Welcome to Duck Chat!

Get ready for some fun today! Karin Tabke is with us and there’s lots of fun to be had!

I had the opportunity to meet Karin last year, and she is one of the nicest ladies you’ll ever meet. Also one of the funniest. And, according to her friends, Karin is also one of the most giving people, especially to those both in the writing industry and those trying to break into a very difficult business.

Wife of an ex-cop, mother of four, grandmother of one, and a business owner, Karin’s fans are glad she found her passion in writing. Today she talks about her historical series and her steamy cop novels, and if you’ve not read any of Karin’s books, here’s your chance to win one so you too will be hooked and want more. Karin is offering up any book on her backlist, so leave a meaningful comment or question for her and we’ll put your name in the hat!

Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Karin, congrats on your latest release, Master of Craving. This is book three in your Blood Sworn Legacy series.

KARIN TABKE: Thank you! But before we get to the Q&A, I just want to say thank you to Sandy for the invite!  I really appreciate it.  Also, I’d love to give away a book today, all you have to do is comment.  You pick your read!

DC: Would you tell our readers about the series overall and then we’ll talk about the books themselves. Is the series evolving the way you initially envisioned it?

KT: I fell in love with medieval romance after I read The Wolf and the Dove.  I was heartbroken to learn there were no more medievals.  I wanted more!  Several years ago I started writing what became Master of Surrender.  On a whim I sent the 50 pages I had written to my agent who flipped.  So did my editor.  They both  shouted, “We want a series!”  And so the Blood Sword Legacy were born.  The series is more than I had hoped it would be.  I love everything about the books.  Everything.

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

KT: Oh it would most definitely be the one where some random guy will ask my husband in front of me, “So does Karin sue you as her test dummy?”  Nudge nudge wink wink.   Puleese.  Grow up.  And my response?  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”  then under my breath, “Moron.”

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you?

KT: Absolutely.

DC: Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

KT: Always.  I’m always amazed at how brave and smart they are.

DC: Let’s start at the beginning of your series with Master of Surrender where we meet Rohan and Isabel. Can you tell us about them and their story, please? 

KT: Le sigh.  It’s the age old conflict, conqueror vs vanquished.  But in MoS the question posed is, who really surrenders?  Methinks it is the big bad knight who surrenders to his lady love. I love Rohan and Isabel’s passion and respect for each other.  They are both warriors, and fight valiantly for what they believe in.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing?

KT: No. But I shake my head a lot and warn them they are climbing a slippery slope.  They don’t listen. But I’m a panster who believes in giving her characters free will. Who usually wins?  They always win.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

KT: The opportunity to get my hands on my granddaughter.

DC: Wulfson and Tarian’s book is next with Master of Torment. Wulf is caught in a no-win dilemma. Would you give us some insight into their relationship?

KT: Spontaneous combustion!  I loved their conflict.  That story flew from my fingertips.  It was so, so, sooo passionate and angsty.  There were times when I had no idea how they were going to find their HEA.  I still sigh. And cry. Master of Torment is the only one of my books that I have read in its book form more than once.  Ok, that’s a lie, Jaded too.

DC: What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

KT: Master of Torment and Jaded.   Master of Surrender runs a real close second.  The book I just finished Monday (and unfortunately cannot talk about at the moment) is by far the best book I have written.  My hero and heroine are extraordinary people.  Like Wulfson and Tarian I had no idea how my H/H were going to find a HEA.  But they lead me to it.  I just wrote what they told me too.  How crazy does that sound?  I mean really.  I’m a nut.

DC: How many more books will your fans have to look forward to in your Blood Sworn Legacy series?

KT: I have one more contracted.  Master of Deception, Thorin’s story.  It has been pushed back to make way for the book I just completed.  I hope to have a release date for MoD sometime soon.  I really want to complete the series.  I love it, my readers love it, but medievals seem to be a niche market at the moment.  But we’ll see.  I’m optimistic.

DC: How about your least favorite cover?  Why?

KT: Hmm, well, while I love my hot cop covers, Good Girl Gone Bad, Skin, and Jaded, I would have loved a hawt cop on the cover.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

KT: I think they are the same as in they are passionate beings.  They stand for something and don’t fall for everything. They are smart. That will never change. I’ve gotten a lot better at my writing as a craft and at layering my character’s emotions and developing more intricate archs.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

KT: A big zany contemporary.

DC: Master of Craving features Stephan and Arianrhod. Would you tell everyone about them and how their story came about?

KT: Arianrhod came to me first.  I found her one day as I was doing research on Wales.  I wanted a Welsh princess, and she just showed up.  I’d known book three was going to be Stefan’s book.  He was supposed to be Tarian’s knight, but Wulfson kept honing in, so I had to go with the flow.  Stefan is the darkest and most reticent of the Blood Swords.  His still waters run very deep.  He needed a woman who he felt he was not worthy of, only to find he is worthy of a queen. 

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

KT: Explain very gently but firmly, “You don’t know everything!”

DC: More congratulations are in order — you have a new granddaugahter! When was the big day?

KT: My granddaughter, Gianna Isabella, was born November 12^th of last year and is the most precious thing in my life.  She is a true blessing.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

KT: Open wide for a wild ride!  Lol!!!

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

KT: Take it like you see it.

DC: Being a former cop’s wife has inspired the stories behind your contemporary books, so let’s talk about a couple of them. Good Girl Gone Bad sounds like the sparks fly every which way between Ty and Philamina. Tell us about them, please.

KT: In copland there is something called the letter of the law and spirit of the law.  Letter of the law is by the book, spirit of the law…isn’t.  My husband, god bless him, was a very proactive spirit of the law cop and had his share of IA’s during his career.  And for the record he always walked away clean, nothing was ever substantiated, but IA cops are not respected by the rank and file.  What better way to set up conflict?  Hot spirit of the law cop vs uptight letter of the law IA cop.

DC: I’m assuming that your books are somewhat based cases your husband was involved with over the years of his law enforcement career. How difficult is it to fictionalize and romanticize real-life stories?

KT: Sandy, some of the stuff that as happened in real life no one would ever believe.  Oh, the stories I could tell.

DC: Are there certain ones that are harder to work with than others?

KT: The sex crime victims are difficult to write about.

DC: Is there one or two that you’ve wanted to put on paper but for some reason, emotional or complexity perhaps, that keeps it from happening?

KT: Yes, some of his experiences are too difficult. My husband’s first day on the job was Mother’s Day (many, many years ago).  His first call a code blue baby.  The mom had been breastfeeding the baby in bed, fell asleep and rolled over on the baby smothering him.  She, understandably, suffered severe emotional trauma for many years afterward.  Tragedies like this can help a writer shape a character’s back-story.  But I have never had the stomach to use this tragic scenario.  I never will.

DC: Apparently also being a cop’s wife has made you pretty handy with several types of weapons. Was it your curiosity or your husband’s protectiveness that warranted such handiness?

KT: I’ve always been an avid gun enthusiast.  I attended the FBI Citizen’s Academy this past October and November and spent a day on the range with the SWAT guys shooting M4’s, sniper rifles, a Tommy gun and few other weapons.  It was amazing.

DC: Can you give us an example of the weapons in your arsenal, so to speak?

KT: My biggest weapon is my living the life of a cop’s wife.  When you are surrounded by the life and others who live it, you get the rhythm of it.  I do write what I know, and while it’s fiction, it happens every day in real life copland.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

KT: I own a successful business, over 23 years now, but it isn’t my passion like writing is.  If I didn’t have the business and could not write I would most definitely have a career working with animals.

DC: More explosiveness abounds with Jade and Jase in Jaded. Their story sounds quite intense. Would you give us a look inside their lives, please?

KT: Intense is an understatement!   There is a song titled Fancy sung by Reba Macintire, it’s about a girl whose mama turns her out to save the family.  I always wondered what happened to Fancy.  Jaded is my answer.  It’s a raw, emotional story of two people who are very tragically wounded.  Once again, I didn’t know when I began Jase and Jade’s story how it would end.  But damn they were brave.  Jase is one of my favorite heroes and Jade the toughest heroine I have written.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Karin Tabke?

KT: Lot’s of good, exciting things! I have the series I cannot talk about (maybe next month I can announce the details!!) I have an anthology I’m doing with my two very good friends, Sylvia Day and Maya Banks, that releases next summer. I also have a new series coming out next year with Berkley Publishing.  The Blood Moon trilogy pitched as Sons of Anarchy meets Rise of the Lycans.  It’s dark raw, and sexy as hell.

Is blood more powerful than destiny?

Two Lycan brothers. Their warring packs must unite or perish. One woman bred to destroy their kind stands between them. The one woman they would both fight to the death to protect from the other.  But one common enemy threatens them all.

The Blood Moon Trilogy is a dark, bold, sexy series full of action, passion, and angst.  It traverses the spectrum of emotions, conflict and sacrifice.  This is not a series for the faint of heart, but one for those who enjoy a heart-pounding race against evil, both external and internal.  The Blood Moon Trilogy taps into the deepest darkest corners of emotions and sexuality.  In the end, love does conqueror all, but at a price.

Lightning Round:

– dark or milk chocolate?     – Dark, as if.

– smooth or chunky peanut butter?     – chunky

– heels or flats?     – heels

– coffee or tea?     – coffee

– summer or winter?      – summer

– mountains or beach?     – beach

– mustard or mayonnaise?     – mayo

– flowers or candy?      – flowers

– pockets or purse?      – purse

– Pepsi or Coke?     – Diet pepsi

– ebook or print?     – print

And because we still enjoy the answers we get:

1. What is your favorite word?     – It’s not a very ladylike word.  Begins with and S ends in a T.

2. What is your least favorite word?      – The girlie part C word.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?      – The passion of my characters.

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?      – Too much wine.

5. What sound or noise do you love?      – My granddaughter cooing.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?     – Profane kids

7. What is your favorite curse word?    – Shit fuck damn, not necessarily in that order.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?     – zoologist

9. What profession would you not like to do?     – Social worker (I’m a wuss at heart)

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?     – “Well done!”

KT: Thank you, Sandy for having me as your guest!!

DC: Thank you, Karin, for spending the day with us! It’s been a pleasure!