Book Spotlight & Giveaway~ Forbidden Things: Dissident

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post. The author will award a $50 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The tour is sponsored by Goddess and you can find all the tour stops HERE

Now let's chat with the author, Nikki McCormack...

What is the sweetest thing someone has done for you?

I think I would have to say that my husband encouraging me to give up my other work and focus on my writing is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. It showed so much belief in me and my work and a willingness to support me chasing my dreams that I can’t imagine anyone doing anything sweeter.

How would you spend ten thousand bucks?

I would pay off debt. I know that’s incredibly boring, but getting a good start as an author can be expensive and it takes time to build up an income. Paying off debt would free me up to do more things for the people I love and the causes I care about.

Where do you get your best ideas?

Looking at my project list, a shocking number of my ideas come from dreams. Either a character in a dream sticks with me or a scene does. Sometimes both. When I give it my attention, I often find that there is already a story in my head to go with that character or scene. Other ideas have come from the lyrics in a song or, on rare occasions, something someone says will trigger an idea, though those more often express as short stories.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

Most of the time it’s the characters that grab my attention first, demanding that I tell their story. People and psychology, especially the psychology of human relationships, fascinate me. That is a major driving factor behind the stories I tell and the characters I tell them about.

What does your main character do that makes him/her special.

Indigo is a kind and giving individual in spite of the fact that the misdeeds (or, in some cases, attempted good deeds) of others have left her trapped in miserable situation. Her struggle to cope with the cards she’s been dealt without losing that part of her and the resilience she shows along the way are some of the things that I think make her a special and appealing character.

Now onto Forbidden Things: Dissident (Book One)...

Ascard power can strengthen, heal and create. It also has great potential to destroy, enough to topple entire governments. Indigo’s country places strict limitations on the use of ascard so she must channel her talents into the healing arts or risk severe punishment. An orphan from a disgraced family, trapped by her father’s treason, Indigo struggles to reclaim her place in a society that has driven her into an abusive engagement.

Then a mysterious stranger from a neighboring country contacts her using ascard. He needs help escaping his prison so he can bring an end to his emperor's oppressive rule or die trying. His unshakable devotion to his cause and the passion hidden behind his cool arrogance move her to help him at the risk of being branded a traitor herself.

When the politics of society bring them together a second time, Indigo decides to use her growing powers to help him fight his war. If only she dared fight for her own future with such passion. Perhaps she can find the courage to do so by helping the man she has fallen for win his revolution. She might have exactly the power he needs to succeed.

Teaser Excerpt:

Her attention wandered to the fountain sprouting up in the center of a nearby courtyard, simple and elegant like a great stonework lily. A man stood by the fountain, watching water droplets falling with the shimmer of multicolored gems in the bright sunlight. Long silver hair hung to the middle of his back like a frozen waterfall. His smooth pale skin and unusual hair marked him as Lyran, but his regal bearing and rich attire didn’t befit a slave or merchant.

Curious. “Have you seen him before?”

Andrea turned, following her gaze. “Who?”

“The man beside the fountain.”

“There’s no one by the fountain.”

Andrea’s reply tugged at her awareness, but the silver-haired Lyran was turning toward them now. His pale eyes met hers and the air pressed from her lungs as if a corset were being pulled too tight. The buildings lurched and spun in her vision.

“Indigo?”

She sank to her knees. Andrea crouched down with her, her eyes wide and frightened. She held Indigo’s shoulders tight, her lips moving. Indigo heard only the pounding of blood in her ears.

Buy link: Elysium Palace: http://www.elysiumpalace.com/dissident

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12 (which is still tucked away in a briefcase in her office). Despite a successful short story publication with Cricket Magazine in 2007, she treated her writing addiction as a hobby until a drop in the economy left her with an abundance of free time to focus on making it her career.

Nikki lives in the magnificent Pacific Northwest tending to her awesome husband, two sweet horses, three manipulative cats, and a crazy dog. She’s a wine and tea fanatic who loves sitting on the ocean in her kayak surrounded by open water or hanging from a rope in a cave, embraced by darkness and the sound of dripping water. She also enjoys horseback riding, archery, PC gaming, dancing, good anime, etc. She studies Japanese and practices Iaido because she believes we should never stop learning.

Twitter handle: @Author_NikkiMc

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMcCormack

Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7437256.Nikki_McCormack

Blog: http://nikkimccormack.com/

Amazon author page URL: http://www.amazon.com/Nikki-McCormack/e/B00N3A8JBQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Barnes and Noble Author URL: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/nikki-mccormack

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