Chris Karlsen ~ Time Travel at its BEST

Hi Chris, welcome! We’re here to chat about your second book in the Knights of Time series, Journey in Time, a sci-fi romance…and we get to hear all about your story-stars. Before we start with the questions *smile*, here’s a bit about Chris:

Chris Karlsen is a retired police detective who spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. Her father was a history professor and her mother an avid reader. She grew up with a love of history and books.

She has always loved traveling and has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Near East (especially Turkey and the Greek Islands), the Caribbean, and North Africa.

Born and raised in Chicago, Chris has also lived in Paris, Los Angeles, and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four rescue dogs.

Okay, Chris…you ready? Let’s get crackin’….

KDR ~ Please tell us how the idea came to you for Journey in Time, book 2 in your “Knights in Time,” series. Please include all the fun details.

CK ~  The hero, Alex Lancaster, in Journey in Time, was the best friend of the hero in my first book, Heroes Live Forever. He played a very active role in that story and I really enjoyed writing him. Not to mention that early on, he started nagging me to give him a story of his own.

          When the time came to write Alex’s story it didn’t take long for me to figure out what I wanted to do to him and with him. Time-travel fascinates me, always has. Alex was once part of the medieval world, a baron known as Guy Guiscard. It seemed natural to take him from this very comfortable modern world he now lives in and send him back. Then I complicated his life more by sending the heroine, Shakira, back with him.

KDR ~ Sounds like a most compelling time travel treasure, Chris, with a yummy hero and heroine.

What’s Alex’s job? What does he do for a living?

CK ~  He’s a record producer. Shakira is an attorney who represents him in a lawsuit.

 

KDR ~ Wow, lots of tension in that relationship. *smile*

Give us some insight into Shakira Constantine. What’s a bit of her back story?

 

CW ~ She studied hard at Cambridge to graduate top of her class in law school. The firm she works for in London is one of the oldest and most respected firms there. It’s also a very straight-laced office and the partners would disapprove of her playing in a weekend rock band so she keeps that part of her life secret. She’s considered a “high-flyer” at the firm with the potential to make junior partner quickly. This is her ambition. When Alex becomes her client, she’s forced to decline his offers of dating. It’s a major turnaround for her when she finally accepts an invitation to visit his country cottage.

          One of her strong character traits is her intelligence and candid voicing of her opinions and beliefs. This presents a problem for her during her time in medieval England. Fortunately, she’s also resourceful and quick thinking. 

KDR ~ Who is Shakira to Alex? Can you give us a bit about the first time they met each other?

 

CW ~ They meet at a charity ball in London. They aren’t formally introduced. Alex notices this rather exotic and lovely woman who’s attending the ball alone. He asks her to dance and she agrees. He’s a well known music producer so she knows who he is. She also saw him sitting with a lovely blonde. They dance to “Unchained Melody,” (a song that’s a favorite of mine.) As the song finishes, he bends and kisses her. He also expects to talk and dance with her more, which is why he enjoyed simply dancing with her and not chatting her up during the song. When he lifts his head after the kiss, Shakira sees the blonde approaching, she tells him, “Don’t get yourself in trouble, Mr. Lancaster. She steps away from Alex and disappears into the crowd.

 

KDR ~ Oh, goodness…Chris, you leave us hanging here. LOL

Okay…so moving on ~ Can you tell us about the abilities of Alex Lancaster? How do they help OR hinder?

 

CW ~ Alex has been given a second chance at life. The life he leads in this time is that second chance. How this came about is explained in the story. The life he had before was as a medieval man, a baron who he knows will die at the Battle of Poitiers. When he and Shakira are transported back, they find themselves in the year 1355. England is preparing for war. The army will sail to France in four months. If he and Shakira can’t find a way to the 21^st century, he’ll sail with the army to certain death.

          His knowledge of the past and the future is a ticking clock for the couple. The importance of the limited time they have creates actions and reactions that result in terrible consequences.

KDR ~ So many twists and turns, with a mere ripple effect. Fascinating.

Why this location? Anything in particular in real-life that made you select it?

 

CW ~ I’ve been to England many times and fell in love with the beautiful countryside and the history. London is such a remarkable city. Gloucestershire is stunning. The landscape is everything you imagine England to look like. It reminds me of the shire in Lord of the Rings. I knew years ago that if I ever wrote a novel at least one character would live there.

KDR ~ Journey in Time, is included in your Knights in Time series, can you give us titles and a tagline for other books in this series?

 

CW ~ Yes, it’s part of my “Knights in Time,” series. The tagline for Journey in Time, is: Right woman…right man…Trapped in the wrong place and wrong time.  Book 1 of the series is, Heroes Live Forever.  The tagline for that is: Great love can transcend anything, even death and time. I’m working on the first draft of book 3, Knight Blindness. I haven’t a tagline yet.

 

KDR ~ Which scene was your favorite to write? Can you share a little of it?

CW ~ I have two scenes that go hand-in-hand and I like to count as one favorite scene. It’s where Alex and Shakira first go back in time and is transported to medieval England. Alex is aware of what’s happened but hasn’t had the opportunity to talk to Shakira and tell her what he knows.

          They ride into what was in the 14^th century, Baron Guiscard’s castle. *As I said in an earlier answer, Guy Guiscard is who Alex used to be. Shakira thinks the location is part of a movie set and is looking for the modern equipment that would be on a set. She can’t figure out why she can’t find anything a production crew would use. But mentally commends the set designer for the effort at authenticity.

          A short time after arriving, Alex takes to a bedchamber in the castle, sits her down and tells her everything. The truth about his past, where they are, the year and what’s in store if they can’t find a way back to this century.     I had a great time putting myself in her place. She goes from thinking he’s playing a bad joke, to thinking he’s crazy and she really doesn’t want to be falling for a lunatic.  When the reality sinks in, she freaks out. It was a fun scene to write because I got to go through all of those emotions with her.

KDR ~ It sounds like a challenging scene as well and one I look forward to reading.

Please share anything else about this story you’d like ~ maybe a difficult scene or character ~ someone or something not cooperating…

 

CW ~ I find writing sex scenes difficult. Every one I’ve ever done took me ages to get through. You’d think they’d be easy for a romance writer, but not for me. I want them to be sensuous. I struggle in coming up with just the right environment regarding what they’re hearing, tasting, feeling, seeing, while not distracting from the love making. I always breathe a sigh of relief when I finish one of those scenes.

KDR ~ What are you working on now?

CW ~ I’m working on book 3 of my Knights in Time series. It’s called Knight Blindness. It’s also a time travel. One of the knights from Journey in Time is the hero. I’m bringing him forward in time to the present day. The writing is going slower than I anticipated but I want and need to address all the little details and things in this world that would either horrify and/or delight a medieval man.

KDR ~ Where can we find you? List all of your links.

CW ~ You can find me at: www.chriskarlsen.com

My website also has book trailers and photos from my travels in England.

You can email me at: chriskarlsenwriter@gmail.com

I’m on Facebook as: chriskarlsenwriter

Or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chriskarlsenwriter

“FAVORITES”

Quickie Quiz – Getting to know Chris Karlsen…

Mode of travel – Airplane

Beverage – Strong coffee

Place you’ve never been and have always wanted to go – Malta

Pets – 4 rescue dogs (Suki, Kozi, Sammy & Trooper)

A place you love to write – My desk listening to music

Hobby or past time – traveling, reading and taking belly dance lessons

Writing tool – computer

Click Cover for Buy Link

Journey in Time

By Chris Karlsen

Blurb:

TRAPPED IN TIME

London attorney, Shakira Constantine, finally agrees to spend the day with her handsome client, Alex Lancaster. While riding in the countryside, the couple finds themselves caught in a time warp and transported back to the 14^th Century, and an England preparing for war. Everyone believes Alex is the Baron Guy Guiscard...a baron who died in the upcoming battle.

If they can’t find a way to return to the 21^st Century, Alex will have to sail with the army to certain death. Shakira will be left alone to survive in the alien and terrifying medieval world.

Excerpt:

“Alex, what is going on?” she asked in a frenzied whisper.
“Shh.” After they mounted, Alex sidled over, so close their boots touched. “We’re riding into a very perilous situation. I’ll explain everything when we’re alone. Your life, my life,” he stressed, “depends on you being quiet until then.”
Confused it took Shakira a few seconds before she nodded yes.
“Remember what I told you,” he warned and trotted ahead to chat with the knight he called Simon.

Get it for your Kindle

Chris…thanks for making my place one of your BewitchingBook Tours stops. Congratulations on the release of Journey in Time and I wish you many, many more successes.

Thank you everyone for stopping in and visiting with Chris ~ be even more awesome and leave her a comment…she loves to chat. *smile*

Until Next Time…Warm Hearts & Hugs,

Kay Dee

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