Cara Cassidy always envisioned love as Thor, slamming his hammer into the earth, and the vibration resonating within her for a lifetime. She never expected love would be a thousand tiny actions from a normal boy. When international intrigue hits small-town America, more than the car chases will get your blood pumping.
Though the adventure in Finding Thor takes place in my
very real hometown of Bend, Oregon, I needed the main love interest, Nik Rock, to be from somewhere mysterious and exotic. I needed there to be royalty. I needed to make it up!
very real hometown of Bend, Oregon, I needed the main love interest, Nik Rock, to be from somewhere mysterious and exotic. I needed there to be royalty. I needed to make it up!
Just out of high school, I worked for a swanky hotel in Southern California near the Orange County airport. We had a lot of interesting guests, but one of the most memorable was the King of Tonga and his daughter, the princess. They had the entire seventh floor of the hotel rented out. Heavily guarded. I was the night manager, and they were well settled by the time I got to work at 11:00 pm, so I didn’t get a peek at them. However, the next morning before the end of my shift at 7:00 am, several California Highway Patrol officers showed up on their motorcycles, sporting bright blue bow ties, to escort the king and the princess to church.
Security called down to the front desk when the royals left their rooms. I waited and waited…and waited for them to come through the lobby. The anticipation of seeing royalty was enough for me to hang out long after my shift finished. At last several guards preceded the royals into the lobby. They looked just like secret service agents with black suits and earpieces. When the king and princess at last appeared, I admit, I was completely disappointed. They weren’t glamorous or beautiful. Though their clothes were cool. My illusions were completely shattered.
Fast-forward many years to when I needed a mysterious and exotic kingdom for my exceedingly handsome Nik Rock to hail from. I couldn’t get Tonga out of my mind; a Polynesian setting, striking dark skinned people, exotic native attire, and royalty. Yep, that was exactly what I needed to base my fictional island of Renlavia on. With a little research of commerce and history, I was able to fabricate a very believable fictional setting. One I’d love to visit, by the way. But I’d settle for a vacation on the white sandy beaches of Tonga instead.
More about Finding Thor:
Tragedy has left Cara Cassidy broken and the only thing keeping her from giving in completely is her guilt. Until Nik Rock.
Nik stirs up feelings in degrees she has never experienced, and causes her to do things that most assuredly give him the wrong impression – like kiss him before their first date. Somehow, he breaks down the walls around her emotions until she has no choice but to forgive herself and feel again.
But a mysterious, troubled past follows Nik, and Cara may prove to be his weakest link.
When a royal princess shows up looking for Nik, and an international gang arrives looking for missing jewels, Cara lands in mortal danger. Will she be able to save herself? What will happen to her newly repaired psyche if she loses Nik?
Romance, mystery, and high stakes – just another day in high school.
About the author:
When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and a short story blog, Lightning Quick Reads, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.
Interesting post! I think it's a great idea to tweak real life places as inspiration for fictional settings - that way, they will feel more real, but you can still introduce whatever rules you like. It's definitely great fun to conjure up and oversee your own world!
ReplyDeleteI do like making up my own rules! Thanks for visiting, Nick.
DeleteThat would definitely be cool to see royalty! And books about royalty were some of my fav growing up. Okay, and still now. ;)
ReplyDeleteLeandra, I love books about royalty, too. If you read YA, be sure to read The Selection series by Kiera Cass. It's like the royal equivalent of the Bachelor. It's awesome. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteQuite a story, Kai!
ReplyDeleteWorking at a high end hotel netted me a lot of stories ;) Thanks for reading, William.
DeleteMeradeth, thanks for letting me share my tale with your lovely readers. I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed books in which real life places and fictional places blend. I like that discrepancy of the regular and the different. That world building really pops out.
ReplyDeleteIt's really feels like you can dig in to the setting and make it matter, too. Setting was really fun for me in this book.
DeleteYou got me researching Tonga as it sounds so interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with us.
Thank you, Lux!
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea and your experience with the King must have been very inspirational. It sounds like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think so at the time, but it turned out to be very inspirational :) Thanks Maurice.
DeleteCongratulations Kai! Great idea...all the best!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, RR!
DeleteOkay, so just the title ALONE had me giggling excitedly. :) Best of luck, Kai! :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha. Thanks, Anna!
DeleteKai, you should definitely try to make it to a Polynesian island. It truly is a magical experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to have a bucket list, but if I did this would be on it.
DeleteGreat post! I loved hearing from Kai and finding out how she changed things she knew to create a fictional place. Well done! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephanie. It's fun to mine my memories when cobbling a book together.
Delete