Toot's Book Reviews: Irrevocable by Skye Callahan : Spotlight, Teasers, Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway

Book Blurb & Info

Sometimes when you can’t go back, the only way out is to descend into the darkness.

my Captor

When I woke in that place, I just wanted to survive. But survival came at a cost, for which they demanded my will and body.

my Master
With pain came acceptance. Fully-dependent on the man who claimed me, I learned to appreciate what I had-life and relative safety.

my Protector
I watched him spill blood and tend my injuries. With betrayal came a revelation.
The only way out was to bring them all down or die trying.

Warning: This isn't your rainbows and love sonnets kind of romance. This story explores topics of abduction and slavery, and contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex.

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Book Excerpt

Through the haze of sleep, I felt hands on me. Cold and rough. I thought for a fleeting moment that it might have been Kyle. Then, I remembered our break up. It had happened weeks ago, but maybe that part was the dream. My memory was fucked and I couldn’t latch onto a thought long enough to ride it out of the fog. Too many hands. They groped and pulled—rough against my skin and digging into muscle and bone. I tried to retreat, my back pressed into a hard surface beneath me, and my nostrils filled with the smell of musk and damp stale air. I had no idea where I was, or how I’d gotten there. I kicked and gasped, trying to get back to the surface where reality lurked, shimmering in the distance, but just out of reach, like the sun on the surface of the water during a dive. A hand latched onto my hair and held my head back. My eyelids were finally freed from the sticky muck that held me in semi-consciousness, and I opened them to find myself staring up into unfamiliar green eyes. I only held his gaze for a few seconds—if that—but it seemed like it lasted for hours as my brain fought to categorize the details. Its useless attempt to understand what was going on. The man clutching my hair had vivid green eyes, but they may as well have been black given the emotionless void they displayed. His hair was shaggy, brown with a mix of grey, the same colors that stood out in his unkempt stubble. As if he needed any help looking rough. He exhaled and his breath settled over my face, reeking of booze and cigarettes. The smell made me queasy, but I didn’t have time to dwell on that, as another set of hands tugged at my jeans. My gaze traveled around the room, taking in the small crowd. At least half a dozen men surrounded the table where they had me spread out like a holiday feast. All dressed differently, from ragged tank tops to well-fitting dark button-down shirts, but they all projected an air of unchecked danger. Necks marked with tattoos, hands covered in callouses and scars. Scruffy faces accented their sneers and smirks, as they stood above me staring down with eyes starved of humanity and full of lust. Apparently, they didn’t expect me to put up a fight, because aside from the hand tangled in my hair, no one seemed concerned with keeping a tight grip on me. Probably because they outnumbered me, and I assumed they would have no problem beating the crap out of me as I struggled. They’d downright enjoy it. Unfortunately, I didn’t fully consider how that scenario would play out. I bucked and managed to knee the one pulling on my waistband in the face. He grunted, but I can’t imagine I inflicted as much pain as his retaliatory blow to my ribs. I sucked in air and rolled, curling around the injury and gasping for each painful breath as the sickening throb exacerbated my confusion.

Teasers

Interview

Hi Skye,

Thank you so much for sitting down with Toot's for an interview. If you don't mind, I have some questions for you about your new book, Irrevocable, and your process for our budding authors as well as fans.

So first off, Irrevocable Questions.......

In your own words, what is Irrevocable about?

On the most basic level, it’s about survival.

Blurb:

Sometimes when you can’t go back, the only way out is to descend into the darkness.
my Captor
When I woke in that place, I just wanted to survive. But survival came at a cost, for which they demanded my will and body.
my Master
With pain came acceptance. Fully-dependent on the man who claimed me, I learned to appreciate what I had-life and relative safety.
my Protector
I watched him spill blood and tend my injuries. With betrayal came a revelation.
The only way out was to bring them all down or die trying.

Warning: This isn't your rainbows and love sonnets kind of romance. This story explores topics of abduction and slavery, and contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex.

What inspired the book?

Kirk popped into my head and said, “hey, this is my story.” I started visualizing the scenes and couldn’t resist writing them down. I stopped the project I was working on at the time and drafted the first 50k words in a week.

If you had to pick one thing, what is your favorite thing about the world you’ve created?

Kirk and his snake tattoo—I love snakes, and I really want my own snake tattoo now.

How did you come up with the title for Irrevocable and can you tell us its significance?

It’s a dark story about not being able to escape a horrible situation and the irrevocable changes it causes in just a few weeks.

Is Irrevocable part of a series or a stand alone?

It’s currently a stand alone novel. I didn’t have any plans to continue it, but by the time I hit publish that changed and a certain character demanded more.

What genre would you say Irrevocable is and what sets your book apart for fans of the genre?

It’s dark romance, and I guess it’s different because as I’ve been told by a few readers, it goes to unexpected places, and has a mix of dark moments, with humor, and romance.

What was your favorite scene to write in Irrevocable?

Since the first 50,000 words flew by in about 6 days, it’s hard to say, really. There is one in particular, but anything I say about it would be a spoiler, so…

What was the hardest scene to write for Irrevocable?

Nearly every single sex or attack scene—they were intense and draining to write, but essential to the story.

What is your favorite line or quote from Irrevocable?

“I can be reasonable, but you need to stop considering the impossible. You can’t go home, you can’t escape, and I can’t let you go. It is what it is.”

Writing.......

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated and what made you decide to pursue it as a career?

I started writing because I always felt the drive to create worlds. I was always an introvert and as a kid, I spent a lot of time creating stories and characters. The best part of being an author is being able to express my own dreams, and ironically it has also pulled me out of my introverted world (a bit). It has allowed me to connect with people of similar interests and I’ve met some of my best friends since I started writing.

What inspires you to put the pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard?

The insanity that I experience when I’m not writing. I just can’t stand not to write, even when I’m not particularly feeling inspired.

Are you a Plotter or a Panster?

Pantser, I go where the characters and events lead me. Sometimes I get little glimpses into how things will turn out and future scenes, but I experience the story as I write.

Have you released anything under a different pen name, and if so, is there any difference between them?

Nope.

What's next for you?

At the moment, I have 2 works in progress—Beyond the Divide (Paranormal Urban Fantasy) and Wild Guardian (Dark Paranormal Romance). And I have 2 that are in the “stewing in the back of my mind” stage.

Is there anything you’d like to add or say to your fans?

Simply, thank you. For reading, for sharing your support and thoughts—those are the things that keep authors going despite our doubts and insecurities.

Personal questions......

Are there any of your stories or characters that hold a special place in your heart?

Not really. I tend to relate most with whoever I’m currently writing about because that’s the character I’m connected to and empathizing with at the moment. But I can easily jump from one character to the next and feel just as strong of a connection with each. They all have elements to them that I can relate to, elements I love, hate, or admire.

If the book or series had to have a theme song, what would it be?

I love music, but I can never seem to bring writing and music together. I don’t make playlists for books, just for moods, and typically the songs don’t really stand out in my head in a way that relates to a specific book. If they do ever click together, I forget what song it was by the time someone asks me about it.

Lastly, What 5 things do fans not know about you?

1. I’m not terribly good at being girly–I don’t wear makeup, only own 4 pairs of shoes, and I’ve never had a manicure.

2. I learned to handle a gun before I learned long division.

3. I cuss like a sailor unless I’m around my grandma.

4. While most of the people in my graduate research classes were buried in books, I was glued to the TV researching the evolving portrayal of “Indianness”.

5. Fuck is my favorite word, well maybe it’s a tie between fuck and plethora.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for taking time to answer some questions. Congratulations on the new book and I can't wait for everyone to read it – Sincerely, Toot

Author Info

I’ve been coming up with stories for as long as I can remember, and in elementary school I began writing them all down. Ghosts and vampires, have always been my favorite beings to write about. Maybe it was growing up with a grandma who always told me about how she’d always rush home to watch Dark Shadows, and growing up reading and watching anything paranormal that I could find.

My debut, Fractured Legacy (Paranormal Urban Fantasy novella), was released on October 22, 2013, and the sequel Beyond the Divide is currently in progress and expected to release in early 2014.

I am also taking a departure from the paranormal world with a BDSM Romance, Bound and Unbroken, which will also be released in early 2014. I go where my characters lead me, and Eric and Lena decided that I needed a definite break from the paranormal.

When I’m not spending time with the voices in my head, I work in business consulting and hang out with my husband and all of our furry family members.