1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE ROYALS UPSTAIRS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A bodyguard and a nanny have to come to terms with their tumultuous past relationship and sizzling unresolved chemistry when they’re both hired by the same zany royal family.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
My father and family is Norwegian, plus I’ve written about the Norwegian royals before, so it felt natural to have it set with that royal family again. I set it just outside of Oslo, at one of the royal estates, to keep the characters isolated and in forced proximity. Also my heroine is from the same small village, Todalen, that my father was born in. In fact, my heroine’s house is modeled after my family’s house, and there are a few scenes that take place there.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes! Laila is super easy going and we share a lot of the same neurodivergent traits. And James, our MMC, would be a real hoot (and a sexy one at that! Hello, Scottish brogue).
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Stubborn, loyal, compassionate
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That you can rent out Oslo’s famous Fram museum for a private party!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I usually go back and read over the last chapter or whatever I had written the day before, mainly to get back into the groove of the story and clean up my sentences and edit as I do so.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Oysters! PNW-sourced, the smaller the better. I always take photos of them too. I must have hundreds on my phone.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
We live in a house built in 1903 on a street full of gorgeous Victorians. My office is the old dining room, complete with brick fireplace and chandelier. Aside from the amazing location in Victoria’s James Bay, it’s pretty much the reason we bought the house. It’s my sanctuary full of books, candles, and decor with a gothic slant.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She’s so good in every genre she does and doesn’t beholden herself to just one.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Not one book but many that changed my life in subtle ways. The Long Winter made me want to write descriptive books that I could live in. Jurassic Park made me want to write thrilling and imaginative stories. And Jane Eyre made me want to write romance, as “problematic” as that relationship was.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I’m a hybrid author so I’ve had both. I decided to self-publish my first book—Darkhouse—in 2011, because I was too impatient to find an agent and then have to wait forever for a deal (assuming I would get one). Back then, I had admired Amanda Hocking and her success in self-publishing, so on May 13 I decided to take the plunge and try the same way she did.
When it came to trade publishing, I had an offer from an editor at Forever Romance (one that I had previous talks with as she had briefly been interested in acquiring Darkhouse) in January 2013 when the first book in my romantic suspense series, Sins and Needles, hit the top 100 on Amazon and became a bestseller. Needless to say, I was thrilled! I bought a Toyota Tacoma in cash with my advance (And I still have the truck, so I say money well spent).
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Honestly, everything. I really find myself gravitating toward gothic horror thrillers or sci-fi. If they have romance it makes it even better. I just like really engaging reads that suck you and keep you guessing. If it has a premise or questions that need to be answered, I will plow through a book to figure out what it is.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
A toss-up between Jurassic Park and Vertigo.
15--What is your favorite season?
Either early Summer or early Autumn
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Eating good food
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
FOUNDATION. For the love of God, everyone needs to watch this show. It’s Game of Thrones in space. It’s amazing. Lee Pace just chews up the scenery while Jared Harris is at his best. But now that we’ve finished it and are waiting for the third season, my husband and I just started Presumed Innocent (also on Apple) and we are hooked! Makes you feel awful in that Mare of Easttown way, but you can’t stop watching.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Japanese.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
What is free time?
20--What can readers expect from you next?
The Royals Upstairs is coming September 10th! Then in 2025, Realm of Thieves, my romantasy blend of Dune, Game of Thrones, and Fourth Wing is coming, followed by a re-release of Hollow and Legend, my gothic MMF dark academia romance retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
He’s the royal bodyguard. She’s the royal nanny. The annoyingly hot attraction that simmers between them—that’s a royal pain.
James Hunter has made a tactical error. His new role as protection officer to Prince Magnus of Norway was supposed to be an exciting change. Instead he’s marooned on a royal estate in the middle of nowhere charged with chasing after demon children and dodging the machinations of meddling staff. And the crowning jewel in this little drama—the children’s nanny is none other than Laila Bruset. The woman whose heart he broke. The woman who still holds his.
When Laila took the job as a nanny for the Norwegian royal children in order to be closer to her ailing grandmother in Oslo, the last thing she expected was to have her life turned upside down—again. But as much as James gets on her nerves, he's also getting under her skin, and the tension between them sizzles just as devastatingly as before.
As undeniable sparks turn James and Laila’s battle royal into a more serious game of hearts, nanny and bodyguard will have to decide just how much they’re willing to risk for a second chance at love.
Romance Contemporary [Berkley, On Sale: September 10, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593334218 / eISBN: 9780593334225]
Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist & screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author of over 60 bestselling novels, ranging from horror and suspense to contemporary romance. She lives in LA and on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, and her adopted pitbull Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
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