Don't forget to enter the contest at the end of the post to be in the drawing for the print copy of Cursed by Fire & one of three e-copies of the book.
Release tour being sponsored by Rock Star PR.
Q/A with Danielle
How did you come up with the idea for this
story?
I’m not entirely sure to tell you the
truth. I think when I decided I wanted to write something this story just
popped into my head because it was one I wanted to read myself. Overtime it
took shape and changed drastically but the idea itself more of less popped in
out of nowhere.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I find my inspiration at the Library. There
is something entirely exciting about walking through a room filled with books
and looking at all of their covers that just inspires you to write more.
Is there anything you find particularly
challenging in your writing?
Finding the time to write is difficult.
Between my day job, my blog, my home life and beautiful daughter, it all adds
up. Time is something I definitely wish I had more of.
What are your current projects?
Currently I’m working on Book 2 in the
Blood & Magic series, and a side PNR project that is just beginning to take
shape.
Tell us about your first book. What would
readers find different about the first one and your most recent published work?
I don’t have any other published works.
Is there a message in your novel that you
want readers to grasp?
Not particularly. If there is a message in
my book then it is coincidence. I’m a story telling and don’t really look to
add special messages in my writing but I do think Cursed by Fire may have
developed one, can you guess what it is?
Does music play any type of role in your
writing?
Music is HUGE. I tend to assign a song to
every scene. Music makes you feel something and I want my book to make my
readers feel something as well. Music for specific scenes allows me to strive
to draw that emotion into the scene.
Are experiences based on someone you know,
or events in your life?
No. Everything in Cursed by Fire is
entirely fictitious.
What books have influenced your life most?
I feel like I should list the classics here
but truth be told, Urban Fantasy novels such as those by Ilona Andrews and
Patricia Briggs have inspired me to want to become a writer. Additionally, On
Writing by Stephan King has been an extremely helpful tool in developing my
craft.
Are there any new authors that have grasp
your interest?
Yes. ML Brennan is not completely new but
is newer and has caught my attention. Additionally, Sherry Palmer who wrote
Life with Charley. Something completely outside my genre scope but so touching
has grabbed my attention and held on tight.
Do you have anything specific that you want
to say to your readers?
I hope you love my story as much as I loved
writing it.
How can readers discover more about you and
your work?
They can visit my website, www.Danielle-Annett.com
and follow me on twitter @DanielleCRomero
Do you have a special time to write? How is
your day structured writing-wise?
So not structured at all. I fit in time to
write whenever I can. Sometimes I write all day and sometimes I don’t write
until the weekend rolls around, every day changes.
Why did you choose to write [genre]
stories?
I chose to write Urban Fantasy because its
what I enjoy reading most. There is something about fantasy creatures living in
todays society and dealing with everything it brings.
What is for you the perfect book hero?
My perfect book hero is someone you can
relate to. Someone who goes above and beyond to help others but is not all that
extra ordinary. I want to feel like I can be that person.
When you start a book, do you already have
the whole story in your head or is it built progressively?
It starts progressively. I typically
outline first but even my outline changes as I go. Cursed by Fire went through
four different outline revisions and three major rewrites.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing passively about two years.
I was just playing around with an idea and slowly it began to take shape. Only
within the last year have I taken my writing seriously though and really
buckled down to finish a book.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
That's tough, I suppose when I typed THE
END. That was when I felt accomplished enough to say, I’m a writer.
List three books you have recently read and
would recommend.
Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
The Kraken Kong by Meljean Brook
Archangel’s Shadow by Nalini Singh
Tell us something that people would be
surprised you know how to do.
I crochet. I feel like it is a
grandmotherly habit but I learned when I was young and recently finished a baby
blanket for my niece.
Will you write more about these characters?
Yes. I have four books planned so far for
this particular series.
Cursed by Fire
Blood & Magic Series Book One
It has
been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still
tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the
city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it
seems.
Aria
Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many
wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as
they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races
combined.
When a
stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped
in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for
as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.
Goodreads:
Buy links:
BN
nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cursed-by-fire-danielle-annett/1121069648?ean=2940046513417
GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Danielle_Annett_Cursed_by_Fire?id=AsQmBgAAQBAJ
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/510139
Cursed by Fire - Annett, Danielle
SHORT EXCERPT
The light began to fade from his eyes as I
crawled across the floor in an effort to reach my father. My nails were raw and
bloody as I struggled to carry myself closer to him, digging into the rough
wooden floors with each drag of my body.
“I’m
coming,” I panted in between breaths. “Just hang on, Papa, I’m coming.”
I woke gasping for breath, drenched
in a cold sweat, clutching the hilt of my dagger as if my life depended on it.
I frantically looked around the room in search of our attacker while also
taking stock of any injuries. I was perfectly whole.
“It was just a
nightmare,” I told myself, though that did little to ease
the ache in my chest over the remembered pain. I miss you so much.
Rubbing my hands over my face, I pushed
back the wet, loose tendrils of hair that had escaped my braid during my fitful
rest and returned my dagger to its resting place beneath my pillow. Taking
another deep breath I registered a hint of smoke.
Shit!
My eyes roamed over the room, frantically
looking for the source of fire.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
I untangled my body from the sheets,
tripping and falling into a heap on the floor before I was able to crawl out of
my covers and retrieve an old shirt. I frenziedly swatted at the bedroom
curtains with the old t-shirt but the flames continued to rise. Deciding there
was no other choice, I ripped the curtains from the window and rushed to the
kitchen.
Throwing the curtains into the sink and
turning the faucet on all the way, I watched as the flames were snuffed and
steam began to rise. The curtains ruined.
Turning the water off, I allowed my body to
slide down the smooth wooden cabinets until my bottom met the cool tile floor.
I folded my arms across my knees and rested my forehead against them. Closing
my eyes I took several deep breaths, my heart still racing from the effects of
the recurring nightmare. This was getting out of hand. I had thought the
nightmares were fading, but something was bringing the memories back with a
screaming vengeance and this was the third time this week they’d plagued me. I
missed my parents but it’d been over six years now. They weren’t coming back and
I needed to let it go. My subconscious needed to let it go and I needed to let
Daniel’s death go. Not the case, no, I wouldn’t let that go. But his death was
affecting me in ways I couldn’t allow to continue.
I breathed deeply in an effort to calm my
nerves. Small tremors racked my body, the nightmare had shaken me more that I’d
like to admit. My skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. A physical
reminder that I needed to relax before I accidentally caught something else on
fire.
About Danielle Annett
Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind
Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA,
the primary location for her Blood & Magic series.
Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.
You can learn more about Danielle on her website at Danielle-Annett.com or follow on on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaniel... and on twitter @Danielle_Annett
Website: http://danielle-annett.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danielle_Annett
Giveaway:
Print copy
of Cursed by Fire and 3 e-copies
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