THE NEXT BIG THING
I was honored when old friend and fellow writer, K.C. Flynn, author of KNOW WHEN TO RUN, invited me to answer the same series of interview questions that she answered at THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG.

What is the title of your book? 
LORDS OF RETRIBUTION; which is the third book in the Lords of Avalon Series, set in nineteenth century England. 


Where did the idea come from for the book?
Wow!  The idea for the Lords of Avalon Series came from a long-time fascination with the myths and legends of Glastonbury, England and Cornwall, England.  The Lords of Avalon are members of the Avalon Society, which is a historical and paranormal society who specialize in ancient secrets and treasures.  The Lords of Avalon were definitely inspired by my love of archaeology, history, mystery, adventure and the paranormal.  The heroes can best be described as Indiana Jones meets Mr. Darcy. Lords of Retribution focuses mainly on the Cornish members of the Avalon Society and is a continuation of the Avalon Society members' quest to find and protect the lost secrets and treasures of Glastonbury Abbey.

What genre does your book fall under?
Historical Romance with a mystery plot, that includes adventure as well as paranormal elements. 

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in the movie rendition? 
There are actually three romances taking place through Lords of Retribution.  Trevan and Wenna's romance sort of carried over from Lord of the Abbey and Lords of Honor.  I definitely see Trevan as Gerard Butler (complete with the abs he sported in 300) and oddly enough I see Wenna as a young Maureen O'Hara (red-hair and all). Gabriel was a fan favorite in Lords of Honor.  I see him as a younger Robert Downey, Jr. Senny, is definitley dainty and ethereal like Michelle Williams. Jack, hands down, Jude Law!  Tuesday, probably Reese Witherspoon.         

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Three romances going on, three sentences, is that fair? 
Trevan Chynoweth, the Duke of Penrose, is determined to regain the trust of his stubborn-red-headed true love, Wenna Penrose and sets out to repair their broken relationship. Gabriel Chynoweth, the Earl of St. Mabyn, struggles to understand his physical attraction to Senny Penrose, a woman he always looked upon as a sister. Jack Drayton, the Earl of Elveston finally gives in to his inexplicable attraction to Tuesday Inwood, the younger sister of a fellow Avalon Society member.  Add to the end of each of these three sentences: while protecting the Glastonbury treasure from the ruthless Knights of the Brown Order pursuing them and attempting to find the last clue to the remaining piece of the Glastonbury treasure.  That was too long, oh well!

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
Lords of Retribution will be self published, just like Lord of the Abbey, Lords of Honor and the first Lords of Avalon Series Novella, Lord Greyton's Fall From Grace.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took roughly six months to write the first draft of Lords of Retribution. I am just now starting the editing, revisions and polishing process which generally takes two to three months.  I'm determined to see if I can be finished in six weeks this time.  But, it won't go on until it's ready. It's coming soon!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
This is a tough question.  I don't know of any within my genre to compare it to exactly.  I would say most definitely Lords of Retribution is similar to the Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown.  There are some underlying similarities to the Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. There is a slight similarity to some of Amanda Quick's Victorian Paranormal Historicals. Definitely there is the Jane Austen and Regency and Victorian Historical romance flavor.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
As I mentioned up above, I've had a long-time curiosity of ancient myths and legends, particularly in Glastonbury and Cornwall, England.  When I began to pursue my dream of writing again after a long period of time where I had to put writing aside, I actually started writing a different, contemporary paranormal story and was struggling with it.  I was in the midst of moving and came across the large box containing all of the information and notes I had long collected on Glastonbury and South West England. The minute I opened the box and started going through the information, I realized I should be doing something with that instead of the other story. And the very next day, the idea for the Lords of Avalon Series was born. 

What else about your book might pique the readers interest?
The character of Senny Penrose is unusual in that she is an empath and easily absorbs the feelings and emotions of those around her. She becomes overwhelmed by these sensations very easily, and is very self-conscious of her abilities. She is looked at as an oddity in her community, and many say 'she is away with the fairies'. Other than her family and friends, she is generally ostracized by people around her. Being the mother of a severely autistic son who becomes overwhelmed easily by many things others take for granted, I wrote Senny's character as having this 'thing' be a handicap for her. Something that she must learn to love and accept as part of herself, as part of her uniqueness. In all truth, she could be seen as an empath or as a person with an autism spectrum disorder.  I purposely wrote it that way.

I thank you and K.C. Flynn, author of KNOW WHEN TO RUN, for the opportunity to tell you about Book 3 in the Lords of Avalon Series, LORDS OF RETRIBUTION.  

K. R. Richards Contact Information:
My Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/K.-R.-Richards/e/B007JLISB6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
My Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/K.R.Richards.author
My e-mail: 
k.r.richards.author@gmail.com and mskimmirichards@hotmail.com
My twitter:
https://twitter.com/kimmirichards  

K. R. Richards is the author of the Lords of Avalon Series. Lord of the Abbey and Lords of Honor are currently on Amazon Kindle along with the first Lords of Avalon Series Novella, Lord Greyton's Fall From Grace.  Lords of Retribution will be released in Jan/Feb 2013 and Lords of Atonement will be out in late summer or early fall of 2013.