Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Interview and Giveaway with Adrienne deWolfe



What inspired you to become an author?

I can’t pinpoint a singular inspiration, but I do remember the first “book” I ever wrote (all 27 pages of it!)  I was in second grade, and I described how my best friend (a stuffed pink elephant named Elliot) came to life to have adventures.  At the time, I had the grandiose dream of becoming the world’s youngest author.  But some twit of a first-grader beat me to it!

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

Oh, I have LOTS of stories about novel titles!  Here are just a few from the Velvet Lies series:
My award-winning, Doubleday Book of the Month was originally published by Avon, and its title was the invention of some Avon employee. I was considered the Avon title (ALWAYS HER HERO) schmaltzy.

My original title suggestion was more provocative: HIS WICKED DREAM. However, no amount of fact-based rationales could change Avon’s choice.  Ironically, when I reviewed that Avon title with my ebook publisher, their brain-trust heartily agreed that HIS WICKED DREAM was much stronger (because provocative titles attract more readers than sweet titles.)

So, in keeping with the “provocative” theme of Velvet Lies, here are the series titles so far (in order): SCOUNDREL FOR HIRE, HIS WICKED DREAM, SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL, and DEVIL IN TEXAS.  I’m still working on the title for Book 5.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Never, EVER give up on your writing dream. 

A young woman from a college in Hawaii called me for advice. She reads Romance novels and dreams of becoming published in that genre. She confided her hurt and confusion because a Creative Writing professor, whom she admired, had disdained to become her advisor.

When I asked why this professor rejected her application, this aspiring author told me, “My professor said she wanted to concentrate on serious (translation:  literary fiction) writers.”

I reminded that young woman that commercial fiction writers – like J.K. Rowling and Nora Roberts -- have carved out respected careers, are read by millions of adoring fans, and are making more money writing “pop fiction” than some Creative Writing Departments  are allotted for their annual budgets!

If you run across a literary critic, remember this truth:  criticism always says more about the critic than it does about your writing.

Are your books, characters, or scenes based on a true life experience?

It’s a little-known fact that I’m a Master Level teacher of Reiki (a system of energy healing.)  I drew upon my experiences as an energy healer to juxtapose Michael’s “traditional medical training” against Eden’s “medicine show” healing in HIS WICKED DREAM (Book 2, Velvet Lies.) [See my post, “Author Learns Hands-On Healing to Write Fantasy Novels:” http://wizardmagicfantasy.com/author-learns-hands-on-healing-to-write-fantasy-novels/ ]

My Reiki training triggered my psychic gifts of clairaudience and clairvoyance.  To write the séance scene in SCOUNDREL FOR HIRE (Book 1, Velvet Lies,) I drew upon my dealings with skeptics. The fortune-teller became one of my favorite characters.  I made her a larger-than-life eccentric, and yet, she’s the only “honest” character in a book full of lovable scoundrels, all of whom are trying to hoodwink each other.

I also drew upon my personal experience of visions (and what they feel like) to write Sera’s character in SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL (Book 3, Velvet Lies.)

However, the inspiration for Sera’s storyline came from a chance meeting with another psychic, who possessed the gift of psychometry. When this woman touched man-made objects, like antique furniture, she could see their owners “through history” and peek into their lives.  I thought, “Oh my gosh, I HAVE to write a story about that!”

What authors have influenced your career?

When I was an aspiring novelist, I was blessed to meet great talents who took time away from their own writing projects to advise me. If you’re a Romance fan, you’ll recognize many of their names: Susan Wiggs, Barbara Dawson Smith, Christina Dodd, Jennifer Blake, Arnette Lamb, Jackie Weger, Patricia Wynn, Cara West, and Pamela Ingram.

I am absolutely certain that I would NOT be published today if these veteran Romance authors had not given so generously of their time and knowledge.  I vowed that I would someday give back to the writing community as my mentors had. That’s why I created my website, WritingNovelsThatSell.com, to advise and inspire writers. 

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’d love to!  At many of the stops along this book tour, you’ll get different sneak peeks from SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL. So be sure to visit all the wonderful host blogs on my tour!

Excerpt 11: Sera and Hiawassee (The Ghosts)
Word Count: 388

Sera was walking behind a waterfall in a kaleidoscopic haze of color. Through the cloud of rainbows that swirled around her, she could see isolated pockets of horrific scenes:
Cass getting shot.
Jesse getting lynched.
Kit getting murdered.
*From any one point in time, there's a minimum of three futures,* the ghost of Jesse’s grandmother whispered in her ear. *You can stop the madness. But first, you must stop Kit.*
Sera felt numb. Insanely calm. She didn't doubt her visions. She didn't question Hiawassee. She merely followed the Medicine Woman's spirit as it glided before her, sweeping along a tunnel.
Flickering water reflections danced upon the walls and the roof, which was rife with orange lichens and green algae. Some 20 paces ahead, she could see the tunnel's end through the mystical, silvery glow of Hiawassee's body.
*We are forbidden to interfere,* the ghost told her.
*We?*
*All of us.*
Sera frowned and halted beside Hiawassee, squinting into the sunlight at the tunnel's end. She gaped at the scene that stretched before her. Floating in and out of the falls, perched upon the cliff ledges, swinging from the trees, and splashing in the river were hundreds of ghosts. Most of them were women and children.
Ywahoo Falls.
*Sacred Cherokee burial ground,* Hiawassee confirmed mildly.
Sera nodded uncomfortably. The legend was known to her, of course. Some 70 years ago, Cherokee women had journeyed with their children to this spot, rendezvousing under the full moon. Under the leadership of Comblossom, daughter of the great war chief, Doublehead, hundreds of innocents had gathered here, accompanied by only a handful of braves.
The women and their children had intended to walk the 125 miles to a school in Chattanooga, where they had been promised protection and a White man's education. But the Cherokees had been betrayed. A contingent of Tennessee soldiers had intercepted the innocents at Ywahoo Falls and massacred them.
*You were barely six years old,* Hiawassee told Sera gently. *Jesse, he was eight. You were meant to find each other in that lifetime, too. And you did—for the last few minutes. He tried to protect you.*
Tears rolled down Sera's cheeks. *Why?* she whispered. *Why must there be so much hatred?*
*Men are allowed free will,* Hiawassee answered. *You, too, will choose between compassion and hatred.  Choose wisely.*


What are your upcoming projects?

·       Devil in Texas (Book 4, Velvet Lies), featuring Cass, “the other man” in Sera’s love triangle with Jesse. For a sneak peek of Cass’s story, visit: http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.hostingprod.com/AdrienneDeWolfe.html

·       DarkWind (Book 1, Guardians of Aeld,) a YA Fantasy series.  For a sneak peek featuring Raevyn, the Wind Sorceress visit: http://wizardmagicfantasy.com/darkwind-meet-raevyn-the-wind-sorceress/

·       Wizards of the Wild West (series.)  To chuckle at the Wizard’s otherworldly sidekick, visit:
For more sneak peeks and updates about my novels, subscribe to the RSS feed for my Fantasy blog at http://feeds.feedburner.com/FantasyAdrienneDewolfe or subscribe to my reader newsletter at http://eepurl.com/wGwan.  You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+.





Seduced by An Angel
Velvet Lies Series
Book 3
Adrienne deWolfe

Genre: Western Historical Romance with paranormal elements (ghosts and a clairvoyant heroine)

Publisher: ePublishing Works

Date of Publication: Aug. 28, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781614174295

Number of pages:  362
Word Count: 94,592

Book Description:

Kentucky belle Seraphina Jones craves a dashing stranger worth kissing. When she spies her handsome, half-naked hired hand at the riverbank, she thinks her dreams of romance have come true. But this Texican is wanted for murder.

Jesse Quaid can't let Sera's sweet kisses distract him from rendezvousing with Cass, a childhood friend, to clear his name of a crime he didn't commit.  But then a case of mistaken identity turns Cass into Jesse's deadliest rival for Sera's heart.

Now, Sera must find a way to end the feud before the man she loves is lost forever.

Velvet Lies:
Book 1: SCOUNDREL FOR HIRE
Book 2: HIS WICKED DREAM
Book 3: SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL
Book 4: DEVIL IN TEXAS (Available 2014)


About the Author:


Adrienne deWolfe is a #1 Bestselling Author and a recipient of 48 writing awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year.  She consistently delights readers with sexy, action-packed, western-style romances, including her Wild Texas Nights series and her Velvet Lies series.  In addition, she is the author of the bestselling non-fiction ebook series, The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published.

Fascinated by all things mystical, Adrienne writes a weekly blog about dragons, magic, and the paranormal at http://MagicMayhemBlog.com to help her research her upcoming YA Epic Fantasy series.

She also writes a weekly blog with fiction writing tips and advice about the business of writing at http://WritingNovelsThatSell.com.  She enjoys mentoring aspiring authors and offers professional story critiques and book coaching services.




https://plus.google.com/109088666107201832076/

http://writingnovelsthatsell.com/story-critiques-private-coaching-for-how-to-write-a-novel/

http://eepurl.com/eGgbs

http://eepurl.com/wGwan


http://Twitter.com/SolMage



http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.hostingprod.com/AdrienneDeWolfe.html

http://ebookdiscovery.com.p8.hostingprod.com/AdrienneDeWolfe.html

The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published (Series)






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3 comments:

Adrienne deWolfe said...

Hello, Roxanne:

Thanks for hosting my tour on your beautiful website! I look forward to connecting with your readers.

Hugs,
Adrienne deWolfe
http://MagicMayhemBlog.com
http://WildTexasNights.com
http://WritingNovelsThatSell.com

Adrienne deWolfe said...

Hello, Roxanne:

Thanks for hosting my tour on your beautiful website! I look forward to connecting with your readers.

Hugs,
Adrienne deWolfe
http://MagicMayhemBlog.com
http://WildTexasNights.com
http://WritingNovelsThatSell.com

Roxanne Rhoads said...

Thabks for being a guest