Hey yall, welcome to Sweet Southern Home!  I’m happy to be a part of this year’s Authors are Rock Stars tour.

Today I’m featuring the rocking A.R. Kahler!

So why does A.R. (AKA Alex) rock?  Well, in addition to being the author of  The Immortal Circus series, which is sexy and original, he’s also traipsed all around Europe…teaching circus!  Yeah, he’s been to Spain and Scotland and the Netherlands doing stuff like this:

So that’s pretty sweet.

But to me, he’s a pretty great writer!  I reviewed Part One of The Immortal Circus back in February and gave it 4 stars!

Part Two has since been published and I’m hoping to fit it into my schedule soon.

I was able to ask Alex a few questions in conjunction with my Authors Are Rockstars tour stop.

1. What made you want to become a writer?

Reading, honestly. When I was younger I devoured everything I could get my hands on. Books helped me cope with many things, and I think as I grew older I slowly transitioned to creating my own worlds to escape in. I guess it was only a matter of time before I wanted to start sharing those with others. Now, my biggest drive is to get the reader to dream of something different—I want to create places readers can live and love and explore. Even if those places aren’t always the most welcoming.

2. Who or what gives you inspiration?

Everything. Inspiration comes at the worst of times in the strangest of places. An entire trilogy was inspired by a line that popped into my head at three in the morning while fighting insomnia. Conversations, Wikipedia snippets, overheard songs or the way a tree arches over the sidewalk…I’m always open to ideas. Because of that, I’m grateful for finally owning a smartphone—now, I can take notes in that, rather than all over my arm.

3. What do you need around you to write (special drink, lucky items, etc)?

Hmm…I move around a lot, so there’s not much I really need. A computer is handy. Coffee is grand. I suppose I almost always have music in the background to turn certain parts of my brain off. Notebooks for drawing out story lines are helpful. Also, I usually live in cold places, so fingerless gloves are a mainstay.

4. What are some of your favorite books?

Oh, hard to say. ‘Harry Potter’ is a lifelong friend. I’m also really into ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt, ‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman, and—my new love—the ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ series by Laini Taylor (now I really want to go to Prague).

5. Are your characters based on anyone you know?

Nope. Some might have snippets of personality, or I may re-imagine quotations, but for the most part I don’t base my characters off anyone. They tend to generate a life and personality of their own, and probably wouldn’t appreciate me trying to fit them into a different mold.

6. Why do you love writing?

Fan reactions. Writing is, for the most part, incredibly solitary. So I’m touched beyond measure when fans reach out and tell me they loved a character or a book, or start hypothesizing what will happen next. That why I really dig the power of social media and discussion boards—it lets me know my words are getting out there. Like I said earlier, I started writing because I wanted to sweep readers away. When I hear that it’s successful, I feel like I’m part of an even bigger cycle of storytelling.

A.R. Kahler’s Books

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS
Murdered contortionists aren’t exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can’t quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader Mab is the Faerie Queen of legend…and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts.

 Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargains for.

The show’s just beginning.

Step right up…

THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS: ACT TWO

Vivienne is almost content with her new life in the Cirque des Immortels. She has moved up from selling cotton candy to telling fortunes, she has a gorgeous, magical boyfriend, Kingston…and no one has been murdered since the clash between the otherworldly Courts. Her life under the faerie big top would be perfect, in fact, if not for the nightmares and visions that compel her to seek and confront her half-remembered past. But for Viv, not knowing her past may well be a blessing. There’s a reason she ran away. But can she truly escape herself?

The second act of the fantastically evocative Cirque des Immortels series, The Immortal Circus: Act Two draws readers further into a world that’s at once wonderful, seductive…and deadly.

Step right up…

MARTYR, the first book in his post-apocalyptic YA fantasy series, THE HUNTED, will be published 10/14 by Spencer Hill Press.

Twitter |Website | Goodreads

 Facebook | Amazon