Paladin Series with Alexis Morgan

The Write Way Café welcomes Alexis Morgan, a best-selling author whose interest in geology inspired a series. 

Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-copy of Atone in Darkness! Winner will be selected on Monday August 27th. 


Tell us a little about Atone in Darkness.
Atone in Darkness is a story about two strangers who must find a way to trust each other in order to survive. Chase Mosely is a Paladin, one of the secret band of modern day warriors who protect our world from invaders from across a mysterious barrier that leads to a dying planet. He has been kidnapped and held prisoner by an organization that wants to learn the secrets behind the Paladins’ ability to come back from devastating injuries and even death itself. Marisol Riggs is the doctor who has been hired to study Chase and the strange markers in his DNA. She accepted the job without knowing what she was really getting into. She had no idea that her test subject would be tortured on a daily basis. As she renders what care she can, she finds herself fascinated by Chase as a scientist but also as a woman. Chase isn’t sure he can trust Marisol, but his conscience won’t let him leave her behind when he finally escapes. As they flee their common enemy, they run…right into each other’s arms.

If Atone in Darkness was made into a movie, who would play your main characters, and why?
I would cast Sam Worthington to play Chase Mosely in a movie of ATONE IN DARKNESS. I loved how he portrayed his character in Avatar, showing he could be charming with a great sense of humor. At the same time he was so fierce when he needed to be protective. I also love his voice, and he has a great smile. To play Dr. Marisol Riggs I would pick Jennifer Lawrence. She looks very much like how I envision Marisol, but she also comes across as smart and strong.

What or who has been instrumental in or to your writing journey?
There are so many people who have been instrumental in my journey. The first person I’d have to mention is my fellow writer, Janice Kay Johnson. She is the first author I ever met, and she’s the one who inspired me to try my hand at writing my own books. That was over two decades ago, and we still get together to plot our next books together. We approach story from much the same way, and I can’t imagine where I’d be without her to bounce ideas off of. Another person who has played a key role in my career is my agent, Michelle Grajkowski. She’s been right there with me through all the ups and downs of this business. And finally, I’ve been lucky enough to have found good friends—some writers and some not—who have cheered me on along the way.

What “keepers” are in your home library?
My “keeper shelf” has gotten pretty crowded over the years. I have all of Ann Bishop’s The World of the Others books. The world building in that series is just amazing. I also have all of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling books and reread them often. Jennifer Ashley’s Shifters Unbound is another favorite series. When it comes to historicals, I have a lot of shelf space dedicated to Sarah MacLean’s historical series (One Good Earl Deserves a Lover is my favorite!) I also love a four book series by Karen Robards about a psychiatrist who studies serial killers and is haunted by the ghost of one of her former subjects. (I love a good ghost romance!) The first book in the series is The Last Victim. And finally, any book by Ilona Andrews is a must-buy for me. I really love the newest series, A Hidden Legacy.

If you could be a character in any book you’ve read (or written), which character would you be and why?
I think I would want to be Tate Justice, the heroine in DEFEAT THE DARKNESS, one of my Paladin books. I suspect I identify with her because she’s a romance writer or at least trying to be. She inherited an old Victorian house that her late uncle used as a bed-and-breakfast/tea shop. Tate is working on her first book, which is a American West historical. When she starts writing, the sheriff is supposed to be the hero, but the sexy outlaw ultimately wins the heroines heart. Of course, that might have something to do with the mysterious man who is renting the apartment over Tate’s garage. Hunter Fitzsimon is an incredibly handsome Paladin, but he’s been badly wounded and needs time to recover both physically and emotionally. As Tate gets drawn into Hunter’s world, she finds out how brave she can be, and Hunter learns that he is once again the warrior who stands strong against his enemies.

What book do you wish you could have written?
I would have loved to have written Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard. It originally came out in 1986, and the hero, Grant Sullivan, won my heart. All these years later, I can still remember my favorite scenes from that book. He was a great wounded-soul warrior. Jane, the heroine, had her own emotional scars, but she was the perfect person to help Grant leave the darkness behind and live in the light again. When I started writing my own books a few years later, he was the inspiration for all of my own heroes.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I think the hardest criticism to take is when a reader genuinely doesn’t like the hero or heroine in one of my books. Tastes vary greatly, of course, and I really don’t expect everyone to love every word I write. Having said that, it makes me feel as if I’ve somehow failed to paint a clear picture of who my character is and what motivates them.

The best compliments I’ve ever gotten are when a reader lets me know that my books have helped her through tough times. One woman told me that reading one of my early American West historicals helped her get through the dark days after 9/11. Another young woman told me that she and her mother shared reading my Paladin stories while the mother was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. That took my breath away.

Do you have any compulsions you must do for no particular reason?
I use a different 3-ring binder for each book I write. I know that some people prefer things that match, but I love using all different colors of notebooks. My friends have gotten used to me having to study the notebook selection at the office supply store to see if they’ve come out in any new colors. When I find one, I squeal like a preteen girl at a boy band concert. Just FYI, my current notebook is dark green; the one before that was pink.

Tell us about the book in your closet.
Twenty-plus years ago, my very first complete manuscript was essentially a western with aliens. A troop of fierce warriors followed the evil entity who had destroyed their world to ours in order to end their enemy once and for all. They knew they could never go back home, but they were willing to sacrifice themselves to stop him from destroying another world. Unfortunately back then, the paranormal market as we know it now didn’t exist. Although an editor or two were intrigued with the concept, they weren’t sure what to do with the story. I still love writing band-of-brothers stories about sexy warriors who stand the line to protect their world.

We’re adding books to our Café menu. Would your book be a drink, an appetizer, an entrée or a dessert? What would you call it?
I’d like to think of Atone in Darkness as a decadent dessert, the kind a reader could indulge in at the end of a hard day. I’d call it A Paladin Delight, and I’m envisioning a lot of dark chocolate and whipped cream. Yum!

And now for the fun stuff!

If you were a punctuation mark, what would you be?
I think I’d be a question mark. Writers often see an article in the news or watch two strangers interact and wonder “Hey, what if????” An entire book or even a complete series can stem from that one question.

What is your biggest shopping downfall?
I don’t know if buying books is actually a downfall, but it is definitely one of my greatest weaknesses when it comes to spending money. Oh, and office supplies. I’ve often said that if they put a Starbucks in my local office supply store I’d never come home.

Are you a glass half empty or glass half full personality?
I try really hard to remain optimistic most of the time. I’ve found a positive attitude makes me a more productive person.

What is something you do that people would be surprised at?
I enjoy watching podcasts on geology. It was my interest in geology that helped inspire my Paladin series in the first place.

Are you a dog/cat/other person?
I’m actually all three of those things. I’ve owned several cats in the past (well, technically I suspect they owned me.) Having said that, I currently have two grand-dogs in my life, both bulldogs. Remus is an English Bulldog, and Walter is an Olde English Bulldogge, a slightly different breed. They are both great guys, and I love when they come to visit. When they were both here at the same time, we had our very own “running of the bulldogs” in my kitchen, which was great fun.

I also have a writing partner who keeps me company when I’m working. His name is Nimbus, and he’s a blue and white parakeet.

If you had to write with a pen instead of a computer, what type of pen would be your preference?
I would use a Pentel EnerGel pen with violet colored ink. In fact, that’s what I really do use when I’m starting either a new story idea or the first chapter in a new book. I find it hard to face a blank computer screen, so I write by hand until I get the opening paragraphs just the way I want them.



Return to the steamy and suspenseful Paladin series by the USA TODAY bestselling author with this heart-pounding novel following a doctor and her mysterious patient as they try to escape a mysterious military force hell-bent on exploiting them both.

Brilliant doctor Marisol knows nothing about the mysterious man whose vitals she monitors and whose every move she's paid to track—other than the fact that he is brought to death's door each night by a squad of military grade thugs. She certainly can't ask the people who hired her. After all, they run this shady, hi-tech compound where she is now stranded, the only woman among huge, uniform-clad brutes.

Chase Mosely, Marisol's sole charge, knows nothing about who was behind his kidnapping, other than the fact that they want to know about his Paladin's ability to heal. Nor does he know anything about his pretty keeper, who seems to be working for the enemy, but still looks at him with compassion in her eyes.

Both held captive in a remote testing facility, their desperate stories intertwine. And, as they discover that they mean more to each other than they could ever have imagined, the two of them must find a way to escape, no matter the odds.

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About Alexis:  USA Today Best-selling author Alexis Morgan has always loved reading and now spends her days imagining worlds filled with strong alpha heroes and gutsy heroines. She is the author of over forty-five novels, novellas, and short stories that span a wide variety of genres: American West historicals (as Pat Pritchard); paranormal and fantasy romances; and contemporary romances. She is really excited about the release of her latest Paladin Strike Team book and that 2019 will see the launch of her new cozy mystery series, the Abby McCree Mysteries.

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