Character Interview: Once by M. S. Kaye

Today I am thrilled to introduce you to romantic suspense author M. S. Kaye. She's brought with her Jonathan and Rebecca, the two main characters from her recent release Once. Let's find out a little about them:

Jonathan:

What do you do for a living?

I’m in seminary. I have three days before I take vows.

What is your vivid memory of your mother and father?

I grew up in foster care and have no knowledge of my biological parents, but I consider Father Thomas to be the only father I’d want. I remember the day we met. I was a child in the hospital with a badly broken leg. He saw I was alone and came in to sit with me. I didn’t understand what he expected of me, what he wanted me to say, but he didn’t make me talk. He allowed my silence as I watched the autumn leaves outside the window. It was the most comfortable I’d ever been with an adult. I couldn’t understand how he did that.

What is your greatest fear?

That people will discover the circumstances behind the scar on the side of my face.

Rebecca:

What is something no one knows about you?  Why do you keep it a secret?  And what would happen if everyone found out about it?

I want to be a writer. My father wants me to be a lawyer and take over the family law firm—he doesn’t believe writing is a worthwhile career.

What embarrasses you?

How I sometimes control men to get what I want.

What do you find most appealing in men?

I hadn’t really thought about it until I met Jonathan. I admire how strong he is—he’s tortured by his past but has decided to dedicate his life to others.

Once

by M.S. Kaye

Her first and also her Once.
 Jonathan is studying to become a priest. He is three days from taking vows. He will not be a priest.
 Rebecca’s major is pre-law. She is supposed to take over her father’s law firm. She will not be lawyer.
Their paths cross at exactly the right moment, when each most needs to hear what the other has to say. Jonathan’s structured life is turned sideways, but Rebecca also helps him learn how to forgive himself. It was self-defense, not murder.
Rebecca finds the strength to stand up to her father, to be the real her. If Jonathan likes her writing, it must be worth pursuing.
They must each struggle to forge a new path without each other’s comfort and strength, with only memories of the one day that changed everything.

Once Excerpt:

"What's the answer?"

He paused. "A switchblade."

With my fingertips, I reached out and traced the scar across his cheek. “Did you win?”

He removed my hand and closed his eyes. “Yes.”

I slid his Book back to him. “This says we can find forgiveness.”

His eyes still closed, his jaw clenched. He bowed his head. “It also says ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”

I took his hand in both of mine, petted his rough skin, and then brought it to my lips. He had a talent for guiding invisibly, but I didn’t know how to do that.

He watched me again. His eyes were intense, like the black of the night sky, and his forehead was furrowed, as if his emotions were scattered, as if he was shocked at my reaction, as if he had been sure his answer would drive me away. But I knew him. Already, I knew him.

“You’re still a good person,” I said.

His jaw clenched. “I’ve been trying to believe that.”

“I have faith in you.”

He continued to watch me. His forehead never smoothed, as if he was fighting for strength, but his eyes softened. He slid around the booth, closer to me.

I didn’t move, not sure what to do, what was right, what he wanted.

He leaned closer.

I only watched him.

He touched his lips to my cheek, the faintest pressure. I struggled to sit still, to keep my hands in my lap, not to grab hold of him. And then his lips were gone, such brief contact that I couldn’t be sure if he had actually kissed my cheek or if I wanted his contact so much that I imagined it.

He spoke in my ear. “You must be some kind of final test.”

My heart pounded into my ribs, against the point of the blade. “Are you going to pass?”

His lips brushed against my jaw. “I don’t know.”

He trailed to my neck, his mouth softly pressing. My hand curled into his hair, the other on his shoulder, holding, clutching. His mouth found mine, barely touching. His warmth invaded my head.

“God give me strength,” he murmured.

The door slid open, and the compartment filled with laughter.

He closed his eyes. Then he slid away from me.

Buy Link:
http://jupitergardenspress.com/shop/once/

Author Bio

M. S. Kaye is a 4^th degree black belt and certified instructor of Songahm Taekwondo. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, FL, where she does her best not to melt in the sun.

Contact M. S. Kaye at:

www.BooksByMSK.com

www.Facebook.com/BooksByMSK

Twitter: @mskosciuszko

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7222522.M_S_Kaye

Also available from M.S. Kaye:

Fight Princess: Caught in an investigation of a mysterious murder, a female underground fighter from a high society family learns how to accept love.

Amazon - http://amzn.to/15xQX8O

iBooks - http://bit.ly/17Asczv
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1abP1LC
Liquid Silver Books (publisher – all formats) - http://bit.ly/172SszA