I would love to grab all the covers of my favourite books, but that would be going against the copyright rules. And although I love breaking them, won’t be doing it this time.
So let’s start with the woman who inspired me to become an author. I didn’t just go to one book, as I have and love her full series of rebel teen, books.
A lady not as well known, but what an amazing tetralogy Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. A MUST for fantasy PNR books.
You’ve all heard or seen the movie and then TV adaption of Cassandra’s Claire’s, The Mortal Instruments. But it’s her other series that stood out for me. Check out the trilogy of His infernal Devices.
Then there are the Best-selling authors that have written hundreds of books – slight exaggeration there. lol
Dean Koontz books have pride of place on my bookshelf. Door to December– has never left me, Totally chilling. Short stories in Strange Highways
Some of James Herbert’s books have become classic horror films, such as Rats and The Fog. But the book I have and has stayed with me is this one
And although I’m not a true fan, his book Neverwhere showed me the true meaning of Fantasy.
Agh… my favourite pastime. Where to begin. At the start, where else!
The first book I had published was In Times of Violence YA edition (currently working on the adult edition)
1) In Times of Violence started as an 18 A4 page typed (yes, I said typed) story.
2) S.E.Hinton and her book, The Outsiders, was the reason I wrote ITOV.
3) A woman was reading the book by a pool and was so caught in the story, she didn’t see or hear her boyfriend calling to her as he got cramp, and was going under. Oops.
Then came Huntress Dark MC romance 18+ due to explicit scenes and graphic violence.
I had no plans to write a sequel to ITOV, but the fans demanded it, and you have to give them what they want.
Readers have said Huntress is like reading a script from, the SOA TV series, created and written by Kurt Sutter. Who has a warped mind and awesome acting abilities. (My book was out way before their MS hit the table.)
After two male-oriented MC novels, I wanted the women to have their turn. Book three is a vigilante thriller MC novel called Lawless Justice.
I got the idea for this bad ass biker MC, from the film Death Proof, staring Kurt Russel and written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
There is a message in the front of the book, to the awesome actor, film critiqe and oscar winning director, Quentin Tarantino.
Lawless Justice is the book that the fans want to see turned into a movie! Guess who I would have as my director? ….. Yep, you got it. Quentin Taratnino. ( Are you seeing a pattern here?)
The last book in the series is Road Rage it’s a stand-alone read. 18+ because of the graphic violent scenes and the explicit sexual scenes.
One of the smaller characters in Lawless Justice is the main character in Road Rage. I needed to tell her story.
Road Rage is the second most popular book in my collection.
It was the film Biker Boyz, that inspire me to write the storyline about another MC. The clean-cut public superbike racing team, Rage.
Moving on- this was my first (and won’t be the last) Dark Mafia Romance, Broken Chains. I enjoyed writing this book so much, and I had loads of fun with it. 18+ due to explicit content and graphic violence.
Broken Chains became my number one bestseller.
Broken Chains won the Top Pick Award from Author Shout and was nominated in the top indie books of 2021 by Joe Compton, owner of the indie media platform, Go Indie Now.
Broken Chains book trailer which I created, won an award at an International Film Festival for Best Female Director for thriller short.
Moving on to my collections. Heads & Tales is a collection of flash fiction in a mixture of fiction genres.
Head and Tales was inspired by the song titles of Iron Maiden’s album Best of the Beast.
2) At least 18 of these 28 flash fiction stories, were previously published in magazines and newspapers.
3) I won a t-shirt from a magazine for my horror story Crossed for being so bad and cliche, then the following month the same short story won first prize in an international horror short story contest. ( oh, yeah, I made sure the magazine knew about that win.)
Undressed, is my second collection, It has poetry, prose, short fiction and writing prompts.
I held a cover contest. This cover was painted ( I have the original), it was everything I was looking for.
Amazon ( groan) continues to keep putting Undressed in the erotica categories when there is no mention of sex in the book.
I had many of the poems in the book, originally published in magazines and ezines.
On to my YA fantasy romance, duology, Illusional Reality. Book one.
The first book Illusional Reality was inspired by The Fellowship of the Ring from LOTR.
Illusional Reality has the most reviews, out of all my books and has won three awards so far.
Although, fantasy, there is no stereotype characters. There are no elves, dwarfs, wizards, goblins, trolls, etc and yet Illusional Reality is full of new characters and lots of magic.
There is an audiobook out for Book 1 of Illsuonal Reality.
Book two of the duology, The Quest
The duology is a duology in itself. The main character has two sides to her in each book.
The second book is inspired by The Two Towers, LOTR
No, there’s no third book like there was in LOTR
A publisher contacted me and asked if I would like to sign up with them.
The Illusional Reality has a colouring book out as well.
Stone Cold is a YA supernatural thriller.
Stone Cold is the most biographical book out of all my stories.
I did more research for this book than any of my other books.
The book is based in Scotland even though my experiences happen in Wales.
There is an audiobook for Stone Cold
The book trailer for Stone Cold has won 3 International Film Festivals awards. ( you can check the trailers up on the main menu bar)
Toxic is a sci-fi dystopian erotica (yes I like making up my own genres.)
Toxic is a collaboration with another author, Karen J Mossman. We got together on camera and spent 2 hours plotting, scheming and coming up with a fascinating dystopian world.
2) There are two versions of the same book, one naughty (mine) and one nice (Karen’s)
3) Toxic will soon be removed and republished with a new cover and a publisher. They have taken on all the books and are keeping the naughty and nice theme.
4) Toxic is a trilogy. The first draft of book 2 is ready and we’ll be working on book 3 later this year.
A Flash of Horror – A collection of flash fiction from the horror genre. (in case that wasn’t obvious)
A Flash of Horror is flash fiction taken from Heads & Tales, Undressed and a couple of original flash, that I wrote for the collection.
The paperback version of the book is pocket sized. Yes, you can actualy keep it in your handbag, or pocket.
The other two fiction books are In Times of Violence, adult edition (to go with the original OUTLAW series.) And the box set of Illusional Reality.
And that’s not all. I’ve been working on a small project with my youngest daughter. Take a look.
Notebooks, journals, colouring bookAll books are available on Amazon published under the imprint, JadeMarcus
Links to all my books will be on the right-hand side of the page. Thanks for your support and feel free to share.
SHORT STORIES OF STRONG WOMEN, EXILE, GHOSTS…AND A MURDER.
“I stopped cooking to take a quick glance at these three desperate women, attempting to get the coconut seeds at the right level to prevent detection of the treasure inside… They stood like a Greek chorus, ready to lament the fall of their Cuban Troy. Concentration furrowed their foreheads, their expressions telegraphic a readiness to wail their woes if no solution presented itself. My mother clapped her hands in satisfaction. “Martina, go get your skates.”
ArtistFirst Radio’s “Author Assist Host: Karina Kantas” is a LIVE one-hour prime-time worldwide promotional radio show on the ArtistFirst Radio Network, broadcast about independent and NYT bestselling authors, their books, their lives and their struggles. It’s a comfortable fun chat with some music thrown in for good measures.
Karina will also be tackling some of the main topics within the industry and throwing in one or two surprises for her guests. The show first aired on February 2017 and has created thousands of loyal listeners.
Anyone can tune-in on their smart phone, wi-fi radio, tablet, laptop, or any internet device anywhere in the world by clicking: or logging on to http://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm and clicking on the “On Air” button.
Over 500 million hours of ArtistFirst Radio Shows have been downloaded or streamed since September 2007.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAssistRadio I currently have spots open for authors, publishers, PA and anyone working in the industry or contact me if you’re interested in affordable advertising spots. For those that didn’t listen to the live show, you can click on the link and listen to the archive,
Email kkantasauthorassist@gmail.com
For those that didn’t listen live. You can hear past shows in the archive section of the show page on the Artist First Radio Network and click here to hear Friday’s show. With my guest, Craig DiLouie and V.S.Holmes and music by Inherit The Stars
Are you a member of Kindle Unlimited? Looking for some a-ma-zing new reads? Visit our book fair for a massive shelf’s worth of page-turning books to download for free in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, thrillers, fantasy, science fiction, women’s fiction, romantic suspense, erotic romance, and more.
Plus, each day of the fair we’re giving away a $20 Amazon gift card!
Don’t have a KU subscription? You can still shop our fair for binge-worthy books, plus search the fair for Amazon instant book giveaways hosted daily!
Look for Books from Your Favorite Authors!
Alyson Hale • Barbara Lohr • Bethany Strobel • Betty Shreffler • Brenda Whiteside • Carrie Pulkinen • Carrie Whitethorne • Catty Diva • Dani Haviland • Dee Stone • Denise Devine • Emma Alisyn • Erzabet Bishop • Gina Kincade • Holly Cortelyou • Honey Phillips • J.E. Parker • Jacquie Biggar • Jen Davis • Jim Stein • Jina Bacarr • Joan Reeves • Judith Starkston • Karina Kantas • Kerri Keberly • Laura A. Barnes • Leah Ashton • Lisa B. Thomas • LM Preston • Lori Sjoberg • Lucy Lakestone • Margaret Tanner • Marlow Kelly • Melissa McClone • Morgan K Wyatt • N.D. Jones • Nancy C. Weeks • Northern Lights Writers • Regine Abel • Rose Pearson • Soraya Naomi • Stephanie Queen • Tara Gallina • Taylor Marsh • Theresa Paolo • Aileen Harkwood
Make sure to pick up your copy of my MC vigilante thriller, Lawless Justice
The second book to the exciting duology, Illusional Reality, will be hitting bookshelves on New Years Day – 01/01/2019.
Fans have been waiting for The Quest ever since book one. Illusional Reality was published back in 2016.
Reader’s Favorite Review
Karina Kantas’ young adult epic fantasy, Illusional Reality, is an intriguing and thought-provoking coming of age novel about a young woman whose life straddles two existences: that of her everyday life on earth and her regal existence as a Tsinian Ganty.
Once she’s in that alternate world, she’s faced with an arranged marriage to the evil and sadistic son of Darthorn, the despotic ruler of the neighboring Senx. Becky is resolved not to go along with that plan. While being a princess is something she doesn’t mind dreaming about, the reality can be much less appealing.
This epic fantasy is intricately plotted and will please fantasy readers who enjoy visiting alternate realities and exploring their cultures, justice systems, magic and religions. Illusional Reality is recommended for epic fantasy readers.
Now The Quest is almost upon us.
So what is The Quest all about?
THE QUEST FOR THE TRUTH BEGINS
When Hati, notices a Tsinian crystal glowing, she knows she must stick to her word and return to her homeland as Thya. Knowing her kinsmen needed her, there was no hesitation. Even though there was more to lose than just her life.
Once more a prophesy was given that informed the reader of oracles, that only Thya could stop the war and save not just her people, but the rest of Enumac from Kovon’s psychotic plans.
Along with three other companions, Thya is sent on a perilous quest to locate a dark crystal which holds evil known as the Dark Force. The group are tried and tested throughout their journey by monsters, death and courage. New friendships will be formed and other lost. Thya’s power becomes stronger and a second will threatens to take over her mind body and soul.
A terrifying surprise waits for them in the city of Helkon.
Will they survive?
Will Thya return to Tsinia and for the final showdown with Kovon?
Wolves. Dragon shifters. A fallen kingdom destined to rise again.
Evie Callahan is positive there’s something strange going on in Seaton Falls, her new home. The locals are bigger, stronger, and faster than most. That includes Nick, the boy next door who’s become her silver lining in this godforsaken town.
She wants to trust her instincts–about Nick, about what she suspects in Seaton Falls–but rumors of wolves and dragon shifters makes it hard to tell what’s real. With a history of odd dreams and the nagging sense that she’s never belonged, Evie fears she’s losing touch with reality. Her concern only grows when someone who’s haunted these dreams is suddenly tangible … and claims to hold the key to unlocking her true identity.
Finding out her entire life has been a lie is scary enough, but what’s downright terrifying is discovering who she’s destined to become.
Evie’s much more than your average, seventeen-year-old girl.
And this is her genesis.
Hey! I’m Rachel, a Michigan native with a passion for writing. I have several young adult releases on my schedule. Those releases will be within the genres of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and dystopian fiction, so I hope you stick with me and check out my future work!
Aside from the many hours spent happily pecking away at my keyboard, I’m a wife, mother of three, an avid reader, and a gamer with a penchant for all things Sims. There will always be a keyboard at my fingertips and I look forward to the words that will flow from them for many years to come. As a self-proclaimed nerd, there’s not a more satisfying career choice I could have made. Happy reading!
My second guest on today’s show is NYT bestselling author, Tosca Lee. I’ll be chatting with her about her latest release, First Born, the concluding part of the YA thriller series The Descendants Of The House of Bathory, collaborating with Ted Decker, and her somewhat controversial books about the biblical characters of Eve and Judas.
Join me and my guests, live, today Fri at 1pm EST.
Explosive Writer 