A Little About You……….

I’m a thirty-two year old kid who watches anime and cartoons right alongside my Boardwalk Empire and The Newsroom (HBO series fan, can you tell?). I’ve always been a fan of science fiction and fantasy, growing up with Star Trek on my T.V. and a permanent D&D table set up in my room. I started writing in high school when a teacher encouraged me. He told me I should go into it professionally, but I didn’t listen. Instead, I went on to study cultural anthropology and history in university, receiving separate degrees in both. I think it was a good sidetrack, though. When the writing bug bit me again one year ago, my studies in anthropology and history were a major influence in creating the universe for my stories. Aside from writing, I also enjoy gardening and dabbling in web development.

 

A Little About Your Writing……….

I like to push boundaries and buttons. I don’t make excuses for my style, the language I use and the stories I want to tell. I try to insert comedy right alongside metaphysical and existential questions. I include intimate moments because I feel they are essential to character development, and I include violence because that nature is part of us all. I try to write something beautiful, but I’m not afraid of the ugly, either. My style is still developing, and I hope it never stops evolving.

 

What Genre Would You Say Your Writing Is?

Space Opera, or as I like to call it – Space Opera Romantica ™ (not really, but the TM looks good, doesn’t it?). I add romantica to the end because I focus on character and relationship development. I don’t like to call it romance, per say, because there are often tropes and expectations that come to mind as soon as you attach the word ‘romance’ to anything. I am a rule bender and trope breaker (at least, I like to think I am.). I shy away from tropes, sappiness, and I don’t believe that a happily ever after is a sure thing or should always be the result of a romantic story.

 

What Inspired You To Start Writing?

A high school English teacher who taught style instead of grammar. I had him for 3 of the 4 years I took English. I owe my love of literature and writing to him. It showed me that writing was more than periods and syntax. It was about context, flow, telling a story and doing it beautifully. Years later, after university, I was reading a book and kept thinking that, although the story was good, there was just something missing. Then a friend said ‘why not write your own.’ So, I did.

 

How Has Writing Changed Your Life?

Well, I used to have this thing called Free Time… and I also used to be a bit of a recluse. I still don’t go out much, but I have a larger connection online. I’m now part of many writer communities, I’ve made many wonderful friends and being able to connect with readers has been a great experience.

 

If You Were Going To Read, Which Format Would You Choose: Book/Tablet/PC/Phone And Why?

I am an eReader addict. I haven’t purchased a physical book in almost four years. I like the convince of digital books, and my Kindle Paperwhite is pretty awesome. The light makes it easy for me to read in bed.

 

What Is Your Favourite Book, Ever?

A Brave New World. This was the first book that English teacher I keep gushing about had us read. It was controversial, at the time, to read this type of book in school, but with so many things – he tossed the rules out the window. More than that, we actually read the book. He helped us to immerse ourselves in every page, look at what Huxley was saying beyond the words and find context for reflection on our own lives and society. For a freshman in high school, this was life altering. It put me on the track that I am now walking with my own writing, and I don’t think I will ever be able to thank Mr. Garrett and Mr. Huxley enough.

 

What Are You Reading At The Moment?

So. Many. Things. I tend to be reading more than one thing at a time because I help promote other authors, do book reviews and participate in a couple literary judging contests. I will say this – whatever I’m reading, chances are high that it’s indi / self-published. Check out my GoodReads shelves to see what I’m up to and some of my indi recommendations.

 

What Is The Best Piece Of Writing Advice You Could Give, And Why?

Stay true to your story. Don’t try to bend or fit your story into some conventional idea about what a genre is supposed to be. Don’t write to please other people. Don’t force it and just let it come. I say this because I ran into these questions when finishing book 1 and starting book 2. Book 1 was a risk because it doesn’t meet the “happily ever after” requirement for general romance. It has more of a Greek tragedy flavor, but the story is not over – the story I create in book 1 flows through the rest of the series as a connecting thread that binds all the Agent stories together. Book 2 was a risk because it includes a male/male relationship. I believe that love, in all its forms, is something beautiful and without boundaries. I hadn’t intended to go in that direction with Book 2, but the story and the characters have a life of their own in my stories, and that is the direction they wanted to go. I chose to stay true to my story in both instances, and while I have had a couple nay-sayers, I have had an abundance of support and positive feedback. Looking back, I know I wouldn’t change anything in my story if I had to do it all over again.

 

If You Were A Dragon, What Kind Of Dragon Would You Be?

A rock dragon. An artist friend of mine in high school gave me a rock painted like a dragon for my birthday once. An plain, ordinary grey stone turned into something remarkable and beautiful. I still have that dragon and it means a great deal to me.

Author Links:

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cekilgore

twitter: https://twitter.com/ce_kilgore

website: http://www.cekilgore.com

blog: http://www.TracingTheStars.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6572080.C_E_Kilgore

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/C.E.-Kilgore/e/B009Z4QKMO/

Author Bio:

C.E. Kilgore (1981 – ) has always had a love of romantic stories and science fiction. Although active in the writing community during her undergraduate studies, she chose to focus on her love of history and culture. Graduating with an HBA in History and a BA in Cultural Anthropology, she puts a deep emphasis on creating characters and environments within her writing that are full of both culture and history. The relationship development between characters and the worlds they live in is also an important aspect of her stories. Sarcasm, comedy, hidden “modern” references and subtle hints at underlined universal meanings are common within her writing style, but there is always plenty of action and a darker side lurking just around the corner.

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Book Links:

 

Book 1: Ghost In The Machine – FREE full length novel

Genre: Space Opera / Science Fiction Romance:

All syndicate links: http://www.cekilgore.com/ghost.php

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009UFHA0O

 

Cover

Book Synopsis: “Love is like a wormhole. You stumble on to it blindly, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere completely unexpected. You can’t fight it, because that would tear your ship apart. You can’t control it, either. All you can do is set your thrusters on glide and let it take you where it’s going to take you.” Going against the rules of her Vesparian Sisterhood, which seeks to keep its entire existence a secret, Orynn is thrown into the open by a request for help that she could not refuse. Seeking to reconcile past mistakes and gain a forgiveness she feels she does not deserve, the control over her empathic abilities is put to the test when the darkness that lives within her spirit threatens to once again destroy any piece of happiness that she allows herself to find.  As a Mechatronic Automaton, Ethan defines his world through a set of logically defined values and understandings. Encountering Orynn throws his system out of balance as he tries to decide if he should trust the feelings he is developing, or if he should follow the logic telling him that she is trying to control him for some unknown purpose. Should he keep her at a distance despite his want to bring her near, or should he follow the heart he swears he does not have? As his understanding of her develops, he begins to question all of his preconceived notions about both himself and the universe around him. In his attempts to capture the Vesparian prey he has been hunting after for two decades, the First Commander of the Xen’dari fleet will stop at nothing and track Orynn to the ends of the universe. On a path of vengeance for a past he can’t let go of, he will do everything in his power to burn her world down around her feet until nothing is left but ash and the bitter taste of regret.  Ghosts of the past clash with hopes for the future in this first book of the series, set in a universe where nothing is as it seems at first glance and trust is a highly priced commodity.

 

Book 2: Whispers From Exile $3.99 from all major online book retailers

Genre: Space Opera / Science Fiction Romance: All syndicate links: http://www.cekilgore.com/whispers.php

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWEF26A

 Cover:

Synopsis:

The Ruisks were once a fierce and proud race with courageous spirits, but after over a century of being held captive under the oppressive leash of the Xen’dari Empire, they have become defeated, hollow shells that bow their heads in submission. Can Larx help his people find their courage again to stand against the oppression, and can he find his own courage to be true to his nature and the callings of his heart? Torque has been a Central Agent for over one hundred and thirty years. Each day is defined by the protocols embedded into the subroutines of his Mechatronic mind. Orders are followed without question and his personal life is never put before the directives of the agency. That is the way of his universe, until one startling discovery about a friend he thought he knew redefines which protocols he gives importance to. Can he overcome himself as he fights to hold on to Larx and a bond that threatens to change his directive-driven world forever?  In Book 2, the rippling effects caused by Orynn’s existence continue to move through the universe in unforeseen and unpredictable ways. Whispers of her aura linger, and the lives she touched continue to move the story of the universe forward. Follow the stories of the Central Agents as they continue to search for the truths about their universe and about themselves.

 

 Book 3: Tracing The Stars $3.99 from all major online book retailers (As of Oct1st, 2013)

Genre: Space Opera / Science Fiction Romance: All syndicate links: http://www.cekilgore.com/tracing.php

Amazon: Not yet available

 

Cover:

Synopsis:

Hankarron Eros has loved Tara since she had pigtails, but his fear of losing the strength and support that their friendship provides leads him to keep his heart’s desires locked away. When the truth about his family is exposed and leaves him grasping to hold onto his ship, his crew and his sanity, words are spoken that can’t be taken back and the presence he had grown so used to having at a convenient reach is gone. Tara Flint has never denied her heart’s attraction to the floppy-haired, brown-eyed Hankarron, even if he can be a stupid limik sometimes. Her strong will falters as she is forced to decide between a promise she made to her father, a boy she has loved since she had pigtails and the possibility of finding out what her life might be like without the presence of Hankarron always by her side. When you get knocked down, you get back up and hit the other guy harder. Trip ‘Wild Fists’ Weston is a Runata’ji combat fighter at the top of his career with a fame and fortune he doesn’t want and a Lucky Clover tattooed across his heart to remind him of the girl who is always just out of reach. When Tara’s luck lands her in his lap without Hankarron on her heels, Trip wonders if this is his chance to capture his Clover, or if Tara’s luck has other ideas in mind. Fate doesn’t always give you want you want, but it will always give you what you need. Jennadri Szina doesn’t have time for matters of the heart or trying to get two wayward agents back on track. She’s got a mission to run, a Director who is dying and a mother who isn’t easy to impress. When Jehdra sends her to save Hank and Tara, Jen takes her mother’s mission on at full speed, but she isn’t prepared to manage ‘Wild Fists’ Weston and his damn dimple. They say that the stories of our time will one day be traced into the stars to help guide others home. Fate strings intertwine with skipping stones across the stars of the universe, pulling it forward and writing new lines in the night sky as the Corwint Central Agent saga continues to lead Ethan, Orynn and Jarren towards a collision that holds the power to change everything.
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