Guest Post with Keri Lake

Book Nerd Guest Post

Keri Lake is a married mother of two living in Michigan. She writes fiction in the genres of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and recently finished book 1 of a paranormal YA series. A graduate of Michigan State University (go green!), Keri holds 2 degrees in science but would gladly trade them both to pursue her true passion for writing. Though novels tend to be her focus, she has also written countless short stories and flash fiction whenever the distraction arises. She completed her very first novel in 2008 and has written two more since then with a few in the works.

When she isn’t toiling away on plots and protagonists, she enjoys reading, music and travel. If she could create mystical powers for herself, she’d have the ability to flash to anywhere in the world. And if she could flash to anywhere in the world at this very moment, she’d be staring at the ocean from her Adirondack chair on the shores of North Carolina.

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Storytelling is how my journey to becoming a writer actually started out. When I was younger, I got some twisted enjoyment in scaring the hell out of my siblings just before bedtime and considered it a success if they refused to go to sleep afterward.

It wasn’t until high school that I really took an interest in writing stories and poetry.

As part of my requirements for graduation, I was forced to take a Lit class. Okay, not like I had to be forced, I enjoyed reading and dissecting literature. By what I considered a cruel fate at the time however, I ended up in Ms. E’s (name withheld) class and had my first formal introduction to Shakespeare.

I hated it.

Not because of Shakespeare, but because the teacher and I shared some sort of telepathic repulsion toward one another in the form of glares and smartass remarks. This was odd for me because I was incredibly quiet in school and always completed my assignments on time. Surviving her class though, was a goal I set early on and persevered until the end with a decent grade.

You can imagine my excitement the following semester when I had the misfortune of getting stuck in her Creative Writing class. For reasons I can’t even remember now, I was denied a transfer. There I sat, doomed to face weeks with this woman and our inexplicable dislike for one another.

Then the first assignment came scrawling across the blackboard: a poem.

I couldn’t get over how much I enjoyed working on it—even going so far as to decorate the page when I turned it in to Ms. E. A couple days later, it was returned with a comment, scribbled in red: Loved this!

Huh?

Something changed with that first assignment. This strange and screwy relationship with Ms. E evolved with every piece I turned in and the encouraging comments she left on the page. She eventually asked me to help her correct other students’ papers and urged me to submit my stories to the school’s publication—a collection of student writing, mostly poetry.

I didn’t. I’d always been incredibly shy about letting anyone read my stuff. So instead of skipping down the path to writing bliss, I went on to earn science degrees. I never stopped writing though, in fact, poetry is what got me through some pretty intense study sessions when I would break away for a moment or two.

When I finally settled into a career fresh outta college and my future seemed plotted out before me, inspiration decided to smack me upside the head with an idea for a novel. No way, I don’t have time.

So I eased the distraction by writing poetry and flash fiction—countless scribbles in a notebook that will NEVER be dusted off. Still I couldn’t shake the relentless desire to write a book. A big one. And when I finally sat down to write it—it was big—a YA that approached 150K words. Followed by another one I wrote a year later, and finally Somnium the year after that (my first publication). I started writing Soul Avenged in January last year and it took about six weeks to complete. The characters and storyline were just that easy to write. I’ve since written Book 2 of Sons of Wrath and will be finishing up Book 2 of Halos, prepping both for publication sometime later this year.

I’d have to say the biggest influence in my pursuit of writing was Ms. E. In spite of our rocky start, she turned out to be the first person who’d ever read my stories and encouraged my madness. 

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Passion is blind in vengeance and love …

Ayden’s suburban home was invaded by a pack of Lycans.

The brutal attack is the only memory she carries of her former life.

Now, one motive burns in her soul:

KILL THEM ALL.

The Sons of Wrath—a brood of vengeance-dealing warrior demons—band with Ayden to hunt the Lycans on Detroit’s most deadly feeding grounds.

Kane Walker should’ve been her easiest kill.

Unfortunately, the newly bitten Lycan has something she wants—clues that may finally lay her past to rest. To reach them, she must be willing to submit to the sensual pleasures awakened by his touch.

Time is running out.

In seven days, Kane will become what Ayden despises most. She can halt his transformation but the antidote requires the ultimate sacrifice. As the beast takes hold, Kane becomes more of a threat.

Ayden must choose between her lust for revenge, or surrender to her enemy and discover a horrible truth.

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