Interview & Tour Wide Giveaway with Eleri Stone

By Kelly on June 25, 2013 in Blog Tour, Book Monster Promotions, Interviews

Please welcome Eleri Stone to the blog today

Eleri, can you please share with us a little about yourself

Sure! I grew up in NJ, but now live in Iowa with my husband and our three children. I love the Midwest but I do miss being near my family and the ocean. I’ll have my yearly fix here soon when we go to visit my sister in Florida.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I’ve always loved to write but the idea of publishing came later. I had a bad habit of starting a story, getting distracted by life, putting it aside and never getting back to it. When my youngest started preschool, I set it as a challenge to myself to finish something. That was Mercy which was picked up and published by Carina Press in 2010.

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Oh, wow, that’s a long list! I grew up reading a lot of fantasy and horror- Stephen King, Mercedes Lackey, David Eddings, Anne McAffrey, Lois Duncan. The first romances I picked up were historical romances by Judith McNaught, Lisa Kleypas and Julie Garwood. Then came paranormal romance which is sort of a combination of all of those genres. Recent favorites are Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series and Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre? Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I do also write fantasy romance. Paranormal Romance is a combination of all of my favorite genres—fantasy, romance and horror. I can’t seem to write a story without an element of the supernatural in one form or another.

What are some of your writing rituals?

Gah. I wish I had a more stable routine. During the winter, I write in the mornings after the kids are off to school and then take care of the business end of things in the afternoons. During the summer, I switch so that I work primarily at night after everyone is in bed.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Witch Bound is a paranormal romance based on Norse mythology. The premise is that Asgard was destroyed centuries ago at Ragnarök. Some of the Æsir managed to escape to earth where they settled in spots where the wall between worlds is the thinnest. The descendants of those refugees still guard the portals to prevent the demons who destroyed their world from coming here. Witch Bound tells the story of a witch named Raquel who is joining a new clan through an arranged marriage. Everyone is counting on her to replace the failing wards that protect the town, but she has trouble controlling her power. While she’s dealing with that, she falls in love with the best man-Fen, a wolf shifter who’s sworn to never take a mate.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I’ve always had a fascination with Norse mythology, but the series was also inspired by a place where we go camping every year. It’s in the driftless area of Iowa, called that because it wasn’t glacierized during the last glacial period, leaving it hillier and more wooded than the rest of the state. It’s an isolated and beautiful spot that was settled by Norse immigrants who still maintain a strong connection to their heritage. Put the two together and you have Norse demigods living in Iowa.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Of course! Right now I’m working on a historical paranormal romance called Reaper’s Touch. I call it my zombies vs. cowboys story because it’s set in a sort of post-apocalyptic version of the Wild West. The first book is scheduled to release February 3 and the second a few months after that.

Open your book to a random page and tell us what’s happening.

Pg. 114 – Raquel is about to cross into Asgard with the wild hunt on a rescue mission…or possibly an assassination attempt. At this point in the story, it could go either way.

What would you be if you were not an author?

Journalist. That’s what I studied in college. I guess I’d be writing either way.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I just bought Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster and I’m looking forward to getting started on it. I really liked the first book in the series.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for having me here today! It’s been such a pleasure.

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TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Eleri is giving away a $50.00 gift card to Amazon or B&N (winners choice)
OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*****

SERIES SPOTLIGHT INFO

Demon Crossings

Twilight of the Gods, Book 1

Private investigator Grace tracks a kidnapped child to middle-of-nowhere Iowa. Encountering a strange creature she knows can’t be a local animal, she doesn’t need her psychic abilities to figure out the sleepy town is not what it seems. When she meets the intriguing Aiden, she’s plunged into a world of Norse gods and fire demons where the Wild Hunt still rides the night.

Aiden needs Grace’s help to cross the portal between worlds and rescue his daughter. Grace is unlike any woman he’s ever met. He’s drawn to her courage, distressed by her vulnerability and doubtful of her motives. But he knows that her visions are the key to defeating the enemy and bringing everyone home alive.

Grace wants a future with Aiden, even if it means she’ll never have a normal life. When a test run to the portal takes a terrifying turn, they must learn to finally trust each other or Aiden’s daughter, and their chance at love, will be lost forever…

*****

Witch Bound

Twilight of the Gods, Book 2

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | All Romance | iTunes

Raquel Lindgren knows what her future holds. An arranged marriage. A new home in Ragnarok, Iowa, with another clan of refugees from Asgard. She should be happy. But there’s a mental block preventing her from tapping in to her true abilities as a witch. And she’s more attracted to the best man than she is to the groom…

Fen can’t believe he’s falling for his best friend’s future wife. As a hound, a wolf shifter, his duty lies with the pack. He’s seen too many hounds destroyed by love, and he’s sworn never to take a mate, never to have children of his own. He can’t deny his desire for Raquel, but she deserves more than he can offer her.

Raquel’s been raised to trust in magic, her clan and her destiny. But when a vengeful demon threatens to break out of Asgard and destroy the clan, Raquel learns she must trust in love if she is to take the future into her own hands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eleri Stone was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Iowa, married her college sweetheart, and settled in the Midwest where she still lives with her husband and their three children. A lifelong fan of fantasy, she started reading romance as an adult and was instantly captivated by the strong female protagonists, character-driven storylines and guarantee of a happy-ever-after. Writing fantasy and paranormal romance, she is the author of the Lost City Shifters series (shapeshifter paranormal romance), the Twilight of the Gods series (paranormal romance) and the Spellcraft series (fantasy romance).

You can find Eleri at:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Eleri Stone’s WITCH BOUND Tour Schedule: June 19- July 3