Finding Thor
~By: Kai Strand
~Released: March 12th, 2015
~Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
~Length: 277 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.
Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again.
But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.
When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik?
Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.
Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was an EPIC eBook Finalist. King of Bad soared to the publisher's #1 spot its second month. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" Kai and her family hike, geocache and canoe in Central Oregon, where they call home.
Kai organized the free, themed, multi-author, short story blog, Lightning Quick Reads. She is available for personal appearances, workshops, and classroom or school visits. Feel free to contact her directly to discuss availability and request references.
~ Connect with Kai Online ~
With Kai Strand
What inspired Finding Thor?
One of my go-to movies when I’m looking for suspense and intrigue is National Treasure. Yet, I really love a good romance, too. One day I decided to see what would happen if I did a mash-up of National Treasure and Wuthering Heights.
Wuthering Heights is rather tragic. What compelled you to add the sorrow to the story?
As a reader I really enjoy seeing a character overcome tragedy. In Finding Thor, the tragic incident happens six months before the story even begins, but Cara is still wallowing in it. There isn’t a lot in her life that spurs her to deal with it and move on. She doesn’t even realize how much meeting Nik Rock changes her until after many of the changes take place. I think a lot of the lessons we learn and the growth that we experience in real life is like that. It’s so much easier to see your path after you tamped down a trail through the tall grass.
Why did you choose to set the story in your hometown of Bend, OR?
Once a month, I meet with a group of local authors to talk shop. One day several of them were discussing their books that were either set in or inspired by Central Oregon and I was a little sad that I couldn’t join the conversation. Since I was just starting this new project—my first romantic suspense—I thought it was the perfect time to choose a setting near and dear to my heart.
How was knowing your setting different than making one up?
Knowing the scents and sounds, the temperature fluctuations, even the traffic patterns so intimately really helped me deepen the sense of place in the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fiction writer and I really enjoy making stuff up. That includes the setting. However, being able to draw on personal knowledge of unique aspects like lava caves will, hopefully, help the reader feel like they’re here in Central Oregon too.
What’s next for you?
Super Bad, the third and final installment in my Super Villain Academy series will release in June. I’m so excited for readers to get their conclusion. I hope this final book continues to entertain as well as provides a few surprises. I know it did for me.
A
deep voice, as rich and warm as homemade hot chocolate, said, “Let
me assist you.”
A
charming retort of gratitude already forming on her lips, Cara looked
up to find the boy from the park crouching to pick up her spiral
notebooks. She gaped as fear doused her like a bucket of briny
seawater. Her hand, reaching for a textbook, quivered like a leaf in
the wind. Somewhere in her mind she recognized that his expression
and mannerisms were non-threatening, but she wanted nothing more than
to flee.
She
scurried to the back of the room, slid into her chair, and scrunched
down, wishing she could disappear.
As
the boy returned to his own seat at the front of the class, the tilt
of his head seemed to indicate all his senses were tuned to her. She
could almost see his ears expand to take in every sound she made.
Really, she couldn’t see his ears, because his silky black hair
fell in shiny waves to just above his shoulders.
When
she sucked in her breath, because she realized she’d been admiring
his hair, his chin angled toward her ever so slightly. Raking a hand
through her own hair, she looked around the room to see if anyone was
as wary of him as she was, but everyone else ignored him.
~Materials and images provided by YA Bound Book Tours.
