Dead by Morning by Kayla Krantz - Virtual Book Tour - Interview - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hello lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Kayla Krantz and her new book, “Dead by Morning!”  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to be the lucky winner of one of the following: a paperback copy of “Dead by Morning” OR an ebook copy of Dead by Morning and a second RRPI ebook. Also, come back daily to interact with Kayla and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this exciting giveaway!

Dead by Morning

by Kayla Krantz

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GENRE:  New Adult Psychological Thriller

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BLURB:

Obsession is deadly. No one learns that better than Luna Ketz, a pessimistic high school senior. She wishes more than anything to graduate but things don’t always go as planned. Luna quickly finds herself trapped in a web of lies and murders, spun by the least suspected person in her hometown. It’s not long before she realizes she’s being targeted by the person she despises most in the world. When Luna figures out who is behind the killings, things make a turn for the bizarre when she is contacted by a friend she has not heard from in years. It is then Luna realizes she is very much in danger, but although she can avoid the killer in reality, she cannot avoid him in her dreams.

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EXCERPT TWO:

CHANCE HAD BEEN surprised at Luna’s stunt; that was the best word he could use to describe it—stunt. Beside him, David appeared just as surprised. She could’ve killed herself with a move like that, easily broken her neck on a curb or busted her head open on the cement. But lucky for her, she had landed in the grass, though she’d still be in pain. He wouldn’t be surprised if she needed to go to the hospital. The beginnings of fusion caused him to lapse into a state that made him feel as if he was in that mind all the time. He found that that mind was braver and a bit sharper.

He had figured out she was okay because of her gift, her Teardrop of Knowledge. He had also discovered she couldn’t stand even being in his vicinity anymore, and after what had happened, he didn’t blame her. He knew the fear that ran through her mind; it was the fear he had seen on many of his victims’ faces.

The realization that he wasn’t playing around—that it wasn’t some poorly-written crime novel, that he meant murder, cold-blooded murder—seemed to have sunk into Luna’s mind. He recognized that desperate urge to escape. Chance frowned. He could feel the cold wind from outside rushing in through Luna’s open door. She was desperate to get away from him, desperate because she knew stunts like that were a Hell of a lot safer than being around him.

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INTERVIEW:

What 3-5 words would you use to describe your book?

A haunting story of obsession.

What is your favorite chapter or section of the book?

My favorite chapter in the book is when Chance and Luna go to the Homecoming dance, and Luna sees a side of him that makes her believe he’s different—that he’s off in a way that could actually be dangerous.

Did you come across any specific challenges in writing this book?

It was hard to find a perfect boundary for Chance. I wanted to show that he’s a ruthless character, but at the same time, he has a soft spot. Showing the depth of his evil was difficult as well because I wanted him to come across as a likeable character to readers no matter what he does. He also needed to be relatable which turned out to be the toughest thing to pull off in the entire book.

One of the main themes in this book is obsession.  What is something you are obsessed with?

Caffeine is one of my ultimate obsessions. I have to have an energy drink at least once a week and a soda almost daily to keep my mind in functioning order.

Stalking is a very series crime that has been in the spotlight this last decade.  Chance stalks Luna and many other women.  Do you think this book helps shine light and provide insight on this topic?

I think Dead by Morning helps to show insight on the issue from both sides—both the stalker and stalkee. It shows the real terror and danger of being in this situation. There are a lot of books that almost try to romanticize stalking, but mine shows exactly why it’s something to be feared.

Luna starts out by being repulsed by Chance.  What is a trait you find repulsive in a partner/lover?

I think arrogance is the worst. When someone looks down their nose at another person, especially those that they’re supposed to be closest to, it truly is an off-putting trait.

This book contains satanic rituals.  What kind of research did you do for this book?

I did quite a bit of research into rituals and darker occult things. I know real Satanists don’t do the things that Chance portrays, but in the story, I wanted to get the idea across that Chance doesn’t really know these things—that he does what he wants to do and puts a label on it that makes him feel as if he fits even somewhere, even when he doesn’t.

Many serial killers are said to have Klinefelter Syndrome.  What are your thoughts on this?  Do you think Chance suffers from Klinefelter Syndrome?

I think many serial killers suffer from diseases of some kind, most of them psychological. The connection between extra chromosomes and serial killers is interesting, however, I don’t think it’s what Chance suffers from. His is more in the mind, caused by the traumas of his childhood. Chance is in fine physical shape, but his mind is a mess. Because of all he’s been through, he suffers from dissociative identity disorder which makes it hard for him to know which personality is truly his own.

I noticed this book is listed as “Book 1” and that there are two other books listed in this series, “Rituals of the Night.”   How many books will be part of this series?

Right now, there are only four books written, but I plan to have nine in total.

Give us an interesting fun fact about your book.

All the characters in Dead by Morning are based on real people except for Chance. He’s based on a character in a reoccurring dream that I have.

As an author, what is your favorite word you love to include in your books?

If I had to pick one, I would say death is my favorite word. It’s powerful, both literally and metaphorically. When death is used in any context, it can really spice up the passage.

Do you write your books with a pen or type writer or computer?

My writing process is actually quite complicated. When I begin a new project, I first write it all down in a spiral college-ruled notebook with a fountain pen. Pen on paper helps me gather my thoughts better than writing on a computer. After I finish my first draft in the notebook, I transfer all the writing to loose-leaf paper that I keep in a binder. After this draft is when I finally type it on the computer and look for things such as plot holes or areas where characters need development.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

I prefer to read traditional paper/hard back books. There’s something satisfying about curling up with a paperback book and listening to the ‘swish’ of the pages as you make progress. It’s harder for me to focus while reading ebooks because the backlights of devices often give me a headache.

What book(s) are you currently reading?

Currently, I’m reading 1984 by George Orwell.

I heard you love 80’s music.  What is your favorite 80’s song?

My favorite 80’s song is Somebody’s Knockin’ by Terri Gibbs. I love this song because it seems so fitting for my Rituals of the Night Series.

Most of your books involve scary, nightmare themes.  What is something you are most afraid of?

People scare me the most because so many of them are deceptive. With animals, it’s easy to gauge motives, but humans are different. They can lie and manipulate which makes it hard to know exactly who can be trusted and who can’t.

When you watch a scary movie do you watch with the light on or off?

I like to watch scary movies with the lights off. Part of the fun is feeling as if you’re in the movie to feel the terror that the characters feel.

As someone who writes and reads horror books, what are your thoughts on nature vs. nurture as far as serial killers go?

I feel as if both are contributing factors, however, I believe nurture has a bit more of an effect. I think everyone is born with a good and bad voice inside of them. Circumstances that they go through cause them to lean one way or the other. A good person may turn out evil if they’re put through hard enough times.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

I love being able to capture my thoughts and feelings in a unique manner. When creating my characters, I know that each of them contain an essence of myself so it’s interesting to see the way they thrive and travel through all the various situations that are thrown at them.

What is your favorite motivational phrase?

I don’t know about motivational phrases, but my favorite quote would have to be, “What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly.” —Morticia Addams.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

I would love to meet Eminem. His music has been such a huge motivating factor in my life both writing-wise and otherwise. A lot of my characters were developed with the aid of his music, and I think it would be an amazing opportunity to sit down and talk with him about what inspired him to create his music.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

My advice to aspiring authors out there would be to never give up! It’s a hard business, and on most days you’ll want to bury your head in your pillows and stay there, but there is light at the end of the tunnel if you have the determination and willingness to put in the effort it takes to get there.

What's next for you? What are you working on now?

I just finished my side project, a fantasy novel called The Council. In this story, Lilith Lace is a crippled witch from Ignis Coven, the witches of fire. In the Land of Five, she struggles to find out her true identity as a new threat emerges to the land—The Elementals. The only problem, she can’t decide if she must stand against them or with them.

As of August 1st, I’ve started work on Book 5 in the Rituals of the Night Series, Comatose at Dusk.

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AUTHOR BIO:

22-year-old Kayla Krantz was raised in Michigan but moved to Texas and has experienced the best and worst of both. Since a young age she has be spinning tales.  Kayla has interests in the dark and macabre. She enjoys '80's music and movies.  When she has the chance, she loves to read books by Stephen King who inspired her to write. She was always interested in horror as they held a certain realism that fairytales lacked. While writing, she found herself drifting more toward Thriller which surprised her. Kayla describes the day she discovered that she would become a published author like so: “It's hard to describe. I spent so many years climbing toward my goal, and when it finally happened, it was like all the burdens of stress and agony and uncertainty were just gone. I felt light, like I could run for the rest of my life off of the energy it gave me.”

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CONNECT WITH KAYLA:

Website: 
http://kaylakrantz.wix.com/horror

Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/kaylakrantzwriter

Twitter: 
https://twitter.com/Kaylathewriter9

Tumblr: 
http://authorwolfshine.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14006736.Kayla_Krantz

Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/kayla.krantz/

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

http://amzn.to/2aBACuf

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Kayla Krantz will be awarding to a randomly drawn winner, via Rafflecopter during the tour, one of the following: a paperback copy of Dead by Morning OR a ebook copy of Dead by Morning and a second RRPI ebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.