Saturday Author Spotlight: Meraki P. Lyhne #Interview #Giveaway #Review

It's that fabulous day of the week: Author Saturday Spotlight! Today we are talking with Meraki P. Lyhne. If you aren't familiar with his work you should remedy that immediately. He's written (in the process) two awesome series, Chronicles of Earned and The Cubi. Today we are focusing on The Cubi series because of his new release Rising Beauty, book three in the series. We will glance at all three books and I will share my review of his latest masterpiece. There's an awesome interview, and of course a giveaway where one person will get to win a book from Meraki's The Cubi series. So, sit back and relax.

Business school is not for Daniel. Not after making the cover of Teen Model. The only problem is that his parents don’t agree, and Daniel skips school to set his plans for fortune and fame in motion. Meeting the award-winning photographer Heimli will change his life, but not in the ways the nineteen-year-old young man expects.

At the age of four hundred thirty-six, Seldon has fed on more beautiful men than he can remember. Living in seclusion from the human world, humans are brought to the Incubi and Succubi as slaves to feed on. Amongst these slaves are the rare Untouchables. When Seldon is entrusted with the safekeeping of one, he has his work cut out for him—especially since this Untouchable gets on his nerves. And under his skin

Daniel was an Untouchable destined to be trained as a companion to a high ranking Cubus. A red-eyed Incubus screwed all that up at a dinner party, and Daniel is now a confused Changeling with a libido far exceeding anything he could ever have dreamed off.

Seldon failed in keeping the Untouchable under his care safe, and he accidentally dosed the too young human. His worst fears came to pass when Daniel turned out to be a Changeling, and Seldon now has to face the Cubi justice for turning someone so young.

Luckily, Seldon has a powerful friend at his side—one who also has an eye for the young beauty.

Since the Mayflower brought the first five Cubi to America, the race has looked forward to this day. But an overlooked historical detail can bring everything they have worked toward to an end.

Daniel is settling in and trying to find a rhythm after the latest change in his life. With the help of Seldon, Caledon, and the Grand Lady Geodin, Daniel begins his education and development to rise as a full-fledged Incubus.

Seldon is not a man who rattles easily, but the latest changes to his life after the Cubi Court Order has sent the old Incubus out in uncharted territory. Falling madly in love with a human raised boy does not help uncomplicate things—especially when that boy is not yet versed enough in the Cubi ways to not mistake feeding for love or love for feeding.

Review of Rising Beauty

Throughout this series, we have followed Daniel go from bratty, vain teenager to so much more! This series has had so many twists and turns and shocks and awes! In Rising Beauty we are seeing Daniel grasp his fate. Embrace his future, and accept his life how it is.

There was so much to love about this book and I will be the first to admit I didn't see many things coming... but I'm glad they did. Because each book is a rolling story in a sense, they have to be read in order. No book is a standalone. Start with Untouchable Beauty, follow it with Claimed Beauty, then read this one and wait with bated breath like the rest of us for book four.

We are dealing with so much discovery and suspense in this book. A lot of answers are brought to light and so many giddy moments are had! And because this is a progressive story you are left on the edge of your seat in the end.

It's hard to review this book without giving out spoilers so understand my plight! There is steamy, hot, breathless sex in this book just like the others. Meraki has weaved and incredible plot with all the sexy times. And the world building is out of this... universe.

I don't just give this book five stars, I give this series, to date, five stars. They are fast paced, gripping, sexy, thrilling, humorous, and beautiful and I can't recommend this whole series enough!

PURCHASE SERIES

Interview

Meraki, I can’t thank you enough for being here today! I’m a HUGE fan. You have a new book that just released and it’s the third book in your Cubi series. It’s called Rising Beauty. It follows two previous books in this series: Untouchable Beauty and Claimed Beauty. It’s quite the fabulous evolution and I’m excited we get to talk about it today.

First, let me ask you how this series came to be. Where did the plot bunny come from?

I have no idea! I remember thinking that I wanted to write something totally different from the other series, Chronicles of an Earned. It’s a dense series that took more than eight years to research before I felt comfortable with the world building and facts and all that stuff. And I wanted to push some boundaries. Write something darker, and I wanted to write sex so steamy it could make most people blush. It was meant to be darker than it is, but then the characters took over, and I was placed on the back seat with the keyboard and no say in it.

Tell us about Daniel. He’s the focal point in this series. I know you don’t want to give anything away since he’s full of surprises. But what can you tell people who haven’t read the series about him?

He’s a vain and bratty teenager who thinks he knows everything. He doesn’t. The consequences of his choice to go right instead of left that morning will test him. He either grows or he fails.

Is Daniel modeled after anyone or is he just a vision in your head?

Totally in my head! I have only once modeled a character after someone’s physical appearance (to honor my art teacher, actually, so now he’s an art teacher in a book). But I did find an image that made me pause because he looked so closely to the young man in my head. I don’t own the rights to this image, but I have it on Pinterest in a Cubi folder. https://dk.pinterest.com/pin/472878029605187311/

Do you have a set number of books in this series?

No, but I have titles and lose plot ideas for about 8 books in all.

Each title is really perfect for each book. You realize that more after you read it. Are all your upcoming books in this series titled or do you title them after you’ve written them?

Some weren’t titled before after writing it, but in particularly creative moments, I sometimes make titles en masse, and they often drop plots at the same time. If they all hold-up, then I have the titles for all 8 Cubi books scribbled on an old envelope. But my stories have a tendency to explode and grow bigger than I expected, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Do you have a board filled with facts and whatnot to keep yourself on track for this series or are you just flying by the seat of your pants?

I have an extremely detailed memory, and I don’t often need to go back or look things up. It’s the same with Chronicles. Each book in that series is approximately 105.000 words, and I remember 95 %.

For the BIG fans; what can you tell them to look forward to in Rising Beauty?

Well *trying to look screwed here* I guess that depends on who you root for, but there’s a bit more about Caledon.

You do have another series out there called Chronicles of an Earned. I honestly didn’t know about this series until I read The Cubi so I’m excited to read it. Tell us about this series so we can all buy the books lol?

Well, as mentioned, it’s very different from Cubi in that the plot is enormous, the world building and demigods are unique, and I’ve worked very hard on not copying or even borrowing anything from big religions other than what I twist for making a point. I spent many years reading comparative religious theories and everything on metaphysical teachings, theories, etc. I try to keep things both believable and true to what I let myself inspire from in the real world. Like the lore of Fairies. It started out as contemplation whether or not duality really exists. Like, black and white and the whole dichotomy of good and evil. There’s some sweet sex in there, too. Some romance, some difficult relationships, some awkward ones, too. There’s humor and everyday problems to be solved along with the epic ones. I hope it’s a good balance, but this is a series for people who’d like to think and contemplate some of the bigger questions in life. It can be read for entertainment as well, but there are some doozies hidden in the subtext.

There’s a lot of sex in The Cubi series but it’s also majorly vital to the plot because this is a race of Incubi and Succubae. Do you find writing sex to be difficult or is it an easy thing for you?

I gotta admit, I’m surprised at HOW easy it is. I wanted to push myself, but I got over it so quickly. In the end, I’ve just come to terms with being ridiculously kinky, and I rock it!

How can your fans follow your work: Facebook, Twitter, Website?

I have (new and small) fan groups on Facebook. Cubi is secret so we can share some steamy stuff in there without the Facebook blush police raising fingers at us. If you want in, write me on Facebook.

Facebook
Cubi fan group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1251739828246948/
Chronicles fan group https://www.facebook.com/groups/965262800226528/

Twitter

Goodreads

Website

Pinterest

What are you currently working on?

I’m multitasking like crazy. Editing Gargoyle Rising (Chronicles #6), Writing Fountain of Beauty (Cubi #4), and getting all the ducks in a row for Seedlings of Lilith (Chronicles #7)

Plus I have two series under a different name (a no smut author name – HP Caledon) getting ready.

FAST FIRE QUESTIONS

Favorite color? Rainbow (and no, I don’t color within the lines, either)

Cat or dog? Both, I got two of each

Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla

Favorite smell? Coffee in the morning

Wine or beer? Beer

Favorite song? Sound of Silence by Disturbed

Righty or lefty? Closer to ambidextrous, but if I write pretty or fast, I’m a righty.

Day or night? Night!

Okay, thank you, Meraki, for being here today. Rising Beauty is an outstanding book and I look forward to so much more from you!

Giveaway

Meraki is offering one person a chance to own any one book

in his The Cubi Series! 

Enter the rafflecopter below!

Contest will endMarch 31st!

Thank you to Meraki for being here today and for writing amazing books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway