Something Wicked Comes: Interview with Elizabeth Hunter and Giveaway

Hey all! Thank you for stopping by and checking out my interview of E.Hunter for Something Wicked Comes hosted by my turtle buddy Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings and Lila at Babbling About Books. You can also win E's latest book Building From Ashes, just follow the instruction at the end of the post.

I have Elizabeth Hunter with me today, the author of the Elemental Mysteries Series and many more. 

So first I would like to ask, how did you get into writing?

I was a technical writer for years, writing things like manuals and sales proposals, but then I started writing a little fan fiction for fun. And it was that experience that showed me how fulfilling creative writing could be. I started my own stories and just never stopped.

What inspired you to write The Elemental Series?

I love paranormal fiction. Have loved it for years. I was thinking one day about what I would do if I had eternity to live. I’m a total bookworm, so I figured I would just read a lot! From that idea sprung the idea of Giovanni Vecchio, an immortal whose life revolved around books. And the series really grew from that.

What was the hardest part to write in this series?

I think endings are always hard to write. Each book has been difficult to end, but particularly A Fall of Water, because it was the end of Gio and Beatrice’s story arc. It was the right time to say goodbye to them, but it was difficult.

What are your favorite parts of the books you loved writing?

I love dialogue. Particularly flirting. I love banter and humor. Those parts are some of the most fun to write for me. I start to twitch if I see too much narration on the page with no one talking.

If you weren’t an author, what do you think you would be doing instead? 

Probably, like Beatrice, I would be a librarian. Information science and research are passions for me. I’m a very curious person.

Over one year you have written and published five books now, how do you do it?

I don’t sleep much! I also think it helps that I’m very organized about how I work. I always outline a project completely before I start. For me, this helps to keep me very focused when I actually sit down to write. While the writing of my last four books took a little over a year, the planning and prewriting took longer.

You wrote both paranormal and contemporary, which did you like writing more?

I like both, but paranormal and fantasy will always be my first love.

Who are your biggest supporters?

My readers! I have amazing, brilliant readers. I also have a crazy, diverse family who are amazing and very supportive and a wonderful group of friends who are writers.

If you had the chance to have a date with ANY character from your book, who would it be and why?

Carwyn, probably. I like to laugh and he’d be a fun date, don’t you think? I like beer, wrestling, and motorcycles, so I think he’d go for it. ;)

Just one more before we go to the quickies, any plans for starting another series in the near future?

I am working on a shapeshifter series right now! I’m about 3/4 of the way finished with the first book and have already published a short story prequel called Long Ride Home: A Cambio Springs Short Story, which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It’s a different setting and feel from the Elemental Mysteries, which is fun, but deals with some of the same themes about love, family, and friendship that all of my books do.

Now time for some quickie fun questions

Writing or Reading? 

Tough one, but writing. If I had a whole day to myself, I’d write before I’d read. I love my job.

Favorite Actor? 

Oooooh, probably Michael Fassbender. He’s very talented and has such a presence on screen. (And yes, incredibly handsome.)

Prangon here pops in to spam with Michael Fassbender yummies

Favorite Movie? 

The Big Lebowski? Maybe. I’m moody about these things.

Favorite author?

No possible way I can answer that!

Thank you so much E for being so patient with me and taking the time out of your busy schedule to do the interview. 

Elizabeth is giving away one copy of  Building From Ashes. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE so all you have to do to enter this giveaway is leave your name and email address in the comment box. Winner will be chosen on 1st November.

Building From Ashes (Elemental World #1)
by Elizabeth Hunter 

For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.

Brigid Connor has known about vampires since they rescued her from a painful childhood. But not even their vast elemental power can save her from the demons that torment her.

As loyalties are tested and new paths are forged, a lurking danger slowly grows in the Elemental World. Carwyn and Brigid will learn that even secrets revealed can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

A continuation/spinoff of the Elemental Mysteries series. The timeline in this books stretches from BEFORE A Hidden Fire starts (so you see a little character history) until AFTER A Fall of Water finishes. As I’m sure lots of you could tell, Carwyn had quite a few things going on in his life that didn’t make it into Gio and Beatrice’s story. So Building From Ashes explores that storyline and also sets up the Elemental World for some new adventures...

Guest Post from Emlyn Chand

As a part of this social media Whirlwind tour of Farsighted by Emlyn Chand, sponsored by Novel Publicity, I had the privilege to promote this brand new YA paranormal series in my blog. Yesterday we had a chance to get to know a little bit about Farsighted, the leading character Alex and Emlyn, from her interview. And today I will be stepping aside and Emlyn will take over from here! 

The New Year is upon us. And if the Mayans were right, so is the apocalypse. Oh, man… Just when Earth was getting good.

Well if I’m going to go by flame, flood, meteoric collision, or zombie uprising, I think it’s best to be prepared. No, not with a flame retardant unitard or a well-equipped cross bow, but with mental resolution—with a calm acceptance of humanity’s plight.

Consider this a combo suicide note/ Dear John letter to the world. I might as well get a few final words in (just in case those Mayans knew what they were talking about). Pfffhew, here goes…

Dear World,

I wish I didn’t have to write this letter. We’ve been together some twenty-seven years, and that’s a long time. Sure, we’ve had our clashes. You’ve sent a fair share of inclement weather my way. Remember that thunder storm when the tree almost broke through the window of my apartment? I was so scared. That was totally not cool on your part. And tornados? I mean what’s that about. Control your temper!

But I know I’ve hurt you too. I’ve been frivolous with your resources and have sometimes even—gasp—littered. I bought a V6 when I could’ve bought a hybrid. In fact, I think my carbon footprint is a size 12 at least—and that’s a size you have to special order at the shoe store. Yeah, I’m not saying I’m perfect. We all do things we regret, but Earth, you know I love you, right? That’s why it’s so difficult saying what I have to say…

We can’t be together anymore. I’ve heard talk of a major problem. They say you’re going to die a horrific death, and since I count on you for protection, I’m gonna die too. I’d like to say we’ll be together in the next world, but do planets go to Heaven? I can’t say for certain, so I think I should say goodbye instead.

We’ve had a good run, you and I. And I never regret having loved you. How I wish I could save us both, but who am I to interfere with an ancient prophecy?

I’ll miss the way you spill light through my closed blinds in the early morning, gently telling me it’s time to start my day. And I’ll remember fondly the way the ground smells after a restorative rain shower—the way the pitter patter on my skin prickles like teensy weensy fingers giving me a massage, the way the earthworms come out of the ground and dance on the pavement. The songs of birds in the morning are my favorite; they always sound so happy. I wish I understood the lyrics to their upbeat symphony so that I could join in with them. And ice cream? I’ll give you credit for that, because the cows are yours, the vanilla bean is yours, the sugar is yours. The taste is magnificent! To never feel that icy sensation arouse my taste buds again is such a great shame.

I’m tearing up now just thinking about all our good times together. I hope you’ll remember me with the same fondness. No matter what happens, I will ALWAYS love you.

Now it’s time to say goodbye. Go out with a smile,

About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.  When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:  Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Thank you Emlyn for the awesome post! If we do face apocalypse, I think I will need to write a Dear John letter as well. Just in case! You know what I will write one write now.


Dear siblings, 

NO. You cannot touch my Harry Potter collection when I turn into a zombie.


Love your sister,

Interview with Emlyn Chand author of Farsighted and GIVEAWAY!

Farsighted by  Emlyn Chand

Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

“Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”

“Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”

“It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”

I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”

“Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’ I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”

“Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.

As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.

“Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.

Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.

Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.

“Hello?” I call again.

“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.

“I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.

“That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.

“Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.

“No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”

“Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.

The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.

“I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”

“Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”

“What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?

“You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”

I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.

Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.

Hello readers, I would like to introduce Emlyn Chand to you all, author of Farsighted, a brand new paranormal Young-Adult series, Fasighted. Emlyn was kind enough to answer some questions about her book and what encouraged her to writing this book.

What was it like writing from the viewpoint of a blind, teenage boy? Were there any parts of Alex’s personality/life you found hard to come up with?

You know, it wasn’t as hard to write blind as I initially thought it would be. It didn’t take long to begin “seeing” Alex’s world the way he does. I wrote the entire story without knowing what anyone or anything looked like (except for Alex himself). When it came time to shoot the book trailer, the directors were asking me questions about the scenes and which props they should bring, and I really, really didn’t know what to tell them!

As I got to know Alex better and better, it became easier to tune into his way of seeing things. I read books about coping with blindness in a school setting and spent a great deal of time pondering how I might behave if I couldn’t see. In the story, Alex has always been blind; he’s always known the world to be a certain way. Not everyone understands that, and they have trouble talking about it with him. I gave Alex a tendency to overcompensate. He knows who he is and what he’s capable of, and he wants the world to know it too, so sometimes he overdoes things a bit.

Your cast of characters has international flavor? What’s behind that choice?

I don’t see why my characters all need to belong to the same culture or ethnicity. What fun is that? Culture shapes our characters in a big way, so by diversifying my cast, I was able to hit on more types of personalities and situations. Grandon is based on my hometown; it’s small and kind of boring. I couldn’t wait to escape and move on to bigger and better things. My home town was mostly Caucasian, but somehow I ended up with a very diverse set of friends even though they made up less than 1% of the student body. Fast forward a few years, and I end up marrying a man from India. He’s from New Delhi, like Simmi. I’ve always been fascinated by other cultures; I even decided to pursue my Master’s in Sociology for this very reason. I credit two early life influences for this attraction:  1) My adoration of A.C. Slater in Saved by the Bell, 2) Disney’s Aladdin being the best movie ever.

What was the inspiration for Farsighted?

Everything started with a single image—my face in these tacky oversized sunglasses reflecting out at me from the car’s side mirror. I was daydreaming while my husband drove us across Michigan for my sister’s wedding. Something about my image really struck me in an almost horrific way. I felt the glasses made me look blind but found it so weird that there was still a clear image within them; it seemed so contradictory. At the time, my book club was reading The Odyssey, which features the blind Theban prophet, Tieresias. I started thinking about what it would be like to have non-visual visions of the future and began forming a modern Tieresias in my mind. Lo and behold, Alex Kosmitoras was born. I didn’t want him to be alone in his psychic subculture, so I found other characters with other powers to keep him company. Thank God for my poor fashion sense :D

What would you like readers to take away from Farsighted? Is there a different message for adults than for teens?

First and foremost, I hope that readers will enjoy themselves. My primary goal is to tell an interesting story that people will find entertaining and be glad they read. Secondly, I’d like to infuse contemporary Young Adult fiction with a bit more diversity and teach readers about the beauty of other cultures and other ways of life. I also hope that Farsighted is a book that leads to introspection—what would I do if put in Alex’s place? Did Alex ever have a choice or was this path his destiny? What would it be like to see the world the way he sees the world?

I like to think of anything I write as being kind of like a Disney movie, in that the primary audience will be children, but there are extra tidbits for the adults too. Farsighted has been infused with a great deal of research about runes, classic mythology, and Eastern spirituality, but you don’t need to understand any of that to be entertained by the story.

There have been articles written this year about YA being too dark for teens. What are your thoughts on this?

I definitely agree. I want to get back to the core of the YA genre, and I attempted to do that with Farsighted. I also think that paranormal has gotten a bit too out there. One thing I hear from readers quite a bit is that the paranormal seems normal in Farsighted. They don’t question the existence of the powers, and it doesn’t seem out there like some other books of the genre do. That was important to me. I wanted my story to be run by the characters, not the fantastic elements. This is a story about Alex, not about a blind psychic.

What motivated you to structure the book around the runes?

Remember how I said my Master’s degree is in Sociology? It’s actually Quantitative Sociology. I’m a numbers person as well as a word person. I love things to be organized just so. If you set a stack of papers in front of me; I’m going to fuss with them until they are lined up in a perfect stack. It’s just the way I am. Shaping each chapter around a rune gave the story order, which made me feel happy and comfortable. Whenever I got stuck and didn’t know what should happen next, I was able to learn more about that chapter’s rune and get the inspiration I needed to continue. The runes themselves tell a story, one that is successfully completed. I felt that boded well for Farsighted.

What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I LOVE YA—I read it, write it, love it! My favorite author is JK Rowling. The more I read, the more I realize how brilliant she is as an author. If you remove the dialogue tags from Harry Potter, you still know which character is speaking, and Rowling managed to create an intricate beautiful world without allowing her character development to suffer, which is tremendously rare. I consider her literary God. Suzanne Collins, and JD Salinger are classic faves.

My all-time favorite book is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, definitely. The novel has so many layers and entertains on so many levels. Also the characters in that novel seem more real than those from any other I’ve ever read. It’s just beautiful—that’s the only word for it.

If you had to be stuck on an island for a year with three literary characters, who would they be?

First up, we’d obviously take Robinson Crusoe. He knows what he’s doing, and he can be the provider. I’ll also take Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games—if we get in any kind of danger, she’d be a great protector. Lastly, I’d take Ron Weasley. Ron and I can live the good life, while the other two make sure we all stay safe and well-fed. I know I would never get bored with Ron around—he’s just 24/7 entertainment.

You’ve taken a risk by going with an unconventional ending. Without spoiling the story for your readers, can you tell us why you made this choice? Are you glad you did this? Do you feel it’s been successful? Why or why not?

Yeah, I ended with a cliffhanger, which goes against traditional publishing wisdom. But you know what? I. AM. INDIE! Being indie means taking risks and breaking the mold and, boy, am I excited to do it. The ending is kind of polarizing, people either love it or wish there was more there. The joining thread is almost everyone mentions looking forward to the next book in the series. Farsighted demands a companion, and people see that. I think it was a good decision since this is the first in the series and since I enjoy toeing the line of convention. It’s fun to shake things up. 

Find Emlyn Chand in her facebook page, webpage, twitter, goodreads. 

Now it's time for the GIVEAWAY!! Today you have the chance to win $50 Amazon gift card or an autographed copy of Farsighted. How do you do that?!? You simply have to log into your Facebook and share this post.

WAIT! That's not the only way or the only prize. You can win many more, find out about them by clicking here.

Scorpio Rising by Monique Domovitch Tour and Giveaway

As a part of promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity book tours I am happy to introduce Scorpio Rising by Monique Domovitch to my readers.

Scorpio Rising is the first part of The Scorpio Series followed by The Sting Of Scorpio. 

Scorpio Rising by Monique Domovitch
Amazon / Barnes & Nobel

Some people have ambitions so great, that to achieve them, they must put aside all else. Alexander Yvanov is such a man. Born in Brooklyn from an embittered mother, he climbs his way to a better life in New York. Thousands of miles away, beautiful Brigitte Dartois, also has big dreams and raging ambitions. This is the story of two people whose single-minded obsessions are put to the test when they meet. Will they choose love or success?
Monique Domovitch takes us on a breathtaking journey of twists and turns, from New York to Paris, in this, her stunning first novel, Scorpio Rising.

The Sting Of The Scorpio by Monique Domovitch 

Amazon

If you enjoyed Scorpio Rising, you will love its sequel, The Sting of the Scorpio.

Alexander Ivanov returns to New York with his beautiful bride, Brigitte Dartois, and begins his dizzying climb to the pinnacles of success. To attain his goals, Alex plots his way, betraying friends and creating enemies. When Power Properties becomes the victim of a hostile takeover attempt, Alex is left to wonder who among those closest to him has turned on him while he struggles to keep his beloved company.

 Get to know Scorpio Rising a little better from the excerpt

Half way around the world, Brigitte Dartois also liked drawing. Rather than buildings, her pictures were of her family—Papa, Maman, and herself under a bright sun. Sometimes she drew trees and flowers. Her subjects were the same as any other child’s her age, but her pictures were different. They were strong and arresting.

“Viens voir, Colette,” her father called her mother. He held up a bright drawing of a garden. “Regarde, don’t tell me our daughter is not talented.”

Colette Dartois looked, but to her, those colorful scribbles were no better than those of any other nine-year-old.

She shrugged. “You shouldn’t compliment her too much. It will go to her head. Brigitte, put that away and go do your homework.”

Often, Colette would look at her husband and her daughter with vague discomfort. He paid so much attention to Brigitte and so little to her. Every day when Louis Dartois burst through the door after work, it was Brigitte to whom he opened his arms after a perfunctory kiss to Colette. Gradually, Colette’s love for her husband and daughter festered into resentment and jealousy.

Then, when Brigitte was thirteen, her father died suddenly. Three months later, her mother married Lucien. “Consider yourself lucky. Not many men are willing to be a papa to a grown girl like you. You better be nice to him.”

Brigitte was filled with anger, betrayed by her mother’s indifference. One night, when Brigitte was alone in the house with her stepfather, she awakened to a pair of rough hands moving over her body. “This will be our little secret,” Lucien told her when she opened her eyes. “If you even think of telling anyone, I’ll kill you,” he said. Then he raped her.

Her mother worked the evening shift as a barmaid at a club down the street, and for the next three years, it became a nightly ritual for Lucien to stop in for une petite caresse, as he called it. Every night he gave her the same warning. “You tell anyone and you’re dead.” Sometimes he went into gruesome details of what he would do to her if she ever told. Brigitte believed him. So, she kept her mouth shut.

Once, she was the top student in her class. Her grades began to slide until she was close to failing. She slept at her friends’ flats whenever she could. At home, she was silent and withdrawn. Her mother barely noticed.

“What’s the matter with you?” Colette asked. “Get your act together. You keep it up and you’ll be kicked out of school.”

One night while Lucien was in her bed and forcing himself on Brigitte, the bedroom door flew open. Her mother stood in the entrance, an expression of horror on her face. Lucien jumped up and fumbled with his trousers. “It’s the girl’s fault,” he said, his voice coming in halting breaths. “How’s a man supposed to resist? She’s always coming on to me. As soon as you leave in the evening, she takes off her camisole and lets me see her body. Colette, you’ve got to stop her, she’s trying to break us up!”

“Get out!” Colette shouted, and her voice was like ice. The girl sobbed in relief. At last, her ordeal was over. She would never have to see her stepfather again. “You’re no daughter of mine. Get out you putain.”

In shock, Brigitte realized her mother was speaking to her. She had lost! Lucien had won! She dressed as quickly as she could, threw a few of her things into a pillowcase, and slipped silently down the hall to the closet where her mother kept her purse. Sorry, but I’ll need this more than you will. She took all the cash she found. Then she left.

Two days later, a sales-help-wanted sign in a store window caught her eye.

Now time for the giveaway, you can enter to win 2 Kindle Fires, Amazon gift cards up to $100 in amount, 5 autographed copies of the book, AND 5 autographed copies of its recently released sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio. 

So what do you have to do to enter win the awesome prizes!! Follow this LINK and fill up the form!

 

My Gratitude for Harry Potter

Beth Revis author of Across The Universe and A Million Suns is hosting an awesome giveaway, Give thanks for good books. 

Today I would like to give my thanks to J.K. Rowling for introducing me to the world of magic and Harry Potter.

Yes, I am a Harry Potter fan always have been and I am proud to say that I will always stay one.

Since 2001, to 2011 it's been exactly 10 years that I have fallen in love with the movie and the books. I confess I did not know Harry Potter was based on a book till the first movie philosopher's stone came out. And when my mother got me the first three books I devoured them in a week. I still have all the books

I still remember taking my little brother and sister to buy three copies Deathly Hallows the day of it's release, yes none of us was willing to wait for the other to finish. lol. Even now after all these years, I still love the Harry Potter books. It has been the series that started my reading mania. So I will always cherish them. And my unborn children will have Harry Potter in their book shelf by their eleventh birthday. Hopefully they will get their letter from Hogwarts and Dobby!

Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating the world where I learned so much about magic, mythological creatures, witch and wizards! 

Guest Post from Elizabeth Hunter and GIVEAWAY of A Hidden Fire

Diego Rivera, The Kid

Thanks to the lovely Smittens Kitten for letting me steal her blog for the day! My name is Elizabeth Hunter, and I’m writing today about my debut novel, A Hidden Fire, on sale today at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. I also wanted to post a little about the Dia de los Muertos holiday celebrated in Mexico and the American Southwest at the beginning of November.

In my paranormal romance, A Hidden Fire, one of the first social interactions Gio and Beatrice have is a community center celebration of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Originating in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos is a holiday that blends indigenous Native American traditions with the Roman Catholic celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

“Do you know much about Dia de los Muertos?” Beatrice asked as they walked. He shook his head. “Not much. I haven’t spent a great deal of time in Latin America.” He knew plenty, of course, but he preferred to hear her explanation. “It’s not usually celebrated until November second, but the art center hosts a family fair on Halloween so parents have an option other than trick-or-treating for the kids.” Beatrice smiled at a pair of small children in skeleton costumes with flowers in their hair as they rushed past on the way to the carnival games. He observed their small, retreating forms. “It certainly seems popular.” “It is. It used to be just Mexican families, but now a lot of people like the tradition.”

The meaning behind this unique celebration is that the dead should not be mourned, but celebrated, and that by honoring their souls through gifts and decorations, the souls will “meet” the living and hear their prayers. Humor and celebration is encouraged and the day has become the equivalent of a national holiday in Mexico. Often dancing, singing, poetry and art are part of family or community celebrations.

The women stepped back to examine the effect, whispering to each other in Spanish but smiling and laughing as well. Giovanni cocked his head and looked around the room. Though it was filled with symbols and depictions of the dead, there was no fear and very little sorrow. It was unusual to find such celebration in the name of loss, and he found himself touched by the demeanor of the partygoers.

While traditions vary in different communities, most include an altar set up either in home or local cemeteries and decorated with pictures of loved ones, along with marigolds, toys for children, and favorite foods and drinks of the deceased, which are then eaten by friends and family after the celebration.

Though the initial setting is in Texas, the Elemental Mysteries is an international story, with characters originating in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and North Africa. Since I was dealing with such a huge cast of characters from so many periods of history, the series involved a lot of research. Luckily, many of the settings are places I have traveled or lived personally!

While I’ve been writing online and professionally for a while, A Hidden Fire is the first time I’ve published a novel of this length. The journey to independent publishing has been a crazy ride, but I’ve met so many amazing people along the way. If you want to learn more about the books, subscribe at the website, ElementalMysteries.com.

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth 

 

Thank you Elizabeth, for the great post about Dia de los Muertos and introducing everyone to A Hideen Fire. It was a pleasure having you on my blog.  

Elizabeth is giving away one copy of her book A Hidden Fire to a  reader. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE so all you have to do to enter this giveaway is leave a comment for Elizabeth along with your profile link or email address. Winner will be chosen on 1st November.

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

Released date: October 18 2011

"No secret stays hidden forever ..."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he’d abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice de Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads them from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

You can purchase the book from Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

Author Bio:

Elizabeth Hunter is the author and independent publisher of the Elemental Mysteries Series. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College in the Department of English (Linguistics) and a former English teacher. A native of Central California, she now lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and an assortment of dogs. She enjoys reading, writing, travel, and bowling (despite the fact that she’s not very good at it.) Learn more about Elizabeth Hunter's writing at her author website, elizabethhunterwrites.com or contact her by e-mail at elizabethhunterwrites@gmail.com.  Goodreads A Hidden Fire is her debut novel.

Interview with Josee Renard and Giveaway of Superstition

What inspired you to write this series Part Time Lovers? 

I don’t have a schedule of any kind in terms of work—I do contract work as a paralegal and a teacher, but it means I have no idea from week to week what I’m going to be doing and how much I’m going to be doing. So I wanted to have at least one thing that was set and I came up with this idea from the title of a Stevie Wonder song that was on the radio when I was thinking about what I wanted to do. I originally proposed a story a month—each of which would also have a Stevie Wonder song title—but my publisher asked me if I’d be interested in doing it as a serial, coming out week after week. I loved that idea (made me feel a little bit like Dickens) and I said yes.

What was the hardest part to write in this series? 

The hardest part was Week 9—It’s Magic—because I had set up the idea for it in the very first story. Part Time Lovers has an office in an old, majestic hotel in Vancouver and they often use the rooms in the hotel for their clients. I came up with the idea that there was a legend around one of the rooms, a pair of historical lovers who always met there. Right from the beginning I wanted to write their story, the story about their relationship in that room, but I had absolutely no idea how to get into it. I had about four lines in that first story about them but I just couldn’t figure out where to start.

How/when did you start writing? 

I think I’m a late bloomer. I went to university late and I had an English professor who said that I wrote essays like they were fiction and maybe I should try writing that. I tried it and I liked it. I still got my degree but I also wrote poetry and short fiction. It was a long time before I started writing novels and, I have to admit, I still love writing poetry and short stories. I often use them as palate cleansers between projects. I think that early training still effects the way I think about words and writing.

Are you interested in writing for other genres? 

My alter ego, Kate Austin, writes women’s fiction. Between the two of us, we’ve tried almost everything. The one thing I’d love to write and can’t—because I couldn’t plot my way out of a paper bag—is romantic suspense, which I love.

Who are your favorite authors? 

Stephen King. Jane Austen. Alice Hoffman. Michael Ondaatje. Suzanne Brockmann. Neil Gaiman. These are probably at the top of my list but I could add dozens of others. I read 350-400 books a year so that means I read a lot of different people and a lot of different genres. I read poetry and romance and erotica and literary fiction. I read non-fiction and classics.

If you weren’t an author, what do you think you would be doing instead?

I’ve done a little bit of everything over my lifetime—worked in the brewing industry and in the art business, worked as a paralegal, and as a teacher of writing. I never have any trouble finding something I like to do, though I think, if I went back to work full-time I might try to find a job in the hospitality industry—organizing conferences or events?

Who are your biggest supporters? 

My friends—both writing and not, my family, my agent, my partner. Everyone, since the moment I started writing, has been incredibly supportive. This is a tough business, full of stress and rejection, so having a support system is imperative. I couldn’t do it without them. They give me a shoulder to cry on, someone to celebrate with, someone to talk me through the highs and the lows, someone to listen when I’m ready to give it all up.

Now time for some quickie fun questions 

Ebook or Paperback? 

Definitely paperback, or hardcover—I have thousands (and I’m not kidding) of books in my house, on shelves, piled up on any flat surface. I have to admit (and all my friends are going, YES, FINALLY!) I’m going to buy a Kindle soon, mostly because so many of my friends are writing only in ebook form.

M/M or M/F or M/M/F? 

I don’t have a favorite, it just depends on the day and the mood I’m in but I have to say that some of my favorite books or stories are M/M/F – there’s just something about that intense focus on me (because of course I put myself in place of the woman). Definitely turns me on.

Writing or Reading? 

Reading is pure pleasure for me, pure entertainment and it’s an addiction. A day without reading is like a day without… well, you fill in the blank. Writing is joy, but complicated, hard-working joy, if that makes sense. So I love them both, but reading? I love it without reservation or hesitation.

Favorite Actor? 

Hmmm, that’s a tough one. Toss up between Cary Grant, Denzel Washington and David Strathairn. I like them all for different reasons. If I can only pick one, it’ll be Cary Grant – North by Northwest, The Philadelphia Story, I could go on and on.

Favorite Movie? 

The English Patient. I loved that movie, loved the book that inspired it. It was incredibly beautiful, moving, insightful, it all worked for me. The cast was terrific and I have to admit that I still can’t choose between Juliette Binoche and Naveen Andrews, they’re both soooo sexy.

If you had the chance have one date with ANYONE, who would it be and why? 

Leonard Cohen. This is one of the easiest questions in the world for me to answer as my answer’s always the same—Leonard’s my favorite singer, favorite songwriter, favorite poet, one of the sexiest men in the world. Plus there’s that whole dichotomy to the way he lives his life—Buddhist / hedonist. Who wouldn’t want to spend an evening with a man like that, drinking red wine and talking about whatever?

Thank you Josee for being here, it was a pleasure!

Josée Renard writes women’s fiction, magic realism, paranormal and erotica. She writes short fiction, poetry and novels. She also writes women’s fiction as Kate Austin. You can check out her alter ego at www.kateaustin. Find out more about Josée in her wordpress / website / facebook / twitter / Cobblestone Press

Today Josee is giving away one ebook copy of Superstition to a reader. This giveaway is open for everyone. Just leave a comment and link to profile or email address to win this book. Giveaway is open till 20 October.

Superstition by Josee Renard Mercy met Rafa, a Spanish exchange student, in high school. Her teenage crush went nowhere thanks to the jealousy of her best friend, Jules. It’s time to make up for denying her what she wanted so badly, so Jules has set Mercy up with Rafa while he’s in Vancouver on business. Mercy’s nervous about her blind date; Rafa’s just excited to see her again. Dinner is great, but neither of them can wait to get down to the sexy business they’d missed all those years ago.

Blogaversary Winners!

THANK YOU everyone for entering Smutty Dirty Bitch one year blogaversary giveaway and making it so much fun!

Now time to announce the names of the winners!! 

Winners were chosen using random organizer. 

Prize Pack 1 winner is 

Linda Larsson

Prize Pack 2 winner is 

Samara (mystic-notions)

Prize Pack 3 winner is 

Alisha

 

Congrats to the winners. Emails have been sent to you, please respond within 72 hours. 

One year blogaversary and Giveaway

Wow! 

It’s been a year since I started up this blog! 

My tiny cupcakes for everyone :)

I started up this blog seeing everyone was making one. I thought hey that looks neat, I should give this a try. Next thing I know I make my very own baby blog. 

When I first started I just wanted to follow some of my favorite blogs and maybe post my daily musing. Then somehow it became a review blog with a little bit of everything I found interesting. 

Now that I have passed that one year line I want to giveaway some of my favorite books to my followers. 

(My absolute favorite)

Prize pack #1 

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

(ebook)

Prize Pack #2

Jolie Wilkins series by H.P Mallory

(ebook)

Prize Pack #3

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

(Paperback)

Giveaway is open till October 2nd. To enter this giveaway please fill up this form. Everyone can enter, as this is an International giveaway.
Three winners will be chosen by using random organizer on October 5th.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Name of the winners will be announced on 5th October.