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Read an excerpt from Master of Shadows
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About Angela Knight Angela Knight is the New York Times bestselling author of books for Berkley, Red Sage, Changeling Press, and Loose Id. Her first book was written in pencil and illustrated in crayon; she was nine years old at the time. A few years later, she read The Wolf and the Dove and fell in love with romance. Besides her fiction work, Angela's publishing career includes a stint as a comic book writer and ten years as a newspaper reporter. Several of her stories won South Carolina Press Association awards under her real name.
In 1996, she discovered the small press publisher Red Sage, and realized her dream of romance publication in the company's Secrets 2 anthology. She went on to publish several more novellas in Secrets before editor Cindy Hwang discovered her work there and asked her if she'd be interested in writing for Berkley. Not being an idiot, Angela said yes.
Whatever success she has enjoyed, she attributes to the marvelous editors she's had over the years. David Anthony Kraft and Dwight Zimmerman at Comics Interview taught her the nuts and bolts of fiction writing. Alexandria Kendall of Red Sage discovered her talent for romance writing and encouraged her to believe in herself. And she will be forever grateful to Berkley editor Cindy Hwang, who has been unfailingly supportive.
Angela lives in South Carolina with her husband, Michael, a polygraph examiner and hostage negotiator for the county's Sheriff's Office. The couple have a grown son, Anthony.
Also by Angela Knight:
Downloadable book list
An Interview with Angela Knight
By Holly Hewson for The Romance StudioHH: Angela, thank you so much for talking with us at TRS. Your featured book is Master of Shadows, part of your Mageverse. First, can you tell us how Mageverse came to be? AK: I have always loved The Knights of the Round Table, so when Cindy Hwang of Berkley asked me to do a new vampire series, I decided I'd incorporate King Arthur and his knights. So then I had to figure out how they became vampires -- obviously Merlin was responsible -- and WHY. I decided Merlin had used a genetic Holy Grail to transform the knights after they passed a series of tests. The objective was to create a force of immortals who would guide humanity past the threats that drove other races into extinction.
HH: Where does this story fit into it all? AK: Merlin feared that his guardians might begin abusing humanity, as alien guardians had on other worlds, so he created a force of mortal werewolves to watch over Arthur to make sure he didn't become corrupt. Ironically, it's the leader of the werewolves who has gone insane, and he's been working to manipulate the Direkind werewolves and the Magekind vampires and witches into going to war. Master of Shadows is the third book in this Werewolf Wars arc, and the eighth book overall.
HH: What can you tell us about La Belle Coeur and why will readers relate to her? Belle is an immortal witch who is partnered with Sir Tristan. Vampires can't do magic in my universe, so Tristan needs her help to fight the werewolves. HH: At the same time, there's also a lot of heat roiling between Belle and Tristan, as the two agents fight a fierce mutual attraction. Tristan was betrayed by his legendary lover, Isolde, who in my world was his wife. 1500 years ago, she threw in her lot with Arthur's bastard son Mordred during a rebellion. She tried to kill Tristan, and though she failed, he's distrusted women ever since. Belle must break through his reserve.
HH: What do you like best about Tristan and why will readers love him? AK: Tristan is one of those unblushing bastard characters who is sexy and dominant. He doesn't trust Belle or himself, but in the course of the book, he learns he can depend on her. It's a very sexy book, and I really enjoyed writing it.
HH: What sort of research did you do for this story? AK: I read the story of Tristan and Isolde and decided how that story could be a distorted version of reality. I was intrigued by the idea of this legendary romance that was actually a poisonous, deadly relationship that nearly claimed Tristan's life.
HH: What else do you have in the works? AK: Right now I'm writing the final book in the Werewolf Wars arc, featuring Warlock's daughter, Miranda Drake, and William Justice, werewolf ex-cop. Like her father, Miranda can work magic, but this hasn't exactly been a good thing for her. Her father has abused her all her life, as he's tried to force her to go along with his long-range plan to destroy Arthur.
When Miranda refused to cooperate in MASTER OF SHADOWS, Warlock set out to kill her. Justice has sworn to protect her, whether she likes it or not. And she doesn't, because she considers him far to similar to her dominant father for her peace of mind.
But the attraction between them is so powerful, it draws both werewolves together.
HH: Do you own an ebook reader or read on an electronic device? If so, what? AK: Oh, yes. I own two Kindles, an I-pad, and an Android phone. So my husband and I read on all of them. I especially like the phone, because I can use it whenever I'm standing in line or whatever.
HH: As a romance reader, what sort of stories do you personally prefer? AK: I love romances with a strong sense of adventure as well as a big helping of sex. For example, I loved THE IRON DUKE, a steam punk romance I read recently. I particularly love books in which the authors really come up with a creative new way to view either contemporary life or historical periods like Regency England.
HH: What's your favorite guilty pleasure? AK: Books by Patricia Briggs and Lois McMaster Bujold. Both authors are incredibly creative, and their books are lush and inventive.
HH: Any vacation or appearance plans this summer? AK: My husband and I went to New York for the National Romance Writers of America conference. We had a wonderful time eating our way around Times Square. We also went to PHANTOM OF THE OPERA; I cried through the last 20 minutes. :)
HH: Thank you!
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