Q&A With Kiru Taye

Q&A with romance author Kiru Taye

Kiru’s brief bio: Kiru is the author of passionate contemporary, historical and paranormal romance. Her debut historical novella set in pre-colonial West Africa, His Treasure, is an All Romance eBooks best seller and a Love Romances Cafe Best Book of 2011 nominee.

Alyssa: So, Kiru, how long have you been writing?


Kiru: Hi Alyssa, it’s great to be your guest today. I started writing seriously in January 2010. Prior to that, the last time I wrote stories was in high school. 


Alyssa: What made you pick writing romance?


Kiru: Romantic fiction is a genre I love reading. Out of the paperbacks on my bookshelves, or eBooks on my eReaders (yep, I’ve got two of those) 90% are romance novels. So it kind of made sense that I write about what I love.


Alyssa: Are you the kind of author who needs a certain drink or snack nearby when writing? If so, what is it?


Kiru:  Well, I’ve got to have my cup of hot drink (coffee or Chai tea, depending on my mood) before I can even write anything coherent. lol

Alyssa: How has your life changed since becoming published?

Kiru:  It’s more chaotic. I’m lucky I have a patient husband who appreciates that I don’t work a 9 to 5 job like everyone else.  When I’ve got a deadline, everything else takes a back seat.


Alyssa: What can you tell me about your newest release?


Kiru:  His Strength is book 2 in my Men of Valor historical romance series. It follows the story of Ikem and Nneka who were briefly mentioned in book 1, His Treasure. Each story is a stand-alone and can be read independently. But they are all set in the same location, a village in ancient West Africa and occur around the same event—the New Yam festival. So you get to see how this one event affects the lives of the characters differently. Ikem is a strong alpha who has no qualms about how to tame his strong-willed quarry. But Nneka has a few tricks up her sleeves and certainly keeps him on his toes till the last page.

Here’s the blurb:

When a warrior seeks to claim a free-spirited woman, he soon discovers a tigress unwilling to be caged.

As a young widow, Nneka yearns to be released from the obligations to her late husband’s family and live as an independent woman. With a past coloured by a brutal father, she’ll never yield to another man willingly and will do just about anything to attain that freedom including flouting the laws of the land.

Ikem was unable to claim Nneka once because his lineage meant he wasn’t good enough. Now fate has given him another chance. But he quickly discovers that claiming this unpredictable wildcat is easier said than done. Will he be able to convince her that succumbing to their passion is the key to her freedom?




His Strength excerpt:

Nneka stood before him, her smooth brown skin glowing in the lamplight in her hands, her dark eyes and mouth wide open, shocked. Dressed in light nightwear, she looked ready for sleep. His gaze was drawn to the way her dress was wrapped around her body, accentuating her curves. It drew his attention to the swell of her breasts in the dimness of the light.

"W-what are you doing here?" He noticed the slight quake in her subdued voice. Its tremulous tone resonated in the pit of his stomach. His body's response was primal. To stop himself from reaching for her, he folded his arms across his chest. His body filled her doorway.

"I told you I'd come here if you didn't meet me today. I keep my word."

With a dismissive shrug, she lifted an eyebrow. The self-assured gleam back in her eyes. "Well, I never said I was going to meet you. You assumed. Your mistake."

He'd give her that. She hadn't verbally agreed to meet him. He'd assumed she'd agreed after she succumbed to his kiss. "A mistake I won't be making again." He frowned to show his displeasure.

"You shouldn't be here. Go home. Someone might see you."

She moved to close the door, but he put his foot out to stop her. "You’d better let me in then, unless you want your in-laws to know I'm here. I don't mind, either way." Flexing his fingers, he kept his arms folded. He yearned to run his hands down her smooth, pliant skin.

Her eyes held a furious glare for a while, but she opened the door wider, moving out of the way. Stooping to avoid hitting his head on the low door frame, he walked in. She shut the door behind him and placed the lamp in the wall sconce.

"You need to be quick about your visit. It's been a long day, and I need my sleep."

She remained standing near the door as he surveyed the room. It was of modest size with a long table and bench. In the corner, she stored her cooking wares. A door led off the room to what he assumed was the sleeping chamber. The air was scented with orange zest. He'd smelled it on her the other day. Realizing it was Nneka's scent, he turned to find her with her arms folded across her chest. It lifted her breasts into prominence. The twin peaks of her nipples pouted in his direction. The smoldering embers of his desire crackled to life again. His manhood swelled.

"The night is still young, Nneka. There'll be plenty of time to sleep yet."

Kiru Taye can be contacted via her Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Her books include:

His Strength is now available to pre-order via Breathless Press.

His Treasure is out now, available to buy via Breathless Press, Amazon US, Amazon UK, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand, WHSmiths and Kobo.

A Valentine Challenge, a contemporary romance novella is out January 30, 2012