed–all these amazing authors gathered in one place with an atmosphere filled with cheerful enthusiam. There are over 400 romance writers signing their books (which raises nearly $53,000 for promoting literacy). I learn a few things for next time:

#1. Allow plenty of time. I arrive about an hour after the event starts so I won’t wait in line. Basically, this works, but the number of authors to visit and navigating the room does take time. And authors run out of available books—too soon–so standing in line might be better.

#2. Take a “must-get-autograph” list with a map showing where the authors will be sitting–available on the RWA conference site before the conference. I have my map in hand, ready to seek out autographs.

#3. Plan on spending more than expected on buying books. This always happens to me, but I justify my overspending because the dollars go to a great cause–promoting reading.

#4. Enjoy chatting. I enjoy talking with the authors themselves and the other buyers in the payment line. One buyer is a friend of someone at the conference doing a Kickstarter movie about romance writing www.lovebetweenthecovers.com. Another gal is impressed we are buying books for other people—she says the night is all about her and her love of reading. You go, girl!

#5. Eat before you attend. I am so busy that I foget to eat and get a little fuzzy. I head out to meet others for dinner—forgetting to stop by the tables of a few authors I want to meet. Well, I hope they will participate next year at the literacy event! I’ll see you then!

Meanwhile, I’ll be reading all the new books in my TBR pile–so sweetly signed by amazing writers. Love romance!