Take it away, Karen!
What is Of Blood and Lions about?
Of
Blood and Lions is the story of Katherine Chambers, who becomes involved in
an ancient sibling rivalry between nearly-immortal Assyrian warriors. While hiking
near her small hometown in Massachusetts, she is injured in a skirmish between
a demon of the enemy and the lion-human hybrids who possess supernatural
powers.The only way to save her life is the elixir from the lion Issy, mentor
to the hybrids. The only way to administer the elixir is through the lion’s
bite. During the following year, Katherine and her husband wrestle with the
changes that Katherine goes through as she transforms into one of the
lion-hybrids. Throughout the story Katherine desperately struggles to hold on
to her human life while dealing with her new abilities. Katherine and her human
family become victims of Reggie, the sick and twisted brother of the hybrids, who
is determined to get revenge on Issy whom he blames for losing his kingdom two
thousand years earlier. Of Blood and
Lions is the story of love lost and found and the heart-wrenching tale of one
woman coming to terms with the important matters in life.
It all began in 2008 on a visit to the
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see the “Art and Assyria” exhibit. While at
the exhibit I came across an ancient carving titled “The Lioness and the
African.” The ancient carving captivated my attention and my heart. I loved the
sensual way in which the lioness held the man with her paws as if to kiss
rather than kill him. I purchased a postcard size picture of the carving and
for the next two years the story of the lion and the man took shape in my head.
I’m a scientist by trade and my work
requires that I write many technical reports. By nature scientific reports are
very structured and always begin with an outline thus it might be surprising to
learn that my fiction writing style is somewhat chaotic. I realized early on in my writing Of Blood and Lions that I didn’t have to
be as rigid and deliberate as I am at work. I can let my mind and my writing
wander in several directions until the correct course becomes clear. Book One
began with the beginning and the end. I filled in the middle as I went along.
Even though I don’t work every day on my manuscript, I am always writing in the
back of my mind. I imagine that this is probably the case with most writers. I
have a notebook in the car, at work, and in my purse to write down ideas as
they come to me.
This is my first fiction novel. I have worked
in the medical device industry for 35 years and have authored and co-authored
several papers during my tenure.
Getting published has been the most interesting
and fun project ever! When I first began writing my story it was difficult to
look far ahead and to imagine even seeing my book in a book store. I still
smile every time I think back to the day the e-mail came from Martin Sisters
Publishing telling me they were interested in my novel. I had to read the
e-mail ten times before the reality of what they were telling me set in. In the process I have met many other writers
and made many new friends. I’m an introvert and don’t spend much time
socializing, so this experience has really helped to pull me out of my shell.
The main character Of Blood and Lions scowls constantly at the idea of fate directing
her course, but for me it is something I see in my life all the time. For
instance, the day I happened to meet you, Nikki, at the Townsend Fair and hired
you as my editor. It was your help and encouragement that gave me the push to
get my novel published.
National Geographic’s Big Cats
Initiative is a comprehensive program that supports on-the-ground conservation
projects, education, and economic incentive efforts and a global
public-awareness campaign. The first
step in the program is to halt the decline of lions and cheetahs that are dying
off rapidly across Africa. These cats once ranged across the African continent
and into Syria, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, and even northwest India. Two
thousand years ago more than a million lions roamed the Earth. Since the 1940s,
the numbers of lions and cheetahs has dropped from an estimated 400,000 to as
few as 20,000 animals. Scientists connect the drastic decreases in many cases
to burgeoning human populations. The Big Cats Initiative aims to halt lion
population declines by the year 2015 and to restore populations to sustainable
levels.
Many people don’t realize that when one
species disappears it affects the balance of many other species and can even
put human populations in jeopardy. One of the main inspirations for me in
writing this book was to raise awareness not only for the big cats but for
conservation in general. For every book sold, $5 will be donated to National
Geographic Big Cats Initiative.
I am inspired by the people around me in
addition to the movies I watch, the books
I read and even the music that I enjoy listening to, especially country
music. The songs always tell a story and somehow speak to my heart.
My research for this book took me
all over the world. At first it began with books on the Assyrians and then on to
books about lions. There was a tremendous amount of investigation into world
history when I was creating the different lion-hybrids. I went back and forth
trying to decide which ages and wars the other hybrids would come from. It’s
been a great refresher course! I also am very fortunate to work in a very
diverse company and have several friends who consider themselves to be of
Assyrian decent. These friends helped me tremendously in understanding the
Assyrian language and history.
One other fun activity that I did
for my research was to take a fencing class. Even though the fencing lesson in
the book only takes up two paragraphs, I didn’t feel comfortable writing about
an activity that I wasn’t familiar with. The racing scenes also were written
from my experience while on trips with my husband to Lime Rock Race Track in
Connecticut.
I spent a day as a movie extra for an as-yet-unfinished mystery, and I'm a huge auto racing fan. What’s next to come out of your notebooks? New stories in the same
universe, or others?
I’m in the process of writing Book 2:
Family Matters. Without giving away too much of the story, it will center on the
Katherine’s new hybrid family and the parts of her human family that she still
has with her. The antagonist in the first book, Reggie, will be causing even
more problems for his siblings and the other hybrids. Melissa the witch, who
played a small role in Book One will have a chapter devoted to her life and
history. I am also planning to delve
deep into Reggie’s psyche when he was growing up in Assyria under his father’s
strict rule in order to flesh out why he is as full of revenge as he is. Many
people who have read Book One are also interested in how Issy the lion came to
be in her present form. I am devoting a chapter to her transformation back
in 3200 BC.
The list is long but the top five
are Steven King, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe, J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R.
Martin. I am obsessed with Games of Thrones lately and am on my second reading.
I have a serious problem, I know!
Tolkien and Bradbury are right up there on my list, too. Just for fun, tell us one unusual tidbit about yourself.
I like to pet bumble bees. On cool
spring and fall mornings the bumble bees that didn’t make it home in time can
be found still clinging to the flower or leaf they last visited when the sun
went down. If you’re careful you can
touch their fussy backs and spend time identifying the different species.
What fun! I like to pet dragonflies in the same circumstances.
