The Gryphon King’s Consort by Jenn Burke
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Art by Aaron Anderson
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Jenn Burke today on her tour for The Gryphon King’s Consort. Welcome, Jenn.
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words – Interview with Jenn Burke
- How much of yourself goes into a character?
I think all writers put something of themselves into their characters. I tend to take one of my traits—usually a flaw—and give it to my MC. For example, Luca’s unbending stubbornness in The Gryphon King’s Consort is all me.
- Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?
Although I like to make up my own worlds and cultures, that doesn’t mean there’s no research involved. I strongly believe that science fiction or paranormal elements need something of a root in reality in order to be consistent and relatable. But there’s such a thing as too much research, too—especially if you’re constantly getting stuck in a research rabbit hole and not actually writing.
- Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?
Absolutely yes. I didn’t discover science fiction until I was in my pre-teens, but I devoured stories by Madeleine L’Engle, Monica Hughes, Jane Yolen, Anne McCaffery and others, and they definitely influenced what I love to write. As I got older, I graduated to paranormal and urban fantasy stories, and some of my favourite authors include Tanya Huff, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint, Kelley Armstrong, and more.
- Do you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult?
Definitely. I didn’t really get into romances until I was an older teen, but I loved the old Silhouette Shadows paranormal category romances. I do like contemporary romances, but my true love is romances with a speculative side to them—science fiction romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, etc.
- Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?
If it’s a romance, it has to have a HFN or HEA. Full stop. But I don’t prefer one of those types of endings over the other—it all depends on what fits with the story. Sometimes a HFN is what makes the most sense, especially for a short story, novella, or a multi-book series. But I think a standalone novel or the final book of a series needs to have a strong HEA—that’s the payoff for your reader.
- Do you have a favourite among your own stories? And why?
I loved writing Inversion Point (book four of the Chaos Station series) for a number of reasons. Zed and Felix’s relationship crisis was finally resolved in book three, and this was the first book where they really had a chance to start looking at the future. Zed faces his first challenge in his new role as the emissary for the omnipotent Guardians. Felix has to face the creatures who’d held him as a prisoner of war for four years. There’s a new alien race that gets introduced to the galaxy. And there’s intrigue, adventure, and lots of romance. It was just such a fun book.
That said, I absolutely love the interpersonal conflict I’ve written between Luca and Eirian in The Gryphon King’s Consort. It’s the best sort, where neither side is wrong and both sides are right—depending on your perspective. It was really satisfying to be able to bring these two characters with such different philosophies together to form a strong, loving partnership.
- If you could imagine the best possible place for you to write, where would that be and why?
It would be in a cottage on the lovely and pastoral Prince Edward Island in the Canadian Maritimes. Somewhere with a screened-in porch to protect me from the mosquitoes while still allowing me to enjoy the ocean-fed breeze and admire the red sand beaches. PEI has such a wonderfully sedate pace of life, too. The entire place is just so relaxing.
- What’s next for you as an author?
I’m attempting to write my first full-length contemporary novel, featuring a couple of head-butting stepbrothers—one who’s a spoiled rich brat used to getting his way and the other who’s a Brazilian-American ex-cop—who are forced to work together to complete the stipulations of their manipulative father’s will. It’s an ambitious project, but I’m hopeful!
I also plan to make my self-pub debut early in 2018 with a sexy contemporary short story. Stay tuned!
The Gryphon King’s Consort
Love takes flight.
The sudden death of the Gryphon King throws the kingdom of Mythos into uncertainty, and Crown Prince Luca rushes both his coronation and an arranged marriage to a man he’s never met. Eirian is young and idealistic, and while they both want what’s best for their people, their philosophies couldn’t be more different. While Luca believes in honoring tradition, Eirian is determined to infuse modern values into their kingdom of magical creatures. When given the choice between loyalty to his husband and his own crusade, Eirian makes a decision that might doom their marriage.
Still, Luca is committed to making their union work, and that means forgiving his brash consort. But when Eirian becomes the target of a deadly conspiracy, Luca must act fast—or forever lose the chance to explore their burgeoning love.
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About Jenn Burke
Jenn Burke has loved out-of-this-world romance since she first read about heroes and heroines kicking butt and falling in love as a preteen. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.
Jenn is the author of The Gryphon King’s Consort from Dreamspinner Press and the co-author of the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (with Kelly Jensen) from Carina Press. She’s also the author of Her Sexy Sentinel, a paranormal romance from Entangled Publishing.
She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.
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