Guest blog: Kristen Callihan on First Loves …

• Posted in About Books, Guest blogs, On Writing

Kristen CallihanToday, I’m pleased to welcome Kristen Callihan to my blog. She’s the author of the Darkest London historical paranormal romance/urban fantasy series. I met Kristen this year at RWA, and she was nice enough to agree to do a guest blog for me. Take it away, Kristen:

FIRST LOVES

We all remember our first love. Especially when it comes to books.

For me, it was Anne Rice. Since the age of ten, I’d devour any book I could get my hands on. However, my choice of reading material was limited to what was in my house. Thus, I was reading an odd selection of my dad’s Robert Ludlum and mom’s Danielle Steele. But when I was seventeen, while spending the summer at the beach, I came across a dog-eared copy of Interview with the Vampire. And, OMG, it was like a new world had opened up for me.

FirelightDark and angsty, sensual and rich, the story was at once a fairytale and a nightmare. I loved the idea of immortals who suffered for their supposed gifts. And I loved the fact that their physical strength made them capable of having over-the-top adventures.

After devouring Anne Rice, I found another love: historical murder mysteries. They captured my fascination because, often, the detective had nothing more to go on than his (or her) wits. Anne Perry, Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, Elizabeth Peters, provided my reading entertainment for years – actually, they still do!

Is it any wonder that when the time came to write my own books, I incorporated those elements that I found in my first loves?

The Darkest London series revolves around cursed lords, lonely immortals, and heroines that have incredible powers of their own. Murder and mystery abounds. And lets not forget the sensuality. Because, really, what makes all that angst worth it if not love? And, ahem, great sex.

Many times, I’ve been asked if I prefer paranormal romance or urban fantasy. And how to answer? I’m always a sucker for romance. I love watching a courtship unfold and seeing to people fall for each other. And I love a good, dark story with strong heroines who know their mind and don’t need a man to save them. I love a good mystery, and not knowing who to trust or where the story will take me. So in truth, I love both. Which is why my stories walk the line between both genres.

FIRELIGHT AND MOONGLOW GIVEAWAY

MoonglowSo what about you? Who was your first reading love? What is it about your favorite genres that draw you in and keeps you coming back for more? Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win both Firelight and Moonglow. Two sets of books will be given away. 

The giveaway is open worldwide and will be open through midnight, EST, Wednesday, Sept. 19. The winners will be announced here on the blog on Friday, Sept. 21.

You can find Kristen online at her Web site, Facebook, and on Twitter.

Thanks so much for being here, Kristen.

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41 Responses to “Guest blog: Kristen Callihan on First Loves …”

  1. mada says:

    My first love when it comes to books was Charlaine’s Harris Sookie Stackhouse series.
    I love paranormal romance and ya and since I’ve read my first vampire novel (who was The Vampire Lestat when I was 15 years old- almost 12 years ago) I’ve read about 200 paranormal romance novels. I’m obsessed when it comes to supernatural creatures, no matter if they are vampires, werewolves or shapeshifters.

  3. Ren says:

    The first thick book I read in my childhood time is Harry Potter series. But its White Lies by Linda Howard that make me an avid romance reader. Then I read In Death series that totally blown me away with hero that forever in my heart. Next, I discover Harlequin Nocturne that make me addicted to paranormal genre. PNR is my absolute favorite because there are so much possibilities to met supernatural creatures with plot and action plus mystery that make me read it until the end.

    Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂

  4. Deanna Postell says:

    My first love as an adult reader was the IAD series by Kressley Cole. This was the first introduction to PNR. I have also found that I love UF as well but I switch it up to mix angst with HEA endings. I am absolutely in love with great word building!

  5. Erin says:

    I fell in love with books at an early age, but my grandmother started it by giving me the 8 books to the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I soon shifted into romance novels of the historical nature. When Paranormal Romance started to bloom I fell in love all over again. J.R.Ward and Anne Bishop became some of my favorite authors, and of course our beloved Ms. Estep too!

    Question: At what point did you decide that writing was something you wanted to do? Was it always in you, or did you just wake up one morning and say, “Why not give it a try?”

    Congrats on your success! Thanks for guest blogging, and thank you Jennifer for being a lovely host as always. ^.^

    • Kristen says:

      Hi Erin,

      Thanks for the questions! When I was a kid, the idea of being a writer would be the last thing on my mind. I’m mildly dyslexic, which makes me a terrible speller, and left-handed, which makes writing in longhand a pain. It wasn’t until college -and having my own computer- that I even liked to put words down.

      And it wasn’t until I was in my late 20s that I thought to give creative writing a try. I loved books, had a computer, and there were all these stories floating around in my head, so why not? 🙂

      Best,

      Kristen

  6. Amy says:

    My first love is L.J. Smith’s Night World series, which introduced me to the world of supernatural creatures and paranormal fiction, when I was 10 yrs old. And Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series had made me appreciate urban fantasy from the adult end. I love the world building in paranormal/urban fantasy settings and different takes on supernatural creatures.

    Great guest post and thank you for the giveaway!

  7. Sheryl Nyary says:

    I have to say that my first love is Paranormal Romance. I have found lately that that I have been drawn to more Urban Fantasy! I guess it doesn’t matter the genre as long as you love the story and keep coming back for more.

  8. Laurel Keller says:

    I literally don’t remember a time before I was reading; I do remember my mom having to take my books so I would clean my room. I think I started with fantasies and then found romance. I adore urban fantasy and all things creepy cool. I actually found Ms. Callihan’s books online a couple of months ago. I’ve read & loved the first one, but haven’t had the chance to read the second yet.
    Thanks to both of you ladies for giving us great reading experiences!

  9. A. McKay says:

    I always thought I wrote paranormal romance, but i was told by a publisher that my book, Gone Rogue, is a fantasy romance. I mean where is the line between them. I fell in love with paranormal romance due to the magic and mystery in it. I first fell in love with Nora Roberts but then it was Katie MacAlister that had me reading books like no tomorrow. then when I started fantasy reading without the big sex scenes it was Jennifer Estep (do I get bonus points?).

    • A. McKay says:

      I have become more picky though I realize. If the story starts to fall flat I don’t force myself to go through it no more, I just end the story there. Is that common?

  10. A. McKay says:

    Have you become more picky on what your read now or when you read? Can you read and write at the same time? I learned I have become more picky on what I read.

    • Kristen Callihan says:

      I usually read every day. I tend to keep away from my genre while in the middle of writing a new story, because I don’t want to inadvertently pick something up.

      As for what I read, I’m actually not very nitpicky. I tend to look at the story as a whole. Books often to fall into the category of: Loved, liked, DNF. Since I have such little personal time now, if I don’t like a book, I move on. 🙂

  11. Jillian says:

    My first love was the nancy drew series! I feel in love with the mysteries. That just started my love of reading and once I saw Buffy the vampire slayer on tv I ran straight to the paranormal world of books!!!!

  12. Elizabeth H. says:

    I actually didn’t start reading for fun until I was 30. I got on the Twilight train and read a couple of YA series’ but my first love was J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. The first romance book I’ve ever read was Dark Lover and I immediately fell in love! Paranormal is my favorite romance genre because growing up, I’ve always felt like an outsider. Being in that world makes me feel like home. Anything is possible and I like my men fanged, furry, and/or winged. Thanks for sharing and for the awesome giveaway!

  14. Linda says:

    My first love (that i can recall) was Ned Nickerson (still remember his name =) ) in the Nancy Drew series. I wanted a boy like that.
    Nowadays i want them tall, dark and dangerous *rawr* in any form, and that´s what keeps me coming back for more, the first seduction and that spark that soon leads to smutty fluff and HEA.
    Love this giveaway!

    best wishes, Linda

  15. Casey says:

    I’ve had many first loves! Well, I count them by the first in each new genre I discover. Duncan and Dolores by Barbara Samuels was my very first love (picture book). Several years after that I discovered Jude Deveraux (romance). A couple years after that, I discovered Christine Feehan (paranormal romance). Finally, I discovered Jennifer Estep…and well, she knows just how much I love her. *grin* (Both her Urban Fantasy and YA).

  17. Heidi says:

    Fantastic post ladies! Love those book covers! My first book love and forever foremost will always be Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind!

  18. Jennifer Estep says:

    Hi, everyone! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. And thanks for all the nice words about my and Kristen’s books. I appreciate them.

    I would have to say that some of my first loves were the Baby-sitters Club and the Sweet Valley High books. I can’t even tell you how many times I read and re-read those. I also loved the Wagons West series by Dana Fuller Ross. I checked those books out from the library over and over again.

    • Laurel Keller says:

      Jennifer,
      I had almost forgotten about the Sweet Valley High books! I read them somewhere around 7th to 9th grade and cried buckets over the one where Jessica imagine life as if Elizabeth had died in a car crash (or do I have that backwards?)! The librarian in me wants to know if you’ve heard about Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later. I can’t say that I’ve actually read it, but I catalogued it.
      Just read your short story “Haints and Hobwebs” in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance and I loved it! The vamp was creepy and Gin was doing her killing thing and the Romance! Thanks for all your great work.

      • Jennifer Estep says:

        I don’t remember that Sweet Valley High book. I read the new Sweet Valley High books, and I have to say I was disappointed by it. It just wasn’t as good as I remember the other books being when I was younger.

        Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the short story.

  19. ML says:

    My first loves were the Saddle Club (various), Bunnicula series (James Howe) and anything by RL Stine or Christopher Pike. As an adult reader it was Nora Roberts and Johanna Lindsey…then I branched out from romance into PNR. I keep returning to PNR…the genre that sticks with me!

  20. Cara Crabtree says:

    My first book series I fell in love with was probably The Babysitters Club when I was a kid. The thing that keeps me coming for the genres I like is the characters relationships with each other, and the suspense of the stories.

    By the way those covers are gorgeous!!! 🙂

  21. BrandyLynn says:

    My first book series goes WAY back to my childhood days. I’ve always loved fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. That all began with the Wrinkle in Time series.
    Later, in my mid teens, I came across The Knight, the Harp, and the Maiden, which was a romantic fantasy.
    So now, my genre is strictly romance, but must have a historical and magical side to it, so specifically historical paranormal/ fantasy romance (with historical “feel”) etc.

  22. Mina says:

    My “book love affair” began in my teens with the Bronte sisters, Dickens, Austen, Poe, Conrad, and James. My taste in reading was shaped by those masters and still today, when I read fiction, I appreciate the dark tones, the Gothic touches, the psychological insights typical of those classics.
    minadecaro@hotmail.com

  23. Damaris says:

    For me it was Patricia Briggs with the Mercy Thompson series. I absolutely loved the world she created and the characters. It’s perfectly balanced and the dialogue is always great. Her books are always unpredictable and I’m never disappointed.

  24. Keslynn says:

    My first real love as far as books go: Victoria Holt. I grabbed anything by her in the library. Then I branched out into reading books under her pseudonyms – Jean Plaidy and Philippa Carr. The Jean Plaidy books really got me onto a historicals kick and into studying history (especially royals).

    I really need to reread these.

  25. ForeverReading1 says:

    My first book love began with the classics (Frankenstein, Dracula, Jane Eyre, Dickens, Poe, Twain) then I discovered historical romances (which is still my favorite) and urban/ paranormal fantasy. Thanks for the give away loved Firelight.

  26. Viki S. says:

    I love paranormal romance. Reading came to me slowly. I hated it growing up but in my 20’s it got me :). You will never see me w/o a book or my Kindle. Thank you so much.

  27. Tobi H says:

    My first book love……sadly I didn’t start enjoying reading til I was in my 20’s……..hmmmmmmm…………….That’s a toughie………………can I choose my fave right now???? Daemon from Lux series but I do love RANGER from the Stephanie Plum series! <3
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Tobi
    tobihelton at gmail dot com

  28. Joy Whiteside says:

    V. C. Andrews, Flowers In the Attic when I was age 12, was what got me hooked on the suspense and twists and turns and it has evolved into Anne Rice, laurell K. Hamilton, Jennifer Estep, kim Harrison and am currently looking for something new.

  29. whitewolfreads says:

    I honestly can’t remember my first reading love but I do know that I’m always drawn to soties with a fantasy or paranormal element, even as a child.

  30. Sariah says:

    I first fell in love with the Nancy Drew series, I still have them 🙂 I stopped reading for awhile after college, I think I was just burnt out. I got back into reading with Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series and Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. I have this series on my wishlist! I think this series sounds like a great read! Thanks for the chance.

  31. David7118 says:

    My first first love was the Encyclopedia Brown series. I loved mysteries and solving puzzles and these books combined both. When I got a bit older my first love stayed within the mystery genre as I discovered the Travis McGee series by John D MacDonald. I still reread these books on occasion and love them just as much now as then.

  32. BreanaM. says:

    My first favorite book series that I absoluty adore would have to be Holly Black’s The Modern Fearie Tales. I don’t know what it is about the series that just made me wish there was more after the final book.
    My favorite genre would have to be mystery. I just like trying to figure out who did what and how.

  33. Faith says:

    My very, very first love was Nancy Drew. In school we had olde girls as “buddies” who were supposed to read books with or to us; I, as a first grader, read my Nancy Drew books to my fourth grade buddy. 🙂

  35. Sara F. says:

    My first reading loves were Julie Garwood and Linda Howard. They were each so good in their own ways. I loved Garwoods historical romances, and Howard developed her story so well.

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