Elin Gregory

My guest for today is Kathy Griffith, a new-to-me author of whom I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more.

Welcome, Kathy and thank you for answering my questions.

What led you to pick your source material for your story?

I always had a soft spot for the tragedies, so I had to select one that would allow me to switch things up a little and give it an HEA while staying as true to the source material as possible. I gave the play a quick readthrough, then struck some of the minor characters out and focused on the main points–asking myself “what if?” and “How can I switch this around?” Such as turning Portia into Porsche.

Shakespeare definitely has a way with words. What is your favourite insult/endearment/inspiring passage/? Which bit do you wish you had written?

Hmmm..my favorite passage. That’s hard 🙂 I’ll split it in between two plays. One is from Hamlet, where he finally tells Ophelia his true feelings, and completes her descent into madness, better known as the “Get thee to a nunnery” speech. Endearment on Ophelia’s part, Insult on Hamlet’s. The inspiring speech is also the one I wish I had written–the “Quality of mercy” speech from Merchant Of Venice. I had to deconstruct this and get down to its roots, and then update it for today while leaving the original meaning unchanged. It was one of the most enjoyable times writing I ever experienced.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m working on a sequel to my contemporary vampire LGBT romance, Talk Of The Town, entitled Sins Of The Sire, in which Carl, my Italian vampire, literally meets his maker while on a business trip to London.

Could we please have an excerpt?

For my excerpt, I’d like to include the abovementioned “Quality of Mercy” speech from The Merchant Of Venice Beach:

“Have you ever shown mercy, Mr. Palmer?”
“No, nobody ever deserved it, they never gave it to me.”
“It’s not hard to show mercy, though,” Porsche said, continuing his walkabout. “It’s there; it’s all around us all the time. It falls on the rich, the poor, the powerful; it suits that powerful man better than a ten-thousand dollar watch, and it’s cheaper. It’s free.” He turned, looking Sherlock right in the eyes, seeing with satisfaction that the man was sweating a little. He looked over at their audience, and they were quiet, attentive, maybe even mesmerized.
“Rich and powerful men might think they have everyone cowed, beaten, and under their thumbs, but do you know what, sir?” he asked. “The ones who have that quality of mercy are far and above your level of power, because they carry it in here,” putting his hand on his chest, “and they carry it around everywhere they go, even after they die. So consider this,” he said, “all of us seek justice here, but only those of us who are truly human pray for mercy.”

Bio:

Kathy Griffith is a sixty-something young at heart person who has a sense of humor, is irreverent, and who loves to poke at windmills. She hails from Denver, Colorado, and has three children and six grandchildren who love to roll their eyes at their mom and granny’s antics. She enjoys crafting paranormal romances about sexy male vampires and the men who love them.

Links:
Amazon Author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Griffith/e/B00V3YQTPC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Blog: https://kathyg2016.wordpress.com

FB author page:

Release Date: 12th of August

Cover Art: Jay Aheer Simply Defined Art

Genre: MM Mixed*

We have modern retelling of some plays, interpretations of others and one of the sonnets, and delightful referencing of anything Shakespeare.

There is gentle YA romance next to very hot 18+ stories and all kinds of relationships – first love, May/December, interracial, second chances, happy endings and even a tragic one.

We’re travelling from Ancient Rome through Renaissance England to modern day UK, Venice Beach and other places in USA, Vancouver and Havana.

There’s fun, drama, tears, angst, joy and, above all, lots of true love.

Note: All proceeds of this collection go to the It Gets Better Project™.

Buy Links:
amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Summers-Day-Shakespearean-Anthology-Twist-ebook/dp/B01JH97LVA
amazon.co.uk:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summers-Day-Shakespearean-Anthology-Twist-ebook/dp/B01JH97LVA
amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/Summers-Day-Shakespearean-Anthology-English-ebook/dp/B01JH97LVA
amazon.com.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/Summers-Day-Shakespearean-Anthology-Twist-ebook/dp/B01JH97LVA
amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Summers-Day-Shakespearean-Anthology-Twist-ebook/dp/B01JH97LVA
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655310