K. Vale shares details about the creation of Kory Vansant in
the book Crossed Hearts.
About the Book
Title Crossed Hearts
Genre Contemporary MM Romance
Author K. Vale
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
One heart’s been broken. The other is secondhand.
Kory Vansant doesn’t deserve to be alive.
As time sucks him dry of energy,
sapping the final ounces of strength from his congenitally enlarged heart, he’s
forced to end his career as Kory Kent, porn star. Staring down death, he
questions his life choices and prays for a miracle. For another chance at life,
he vows to change who he is at his core.
His prayers are answered. A perfect
heart now beats in his chest, but it comes at a heavy price. The donor is an
innocent young man cut down far too prematurely.
Kory’s blemished history and his
donor’s spotless past are far from ideal matches.
As his debts skyrocket, Kory can’t
help but think his resolve to walk the high road is being tested. After he
meets the adorable Will Squire at the gravesite they both visit, he’s doubly
damned because there’s no way he can keep up his end of the bargain. What
happens when a man breaks a deal with a higher power?
Will often prefers the company of
the dead to that of the living. Following a bad breakup, he pours himself into
his two jobs—funeral director at his uncle’s mortuary and part-time paramedic.
He’s drawn ever closer to Kory, as if fate sticks her fickle hand in and pushes
them together like two unlikely puzzle pieces. But sometimes history can’t be
buried, and maybe divine intervention isn’t always right. Will discovers
everyone is imperfect, no matter how pretty the outer package, and opening
one’s heart is never easy, but can be oh, so worth the pain.
Introducing Kory Vansant
Name: Kory Vansant
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Samara, Russia. Raised in Seattle, WA after
adoption.
Profession: Retired porn star, artist, and art instructor at
Livingston Community College
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Describe his body build, skin tone, height and weight.
Include any unique features such as dimples, freckles, or scars: 6’2”, 200
pounds, extremely muscular before his heart condition took its toll, now less toned,
but still big, fair skinned with brown hair, including ample facial hair, and
brown eyes. He has a large scar down the center of his chest from his heart
transplant surgery.
Who is the
significant other in your character’s life?
Will Squire
Tell us about him,
please.
Will is a part-time paramedic and full-time funeral director
for Rolling Hills Funeral Home. He was hesitant to fall for Kory following a
bad breakup, but after getting to know him, he couldn’t help himself.
How does your hero
dress?
Kory dresses Salvation-Army-chic. His ripped-up jeans are
frequently paint-spattered from his art.
How educated is this
character?
He has a Masters in Art History
Does he scrape by,
live comfortably, live extravagantly?
Kory definitely scrapes by. He’s in a tremendous amount of
debt related to his heart transplant and medications.
Does your character
care about what others assume about him?
Kory doesn’t want his past as a porn star to dog him now
that he’s resolved to start over after the transplant. He’s upset when a fan
assumes he’s for hire because of his past sex work. Of course, he still relies
on some of the money that trickles in from his old career, and has a hard time
completely letting his porn persona go when he’s desperate for funds. It’s a
tough situation for him.
If someone from your
character’s past showed up, who would he most want it to be, and why?
He’d definitely want it to be his buddy, Mando. Mando and
his boyfriend, Jake, were Kory’s best friends from his years doing porn. When
Kory was in financial straits and awaiting a donor heart, Mando and Jake took
him in. Luckily, Kory will probably see his friends again in a subsequent book
in my Hearts and Scars series.
What is your
character’s biggest need at the beginning of the story?
The first time we see Kory in Crossed Hearts, he’s
post-surgical and just waking up after his heart transplant. Until that point,
he’d been in limbo, not knowing if he was going to live or die. He’d made deals
in his head about changing his life as a porn star and walking the straight and
narrow path if he was saved. His greatest need at the beginning of Crossed
Hearts, then, is to figure out where his new heart, and new life, leaves him.
It’s almost a question of who he is now, which is an interesting place to
start, I think.
About Your Writer
Why do you think your
writer chose to write about you?
I think she loved the idea of a bunch of lives intersecting
because of one incident. Brandon’s death was tragic, but it was my salvation in
a number of ways. It gave me my life, and it gave me Will, so I can’t help but
see it as a miracle. I also got the gift of meeting the Diazes, who have become
like a second family to me, so despite how sad it is that Brandon isn’t here,
it’s also a tremendous blessing.
What do you wish your
writer had not told others about you?
Nothing. I had been trying to put my past behind me, but I
realized that it’s impossible. Her telling my story—from start to finish—was
pretty cathartic for me, in a way. I was able to eventually own it all, the
good, the bad, and the ugly, and that’s really the only way to start over and
be true to yourself and the people you love.
What other character
from your book do you think your writer should write a book about, and why?
Definitely Matt. My donor heart came from Matt’s boyfriend,
Brandon, and Matt was pretty much wrecked after Brandon died. I ache for him. I
really do. Matt and I have become friends, I think, and I really want him to
get to a happy place because right now, he’s still very lost and badly scarred.
Why do you think your
writer loves to write?
I think she’s a romantic and a dreamer, and when the two get
together, sometimes they birth stories that have to be told.
Is there anything
you’d like to say to your writer?
Thanks for dreaming me up and helping me find my perfect
partner!
Buy This Book
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Crossed-Hearts-Scars-Novel-ebook/dp/B00W0IJW1I/ref=la_B006HMAY06_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431392053&sr=1-12
ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crossedhearts-1795672-149.html
Author Bio
K. Vale writes erotic romance of all stripes, from hot
hetero to mouthwatering manlove. Find her MF work published under Kimber Vale.
Come for the sex. Stay for the story. Stalk Kimber on Facebook and Twitter
@KimberVale, and check her site for updates, new releases, and freebies at
http://www.authorkimbervale.com.
Author Social Media
K. Vale shares details about the creation of Kory Vansant in
