Guest Post and Giveaway: The Sacrati Blog Tour With Kate Sherwood

The Novel Approach welcomes Kate Sherwood today on the Sacrati blog tour. Kate’s here to chat a bit about the “what ifs” of speculative fiction, and there’s also a tour-wide giveaway from Riptide Publishing of a $15 Gift Card to use in their bookshop. To enter, just leave a comment below. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 10th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so they can contact you if you win!

Good luck!

Sacrati is a hard book to categorize. I mean, the broad category is easy – it’s m/m romance, for sure. But the subcategory? Fantasy, maybe, but there’s no magic, no dragons. Alternate History? I guess, but usually alternate history is at least a little connected to our world. Like, it’s set in recognizable countries, but things shook out differently than they did in our reality.

Speculative Fiction. I like that term, and it’s probably the one that fits best. But mostly it fits best because it’s a bit vague.

That said, it sums up my favourite part of writing – the speculation. The “what if” game we can play. What if there was a pre-industrial society even more militarized than the Spartans? What if someone from a more ‘traditional’ pre-industrial society was introduced to the militarized one?

And then the more conventional speculation, of course. What if two opposites fell in love? What if they didn’t trust each other? What if they had to work together?

That’s really what novels are all about, after all. They start with a “what if”, and then the story continues from there. “What if a neglected boy found out he was actually a powerful wizard?” “What if a shy virgin fell in love with a kinky millionaire?” “What if a totalitarian government forced children to fight each other in a televised contest, and one of the children challenged the system?”

What are your favourite books with speculative themes? And what are your favourite “what if”s for books in general?

Blurb: As an elite Sacrati fighter in the mighty Torian military, Theos is blessed with a city full of women who want to bear his children, and a barracks full of men proud to fight at his side and share his bed. He has everything he needs—until he captures Finnvid on a raid.

Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn’t in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men—and he should not be so intrigued when they do. He definitely should not be most intrigued by the leader of the soldiers who captured him and plan to invade his home.

For Theos, everything would have been easier if the infuriating, lying, bewildering Elkati had never come into his life, but he can’t stay away. When betrayal and treachery threaten both their nations, they must work together to stop a war that could destroy their homes forever—even as they begin to question everything they’re fighting for.

Buy Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon | All Romance eBooks

About the Author: Kate Sherwood started writing about the same time she got back on a horse after almost twenty years away from riding. She’d like to think she was too young for it to be a midlife crisis, but apparently she was ready for some changes!

Kate grew up near Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and went to school in Montreal, then Vancouver. But for the last decade or so she’s been a country girl. Sure, she misses some of the conveniences of the city, but living close to nature makes up for those lacks. She’s living in Ontario’s “cottage country”–other people save up their time and come to spend their vacations in her neighborhood, but she gets to live there all year round!

Since her first book was published in 2010, she’s kept herself busy with novels, novellas, and short stories in almost all the sub-genres of m/m romance. Contemporary, suspense, scifi or fantasy–the settings are just the backdrop for her characters to answer the important questions. How much can they share, and what do they need to keep? Can they bring themselves to trust someone, after being disappointed so many times? Are they brave enough to take a chance on love?

Kate’s books balance drama with humor, angst with optimism. They feature strong, damaged men who fight themselves harder than they fight anyone else. And, wherever possible, there are animals: horses, dogs, cats ferrets, squirrels… sometimes it’s easier to bond with a non-human, and most of Kate’s men need all the help they can get.

After five years of writing, Kate is still learning, still stretching herself, and still enjoying what she does. She’s looking forward to sharing a lot more stories in the future.

Keep up with Kate on her Website, Facebook and Twitter.