Thursday 12 November 2015

Luca Thrace.

Today I'd like to welcome Luca Thrace, author of “The Bastard’s Blade” to The Thursday Interview. Before we get started, a quick intro!  


Luca Thrace loves writing strong female leads in exciting, plot-twisting, page-turner romance novels. Her stories are elegantly erotic and inspired by coffee, chocolate, and sword-wielding heroes like those in her favorite books, movies, and TV series. A Bohemian soul with Appalachian roots, a Filipino-American spouse, a transgender biracial adult child, and a southern U.S. extended family, Luca’s life is seldom boring. As if that weren’t enough, she lives in a time warp between a state-of-the-art medical facility and a creationist theme park. Plus, she was born on a cusp. With this plethora of perceptions to draw from, Luca rarely has writer’s block but if she does she simply whips out her Tarot for inspiration.



OK - HERE WE GO !!  



No.1 Would you break the law to save a loved one? .. why?
Of course! Love is the ultimate law and far more powerful than man-made ones. But there are nuances to consider. Save his life? Save her from prison? And what exactly would I be asked to do?

No.2 What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
We are spiritual beings occupying a temporary earthly form. Our bodies are alive because we breathe and our blood is circulating. For truly living, we must engage our minds in creative and/or uplifting endeavors and experience the part of ourselves that lies beyond our five senses. 

No.3 What motivates you to write?
Writing is meditative, a catharsis, and fun!. Revising and editing, not so much. But I fall in love with my characters and enjoy spending time with them, making them jump and holler at my whim.

No.4 Why do humans want children?
What a strange way to phrase that question. Now I’m wondering if you’re a human posing these queries, or instead a galactic traveler from another world or a precocious ape trained with a keyboard? To answer, children were once necessary for survival; we needed them to help on the farm or find jobs to support the family. But they’ve become more of an extension of our parental egos, at least in developed countries where birth control is easily available. Some humans might take offense at this remark, but I’m answering from a logical point of view. From a different perspective, my biological clock started ticking when I turned 30 and I followed the course of my natural instincts, married, and had my one and only child when I was 35.

No.5 What was the biggest challenge in creating your book "The Bastard’s Blade"?
My editor said the manuscript was one of the best debut novels she’d read and dared me to take the story to a higher level. Months of further work went into smoothing out plot holes, adding and deleting scenes, and polishing the novel over and over to improve the readers’ experience. Completing this book has taken far more time and effort than I ever imagined, but I love the results and love is the goal, isn’t it?

No.6 What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far?
Trust your intuition. Listen to that still, quiet voice. Turn off the “monkey mind”, as my friend calls our five-senses-reality, and make the effort to hear that inner spiritual essence. We all have the knowing within us—call it God or guardian angel or higher self—and when we let that guide us we follow our destiny. When we don’t listen, our subconscious will shake us up, shut us down, block our path, and make us pay attention in order to guide us in the way we should go. 

No.7 How did you come up with the title "The Bastard’s Blade"?
My heart went out to Jon Snow of HBO’s Game of Thrones for the way his family mistreated him and because he was called “bastard” rather than his own name. And it doesn’t hurt that Kit Harrington is gorgeous and a fine actor. So “bastard” had to be in the title as the hero of the novel. “Blade” sounds good with it, so I built the story around that title. In addition, the sex scenes in the book aren’t for the prudish, so the title alone will deter a modest reader’s interest. 

No.8 How do you handle personal criticism?
Steel must endure intense heat, folding and bending, and a thorough beating to become a sharp blade. First I have a knee-jerk reaction. (Do not respond to criticism during this stage!) Once I return to equilibrium, I remind myself that everyone has an opinion. Have a drink, meditate, consider whether the criticism has merit, and move on.

No.9 Why should people read your book?
Readers shouldn’t read my book if they don’t like hot and sexy. Don’t read it while you’re stuck in traffic because you might forget where you are and piss off the driver behind you. Don’t try to read it in the bathroom or you might find your legs numb from sitting too long on that seat-with-a-hole-in-it. Don’t read it in a quiet library or while the baby’s sleeping because you might laugh out loud while reading one particular scene. Don’t read it if you haven’t set aside a large chunk of time because there’s a cliffhanger at the end of nearly every chapter that will make stopping difficult. You won’t forget my characters. I crafted them to be real people with humor, angst, opinions and flaws, as well as loveable qualities. I have a crush on most of them.

No.10 Why is there something rather than nothing?
My favorite kind of question! Let’s discuss this over drinks and dinner in some hole-in-the-wall where only the locals go because the food is amazing. “Nothing” would nullify the need for existence. Why would I bother answering ten questions if there wee nothing? There is something. It’s hard to remember when we’re crammed into our little clay-and-stardust vessels, but there is wondrous everything!




Thank you Luca  :)
For taking the time to answer my questions 
& the best of luck with your new book! 

Check out “The Bastard’s Blade” on



A young widow awakens to her inner strength and power when she meets the enthralling hero who is on a mission of vengeance. 

Lady Sera is offered as bride-prize at a jousting tournament by her double-dealing brother-in-law and must fight to reign over her own castle and her own destiny. Aethan, nameless bastard of a noble lord and a commoner, is forced to make a wrenching decision between a death-bed promise and his dangerous attraction to a beautiful noblewoman far above his station.

Passion quickly ignites between the two when he must leave her to pursue a murderer and she wants to convince him to stay. Castles, crystals, and card readers color this make-believe world of charismatic characters who serve to both thwart and enable the lovers, including a villainous lord, a fortune-telling bard, a free-spirited lady's maid, and a beer-brewing Brother of Peace.


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