After
recently reading and reviewing Kayelle Allen’s latest novel, A
Stolen Heart, I found I had a lot of questions about the book and the
elaborate universe in which it’s set. Kayelle kindly agreed to an
interview, so I could ask them!
Lisabet
: I’ve known you online for more than fifteen years. You’ve
been writing stories about the Tarthian empire the whole time. Tell
us about the origin of the Tarthian empire – where the ideas came
from, not the origin myth within your fictional universe. How did
your notions develop? How much of what you “know” now (and what
you’ve shared in your recent Antonello Brothers books) did you know
when you got started?
Kayelle:
When I was seventeen, I had a
nightmare about walking down a seemingly endless walkway in a huge
throne room. At the end of the room was a woman on a throne, and I
knew she was waiting for me. Her brother was missing, and she needed
my help. The room was the size of a cathedral, and it was packed. Row
after row of soldiers stood facing her, waiting. It felt like I
walked forever but got nowhere. Finally, I decided to turn and look
back, to see how far I'd come. When I did, the soldiers all looked at
me, and I saw their faces for the first time. All of them had the
heads of white cats.
I
woke up instantly, and my heart was racing. Why I was so frightened,
I don't know. No one was threatening me, but the alien aspect
frightened me deeply. I also knew I had to find her brother. Why he
was missing, I didn't know. That's the nature of dreams. But all of
my Tarthian Empire series has come out of that.
L:
How did you get the inspiration for Pietas? I have a feeling that
from a creative perspective, he’s a relatively recent arrival. (Of
course, I might be wrong. Sometimes characters nibble at our
consciousness for decades.)
K:
I probably don't have to tell
you that the missing brother I dreamed about was Pietas. I didn't
know his name right away, but it didn't take long to figure out. When
I get a character's name, I get everything about them at once. It's
quite bizarre. Until I know their name, I can't write them. There's
no such thing as using a placeholder like Joe. I have to know the
name because the name IS who they are. Like Pietas. His name means
piety to one's parents, children, relatives, country, benefactors,
etc. It's also one of the Greek virtues and denotes respect and love,
especially toward fathers. I had no idea about those meanings. I had
read a book where a character was named Pietr. I loved the look of
the name, and decided I'd use a form of it. It wasn't until 40 years
later that I discovered the other meanings. It struck me as funny,
because Pietas loathes his father with every fiber of his being. That
man is what drives Pietas to better himself and be a good king.
L:
What made you decide to go back in time and explore Senthys’ and
Khyff's early life?
K:
In the first Antonello Brothers
book, At the Mercy of Her
Pleasure, Senth and
Khyff have only just met. I always wanted to do a story about how
they got together. So I wrote a story called Bro,
in which they are introduced to one another, and there's a scene
where Senth and his father (Luc) have each gotten a cloak through the
Thieves' Guild that will make them virtually invisible. When Senth
goes to get his, Luc puts on his own. When Senth comes back in, Luc
scares the dickens out of him. It's a funny scene ,but there's a
moment when Luc remembers his son at age three, right after he'd
adopted him. His tender memory of playing hide and seek with Senth
was the catalyst for A
Stolen Heart. I'd like
to do another story that takes place between that book and Bro.
But it will be awhile. I have another Antonello Brothers story
planned in which they discover they have an older brother. That's on
the horizon and I hope to finish it soon.
L:
When I first became aware of your work, you were writing erotic
romance, including some MM romance. Then you switched gears. In fact,
I believe that you even rewrote some of your earlier novels to make
them PG. What were your reasons for this change?
K:
I was never comfortable writing
erotic romance. I did a lot of research to make sure the MM scenes
were realistic, and the books were well received. It just didn't
match my personality. I'm much happier writing lighter scenes. My
books don't shy away from sensuality, but they are strictly closed
door. The only exception is my Tales of the Chosen boxed set. That's
a set of three erotic gay romances. The books tell the story of Wulf,
who is a Chosen -- a secret servant of the immortals -- namely Luc.
Each book is a happy for now story.
My
next planned book is Surrender Trust, the sequel to Surrender
Love. It's MM and features Luc finding his forever love.
L:
In A Stolen Heart, you make it clear that Luc and Pietas
were lovers in the past. Have you written about that in any of your
novels? Do you plan to?
K:
It's mentioned in other books,
and in Jawk (Tales of the Chosen), there's a scene of them together,
but it's an "afterwards" scene and not erotic. Both men are
pansexual -- they aren't bothered by things like gender differences
or sameness. They love the person for who they are, not what they
are. It's refreshing writing scenes with them. They're both very
open.
That
said, Pietas believes Luc is his forever love and he has no intention
of giving him up. So when I write Surrender Trust, Pietas is
going to have to face losing him. The immortal king does not give up
a fight until there's no possible means of winning, and he's been
known to keep fighting even then.
L:
Given that you’ve created an entire planet of felinoids, I have
to ask: are you an ailurophile?
K:
I do love cats. I love dogs
too. I have no pets currently, though. I will happily spend an hour
watching kitten and cat videos. I'm on Instagram, and there are
plenty on there, believe me.
A Stolen Heart by Kayelle Allen
When
he rescues a half-human orphan, a glorified space pirate turned
entrepreneur sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to
topple the powerful Thieves' Guild he once led.
Multiple
layers of conspiracy unfold, reaching all the way to Luc's immortal
ex--the king. Behind each solved mystery looms an unseen foe, undoing
the good Luc accomplishes. For the sake of this child, Luc must
postpone his own freedom and master his desire for revenge or he will
violate an ancient vow. Worse, he'll put the toddler at risk.
At
war with his compassion for the vulnerable child, loyalty to the
king, duty to the Guild, and the bright lure of freedom he's coveted
for centuries, Luc seeks the right path. Will he choose liberty and
unparalleled success, or restore the Thieves' Guild to its former
glory while overseeing the child's training?
A
hard choice for any man. For an immortal whose inner monster can
destroy on sight? Impossible.
A
pirate with a monstrous past can never be trusted with an innocent
child. Luc must ensure the child is protected, safe, nowhere near
danger. Nowhere near him. Even if this little boy has already stolen
his heart...
A
Stolen Heart - Sci Fi with romantic elements (LGBT)
A
former space pirate who's gone straight rescues a vulnerable child
adept at breaking into things.
Universal
buy link https://books2read.com/u/mZK1zB
This
edition comes with a 50+ page bonus book. I'm a hobby artist and love
finding ways to illustrate my books. The bonus includes multiple
images of characters, places, and items. I do not have skill for
certain technical drawings, so I employ a graphic designer when
needed.
Kayelle
Allen writes space opera with larger than life, unforgettable
characters. Come walk in her worlds and meet her misbehaving robots,
mythic heroes, immortal gamers, and warriors who purr.
Excerpt
In
this short peek, Luc is meeting with the king, Pietas (his ex), after
not seeing him in person for several years.
Pietas
scooted in closer and then slipped one hand across Luc's shoulders.
Luc
stiffened.
"Surprised
I'm here?" Pietas slid that hand down Luc's back.
The
man's touch had no right to feel this good. Twisting toward him, Luc
cleared his throat. "Yes. I worried something happened."
"I'm
touched." A playful smile lit Pietas's face. "You worried
about me?"
"I
worry whenever you do something different."
"Different
how?"
"Let's
see." Luc ticked items off his fingers. "Send troops over a
border. Incite a riot. Invade a planet. Invade some king's daughters.
Or his sons... Shall I go on?"
Pietas
chuckled. "You worry a lot."
To
increase his personal space, Luc adjusted the hang of his jacket.
"You're in a good mood."
"Yes,
yes." Pietas brushed a dismissive hand through the air. "I
haven't triggered a war, if that's what you're fretting about. I'm
not sending you out of the Empire, and I'm not planning to feed you
to my cat."
"Not
planning."
"No,"
Pietas agreed, with a bemused expression. "Although if there's
someone you want to be rid of..." He lifted one brow.
"No,
no, quite capable of making people disappear on my own, my lord, but
I'll keep a personal dose of panther justice in mind."
"Panther
justice!" Laughing, Pietas laid a hand on his chest. "How
I've missed your sense of humor. I don't recall the last time I
laughed out loud." He looked down, toying with a turquoise ring.
The
fat nugget of fractured stone occupied his left forefinger. The
silver setting evoked a dragon's open mouth, a gift from Luc hundreds
of years ago. Pietas rarely removed it.
Did
he cling to their past relationship, or wear it to show Luc he hoped
for the future? Either way, Luc could not reconcile being with this
man with the desire for freedom. To give birth to one meant the death
of the other.
