K.F. Goblin is a new adult romance writer who adds unexpected fresh twists to the genre. Goblin’s characters are humanoid, beast men or mutants, and she’s not afraid to shed blood – lots of blood.
“All my characters are humanoid and that allows me to bring in another layer of senses. I’ve been told my books are cinematic. As I write, I act out my characters in the mirror. I want to convey every emotion I see before I write,” said Goblin.
The Calgary based schoolteacher, who prefers to write under a pen name, is holding a reading and book signing at St. Albert’s Bailey Books on Saturday, July 6.
Her latest release in May is the self-published C.A.M.P., an acronym for Cybernetic Animal Mutation Project. In Goblin’s “dystopian western military romance,” men no longer roam the earth. In the back story, scientists designed superhuman soldiers by mixing human and animal genes.
Eventually the superior beast men overtook the planet. They too tried to spawn superhuman soldiers and created mutants. Beast men and mutants are now at war. Lieutenant C1-N5 is one of the last remaining C.A.M.P. soldiers left fighting to protect the beast men from a looming global war between the two species.
The lieutenant leads a lonely, isolated life until a runaway slave named Sparrow accidentally escapes to a ghost town and runs into a mutant raid. The lieutenant hides in a building until he sees a mutant racing to attack Sparrow.
“He springs forward to save her and both have an immediate attraction. They are fated mates.”
C.A.M.P. Is not your typical romance clocking in at 200 to 300 pages. It runs 438 pages.
“My books are 400 odd pages. I’m very detailed oriented. I’ve been called a ‘tome writer’ among friends. If I made them any smaller, they’d be Bibles,” said Goblin with a chuckle.
Writing a detailed military romance came easily to the author. Three generations of her family have served in the military. Goblin’s brother is currently serving, and her grandfather served in Korea. In addition, her great-grandfather served in both the First and Second World Wars.
Goblin started writing romances after her husband, Michael, saved her from a series of failed relationships.
“I feel like I’m living my own romance and I love to write about the kinetic energy in romance. All my male characters are based on him in some way or other. He’s always supported me and encouraged me to pursue teaching. He knew I was a natural. He supported me for a long time and taught me I didn’t have to be in a bad relationship to be valued.”
A prolific writer, the novelist has completed four books, published two and has six more projects in the works.
“My superpower is that I get to school early, and I work one to two hours before school starts. I write every day during lunch hours and after school,” she said. “I draw my characters as well as writing. It helps me understand who they are.”
Last year, Goblin also released Snow Clans, a romance that follows the intertwined lives of Draven and Aoibheann. Draven’s father has been executed and the younger man is ostracized by his community. He suffers from a fractured past and is one of the “afflicted” cursed with ravenous blood lust.
Aoibheann is determined to find the perfect partner, one as fierce as she is. Her blossoming abilities as a water mage and high expectations make her an intimidating prize. Together Draven and Aoibheann uncover secret deceptions and learn to control the magic flowing through their bodies.
Both books are duologies and Goblin expects to release their sequels in 2025. During the Bailey Book presentation, she will read one chapter from both books. The presentation runs on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 29B Rowland Crescent.
