Jul 17, 2012

Special Erin Kellison Post!--Plus a GIVEAWAY!

Hey all! Sorry for the lateness of this post, Erin got a little busy, but the post is here! And she has graciously offered up a signed copy of Fire Kissed! And she says the contest is INTERNATIONAL!!




Behind the action scene: Fire Kissed 

First of all, a huge thank you to Jessica for having me here at a GREAT read. This is a great blog, and I am delighted to visit. I’m talking action scenes today, and I’m giving away a copy of my latest release, Fire Kissed (Shadow Kissed series, book four). All you have to do to enter is tell me a favorite action scene, be it movie, TV, or book. 

I like action scenes. They are fun to write, not only because there’s a lot of high-stakes excitement going on, but also because they strip characters bare. A coward won’t be able to hide behind big talk. A seemingly selfish character might sacrifice their own safety for another’s. Action scenes let the reader have a glimpse of what a character is really made of. You can imagine how important they are to a story. 

Action scenes work that way for authors, too. For example, when I write, I usually think I know exactly what a character is going to do or what the tone of the scene will be because, well, I’m the boss. But it’s during the action scenes in particular that I figure out my characters, that I understand how they approach a fight. 

Take the scene below. Jack Bastian, my hero, has been a soldier for over a thousand years (he’s an angel). The actual fight that’s about to ensue doesn’t bother him as much as the fact that he’s put someone in danger. This was pretty straight-forward for me. A long-time soldier would be a-okay. But Kaye Brand, my heroine, isn’t used to big fights. She’s been in a few scuffles, but nothing like what’s about to happen. She’s not the type to back down, but she’s not going to skip merrily into the fray either. I didn’t know really how she would feel until I was writing, and then suddenly I had it. Epiphany. And I had my firstborn to thank for it. 

The last thing Kaye wants to do is fight, but she doesn’t really have a choice. Her situation reminded me of when I was nine months pregnant with my first child. It occurred to me in that month that I would actually have to deliver the baby. The movies I’d seen about childbirth had somehow failed to communicate that I would have to participate in the activity. There was no way to back out. No way to say, thank you, but I’ll just keep her inside. I had one awful moment where I realized that there was no way out but through. 

And that’s exactly how Kaye plays it. 

The setup: Kaye is a firemage, which means she has a magical ability that takes the form of fire. The bad guy has sent wraiths (aka monsters) to attack her so that she may prove that her ability is worthy of his notice. Jack is an angel pretending to be a mortal body guard. He can’t reveal what he is and so has to fight like any normal man would. And here we go…. 


Kaye braced as Bastian flung open the door. She watched as he shifted his weight to the side and kicked the wraith ascending the front steps. He’d have to work on the human thing; that kind of force took something more. The creature fell backward, Bastian’s foot gripped at its chest. They hit the brick steps together with a dull whump

On instinct, Kaye leaped on the sprawling limbs to free Bastian. 

He hollered at her touch. Fire. She’d apologize later. 

The wraith shrieked, its dagger teeth bared, but it was pinned just long enough for Kaye to lay her hands on its yellow skin and make the monster—a woman, by the looks of it—burn. The sound in the creature’s throat went wraith falsetto as the flames caught. But it was the stench of the decay that made Kaye lose her fire. 

The wraith burned before her, its silhouette a human engulfed in Shadow flame. 

“You should run,” Bastian was saying. 

“You didn’t sign up for this.” 

Kaye laughed out loud. Run. Now he told her. 

She watched two more wraiths glide down the street toward the town house. Sirens wailed a block over. 

Help coming, as if they could do anything. As if law enforcement wouldn’t shoot the woman wielding fire too. 

“There’s nowhere to run,” Kaye said, recovering her equilibrium. She should know; she was the expert. “There’s no way out of this… but through. And I really need to be through with it.” 

“The host can be here in five minutes.” 

“And then Grey would know I was lying.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another wraith spider-walking down the side of the building. “And he’d have to come after me.” 

“Then we’re going to fight?” His gaze flicked around the scene. 

Kaye snorted yes. 

“Don’t try to protect me this time,” Bastian said. 

“Don’t worry.” 


I have to smile every time I read, “There’s no way out of this… but through. And I really need to be through with it.” That is me, aching all over, with swollen feet and a flattened bladder, yet still terrified to go into labor. 

Cover blurb: 

Fae Fire 

It is Kaye Brand's power to wield. But outcast from her kind, she's been selling herself to the highest bidder - money for her survival in exchange for a magic glimpse into the flames of the future. 

Angel Ice 

One of the angelic Order, Jack Bastian has no use for a female like Kaye, as provocative and unexpected as her blazing beauty. Yet he has no choice but to hire her to uncover the secrets of his sworn enemy and her former fiance, Ferrol Grey. 

Magekind 

War is inevitable between the defenders of the Order and the mage Houses who threaten to engulf the world in Shadow. For Jack, mage-born Kaye is off limits, no matter how hot the impossible attraction between them. But in the coming darkness, beset by danger and desire, everything is about to change... 


For excerpts and more information, please come find me at: 

Erin’s website: www.ErinKellison.com 


And remember, answer Erin's question in the comments and you will be entered for a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Fire Kissed! Contest will run from now to midnight July 25, 2012, so basically the beginning of that day.

It's international now, so have at it!






14 comments:

  1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
    When Yu Shu Lien was chasing the Green Destiny thief.

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  2. My favorite action scene would have to be between Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector when they have their sword fight in the movie Troy. Talk about some crazy sword action.

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  3. I Love the action scene from Hellboy 2, where Nuada goes to his father to get the piece for the crown and he has to fight his fathers guards. Loved it.

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  4. I love the scene in (NEW) Clash of the Titans when Perseus has to kill Medusa and then the Scorpions and then the Kracken. Lots of action in that movie!!!

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  5. I loved the final battle scene in Lord of the Rings Return of the King. Where everyone from everywhere came to help. I loved it! (We are totally watching that movie tonight!)

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  6. My favorite action scene is from Return of the King when everyone is involved in that awesome battle with the elephants. Those elephants were fierce!
    molly(dot)frenzel(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. lol, I know what you mean by afraid to go into labor! One of my favorite action scenes in in Transformers, pretty much all of them where Optimus Prime is kicking butt (don't enter me, I have a copy of this kick ass book!)

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  8. As always Erin another great post :)

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  9. One of my fav action scenes is in Return of the Jedi. Luke has faced off with Darth Vader, and isn't doing particularly well. But Vader detects his thoughts and finds out about Leia - and threatens to turn her to the dark side. The stakes have just escalated through the roof and Luke fights Vader with everything he has and then some. The scene never fails to move me.

    Really enjoyed your post, thanks. I'm not familiar with your books, but I can see I need to remedy that!

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  10. From BULLET by Laurell K Hamilton. A 6'6, gorgeous, wererat woman whups some ass that definitely deserved to be whupped. I smile every time I think back to it.

    This excerpt is absolutely delicious, and I'm excited to read more of your work!

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  11. You just took me back to my labour with my eldest. At one point I was like "just cut it out, I don't mind!". It couldn't have been that bad if I did it again... and again ;)

    Action scenes, wow there are so many andd I like different ones for different reasons. One fight I have been enjoying lately is in Fast Five when Vin Diesl & the Rock have their fight, now it has nothing to do with the mancandy rolling around ;)

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  12. Gladiator! All the action scenes are awesome, but the last battle is one of those payback sweet vistory types that I love =D

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  13. The fight between Harry Potter/Dumbledore and Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!

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  14. I love the action scenes in Equilibrium, an early Christian Bale film - loved the close hand and gun combat, as well as the sword fights!

    Thanks,
    Leanne

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