The New Authors On The Block: Character Interview from These Vicious Masks + Giveaway

Welcome to the Fourth (and final) week of the February edition of The New Authors on The Block! Last week we introduced Kelly and Tarun the authors of These Vicious Masks!  

This week it is time for a CHARACTER INTERVIEW!

~~~

Describe a real OR fictional kiss with Evelyn:

Sebastian Braddock (SB): Uh, I'm not at all sure what you are referring to, I have nev-

Nicholas Kent (NK): WELL: We're under a lamplight– a new electric one, not those old gas ones, mind you–and the light is glinting off our hair, ever so fetchingly. Miss Wyndham looks up at me with limpid eyes -

SB: ...and you think I’m full of cliches–

NK: Limpid eyes, her lip trembles slightly, drawing my attention to the curves of her mouth, the space between her ever-so-slightly parted lips -

SB: This is... indecent.

NK: The most fetching blush alights on the apples of her cheeks, glowing almost incandescently under the light–

SB: –are you quite finished?

NK: Never. A lock of her beautiful, chocolate hair falls in front of her eye and I raise my hand to sweep it back. Our eyes meet as I push back the strand, but my hand stills on her neck. Our mouths have only a whisper's breadth between them, now. "Nicholas," she breathes, almost all air and no sound. I acquiescence and brush my lips upon hers. Slowly the pressure deepens, until, mindful of her innocence, I pull back to see her chocolate eyes–

SB: You already called her hair "chocolate"

NK: To see her coffee-brown eyes reflecting back my own desire.

SB: ...

NK: ...

SB: That’s not what it’s like at all.

NK: WHAT?

What exactly is Saltation?

SB: Saltation is theory asserted by Dr. Beck–

NK: A seasoning.

SB: Pardon me?

NK: It’s a type of salt that’s unique to the Orient. I hear it’s an essential part of most Chinese cuisine–

SB: ... you can’t simply make up a meaning based on how the word sounds–

NK: Of course you can, that’s how all words are made up. Though… now that I think about it, saltation may be a dog from the Alsace region–

SB: You are thinking of an Alsatian hound.

NK: ...That is a distinct possibility.

SB: ... Apologies for that. Where was I? Yes, saltation is theory that suggests there can be evolutionary jumps in human development. Darwin claimed that evolution works gradually with small steps transforming a species over thousands or millions of years, but the sudden appearance of these extraordinary abilities suggests that the change can be from one generation to the next–

NK: ... OR ... it’s a cracker.

SB: It’s not a cracker.

Tell me a deep dark secret

SB: I'd really prefer not to -

NK: Now, now, Mr. Braddock, please, what is your deepest darkest secret?

[SB has already taken off in a frantic dash]
[NK watches him go]

NK: Well, that looks like a man with nothing to hide. As for me, I may have, once or twice, unwittingly appreciated a performance by dancers whom I later discovered to be French. I trust you will tell no one of this.

Do either of you plan on winning over Evelyn's heart?

NK: What do you mean “plan”? I’ve already won it over, you know. It’s just a matter of her realizing that.

SB: No comment whatsoever.

Well that was entertaining wasn't it? I would love to spend a day with the two! -Amber

About Tarun and Kelly:

Mild-mannered assistant by day, milder-mannered writer by night, Tarun Shanker is a New York University graduate currently living in Los Angeles. His idea of paradise is a place where kung-fu movies are projected on clouds, David Bowie’s music fills the air and chai tea flows freely from fountains.

Keep up Tarun on Twitter: @tkshanker

Kelly Zekas is a writer and actor living in NYC. YA is her absolute favorite thing on earth other than cupcakes and she has spent many hours crying over fictional deaths. She also started reading Harlequin romances at a possibly too early age (12?), and still loves a good paperback romance.

Keep up with Kelly on Twitter: @KellyZekas 

Tarun and Kelly met in a freshman year writing class at NYU and started writing These Vicious Masks a few years later. It is their first novel. 

About These Vicious Masks:

Title: These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks #1) 

Author: Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal

Publisher: Swoon Reads 

Publication Date: February 9th 2016

Paperback, 352 Pages 

Add it to Goodreads! 

Summary: 

England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.

Buy These Vicious Masks: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository / IndieBound 

What to expect this month:

• February 7th: Introduction 
• February 14th: Q&A 
• February 21st: Excerpt
• February 28th: Character Interview

Giveaway:

• Please be 13 years or older or have a parents permission to enter
• This giveaway is open to US residents or those with US mailing addresses
• The Book Bratz, Kelly, and Tarun are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.

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