Today I’d like to welcome Kaje Harper to Author Chat. The first story I ever read of hers was Nor Iron Bars a Cage. This is a free fantasy story you can get by signing up for her newsletter. It wasn’t until I read, Fair Isn’t Life that I realized Kaje writes more than fantasy. Fair Isn’t Life is one of my top ten favorite MM Romance books, so it’s fair to say Kaje is one of my favorite authors.
Read on to learn more about Kaje, and then leave a comment for a chance to win a free eBook from her backlist.
ACwA Guest: Kaje Harper
- Origin: How did the first story you ever wrote influence your career as an author and how do you feel about that story now?
The first story I ever wrote was way back in the mists of time, well 45 years ago. My first M/M story was finished when I was 14, after reading The Persian Boy, and I’m sure was clumsy and sentimental, but it began a lifelong joy of writing for me.
The first story I sold to be published was Life Lessons – a mystery romance. It’s one of my best-loved books, eventually a series, and the main characters remain dear to my heart. Mac, in particular, was fun to write— a cop who’s hiding his sexuality because he feels it’s necessary, a man with a deep streak of integrity, raising a small daughter, doing his best. When Mac meets Tony, new possibilities open up for him, but he wants to do what’s right for others, even if it costs him personally. That book’s reception made a writing career possible, and I owe everything to the readers who enjoyed and reviewed it.
I just got back the rights to Life Lessons and I’m looking forward to a polishing-edit and rereleasing it in 2021, and I plan to put the series into audio as well. The prose may’ve been less smooth than I hope I can do now, but the bones of the story are strong, and the characters are people I still love. I hope new readers will too.
- Which of your characters is most like you (or someone close to you.)
I think Mike, in Sole Support, is perhaps most like me. Geeky, extremely shy, intelligent, well-meaning, sometimes clumsy with relationships, fairly content with being solitary, but able to love with a whole heart given the chance. And able to push past his own reluctance when someone needs him.
And Kellen’s mother in that book, as she slides into Alzheimer’s, was modeled in many ways after my own mother— the first and only time I’ve written an actual person I know into a book. As I wrote the story, my mother was going through that same downhill process, and the book helped me work through my own emotions and sense of loss, and gratitude for love.
- What is your favorite trope and why?
I’m a big fan of hurt-comfort. I love an us-against-the-world quality, where the tension is not between the main characters, but with the outside world, which they have to fight to reach the happiness they deserve. (Although there’s hardly any trope I haven’t enjoyed— there are some excellent enemies-to-lovers books too.)
- How many half-written stories are on your hard-drive and what do you plan to do with them?
I have probably a dozen completed novels that’ll never see the light of day – I wrote for my own entertainment and some are just clumsy or unbelievable in the plot, in order to write fun scenes for my characters. I have perhaps a dozen partially written of which four or five might rise to the top of the list one day. And one complete novel I’m editing again from scratch – I bought a cover to force myself to finish the job.
- What are you working on next?
Right now I’m alternating re-releasing all my pro-published books that I just got rights back to— Hidden Wolves, Life Lessons, Full Circle, etc— and new work. My first brand-new release will be the new last book in my Hidden Wolves series – Undeniable Bonds, book 6 – which will come out when I have the rest of the series out with their new covers and edits. I’m also working on a new Necromancer book, and that one on the hard drive – It’s About Time – which I’m determined to get released.
The project that’s on deck right now is the re-release of the Hidden Wolves werewolves.
Book 1 – Unacceptable Risk – released on January 30 with a gorgeous new cover from Jay Aheer, and a new lower price, and the short story Unsettled Interlude (which was not previously on Amazon) included in the end of the story.
Kaje Harper’s Newest Release
For a hidden shifter, falling in love with a man may be the death of them both.
Simon Conley knows about being an outcast. Born into a secret werewolf pack, he’s the lone gay wolf, an outsider even among his packmates. The top wolves consider him a perversion, a failure, and a security risk. To survive in the human world, werewolves rely on absolute secrecy, and any breaches of their code are dealt with swiftly— and violently.
So when Simon falls in love with Paul, a human man, even his Alpha’s grudging tolerance won’t protect him. He must keep Paul from discovering the truth about him and the secrets the pack jealously guards, or it’s not just their love that’ll end up dead.
Buy Links
| Universal Link | Amazon US | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | !ndigo | Angus & Robertson |
Giveaway
I’m giving away three ebook copies of Unacceptable Risk to commenters on this post. I’m grateful to Andy for inviting me here to hang out with you folks.
Free Book!
I’d also welcome you to my newsletter. New subscribers get a copy of my second-chances, hurt-comfort novel A Midnight Clear. You can sign up on my website and get your free book link here: https://www.kajeharper.com/?page_id=3331
About Kaje Harper
I get asked about my name a lot. It’s not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty-five years*), although mostly for my own entertainment. I write M/M romance, often with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi, paranormal… I also have Young Adult short stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
After decades of writing just for fun, my husband convinced me I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out in May 2011. I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published, including Amazon bestseller The Rebuilding Year and Rainbow Award Best Mystery-Thriller Tracefinder: Contact. A complete list with links can be found on my website “Books” page at https://kajeharper.com/books/.
Where to Find Kaje Harper
| Website | Facebook Group | Newsletter Signup |
Love your books and love this series
Thank you for this awesome chance! <3
I’m looking forward to reading your books. Shifters are one of my favorites to read about. Thank you and Andy for the chat!
Thank you for the chance.
It’s always so good to have a small peek at some of the authors we admire. Kaje has become one of my favorite writers as well. Thanks for the post, Kaje and Andy.
Just found the TraceFinder Series and I’m hooked. I feel like I’m seeing a little piece of who the storyteller, Kaje Harper, is and I what I’m reading! Can’t wait to inhale more!!
Hello! Cameron (Andy’s PA) here. Thank you, Kaje, for hanging out with us, and thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway by commenting! All commenters names here and on Facebook were entered into the drawing, and those winners are: Rosa, Kimberly, and Zeoanne! Congrats to our winners – keep an eye out for an email from Kaje.
And for everyone else who commented–don’t despair! You can find free (and *nearly* free) copies of several of Kaje’s wonderful books on Amazon and Smashwords, AND you can grab a copy of A Midnight Clear if you sign up for her newsletter ;).