Blurb blitz tour stop for The Folly at Falconbridge Hall by Maggi Andersen

Today is a blurb blitz tour stop for The Folly at Falconbridge Hall a historical romance by Maggi Andersen.

Maggi will be awarding a backlist e-book to one randomly drawn commenter and a $30 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered for a chance to win either prize, leave an e-mail with a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave additional comments.

Blurb for The Folly at Falconbridge Hall:

Vanessa Ashley felt herself qualified for a position as governess, until offered the position at Falconbridge Hall.

Left penniless after the deaths of her artist father and suffragette mother, Vanessa Ashley draws on her knowledge of art, politic, and history to gain employment as a governess. She discovers that Julian, Lord Falconbridge, requires a governess for his ten-year-old daughter Blyth at Falconbridge Hall, a huge rambling mansion in the countryside outside London.

Lord Falconbridge is a scientist and dedicated lepidopterist who is about to embark on an extended expedition to the Amazon in search of exotic butterflies. An enigmatic man, he takes a keen interest in his daughter’s education, but Vanessa feels that he may disapprove of her modern methods.

As she prepares her young charge to enter into the modern world, Vanessa finds the girl detached and aloof. As Vanessa learns more about Falconbridge Hall, more questions arise. Why doesn’t Blythe feel safe in her own home? Why is the death of her mother, once famed society beauty Clara, never spoken of? And why did the former governess leave so suddenly without giving notice?

Excerpt from The Folly at Falconbridge Hall:

Vanessa remembered passing the library on her first day and located it without difficulty. She entered the room, finding it empty. It was designed for masculine comfort. Bookshelves filled with tomes covered all available wall space. A tan leather chesterfield and two chairs were grouped in front of the fireplace, and a tiger skin covered the floor in front of the hearth. The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Penny Press lay on a table, and the aroma of cigars and pipe smoke lingered in the air.

A variety of magazines was stacked in a rack. Vanessa sorted through The Gentleman’s Magazine, Punch, The Strand, and the London Sunday Journal. She selected Punch and the Penny Press to take back to her room.

She roamed the shelves searching for suitable books and found several on botany, including one by Lord Falconbridge on Lepidoptera. She piled them onto a mahogany table, along with the books and the notes she’d fetched from her room. Searching further, she spied Plato’s Symposium and climbed the ladder. It was just out of reach. Not wishing to climb down, she leaned across. Her fingers touched the binding, and she leaned farther. She almost had it.

“You read Ancient Greek, Miss Ashley?” Lord Falconbridge asked behind her.

Vanessa jumped, and her foot slipped off the rung. She lost her balance and fell into a pair of strong arms.

Author Bio and Links:

Maggi Andersen and her lawyer husband are empty nesters, living in the countryside outside Sydney with their cat and the demanding wildlife. Parrots demand seed, possums fruit, ducks swim in the stream at the bottom of the garden, and the neighbors chickens roam their yard providing wonderful eggs. She began writing adventure stories at age eight. Three children, a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree later, her novels are still filled with adventure and suspense, but are also passionate romances. Georgette Heyer among others, brought inspiration to her seductive Regencies and she also writes darker, Victorian novels, contemporary romantic suspense and young adult.

She supports the RSPCA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals) and animals often feature in her books. 

Author website: http://www.maggiandersenauthor.com

Blog:  http://www.maggiandersen.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maggiandersen

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggi-Andersen-Author/372854959805

Publisher website:  Black Opal Books http://bookstore.blackopalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18&products_id=58

Interview with contemporary romance author Rachel Hanna

Today is an interview with contemporary romance author Rachel Hanna about her book Broken: Secrets in Madison Falls.

Rachel will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. You can enter using the Rafflecopter form below. For more chances to win, visit other tour stops and enter to win at those stops.

Bio:

Rachel Hanna is a best-selling author of romance novellas and novels. She lives outside of Atlanta with her husband, three cool kids, two crazy dogs, and one very snooty outdoor cat. She loves to write, read, spend time with family and embarrass her kids as much as possible.

She also LOVES to connect with her readers through various social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, so be sure to check out her website for ways to connect!

Welcome, Rachel. Please tell us about your current release.

Broken is a story about a woman named Bella who leaves after her mother passes away and works to support her younger sister. The only thing is that her hometown doesn't know what she's been doing for the last two years while she has supposedly been working as a marketing representative in California. When she has to come home to become the mother of her young nephew, Bella finds herself trying to hide her past while also falling in love with a handsome teacher named Grant.

What inspired you to write this book?

I like to write stories about redemption and how people can change their lives by simply making different decisions. I wanted to write a book about someone who had such a seedy past but was still able to find love like everyone else.

Excerpt:

What exciting story are you working on next? I actually just finished up two novels. The first one is set back in 1837 and revolves around a Cherokee Indian legend. The second half of that novel is a contemporary romance in modern-day times that relates back to that Cherokee legend.

I also just finished the first book in a new series set in a fictional coastal Georgia town. The series will all be contemporary romance revolving around the different members of a large family.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I've considered myself a writer since I was about seven years old. I was always writing stories and said I wanted to be a journalist. I did work as a journalist for several years before going on another path, but I've never stopped writing.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

Yes, I do write full time. Every workday is different. I also have three children at home as well as my husband, and we homeschool. So, between their social activities, school and our work, each workday can be jam packed full of activities. Most of the time, I try to get my writing out-of-the-way early so that I make sure it gets done. It can be very easy to go days without writing if you allow it. Some days, I write on my desktop while other days I might pile up in my bed and write on my laptop. My favorite way to write is on my iPad using a wireless keyboard, so I probably do that most often.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I would say that I like to write the seat of my pants. A lot of people like to outline and have character sketches completed before they even begin the story, but I find that it crushes my creativity. I have an idea of where the story is going when I begin, but for the most part I just write and make it up as I go along.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a journalist from the time I was seven years old and used to watch Jessica Savitch on the nightly news. I stayed on that path and went through college and got to work at different places including CNN as an intern. I really enjoyed being a journalist, but then I found that I liked telling stories I've made up myself better than reporting the news.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I would love to invite your readers to connect with me on Facebook. I've been having such a good time with all of my fan base interacting on Facebook every day. We have a really fun time talking about books, movies and all kinds of other topics.

Thanks, Rachel.
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Book blurb blitz stop for The Descent from Truth by Gaylon Greer

Today is a virtual book blurb stop for Gaylon Greer and his novel, The Descent from Truth.

Gaylon will be giving away an autographed hardcover version of his previous book, The Price of Sanctuary, to one randomly chosen commentor during the tour. So if you’d like to be entered for a chance to win, make sure to leave a way for him to contact you! And if you’d like to increase your odds of winning, visit other tour stops and leave other comments.

Blurb for The Descent from Truth:

Alex Bryson is patrolling Rocky Mountain backcountry in his job as a security guard when he discovers a woman with a baby wandering alone in the snow far from the nearest road. He takes them to shelter in a weekender cabin and sees a newscast that suggests the woman, Pia Ulmer, kidnapped the baby from its rightful parents and that it is the sole heir of Peru’s wealthiest and most corrupt family. Pia claims that she is the baby’s mother, and Alex doesn't know what to believe. After turning her in, he continues to struggle with his budding feelings for her and remains unsure of the true story. He becomes more and more involved until finally there is no turning back—lives are on the line. He helps Pia get free from a brutal world that values money over life, and together they devise a plan to reclaim the baby. Just when it looks like they might succeed, they discover an international conspiracy that changes the game entirely.

Excerpt from The Descent from Truth:  

“Please,” she said, her voice as rough as sandpaper and barely above a whisper. “Please, do not give my baby to those people.”

“Are we back to that? First you're his mother, then you're his nanny. Now you're his mother again?”

“They took him from me. Look at him, Alex. Both Mr. Koenig and his wife are blondes.”

“Koenig’s an old man. His hair's white.”

“Study Frederick's face. Do you not see me in his eyes? His chin and his mouth?”

The similarities were uncanny, he'd grant her that. Good enough to get away with claiming to be the kid's mother if Alex hadn't learned the truth. The way she had attacked him, trying to kill him with that skillet, she clearly didn’t want to go back to civilization and prove who she was. He turned away, tossed Frederick in a maneuver that brought a cry of delight, and stuffed the boy's blanket-clad feet through the leg holes in the backpack. With his parka snapped around both of them and the diaper bag tied to his waist, he gripped his rifle in one hand, his snowshoes in the other, and headed for the porch. At the door, he turned for a final glance at Pia.

She had set her mouth in a stubborn line. The eye that had been plastered shut was closed. She stared at him with the other. When she saw him looking at her, she spoke again. “Watch over him, Alex. Someone wants to harm him. Don’t let them.”

A new tack, another lie. He stepped onto the porch and strapped on his snowshoes. That should have been the last he saw of her, but the specter of her ravaged face and defiant expression stayed with him as he trudged across the sunlit expanse of glistening snow that sloped gradually toward the Warrior River Gorge.

Author information:

Working with traveling carnivals and itinerant farm labor gangs during his teen and early adult years took Gaylon Greer up, down, and across the U.S. and introduced him to a plethora of colorful individuals who serve as models for his fictional characters. After several years as an Air Force officer and then a university professor with a Ph.D. in economics, Greer developed an interest in writing fiction and attended workshops at the University of Iowa, the University of Nebraska, and Bryn-Mawr College. He also studied with the U.C. Davis Extension program and the Algonquian Writers Group. His most recent novel, The Descent from Truth is available at www.Amazon.com and other e-book retailers. Please visit Greer at www.GaylonGreer.com.

Interview with cozy mystery author Marilyn Leach

Today I'm happy to host mystery author Marilyn Leach as she tours her novel Up From the Grave: A Berdie Elliott Lenten Mystery. This novel is a cozy mystery available now from Harbourlight Books/Pelican Book Group.

As a special treat, Marilyn will be awarding an e-book copy of her first book, Candle For A Corpse to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop, plus a grand prize of a $20 gift card to the Pelican Book Group website to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered to win either or both prizes, make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment below. And if you'd like to increase your chances of winning, visit other stops and leave comments there.

Bio:

At the age of nine, Marilyn wrote her first work with a childhood friend. It was a mystery. And she has been writing ever since. A graduate of Colorado State University, she taught art to underserved children and co-authored several plays and screenplays. Marilyn is a dyed-in-the-wool British enthusiast after "discovering her roots" in England. She lives in a lakeside cottage on the Denver outskirts.

Welcome, Marilyn. Please tell us about your current release.

Up From the Grave offers all the elements of good British suspense: village setting, British English vocabulary, a local constabulary, glowing romance, an amazing sleuth and shadowy figures. But there’s more. One reviewer said of the writing, “it’s a Jan Karon meets Agatha Christie style with energy.” Berdie Elliott intrepidly combines both church service and crime solving in the small village of Aidan Kirkwood where a whisper on one end of the village becomes a roar on the other. When a sod-turning ceremony in the church back garden exposes bones, the whole village sets to on uncovering the mystery. But Berdie Elliott, vicar’s wife and sleuth, digs deeply and comes up with the truth. Who is the visiting contessa that appears at the sod-turning, along with her aide? How do Swithy Hall and the beautiful nuptials of a Presswood niece come into play? And in what way do plants and herbs spell out a divine message? All becomes clear when Berdie unearths the answers. Up From the Grave is a modern times soft suspense laced with romance and a dash of humor along with inspirational uplift. As Berdie might say, “Up From the Grave is a jolly good read.”

What inspired you to write this book?

My writing partner and I finished a successful screenwriting project and he decided to write a novel. I said, “And what will I do?” He suggested that I write an English mystery since I was such a big Miss Marple fan. I thought and prayed about it and decided to give it a go. In the process, I really enjoyed creating the Berdie Elliott character, a sleuthing vicar’s wife. Then it followed, after the first book which took place during Advent, I’d write more mysteries aligned with the liturgical calendar of the church. Up from the Grave is a Lenten mystery. The more I work on the stories, the more I feel I’m right where I’m supposed to be, doing what was designed for me to do.

Excerpt:

Berdie read aloud. “Doktor Herman Schultz, twenty-five Morgan Strasse, Heidelberg.” Curiosity getting the better of her, Berdie lifted the thin airmail envelope up to the morning sunlight that flooded through the glass doors. She tried to scrutinize its contents.

Cherry spotted the backside of the envelope and emitted a quick gasp.

“What?”

“It’s slightly open.” Cherry looked at Berdie, chin down and eyebrows raised.

Berdie tried to adjust her ‘vicar’s wife hat. “This is a personal correspondence,” she advised. And then the vicar’s wife hat went askew. “Is there a chance he may have intended the letter for you?”

Cherry grasped the envelope from Berdie’s hand and gingerly moved her finger along, lifting the flap of it ever so carefully. Then, with great concentration, she pulled out a single tri-fold sheet of office paper and unfurled it.

Berdie made every effort to stay glued to her seat. She tried desperately not to be overly eager.

“Oh, it’s a bill,” Cherry informed with a bit of disappointment. Then her eyes enlarged. Berdie held back the impulse to grab the paper and read it herself.

“A bill for thirty thousand pounds,” Cherry all but shouted.

“Thirty thousand pounds?” Berdie lifted her well-kept brows.

“Hang about.” Cherry ran her finger over the paper. “This is a confirmation of payment. It’s a receipt. He’s paid thirty thousand pounds.” Cherry was agog.

Berdie calmly nodded while grasping the arm of the sofa.

What exciting story are you working on next?

In the Berdie Elliott series, I’m working on an Ascension Sunday mystery, Into the Clouds. At a village Ascension Sunday fete, someone goes missing. Berdie and the whole village get involved in trying to find the missing person and, like an onion, peel back layers to discover who committed the crime. It takes lots of twists and turns as Berdie uses her divine gift of sorting truth from fiction to find the perpetrator.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I co-wrote my first play when I was nine years old, and it was a mystery. I’ve written most my life as an avocation, and now as a vocation. It wasn’t until I sat in the back of a performance venue and watched the audience react to the words written in a play I was a part of writing that I realized how this could be a skill I should pursue. It actually touched people’s lives and was incredibly rewarding. I thank God for the opportunity.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I now write full time, although I substitute teach occasional days as well. I taught art to underserved populations for several years before writing full time. After my meditative quiet time, exercise, and breakfast, I write for at least one hour before I do anything else. Then I sprinkle marketing, more writing, household chores, and idea boosting in integrated plots of time. Since it’s only a couple of years that I’ve been writing full time, I’m still working out my writing rhythm in the day to day.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Probably one of my quirky habits is to watch Miss Marple and Poirot DVD’s every Sunday afternoon. I actually take notes about things that strike me such as plot twists, hidden clues, character development, and think about my current writing project as I view them. Just recently, I’ve begun watching them in the order they were created by Agatha Christie. Murder at the Vicarage was her first Miss Marple mystery; her second was The Body in the Library. Though screenwriters add their own bit, I like to track the development of story from project to project. Watching the DVD is a quick study.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child, I hardly gave a fleeting thought to becoming a grown up. I lived very much in the minute. My major in college was psychology, until I changed it to art, until I changed it to education, then I settled on art education. I minored in French until I switched it to English, and eventually got certified as a language development specialist. Do we see a pattern here? But enjoying writing has been consistent all the way through.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

If you enjoy a good brain-tickle that includes humor, romance, village life and genuine uplift, I think you’ll enjoy reading any of the books in the Berdie Elliott series. Up from the Grave is an especially great spring read.

Thanks, Marilyn.

Readers, don't forget: Marilyn will be awarding an e-book copy of her first book, Candle For A Corpse to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop, plus a grand prize of a $20 gift card to the Pelican Book Group website to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered to win either or both prizes, make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment below. And if you'd like to increase your chances of winning, visit other stops and leave comments there.

Interview with romantic suspense author Caitlyn Nicholas

Today's guest is romantic suspense author Caitlyn Nicholas. She's sharing a little about herself and her new novel, The Danger Game available now from Escape Publishing.

Caitlyn will be awarding a Caitlyn Nicholas gift bag to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a grand prize of a $10 Amazon gift card + a Caitlyn Nicholas gift bag to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (International) The form to enter is at the end of the interview. You can visit other tour stops and enter the raffle there, too, to increase your odds.

Welcome, Caitlyn. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I began writing in 2005. Exhausted, pregnant (sure I was going to expire from morning-sickness) and coping with a demanding toddler, I decided the time was right to embark on a writing career. (In hindsight I may have been suffering from a scorching case of sleep-deprivation).

Still, it kinda worked out. My debut novel - and the first manuscript I'd ever written - Running Scared, was published in January 2007.  My next book, Secret Intentions followed.  Then I had a short story published in the Mammoth Book of Special Ops Romance (MBSOR) in 2010 - my story is called “The Grey Man.”

In 2012, my novel Drive Me to Distraction was published, and my novella The Danger Game came out just before Christmas.  My next book, The Bunker, will be published in July 2013.

Please tell us about your current release.

It’s called The Danger Game. Flick, my heroine, likes computers. She’s good with them, and they do what she tells them, mostly. People, however, are more of a challenge.

But when a terrifyingly dangerous program is stolen, and her mentor killed, Flick finds herself on the run. The police are convinced she’s committed murder, and a sinister weapons developer will stop at nothing to force her to work for him.

In Ben’s line of work being suspicious keeps you alive. So when Flick turns to him, he quickly realises that she’s up to her neck in trouble and hasn’t fully grasped the danger she is in.

First he has to keep her safe, and then, together, they have to figure out how to save the world from an epic meltdown.

What inspired you to write this book?

The idea for The Danger Game sparked when I read an article about cyber-war, and it inspired a plot about an unstoppable cyber-weapon. I like to write about strong stubborn heroines meeting their match…

Excerpt:

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Ben asked.

Flick looked at his reflection in the mirror. “I don’t know.”

His face had a closed off look, and at her words a deep frown creased his forehead. He folded his arms across his chest.

“What exactly don’t you know?”

“I don’t know who you are. That’s for certain.”

His eyes narrowed and a muscle jumped in his jaw.

“I think I should talk to the police.” She pushed past him, out of the bathroom, aware that they were alone. “I’ll take them up to Andy’s office, they’ll need to know about it.”

“That sounds sensible.”

She glanced at him, but his face showed nothing but bland impassivity.

“It seems unreal to me. Like a bad dream.”

“Civilians always feel that way at first. Its normal.”

“Civilians?”

“People.” He shrugged.

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next book, The Bunker, is out in July 2013. It’s a romantic suspense set in a bunker deep under the idyllic green hills of England. Geeky Dimity Pond is the only person who can save the world from an epic financial meltdown, but to do it she’s going to need help from the reclusive and terse Lord Richard Summerhayes.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I didn’t really consider myself a writer until recently actually. My first two books were very experimental (for me anyway). My kids were very little when they were published and I wasn’t sure if I’d keep writing, go back to work, go back to University, or be a Glorious Domestic Goddess.

As things turned out I decided to become a stay at home mum, but it soon became obvious that full time Glorious Domestic Goddess didn’t make me happy. So I kept writing. When my story, Drive Me to Distraction, was accepted for publication in January last year, then I felt like I was stepping off into a new career as a ‘real’ writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I write during the day. Usually about 2-3 hours each day. More if I’m on a deadline. It’s not easy to work at home. There is always chores and jobs that I could easily be doing and I often feel I have to choose between welcoming the kids home with home made after school treats or finishing the next chapter. I’m haunted by Mummy-guilt! Still the writing usually wins out, and if I’m really over it I go and work in a café.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hmm. Trying to think of something that doesn’t make me sound too mad!! To be honest I think it’s probably that the more I have to do, the more I get done. I work best under pressure and with deadlines.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Well, it was changeable but most of the time I wanted to be a lady who rode horses in the circus. I’m rather relieved that it didn’t work out!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

My next book, The Bunker, is out in July 2013. It’s another thrilling romantic suspense set in deep underground in an old bunker, in the idyllic green hills of England. If you sign up for my newsletter you’ll be the first to hear about when it goes live. And don’t forget to leave a comment and enter my giveaway. Prizes include much sought after Timtams (legendary Australian chocolate biscuit).

You can find me online at: http://www.caitlynnicholas.com

My blog: http://www.caitlynnicholas.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CaitlynNicholas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaitlynNicholasAuthor

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105412279044420141735/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/783424.Caitlyn_Nicholas

Buy links:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Danger-Game-ebook/dp/B00AK3GTTI/

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Danger-Game-ebook/dp/B00AK3GTTI/

Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/THE-DANGER-GAME/book-4CHaOFNh70yB3UeAWKA7lg/page1.html?s=shBHL7QvTEeR0uGd3fnOsA&r=1

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-danger-game-nicholas-caitlyn/1114588729?ean=9780857990105

Ibookstore https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-danger-game/id585508156?mt=11

Or on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16280752-the-danger-game

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Book blast tour stop for the Blood Destiny series by Helen Harper

Today I'm a book blast tour host for the Blood Destiny series of urban fantasy books by Helen Harper.

Helen will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn person during the tour. To enter, use the form at the end of the interview. For more chances to win, visit other tour stops and enter there, too!

Blurbs:

Bloodfire

Mackenzie Smith has always known that she was different. Growing up as the only human in a pack of rural shapeshifters will do that to you, but then couple it with some mean fighting skills and a fiery temper and you end up with a woman that few will dare to cross. However, when the only father figure in her life is brutally murdered, and the dangerous Brethren with their predatory Lord Alpha come to investigate, Mack has to not only ensure the physical safety of her adopted family by hiding her apparent humanity, she also has to seek the blood-soaked vengeance that she craves.

Bloodmagic

After escaping the claws of Corrigan, the Lord Alpha of the Brethren, Mack is trying to lead a quiet lonely life in Inverness in rural Scotland, away from anyone who might happen to be a shapeshifter. However, when she lands a job at an old bookstore owned by a mysterious elderly woman who not only has a familiar passion for herbal lore but also seems to know more than she should, Mack ends up caught in a maelstrom between the Ministry of Mages, the Fae and the Brethren.

Now she has to decide between staying hidden and facing the music, as well as confronting her real feelings for the green eyed power of Corrigan himself.

Bloodrage

Mack begins her training at the mages' academy in the hope that, by complying, the stasis spell will be lifted from her old friend, Mrs. Alcoon. However, once there, she finds herself surrounded by unfriendly adults and petulant teenagers, the majority of whom seem determined to see her fail.

Feeling attacked on all fronts, Mack finds it harder and harder to keep a rein on her temper. Forced to attend anger management classes and deal with the predatory attentions of Corrigan, the Lord Alpha of the shapeshifter world, her emotions start to unravel. But when she comes across a familiar text within the walls of the mages' library, which might just provide the clues she needs to unlock the secrets of her background and her dragon blood, she realises that her problems are only just beginning...

Excerpt from Bloodfire:

Forgetting that I was supposed to be keeping my head down, I scanned the ranks of the other Brethren shifters. I was curious now about what their feelings were about taking in some of their distant country bumpkin cousins.  My eyes travelled down the line.  There was a bored looking blonde haired woman with a stance that suggested predator –wolf perhaps – then a slight dark man who was obviously a fox judging by the calculating cunning in his eyes, then there was…uh-oh.

The next shifter was looking right at me.  Green gold predatory eyes gazed into mine expressionlessly.  I snapped my eyes back to the floor and stopped breathing.

I’m no-one, no-one worthy of attention, I whispered silently, trying to quash the rising panic.  I couldn’t endanger the rest of the pack by being discovered.  Every sinew in my body screamed but I forced myself to keep my eyes and head trained on the ground.

Don’t look up.  Don’t look up.  Don’t look up.  Seconds passed.  Minutes.

Author Bio and Links:

Helen Harper is an English teacher currently living abroad in Malaysia. As a long time reader of urban fantasy, she finally bit the bullet and began to develop her own series of novels.

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland. "I always loved the escapism provided by those genres," states Helen. "No matter how bad life gets, you can always find a route out, even if only temporarily, in the pages of a good book."

The growth of urban fantasy fascinated her - the mix of reality and fantasy along with strong heroic female characters appealed from the very beginning, and inspired her to write her own.

 Facebook Author page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Harper/101590660022586

Twitter: HarperFire

Amazon.com buy links:

Bloodfire

http://www.amazon.com/Bloodfire-Blood-Destiny-1-ebook/dp/B00AU43ZXK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Bloodmagic

http://www.amazon.com/Bloodmagic-Blood-Destiny-2-ebook/dp/B00AU0O00G/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Bloodrage

http://www.amazon.com/Bloodrage-Blood-Destiny-3-ebook/dp/B00BQEFTPK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362894945&sr=1-1&keywords=bloodrage

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Interview with fantasy author Debra Dunbar

Today is an interview with fantasy author Debra Dunbar about her novel Elven Blood.

Debra will be awarding an e-book copy of A Demon Bound (book 1 in the Imp Series) to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a grand prize of a Kindle Fire with an Elven Blood book cover skin to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY). To be entered for a chance to win any of the prizes, leave an e-mail address with a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning something, visit other tour stops and leave more comments.

Welcome, Debra. Please tell us about your current release.

Elven Blood is the third novel in my Imp series. Samantha Martin is an imp, a lesser demon from Hel. She has been living under the radar, posing as a human for the last 40 years, but now that she’s bound to an angel and is the Iblis (a rather meaningless title that signifies the leader of the demons) her life is. . .complicated. In Elven Blood, she’s found herself buried in angelic bureaucracy, saddled with a succubus houseguest, and fighting off a never-ending slew of demon hit-men.

When an elven lord offers to take care of the bounty on her head in return for tracking down and killing a demon half-breed, Sam thinks she’s found the solution to her most pressing problem. But as Sam searches for this “abomination,” she begins to have second thoughts.

Yep. An imp with moral misgivings. What is the world coming to!

What inspired you to write this book?

The series as a whole came from my children. As they grow, I see my sons developing empathy for others, and I wondered how much of “good” is a socially learned response. Maybe a demon could become good if she lived long enough with humans, if she had to modify her behavior to blend in. Maybe acting good would result in a true moral shift.

For this particular book, I was inspired by close friends who struggled with fertility issues. How far is an individual willing to go to conceive a child? Would they be able to violate their cultural taboos? What if they knew they’d never be able to raise the child themselves, that they’d need to hide it away with foster parents for its own protection?

It all sounds so dark and philosophical, but the books are really humorous. I love writing comedy, and promise I don’t beat readers over the head with my moral compass!

Excerpt:

I heaved the decapitated demon head through the gate to Hel and turned to look at the guardian.  The way her shoulders slumped and she kicked at the floor, gave me the impression she was not happy to be supervising.    

“Third one this week,” I told her, as if she didn’t know.

I had a bounty on my head, but the demons Haagenti was sending after me were the dregs of the hierarchy, desperate beings looking to get lucky and boost their fame by taking me down.  Idiots.  I kept killing them and tossing their heads through the gate that connected the realm of the humans with Hel.   I wasn’t sure if the powerful demon, Haagenti, was more pissed at the fact that I’d shielded my foster brother, Dar, from his wrath this fall, or that I’d kept the Iblis sword instead of turning it over to him. 

Not that I really wanted the thing.  I was stuck with it, and all the paperwork and responsibility that seemed to come with holding the empty title of leader of the demons.  Iblis.  Ha-Satan.  The Devil.  No one had held that title since our split with the angels two and a half million years ago.  Why had this sword, this artifact that came with the title, chosen me?  I was nothing but an imp.  I wasn’t qualified to be the Iblis.

What exciting story are you working on next?

In addition to the next book in the IMP series, I’m writing a novel that I joke is a zombie-cop thriller. In Dead Shift, the heroine is a Baltimore City police officer. She’s dead. And once she realizes it, she needs to find her killer or possibly be trapped forever inside a decaying body.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Birth? It sure felt that way!

I wrote my first story at six in one of those black and white composition notebooks. My teacher liked it so much she nominated me for a county award. I still remember feeling overwhelmed at the presentation ceremony with adult strangers asking me about my “book.” All throughout my childhood, I was either reading or writing. Or watching Scooby Doo.

After college, I did some freelance writing, but eventually took a different fork in the road and went into corporate life. Roads tend to circle back though, and here I am.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I still have the corporate job. My day is really flexible, so I squeeze in writing when I can. Even though the bulk of my word count comes in the evenings or on weekends, I’m always jotting down notes and scene ideas during the day. It’s all very disorganized, but it works for me.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hubby says I make weird faces when I write. I can’t help it – I’m imagining the scene in my head, hearing the dialogue, and I think in a way I’m acting out what’s going on. I must be a terrible actress though, because my family says it’s hysterical!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A dog. Seriously. Furry, four legs, cold wet nose. A dog. I’m still disappointed that didn’t work out for me.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I think there is a bit of imp inside every one of us. I hope that as people read Elven Blood, they discover their own imp and let her out to play.