Apologies to everyone waiting for the results of this contest. I was away all weekend and only had limited internet access. So today is the first day I have really been back online and have been frantically playing catch-up!
So without any further delay let's see who has won a copy of the Anthology ‘Crave the Night’ from Sharon Ashwood!
Congrats to :
Brenda Demko!!!
Thank you to everyone who entered! I enjoyed reading your selections for an anthology. Will be interesting to see if any of the authors saw them!
If you didn't win this time then don't worry! There are always more contests to enter! Keep trying!
Make sure you check out Sharon's Books!
----------------
How to claim your prize!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
Sharon has a new story out inside the e-book anthology, Crave the Night. Michele Hauf, Patti O'Shea & Lori Devoti have also contributed to the book and the guy on the cover makes me think it is going to be a hot read!
Want to win a copy? Read the interview with Sharon and enter the contest.
The contest closes on Sunday 20th November at 4pm (Central European Time) so make sure you get your entry in before then!
----------------------------------
----------------------------------
For more chances to win -
Post about this giveaway somewhere on the internet eg. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Make sure you post the link here so I can confirm your extra entry.
Email your friends about this giveaway. Make sure you add my email address so I also get a copy and can confirm your entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
Sharon has a new story out in Crave the Night, an e-book anthology with authors Michele Hauf, Patti O'Shea & Lori Devoti.
Find out more about this new anthology and also enter this weeks contest for a chance to win a copy!
Enjoy the interview and don’t forget to enter the contest!
-------------------------------------
Amber - Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest again! You have contributed a story to the anthology 'Crave the Night'. How did you get involved with the book?
Sharon It came as a wonderful surprise to me. Michele Hauf contacted me and asked if I would like to contribute. The timing was perfect because I had a slight break between projects. If it had been a few months before or after, it wouldn’t have worked out, but this anthology was obviously meant to be!
Amber - Does the anthology have a theme? Or could you enter any story you wanted?
Sharon - The parameters were fairly loose. All the stories include vampires, but we have a huge mix of other creatures: mermaids, fey, demons, and werewolves, for starters! In addition, all four stories have a different feel to them. Mine has plenty of action and a dash of humour. Others are extremely sexy. Lori Devoti’s mermaid/vampire tale is simply unique.
Amber - Did you work with the other authors involved? Get together for drinks? Or did it all go through the publisher?
Sharon We did it all through email. I have not met any of the other authors face to face. The thing is that w’¹re all old hands at the publishing routine and knew what to do. It was a very smooth and respectful collaboration.
Amber - And now the obvious question! Your contribution is called 'Hidden'. Can you tell us about the story?
Sharon - Hidden takes place in the Dark Forgotten universe, but it¹s set in the foothills of the Rockies. The tale involves Rafe, the son of the local alpha werewolf. He’s been travelling the world and receives a call to come home to help the pack. The werewolves are disappearing one by one, and they think it has to do with a beautiful and mysterious fey woman who has just built a mansion overlooking the wolves’ ranching town. So, he sets out with his vampire friend, Darak (readers will recall him from Frostbound), to save the day. Little does he know that the fey, Lila, has huge problems of her own.
Amber - Was it hard writing a short story or was it one you had waiting around for a deserving anthology?
Sharon I had the idea for a reverse Beauty and Beast story, but it was just an idea. Hidden was written specifically for this anthology. I don’t find short works easy to do, but I appreciate the opportunity to develop the skill set. It teaches a writer to be very economical. If it’s done well, a short story packs meaning into every word.
Amber - What is next? Are you working on any other projects?
Sharon - Boy, am I ever. I’ve begun a series with Harlequin Nocturne that I would describe as James Bond meets Dynasty with vampires. I’m having huge fun with it. It’s more straight PNR romance than I’ve done before, but it has a lot of thrills and spills and delightfully quirky characters. The whole series revolves around a murder, a royal wedding and a stolen bridal gown.
In addition to all that, I have another project a fantasy trilogy that will hit the shelves in 2013. This bit of news is very hot-off-the-press, so I can’t give a lot of details yet. It does mean I’ll be writing like a fiend.
Amber - What paranormal creatures would you want to write about besides the ones you've already written about?
Sharon - I want to tell a real ghost story, sort of a back-to-basics work. Ghost stories can be simple and classic but extremely nuanced. After all, ghosts are as much about our own hopes and fears as anything else.
Amber - Is there a paranormal creature you just don't like, and would never use in your books?
Sharon - Zombies. Ick. Kind of like bad house guests that keep multiplying.
Amber - An anthology may involve other authors but usually you don't actually write with them. Do you think you would be able to write a book together with another author? If yes, which author would you like to work with and why?
Sharon - I would probably drive another writer crazy. I don¹t work in a linear fashion, but hop all over the place. Some of that is a function of working during the day and writing a night, because it’s very easy to lose the thread of things. I’m always going back to earlier chapters and changing stuff to fit my vision of the moment. I never like to say what a book is about until it’s finished, because half the time I don’t really know! I won’t say that I could never work with another author and there are many, many that I admire, but it would have to be just the right project. On the other hand, I’d love to do a graphic novel. Working with an illustrator would be awesome.
Amber - And the fun last questions...What Superhero powers would you want? Or would you be a villain?
Sharon - I’ve always wanted to fly! Or figure out how to pack more than 24 hours into a day. Now that’s a power I could absolutely use!
Amber - Thank you for visiting! I hope you will stop by again sometime!
------------------------------
Contest Time
Sharon is giving away a copy of the Anthology ‘Crave the Night’
How To Enter
What four authors would you like to see writing an anthology together?
No Comment = No Entry
'Please enter me' posts will not be counted as an entry
Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.
Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!
Have you 'Liked' Amberkatze's Book Blog on Facebook?
You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.
Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
The contest will stay open until Sunday 20th of November 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
Never miss out on a new Author Event, Contest or Book Review! Subscribe Now!
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
Frostbound released last week and is book #4 in Sharon's Dark Forgotten series. The books can stand alone so you don't need to catch up on the series to read any of them but you would know that if you read the interview ;)
Oh and if you read the interview you would also know that Sharon is giving away a copy of one of her books. That means the winner gets to choose which Dark Forgotten book they want!
Post about this giveaway somewhere on the internet eg. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Make sure you post the link here so I can confirm your extra entry.
Email your friends about this giveaway. Make sure you add my email address so I also get a copy and can confirm your entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
The fourth book in her Dark Forgotten series just released last week. I throughly enjoyed Frostbound and I hope that you will all read the interview and then give the series a try!
Oh and if you want to win a copy of one of Sharon's books then make sure you enter this weeks contest! Winners choice!!
-----------------------
Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your new release, Frostbound?
Sharon – Vampire-on-the-run Talia finds her human cousin beheaded and guesses that it was meant to be her. Now she’s the prime suspect. Her oh-so-handsome neighbour, Lore, is a hellhound but he’s also the acting sheriff of the supernatural community. He knows the human police won’t give a vampire a fair trial, so he takes Talia captive until he’s sure that she’s the prey and not the hunter. Usually, a beautiful babe handcuffed to his bed would be a good thing, but Lore soon suspects Talia is in even bigger trouble. Evil magic is stalking her, and there are bad guys afoot who threaten to destroy the precarious peace among the non-humans. And of course it all has to happen when he’s in charge!
To make matters worse, as Alpha, he is expected to wed a female from his pack, for they believe there can be no young without a mated Alpha hellhound pair. But Talia is the one female he can love. Can he turn his back on the pack to be with her? Will she even allow him to make that kind of sacrifice? Once he finds out her secrets, will he even want to let her live?
Amber - Frostbound is part of a series. Can you tell us a little more about 'The Dark Forgotten'. Do you need to read the series in order?
Sharon – My characters live at a historical turning point. The supernatural beings among us have been out in the open since the year 2000, which has created both fascination and fear among the human population. On top of that, an interdimensional prison called the Castle has opened a portal into our world right in the downtown. It’s chock-full of supernatural creatures incarcerated there centuries ago. Who should be rescued from the prison, and who should remain under lock and key? It’s a tough question, because the vampires and werewolves in our world have just made peace with the humans. They don’t want a whole new element coming in and ruining everything they’ve worked for—for instance, Lore and his hellhounds.
This conflict is a great one to work with because it opens the door to all kinds of adventure. You have justice, freedom, heroism, star-crossed lovers, and the occasional dragon to play with—plus the opportunity for some cracking good bad guys.
Readers can expect a lot of action and humour—I like a mix of light and dark in my paranormal. The series does not have to be read in order. An author always wants to build their readership, so each book has to be a satisfying experience on its own. However, there are continuing characters, and someone who has read the whole works will pick up on more backstory.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the series? Was it something you worked on for a while or did it just come to you?
Sharon – Stories rattle around in my head for ages before they are ready to see the light of day, then something will trigger a chain reaction in my mind. In the case of my series, it was a conversation with a friend about insurance. Suddenly the heroine of Ravenous, Holly Carver, was walking and talking in my head. From there it just started to unroll very naturally. Witch, vampire, hell hole of doom, insurance ... I can see the connection, can’t you?
Amber - What kind of research have you done for your books? Anything interesting or is the research boring?
Sharon - I generally enjoy research, especially about the paranormal—the more obscure, the better. Body snatching is a favourite topic. Phrenology. I’m reading a book about Victorian trapeze artists for something I’m developing. I bet I have the best bathroom reading on the block.
I do rely on a friend with more expertise in tech areas to fill me in about guns, cars and computers. It’s a great advantage to be able to fire off an email to say, “how to I destroy a computer lab?” or “what sort of fragmenting bullet will kill a werewolf?” and get a practical answer.
Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?
Sharon – They tell me their names. I don’t choose them. It’s a problem when I don’t like what they come with—there can be a struggle. I keep reminding them I am their goddess, and then they mock me.
Amber - What’s next for 'The Dark Forgotten'series? Are you working on anything else?
Sharon – As I write this, the next thing up for the Dark Forgotten is a novella coming out in the fall in an ebook anthology. It’s a bit of an experiment to see how well that format does for me in reaching readers, and it gives me a chance to bring one of my favourite characters back on stage.
Besides this series, I am working on proposals for several others—one is pure urban fantasy, one is pure paranormal romance and the other defies classification. It’s going to be interesting to see which of these ideas goes the distance. Of course, with the time it takes to do anything in publishing world, it’s a bit like watching a sloth race.
Amber - Did you always wanted to be an author? Why did you pick the Paranormal Urban Fantasy genre?
Sharon – I’ve always written supernatural stories and had started writing Ravenous before the genre became so very popular. It was just good luck that publishers started looking for what I had to offer. It was like, hey, finally my twisted mind has a use!
Amber - A lot of authors are writing now in both adult and YA genres. Have you considered writing a YA book?
Sharon – Yes, and I have written some sketches that may grow into a full-fledged idea someday. I don’t want to launch a YA series before I have a solid premise that will be exciting and fresh. Otherwise, I’m just chasing a trend.
Amber - You have been blessed with some pretty cool looking covers so far. How much say do you have in the book publishing process?
Sharon – None, really. The publisher very politely asks for input and then does what it needs to do, and usually that is different from my plan and they’re absolutely correct. I’m a writer, not a designer. The one exception is the cover of Unchained, which matched the description I gave. I guess the Ducati and rifle got them all excited.
Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What
experiences have you had so far?
Sharon – Readers are always the source of my high points. Whether or not your work reaches your audience is always the acid test and, really, they are an author’s greatest sales force. I’m told that word of mouth makes or breaks a book and I believe it.
Getting emails from fans or meeting them at a signing is absolutely the best ego-boost going. It makes all the hours slaving over a hot keyboard worthwhile. The experience I had at the Orlando RWA signing last summer was fabulous—I got to meet a ton of readers. This year, when the RWA conference is in New York, I’m a finalist for the RITA award in paranormal romance. That’s a definite high.
As for the lows, they’re almost always related to the business side of writing. Many decisions are made that are outside an author’s control. Being a published author is tough because it’s all about numbers and dollars, but also all about your emotions, your creativity, and the resources you personally throw into your career.Any success is precarious. Reviews, awards, or quality of writing aren’t as vital as how much revenue you’re bringing in. From the author’s viewpoint, there is no way in which that does not suck.
Amber – Alot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music that influenced your books?
Sharon – I have fits of listening to one group or recording over and over. I tend to listen to fairly goth stuff alternating with baroque chamber music. Lacuna Coil and Albinoni, for instance. Don’t ask me why, it just works.
I also sometimes gravitate to one kind of wine during a book. There was a place called Monster Vineyards that produced a nice Merlot. I drank the odd bottle of that during Frostbound and snickered at the sea monsters on the label.
Amber - What have you been reading and watching lately?
Sharon – I’ve been watching Being Human – both North American and UK versions. I actually thought the North American version translated quite well. That doesn’t always work, but they actually improved on some parts, in my opinion. I’ve enjoyed Haven and Lost Girl a lot. I don’t get HBO, so I’ll be catching up with season three of True Blood as soon as it’s released on DVD.
As for reading, I’ve been all over the place. I just started M.K. Hobson’s The Native Star and I think I’m going to like it.
Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?
Sharon – It depends on whose universe we’re playing in! If it’s mine, the werewolf society, although quite hierarchical, would probably be the most practical. They’re a healthy community. The vampire life, while it gets style points, is a bit big on drama for the long haul.
I keep thinking of two vamps meeting on the street and one says,
“I’m darker than you!”
And the other says, “No, you’re not!”
“I’m the darkest!”
“No way, I’m darker than dark! I spit upon your opera cape!”
“No you’re not, I’m the darkity-dark-darkest!”
adnauseum.
Give me the puppy pile instead.
Amber - Thanks for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog again!
Sharon is very kindly giving away a book! The winner gets to choose any book in the series so far! So if you haven't started yet you can try the first book. Maybe you are missing one? Or you haven't gotten Frostbound yet? Well here is your chance!
How To Enter
What are your plans for Summer?
No answer = No Entry
Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.
Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!
You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.
Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site!
The contest will stay open until Sunday 19th of June 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.
As a snowstorm locks down the city, someone beheads the wrong girl. Vampire-on-the-lam Talia Rostova thinks it was meant to be her. And now she's the prime suspect in her own botched murder and the prisoner of her smoking-hot-neighbor: a hellhound. And the hot-blooded Lore was bred to serve and protect, so he's not freeing Talia until he's sure she's the prey and not the hunter...
My Review :
The Dark Forgotten has not intentionally been forgotten by me! I remember reading Ravenous back when it came out and really enjoying it. So it was a little bit of a shock for me to realise that Frostbound was already book 4 in the series and that I had somehow missed out on book two and three! However it didn't ruin things for me. This 4th installment can be read without reading the previous books and all in all it was a brilliant read.
The amazing world the author has created in this series really had me hooked. The characters and concept had me adding the books I was missing to my wishlist within reading a few chapters. There are so many paranormal delights in this book and any lover of the genre really needs to give this series a try. How often do you get to read about Hellhounds? This series really does have a lot on offer.
With a nice amount of action, a good helping of mystery and some steamy romance this Paranormal read has a little something for everyone. Twists and turns and a few surprises kept me picking up the book whenever I had a spare minute. The little 'radio broadcasts' at the beginning of some of the chapters always made me smile. They were a nice touch and added some more depth to the already well written plot.
Frostbound releases next week and if you are a fan of the series you really need to get your hands on a copy asap. If you haven't tried this series yet then I highly recommend you do. Especially if you are a fan of Cynthia Eden or Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Sharon - The parameters were fairly loose. All the stories include vampires, but we have a huge mix of other creatures: mermaids, fey, demons, and werewolves, for starters! In addition, all four stories have a different feel to them. Mine has plenty of action and a dash of humour. Others are extremely sexy. Lori Devoti’s mermaid/vampire 
Amber - What is next? Are you working on any other projects? 
Sharon - Zombies. Ick. Kind of like bad house guests that keep multiplying. 
