J.A. Huss Interview & Giveaway

Hello lovely followers :D! You all know how much I LOVE the Rook and Ronin Series by J.A. Huss. This is one of my favorite New Adult Series, and it's a complete series! Yes, Panic (Rook & Ronin #3) was released last week. I know I'm going to be re-reading this series soon. So guess what happened last week? J.A. Huss accepted to do an interview for my blog :D!  I was so excited when she accepted to do the interview, and let me tell you that she is so nice. 

 

Are you all ready for my interview with J.A. Huss?!?!?!?

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself :). Who is J.A. Huss?

I hate talking about myself!  I’m just a mom from Colorado, really. I grew up in Ohio and moved to Southern California when I was a teen, had my first kid when I was really young, messed around with way too many bad boys, and then decided to go back to school to be a scientist. I was going to get a PhD, and when I say that – I mean I was in grad school actually doing all that laboratory crap for like fifteen hours a day for more than a year when I decided that life sucks. So I quit the PhD program, got a Master’s Degree instead, then went into business for myself writing science workbooks for kids. I ran out of ideas for topics so about two years ago I started writing fiction.

2. Who are some of your favorite authors? Did some of these authors inspire you to become a writer? 

Rickard k Morgan is the author of my all-time favorite SF series, so he is my official favorite. That series is brilliant.  But I also like Laini Taylor, Katja Millay, JA Redmerski, CD Reiss… I have a lot of favorites actually.

3. How do you get started with writing a story? Do you brainstorm a lot or do you just go for it without planning too much?

Oh, I plan all of it.  I always know the ending.  Sometimes, like with the Junco series, I know the exact words of the very last sentence.  I had those words in my head from book one and I just got to write them a couple weeks ago in book five. It was pretty cool. 

4. Do you plan to always write NA books, or is there and adult book in the future?

Ford is not really NA, he’s more adult. And I have another NA series I’m gonna write at least two books for in the spring, then a dark more adult series in the fall.

5. What is your favorite genre to write?

Science fiction. Because you have so much more to work with in terms of plot devices. You can make your characters do anything if you set your world up right.  Contemporary books are very limiting, but I try to add in the unexpected whenever I can.

Now let's get into some questions from my favorite series!

 

1. How did you come up with the idea to write about a girl who has experienced a tragic life from a very young age, and finds her luck in erotic modeling?

It started with a book cover. I was looking for a sexy picture for a title I actually never released, and I started wondering if those models were faking it. I figured the good pictures, the ones all us authors wanted on the covers, those models were not faking it, it looked real. So that’s how Ronin’s job was created.  He’s supposed to make the girls look that way, like they are turned on so the people who look at the covers just automatically think they are lovers.

 

Rook is a little bit of me and a lot of “every girl”. I think people like Rook because she’s real. She’s not perfect and even though she’s pretty, life’s not easy. She’s had a lot of challenges and even though she makes a lot of mistakes, she keeps going and tries to learn from them.

2. When I was reading the synopsis for Tragic, Rook's name caught my attention, because it is a very unique name. I haven't read a book with character's named Rook and Ronin. How did you come up with their names?

I love birds.  Junco, the main character in my SF series, is also named after a bird.  So Rook came off that. And then I just added in the fact that a rook is a blackbird, and made that Spencer’s “thing”. Ronin is a play on the Irish version of the name (Ronan) and the word used for what they call a rogue samurai Japanese warrior. I thought it was cool.

3. I just need to put this out there, because I know I'm not the only girl who experienced this while reading your series. How in the world did you create three equally desirable men? Most of the time I just fall for one of the guys in a book, but you had me falling for all three, especially Ford in Panic!

I love secondary characters, they make and break books in my opinion. If the secondary characters are boring, then your main characters have to be together the whole time. I didn’t want Rook and Ronin to be the only story. I wanted everyone to have a past. Plus, they are a team. Each one had to contribute something to that team, so they all had to be very unique. 

 

Everyone these days loves a biker, so it was easy to make Spencer the biker. But I gave him a twist with the body painting stuff.  No one likes a geek, but what if he’s a hot geek with so much weird sexual chemistry you can’t help but fall for him?  So that’s Ford. And Ronin was just the player who wants to settle down. Girls like the thought if a loyal hot guy.

4. What comes after Panic? I know that Ford is getting his own story. But are other characters in the book getting their own spin-off series or novellas?

Yes. I’m surprised more people haven’t asked about the “trials”. There will be trials and everyone will be involved because in order to put people in jail, someone has to testify.  It won’t be pretty.  That’s part of what Spencer’s book is about.  I’m also writing a Valentine ’s Day novella about Elise, Antoine ,and the baby.  Lots of people have asked about them. I also like Veronica a lot, and she’s gonna have a little disagreement with her brothers about her job in the very near future. That will probably be a novella series next summer.

5. I know you're going to hate me for asking this question, but I just have to do it :). Who would you have chosen if you were Rook?

Ford.  :) But Rook is much better at picking men than I am.

6. How do you feel now that the Rook & Ronin series is over?

I’m glad the third book turned out so well and I’m looking forward to the stories of the secondary characters and then new projects when that’s over.  I’m not sad at all. I think R&R’s story is mostly told, so time to move on.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview :D!

 Thanks a bunch Kassie!  

 

 

Find J.A. Huss:

Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Goodreads

  

Add the Rook & Ronin Series to your TBR Pile--->Goodreads

Add Losing Francesca to your TBR Pile--->Goodreads

Add the I Am Just Junco Series to your TBR Pile--->Goodreads

Purchase Rook & Ronin Series, Losing Francesca, and I Am Just Junco Series:

 

Amazon  ~  B&N  ~  Kobo

 

 

Giveaway:

  Winner gets to pick one book from the Rook & Ronin Series. 

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Blog Tour (Interview) & Giveaway: Keeper of the Lost Souls by Kristy Centeno

Welcome to my stop on the Keeper of the Lost Souls blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule! For my stop, I have an interview from the author and a giveaway :D!

 

Title: Keeper of the Lost Souls

 

Author: Kristy Centeno

 

Series: The Keeper Witches Series #1

 

Publication Date: June 17, 2013

 

Genre: Paranormal/ Fantasy

 

Summary from Goodreads:

Bryn McCaskey is young, naïve, and can talk to ghosts. Like her mother and grandmother, Bryn is part of a breed of witches called The Keepers of the Lost Souls, whose main purpose is to guard those spirits which are permanently or temporarily grounded in the world of the living.
Because Bryn is a witch, she’s fairly comfortable dealing with all sorts of threats, which she does with ease and confidence. Handling supernatural creatures is as easy to her as baking a pie. Dealing with people however, is something she is yet to learn how to handle.
Unfortunately, as her 18th birthday approaches, and the time for her to take on her first assignment finally arrives, Bryn is forced to confront her inability to communicate with others in an effort to save the one soul that can mean the difference between life and death for mankind.
Johnny Shaw is a lost soul with a personal vendetta against witches. A vendetta he has carried on even after death. However, as much as he might hate them, in order to stop a century old threat, he must join forces with one. When fate brings them together, not only will they be forced to learn how to work as a team, but they will have to depend on each other to stop an evil witch carrying a six hundred year grudge.

 

Available from:

 

 

Author Interview:

1. Would you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? 

I’m a hard working mother of four and the eldest of four children. I was born in a small City in a Caribbean island some twenty something years ago and moved to the USA when I was four. I developed a love for books even before I could read them and my parents encouraged my passion by supplying a healthy amount of books, which I read often. 

 

2. Which project are you currently promoting? 

Keeper of the Lost Souls. The first in the Keeper Witches series.

 

3. Can you tell us what the book is about?

 Keeper of the Lost Souls is basically the story of a witch in training, working on learning the necessary skills to protect her charges even when one of those she’s responsible of guarding has a personal vendetta against witches. Not only is she going to have to learn how to trust herself, but the one person in the world who actually hates her. 

 

4. What inspired you to write this book? 

Like most books I write, this one also began as an idea that crossed my train of thought one quiet night in November. Not soon after that it took the shape of a story and from there I turned it into a book. 

 

About the Author:

As a child, I used to lose myself in an imaginary world by the means of a good book. Now that I’m all grown up, I get to create my own fictional realms and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.
I’ve always had a passion for writing but never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options I realized that writing was what I loved the most so when I found myself with some free time on my hands, I decided to give it a shot. As it turned out, my very active imagination helped me achieve my goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that helped the stories move along in one way or another.
As I keep moving along in achieving my dreams of becoming a published author, I divide my time in between my four children and my very understanding husband.​

 

Where to find Kristy Centeno:

Website 

 

Twitter 

 

Goodreads 

 

Facebook 

 

Pinterest 

 

 

***GIVEAWAY***

 3 e-books of Keeper of the Lost Souls, Open Internationally!

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Breathe Me by Alexia Purdy (Interview)

Today I am participating in the Breathe Me by Alexia Purdy Blog Tour, hosted by Anna at RBTL World of Books Blog Tours :D! You can read my interview with Alexia Purdy. Let me just say that this is the first interview I have done. I hope you guys enjoy it!

 

 

Title: Breathe Me

 

Author: Alexia Purdy

 

Series: NA

 

Publisher: Lyrical Lit. Press

 

Publication Date: May 31, 2013

 

Genre: New Adult/ Contemporary Romance

 

Synopsis:

Sometimes the one who broke your heart, needs the most saving.
Piper Sandervale never thought she’d see Sasha Koval ever again. Not since he took her heart, ripped it out and obliterated it from existence. Now, six years have passed and she has run into him once more at the local fairgrounds in Las Vegas. He desperately wants another chance, and he’d do anything to get her back. She’s willing to give him a taste of his own medicine, if this is her chance for payback. But, will she find herself way in over her head?
Something has changed with Sasha and Piper struggles to justify the worth of past hurts to continue her quest for atonement.
Who needs saving now?

 

 

Add Breathe Me by Alexia Purdy to your TBR pile--->Goodreads

 

 

Read my 4.5 star Review of Breathe Me by Alexia Purdy Here!

 

Kassie’s Book Thoughts Interview for Breathe Me by Alexia Purdy

1. This is your first New Adult contemporary romance. What inspired you to write in this genre?

I actually had this story floating in my head for a while. I love epic love stories with a modern twist. Though I haven’t written in the genre before, it was digging into my brain and screaming to be written, so I did.

2. Breathe Me is about giving a person a second chance at love and a relationship. Do you personally believe in second chances?

I do believe in second chances. Some people never change, but there are those who do. I have an open heart and mind, this makes me want to believe that there is good in everyone. I don’t let the few rotten ones ruin the many good shiny ones.

3. I love listening to the playlist an author creates for their novels, because most of the time it describes a character perfectly or makes me get in the zone for a particular scene. While writing the novel did any song(s) inspire any particular scene in the book or identifies a character?

I have extensive playlists for any one book. I do choose a small amount of songs that do make up the meat of the story I’m writing. For Breathe Me I would say these songs embodied it the most: Lego House – Ed Sheeran, Breathe Me – Sia, Try- Pink, You and Me- Lifehouse, and ‘Indestructible- acoustic verson’ by Robyn.

Breathe Me Playlist 

4. I loved Breathe Me and the characters you created, because they feel like real people I can meet in real life. Are your characters based off on you or anyone you know?

I try not to base them to strictly on real people, but yes, each character is a tiny piece of me and pieces of people I have known. I mix it up so no one can ever tell who I’m talking about, it’s private and intimate so I don’t want to make anyone feel embarrassed or anything.

5. Are you planning to write another novel of the same genre of Breathe Me? I would really love to read another NA Contemporary romance from you :D!

I am. I’m not a big ‘romance’ writer, but I enjoy bringing out stories with sensuality and longing driving the story. I have several in the works and will continue to release in the Contemporary genre.

6. Why did you choose Breathe Me as the title of your novel? Where there other titles you had in mind before you choose Breathe Me?

It was always Breathe Me. It does relate to Piper, the main character. She suffers from severe panic attacks which rob her control over breathing for moments. It just fit.

7. Everybody has and uses a kindle, nook, or some other device to read books. Do you prefer reading books from a reading device or do you prefer reading physical copies?

I used to be a physical copy only kind of person but since I received my kindle two years ago, I have to say, I’m a total convert. I collect paperbacks and hardbacks now, signed especially. But I prefer to read on the kindle.

8. How do you get started with writing a story? Do you brainstorm a lot or do you just go for it without planning too much?

I brainstorm in my head all day long, all night long until it clicks. Once this happens, I write the first couple chapters. If I get stuck, I do some character outlines or even break down and do a summary outline of each chapter. This rarely happens, I usually just write by the seat of my pants, edit later.

9. Who are some of your favorite authors? Did these authors inspire you to become a writer or your writing?

Absolutely they inspired me to become a writer. My favorites growing up include Margaret Mitchell, Paulina Simons, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Alice Hoffman, Jean Auel, and Anne Rice. I do have a lot of Indie authors on my list now, they include but are not limited to: Ella James, Amber Garza, Madison Daniel, Jenna Kay, Linna Drehmel, Kyani Swanigan, HD Gordon, S.M. Boyce, Lizzy Ford and so many others.

 

This or That:

1. Chocolate or Candy?

Chocolate

2. Book or Movie (books that have been turned into movies)?

Books, and yes to books that have been turned into movies too. 

3. Starbucks or homemade coffee?

Neither, I don’t care for coffee. Tea?

4. Bad Boys or Good Boys?

Good boys all the way!

5. Rain or Snow?

Rain

Thank you Alexia Purdy for the Interview :D! Why didn't I think of tea? Love all of the songs for Breathe Me, and can't wait to read another of your future contemporary book projects.

About the Author:

Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada–Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She loves writing paranormal fantasy and poetry and devours books daily. Alexia also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian food.

 

Where to Buy Breathe Me:

Amazon (Ebook & Paperback)

Barnes & Noble (Ebook)

Smashwords (Ebook)

 

Where to Find Alexia Purdy:

Blog (Keep Updated)

Amazon Author Page

Barnes & Noble Author Page

Smashwords Author Page

Facebook ("Like")

Twitter (Follow)

Goodreads (Add her Books)

Linked In

 

Like her Book Series Page on Facebook:

Reign of Bloos Series 

 

A Dark Faerie Tale Series 

 

 

Like Lyrical Lit. Publishing on Facebook 

 

Giveaway!!!

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey (Interview)

Today I am participating in the Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey Book Blitz, hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads & she runs Xpresso Book Tours :D!

 

Title: Shine Not Burn

Author: Elle Casey

Series: NA

Expected Publication Date: June 30, 2013

Genre: New Adult Romance

 

Synopsis: 

 IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS. I can't be held responsible. Things that happen there are supposed to stay there, right? Right? Yeeeah. Not so much. ... Andie's just days away from tying the knot, but there's just ooooone little glitch. Apparently, she's already married. Or someone with her name is married to a guy out in Oregon of all places, and the courthouse won't issue her a marriage license until it's all cleared up. Tripping her way through cow pies and country songs to meet up with a man who gets around places on horseback is her very last idea of how to have a good time, but if she's going to get married, make partner at the firm, and have two point five kids before she's thirty-five, she needs to get to the bottom of this snafu and fix it quick ... before her fiance finds out and everything she's been working toward goes up in flames.

 

Add Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey to your TBR pile--->Goodreads

 

Interview:

1.  You started out writing in YA.  What brought you over to New Adult?

I've been a reader of new adult titles even before they were called 'new adult'.  And I love the age group it covers.  18-30 years old is such a great time in life, isn't it?  I mean, it's when you sow your wild oats, learn about yourself in the context of the whole world and not just your family and friends; it's where you figure out who you're going to be.  The adult-formative years I guess you could call it.  And the sex part is awesome too, I won't lie.  You can only get so sexy with a YA book, so as a writer, I have to hold back.  In NA, I don't have to do that.  It can be passionate, raw, sometimes awkward and full of bad decisions, but it can be REAL.  I guess that's what I love about NA most … it's raw and real.

2.  You have a lot of novels in the urban fantasy genre.  What interested you in writing romances?

Romances were my first love.  Well … aside from Disney fairy tales.  But then again, those are all romances aren't they?  They've got misunderstood heroines - beaten down by others - who are looking for love and understanding, finally finding it in the hands of a guy on horseback.  I've read hundreds of romances in my time, from every publisher out there, including indie authors of course.  It doesn't matter how many I read, I always want more.  Since I love them as a reader, I really wanted to try my hand as a writer in the genre.  I have so many romance stories simmering in my brain right now, at this point, it's like therapy just getting them out of there.  I have 6 romances planned for the rest of the year and lots more for 2014.  I'm going to be very busy.  But I'm happy being busy because it's very important to me that I keep hunger readers fed.  I live to write for voracious readers.

3.  How do you write so many books in such a short period of time?

Short and sweet:  I have a system for getting the work done, and I'm a helluva fast typer.  More details: I have a ton of stories always waiting in my head to be told, and when I sit down at the computer, the words just kind of spill out.  My stories are very character-driven, meaning I don't make up the story.  I just find the characters wandering around in my head, put them in a situation, and let them run with it.  Now that I'm a full-time writer, I can dedicate more of my time to writing that I used to when I was also teaching at a university.  I treat writing as a business and try to be very disciplined about it.  After eighteen months of writing, I've published 20 novels, so I think my system is working.  :)

4.  What's your favorite part of being a writer?

My readers.  Hands down, it's the readers.  I get emails and messages every day from devoted fans, and I can't express how much that means to me.  There are readers out there who've set up book blogs just because they were so excited about my books, people who make it a point to promote my books on their Facebook pages and Twitter just because they want to share the reader-love, and whole families who are reading my series and discussing them at dinner.  It just blows my mind that people would be so generous and so involved in my made-up worlds.  Recently I had a fan dress as one of my characters at a comic con event.  I also occasionally get a very heart-warming message about how my writing has changed someone's life - caused them to finally start reading or to go to college.  To me, that's the sign of a life well-lived - that I've somehow inspired another person to reach for something they want in life that they thought they didn't have a chance at having before.

5.  What books do you have in the pipeline right now?

All kinds of good stuff!  I'm so excited to get them out to readers.  Here's the NA Romance line-up for June, July, and August: Shine Not Burn, By Design, and Don't Make Me Beautiful, and then a 3-book series that will be released on surprise dates this year: Rebel, Hellion, and Trouble.  Links to all of them on Goodreads here:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17973653-shine-not-burn
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17981510-by-degrees
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17981514-don-t-make-me-beautiful
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18111600-rebel
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18111602-hellion
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18111607-trouble

6.  Why do you live in France?

I came here for a vacation with my husband in 2007 and we both fell in love with it.  After the economy took a downturn and my husband lost his job, we started talking about simplifying our lives and focusing on different things.  That's when the idea of living in a foreign country came up.  We wanted to do it for one year, to give our three kids the opportunity to experience another culture and learn another language while also refocusing our grown-up lives to get away from the rampant materialism that had kind of taken over everything.  And we loved France, so it seemed like the logical place to go.  Once we were here, we fell in love more deeply and decided to stay indefinitely.  We still love our home country of course, but for now, we're content with a very laid back life in the south of France.  What can I say … we love wine and cheese ALOT!

7.  How long have you been writing?  What did you do before you were a writer?

I've been writing since January of 2012.  Before that I was a lot of things … most recently an attorney.  But you can add the following other jobs to the list:  retail sales clerk, air traffic controller (in the Air Force), waitress, restaurant owner, stock broker, insurance salesperson, professor, and CEO of a medical device company.  I'm one of those people who gets bored easily, so after being in a job for a few years, I need a change so I can be challenged again.  The beauty of being a writer is it's never the same job twice, and it really doesn't feel like work.  It's the best job I've ever had, hands down.  It's the only job in the world were you walk into work (in my case, open the computer) and your boss starts the day by telling you how amazing you are.  My readers are my bosses now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  They really are great motivators. :)

8.  What do you hope to accomplish with your writing?

My goal is to entertain as many readers as I possibly can.  If I can also get more people reading or cause people to think about important things, that's great too.  But my overriding goal is to make people get so involved in the experience of reading my work that they skip doing chores, stay up until dawn, and tell everyone who will listen about my books.

9.  What kind of romances do you like to read?

The kind where bad boys are tamed by courageous girls.  It's really that simple for me. :)

10.  What's the most important element in a romance in your opinion?

A sexy guy.  Seriously, he just needs to be sexy as hell, and that doesn't mean sexy can't come in different packages.  For example, in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the MC, Ian, is very understated and shy, but man, he rocked my world.  He reminds me a lot of my husband, actually.  On the other hand you have your angsty fighters ... guys who you'd never let into your world in real life but who are safe to fall for in books.  Travis from Beautiful Disaster comes to mind. Boy, did he cause a lot of fuss in the reader world!  Chemistry comes in all kinds of packages, which is awesome, but the chemistry has to be there or the book falls flat for me.

 

 About the Author:

Elle Casey is a full-time writer of New Adult and Young Adult titles in several genres, including romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi dystopian, and action-adventure. She's an American girl who's been living in southern France with her husband and three children since 2010. She loves chatting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

 

Where to Buy Shine Not Burn:

 

Amazon (Ebook & Paperback)

Where to Find Elle Casey:

Website (Keep Updated) 

Goodreads (Add her Books) 

Facebook ("Like") 

Twitter (Follow) 

 

Giveaway!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz (Interview) & Giveaway:The Queen of the Realm of Faerie by Heidi Garrett

Today I am participating in The Queen of the Realm of Faerie Book Blitz hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads & she runs Xpresso Book Tours :D! For the Book Blitz I will be featuring an interview from the author and there is also a giveaway.

 

Title: True Love's First Kiss

Author: Heidi Garrett

Series: The Queen of the Realm of Faerie 1-3

Publication Date: June 18, 2013

Genre: YA Fantasy

Description from Goodreads:

In the Enchanted World, true love’s first kiss is magic.

Nandana’s Mark, Book 1: When two half-faeries—Melia and her younger sister—are cursed under dreadful circumstances, true love’s first kiss is the remedy.

The Flower of Isbelline, Book 2: Nothing but true love’s first kiss can save Melia’s younger sister from blind ambition and ruin.

The Dragon Carnivale, Book 3: Melia must choose the freedom she cherishes or true love’s first kiss—and a relationship that promises to secure her place in the Whole.

The Queen of the Realm of Faerie is a fairy tale fantasy series that bridges the Mortal and Enchanted worlds. The main character, Melia, is an eighteen-year-old half-faerie, half-mortal. She lives in Illialei, a country in the Enchanted World, with her two sisters and their mother. Melia’s father has been exiled to the Mortal World, and her best friend is a pixie.

When the story opens in the first book, Melia is troubled by her dark moon visions, gossip she overhears about her parents at the local market, and the trauma of living among full-blooded faeries with wings—she doesn’t have any.

As the series unfolds, the historic and mystical forces that shape Melia’s life are revealed. Each step of her journey—to find the place where she belongs—alters her perceptions about herself, deepens her relationships with others, and enlarges her world view.

True Love’s First Kiss is a compilation of the first three books in this ongoing series.

 

Add True Love's Kiss by Heidi Garrett to your TBR pile--->Goodreads

Title: The Dragon Carnivale

Author: Heidi Garrett

Series: The Queen of the Realm of Faerie #3

Publication Date: June 18, 2013

Genre: YA Fantasy

Description from Goodreads:

Energies in the Enchanted World are shifting and new alliances are forming; the Battle of Dark and Light has begun. The half-faerie Melia is desperate to make things right with Ryder, the young priest from Idonne, but first she must warn the halfbloods in the Mortal World that Umbra is coming for them, and face the powerful Dragonwitch and her spectacular Dragon Carnivale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add The Dragon Carnivale by Heidi Garrett to your TBR pile---->Goodreads

 

Interview:

Spunky Half-Faerie Billie interviews Heidi Garrett

1. When I read your first book, NM, the first thing I noticed was the pretty, pretty names of three half-faeries! (And I could say, all the characters as I read along!—yes, I'm into pretty names! Guilty!) Um, now back to my question before I start to babble... What inspired you to create those names? 

The series is a spinoff of the Melusine fairy tale, a popular fairy tale in 14th century France. Oui! French. If you do some boring research you might find some variations on the characters names, but the most popular names for the sisters were: Melusine, Melior, and Plantine. I think you’ll agree with me that Melior was NOT the right name for our heroine, THE LEAD! I wanted to use Melusine’s name since it was her fairy tale in the first place, and I went back and forth between Plantine and Plantina. However, I spent the most time fiddling around with MELIOR. UGH. NOT THE RIGHT NAME! I like to take a name and change around the letters and see what I can come up with. Kind of like Scrabble upside down. :D When I reached MELIA, I stopped. I thought, oh, what a pretty name for my heroine! When I was in college, I had a friend named Melia. She was the only Melia I’ve ever known. And even though we have not remained in contact, she was a bright, shining star in my life and helped me through some challenging times. In other words, I liked her a lot! So I thought, that’s it. She will be MELIA!

2. Do you think as a writer (and a very good one! Hah!), when choosing your characters' names, unique names play an important part?

Yes! Names can set the tone of a story. By going with a real fairy tale, I chose to stay as close as possible with the original names of the sisters and their mother and father, because I wanted to create verisimilitude. What does that mean? I wanted to really mix the Mortal and Enchanted worlds in the series. Later, you will meet a character who talks about how so much of what we believe about the Realm of Faerie in the Mortal World is just wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Like where in the heck did iron is dangerous or deadly to faeries come from? So not true. :P

But I didn’t let that stop me when it came to the other names. I went a little crazy when it came to the names of the rest of the countries, characters, and magic objects. But I will be honest. When I write my next series—yes, I think I must—I will probably be even more aware of names.

3. What time of the day do you think you are most creative and inspired? Are you the morning "early bird" type or do you prefer late nights (working like an owl?! :p)? I’ve heard some writers wake up in the middle of the night or at wee hours when an idea hits them to write. 

I’m an early bird and an owl, who likes to take a nice long nap in between. REALLY. Maybe that makes me a cat! I like to work hard when I get up, then snooze a bit. After about 4 p.m., I get my second wind and can stay up late, but my most creative is probably between 4 and 9 p.m.

4. Being so engrossed (I’m sure you are!) in your writing, do your stories really sink into you? Like, sometimes you feel kind of down, sad or giddy, or excited? (Either of the feelings...and hope not having both at the same time?! Hehe.) :D

My favorite writing is when I come out of the trance. I come to, and my heart is racing or my blood is pulsing and I feel like I’ve been there. I suspect those are the best scenes for a reader to read. My goal is to make all my scenes like that. Because for sure, if I’m bored writing it, you (and me) will be bored reading it!

5. Do you sometimes dream a scene (or a chapter!) and find yourself writing it the next morning? (Oh! I love dreaming about faeries!—all dressed in pink for sure! Lol.)

Oh yes! All my life I’ve had vivid dreams. Some writers say they have been writing since they were two! Me, I’ve been having wild and crazy dreams since I was two! I wake up at night or in the morning and go, “WOW! That was awesome.” One of my awesome dreams was someone making magic dragons in the night, drawing energy from trees. Really, I am not making this up! In my dream, I saw the mighty dragon and heard its ROAR. I was spellbound. :) I was in the middle of writing The Flower of Isbelline, and I was like...YES!

6. Speaking of dreamy, I heard (from you?! Haha.) that there will be swoony moments between Melia and Ryder in your upcoming book, DC. (Oh! I can't wait!) My question is, how do you create a swoony moment? (Are you thinking about them! About your sweet, swoony times with your hubby, Jerry? *winks!* And I'm a sucker for romance! (All the time!) :D

OMG! Swoony moments are hard for me to write. I’m private in real life. My love life and sex life—zip the lips! So I have to get over that to a degree to write about those things. However, I’m romantic and passionate. So I believe in love and how powerful it is. For me, I want my main characters to have pure love. I believe soul mates are true to one another on every level. It doesn’t mean they don’t fight (Grrr) or have problems (he’s driving me CRAZY!), but it does mean they never lose sight of the other for too long. And they never really doubt: He’s the one! She’s it! No one else for me. So the conflict in the story has to come in different ways. Miscommunication can be heartbreaking. Learning to talk honestly with someone you love can be the scariest thing on the planet. When it comes to HOT moments, I strive for truth and subtlety. I have to confess, when things get too graphic, I kind of giggle. :D

7. Well, now that I mentioned the swoony Ryder (now my heart's going whoooopeee! lol.) Who is your inspiration when writing his character? (Could be Jerry?! *smiley smiley!) 

The emotional commitment that Ryder has for Melia, yes, comes straight out of my experience with my husband. Being on the receiving end of that kind of steadfastness is the most profound thing I’ve ever experienced as a human being. We often think: What does it mean to be male? What does it mean to be female? A strong confident male loves with unwavering devotion. It leaves you breathless (and kind of turns you on!). Melia’s entire character arc will revolve around the degree to which she can receive and reciprocate Ryder’s deep love.

8. Okay, okay... At the mention of RAWR... Ryder. My mind, for like a nanosecond, went blank! Haha. And speaking of blank... Do you sometimes experience a mental block... or what's the term? Writer's block? Like, you are writing and then the next minute you can't figure out what to write? Do you feel frustrated? How do you deal with those? 

Writer’s block has been a curious thing for me. Since I’ve written in many different ways: poetry, journals, songs, and stories, if I feel blocked I can play with a different way of getting it out. Like, if I’m really stuck at a point in the story, I can start journaling about it. Usually something will break through. The hardest part is when you’ve written yourself into a bad corner and you have to rip apart about twelve chapters. Yes, I’ve done that.

9. Like most of the good movies I've watched, most are based on good books... So, do you dream that "True Love's First Kiss" will be turned into a movie someday? (I’m crossing my fingers! Yes!) Who would you like to play the lead characters? 

Oh yes. I would love to see True Love’s First Kiss on the BIG screen or the little one. I’m not too picky! Wynona Ryder has always been one of my favorite actresses. She would be a perfect Melia if she was still young! But, now, I don’t know. Someone who’s smart and intense. Ryder is another one I struggle with. He has to be more than just a pretty face. :) Right off the top of my head I can’t think of the right person who’s at the right age to play him. Maybe a great casting director could help me out. :D

10. Lastly (before I talk too much! Lol.), how important is it for authors to have a personal connection or interaction with their readers? Do you think it's a good way to promote their books? 

I think readers mean more to an author than a writer can ever understand before you publish a book. Before you publish, the people who are most likely to read your work are friends, family, fellow writers, and maybe some acquaintances. But putting your work before the public is completely different. People you don’t know from all over the world with totally different experiences can read your stories. To hear from them is: You can’t put it into words (even though you’re a writer). It touches something deep inside you and it’s like, wow, the world is good. I think whenever we connect with another human being we have that feeling, the world is good. So when an author has the chance to connect with a reader, it’s a little bit like magic, pixie dust in the air. :) Hopefully, that goes both ways.

And... last... last question. (See?! I can't stop myself?! Haha.) What's next after "True Love's First Kiss"? With the hype on new adult nowadays, are you thinking of writing something incorporated with that genre? 

After True Love’s First Kiss, I have to finish The Queen of the Realm of Faerie series. No, Melia and Ryder are not done yet. In many ways, they are just getting started...still have to save the WHOLE. :D

I’d say… hmmm... on new adult for me. It would have to be a magical realism new adult. A contemporary romance with some magic~sparkle~charms~pow~spells!

About Billie:
Billie is the author of Billie’s Pink Reviews. She’s a hopeless romantic... inside and out! Aside from reading, "swooning" is one of her favorite things to do! If you want some heavy "fan-girling"? Count her in! :P Still believe in castles... prince and princesses... the damsels in distress and kick-ass heroines alike! A dreamer... who still believes in fairy tales... as much as magic... and A firm believer of "Happily ever afters!
She believes that books can make us "teleport" to places only imagination could make. :))

You can find Billie at:
Billie’s Pink Reviews: http://sparklingpinkpages.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/queen_billie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billie.limpin
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10394915-billie

 

 

About the Author:

Heidi Garrett is the author of The Queen of the Realm of Faerie series. Her personal message to all her readers is:

Once upon a time, you lived in an enchanted world, too…

May you always see the magic in your life.

The Queen of the Realm of Faerie includes many strong female characters within an intricate fantasy land. It is also a fairy tale fantasy.

The first book, Nandana’s Mark, is one of those free ebooks; the second book, The Flower of Isbelline, is now available; and the third book, The Dragon Carnivale, will be released in June 2013.

Heidi's hope is that when you read her books, you will rediscover the enchantment in your own life.

She currently resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband and their two cats. So far, she loves the snow. Being from the South, she finds it very magical. 

Where to find Heidi Garrett:

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