Thursday, June 5, 2014

Book Blast & Interview: Son of Dragons by @AndreaRCooper

Son of Dragons Banner 450 x 169

 

bookblast

 

clip_image002Son of Dragons

Book 2

Legends of Oblivion Series

Andrea Cooper

Book Description:

In a time of false peace, the dead rise as soldiers for the Warloc’s scheme. For thousands of years he has stood ready for the final battle. Though the witch and her cursed Elvin have destroyed his physical body, now with his protégé, he has honed a new way to wage war.

Shunned by her own people and weary-hearted from centuries of lost loves, Elvin warrior Mirhana scours the land to silence the undead. Her heart has turned as cold as the sword she wields, until a prince seeks her aid.

Never has Prince Landon met a woman like Mirhana. Both beautiful and deadly, she haunts his dreams. The battle at hand becomes more enchanting than fighting to remain true to his unseen betrothed.

When a traitor emerges, new alliances are tested and the only remaining hope is to follow the prophecy and find the ... Son of Dragons.

Son of Dragons Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/MF-W60brqL8

Crimson Romance Amazon BN iTunes

Books in the Legends of Oblivion Series

The Garnet Dagger – Book 1

Cursed in Shadow – Book 1.5

Son of Dragons – Book 2

excerpt

Clean from the bath, Landon let the air from the open window dry his hair. Dressed only in trousers, he leaned against the windowsill.

He thought he smelled the hint of roses and heat on the breeze. Movement from the street below caught his eye. He leaned out, squinting into the night.

Torches lined the cobbled street corners. A cloaked figure waited. Then the innkeeper rushed outside. His hands flew in gestures as the figure nodded.

Then he pointed to the window where Landon watched. At the same instant, the cloaked figure followed his finger’s path to Landon. Green eyes that seemed to glow met his.

Landon jumped up and cursed when his head hit the bottom of the window. When he looked back, both figures were gone.

Thinking the innkeeper would send guards, he waited with his sword in hand and his stare riveted on the door. No one came. He must be getting paranoid, thinking there was a ghost or enemy around every corner. His eyelids grew heavy as he waited for a fight that failed to materialize. Finally, he rolled his shoulders back to ease out the tension.

Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about those piercing emerald eyes. They’d belonged to a woman; he could tell. There was intelligence and cunning in them. Her stare felt as though she saw through the façade he often wore as prince and to please others, and into his kajh.

A woman who was not afraid, but used to being feared. It unnerved him, yet excited him. His pulse quickened and his loins tightened at the thought of those eyes filled with passion for him.

Better get some sleep before the night was gone. Tomorrow, he’d tell Gillespie about what he saw. He doubted he could explain those captivating green eyes that continued to haunt him even now.

Review:

“We are introduced to new and wonderful creatures, and meet up with those we know and love from the first book, as each character's unique role and journey begins to intersect... and each will have a pivotal role in the outcome of an epic battle that is about to take place. Deception, self discovery, and sacrifices will be made, as each character's true role is uncovered... and in these magical lands, nothing is at it seems…Still, the book builds on the last with new and enchanting worlds, exciting creatures, and breathtaking originality. ..A really fun read, and a complimentary addition to the Legends of Oblivion series!”

-4 1/2 stars Moonrise Book Blog

authorinterview

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

I was always a storyteller. Characters and plots filled my imagination and playtime, but as a child, I did not realize that writing was an occupation. I knew nurses, doctors, stay-at-home moms, waitstaff, etc., but not authors.

When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a teacher but soon realized the reality of teaching is a lot different than I thought.

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

I started writing poetry when I was fourteen (around the same age as half the population does I imagine). Then I wrote my first novel when I was in my late twenties, still I did not consider myself a writer until I wrote several more stories and began seeking publishing.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

From writing it to publication? May I plead the fifth? I did one of the worst sins as a writer, I would only send out a query to a publisher once a year or two. In the meantime, I would write and edit and repeat. So in answer to your question, it was more than a decade.

Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?

I have been a stay-at-home mom since the summer of 2010. My son at the time was in daycare and because of his health (it seems he was allergic to daycare), I quit my job as a Sr. Buyer for a Petroleum company to stay at home with him. Now I am home with him (he’s 4 now) and his sister (18months).

Funny thing is, I have less time to write now than I did when I was writing fulltime. Why? Because I don’t get regular lunch and breaks. If I do eat lunch, it’s usually while getting them to eat theirs’ too.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Son of Dragons Book 2 Legends of Oblivion series: After centuries of lost loves, Elvin warrior Mirhana expects is used to being shunned, until a prince seeks her aid.

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?

For Son of Dragons, my publisher is Crimson Romance. I did self-publish Cursed in Shadow Book 1.5 in the Legends of Oblivion series.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

It depends on the book. For Son of Dragons, which is the quickest book I have written so far, it was less than three months.

What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

I have several projects that I’m working on:

  • War of Darkness Book 3 Legends of Oblivion – re-writing
  • Untitled Viking Fire sequel - writing
  • YA Fantasy – writing
  • Stolen Hearts a contemporary romance – editing and rewriting the first two chapters
  • Cheyenne Storm and Cheyenne Gold two historical and paranormal romances – editing and rewriting the first chapter of Cheyenne Storm.
  • Short story romances – I plan to write 2-3 more short stories along with several other authors for an anthology. Our first one is Six Shades of Romance.

What genre would you place your books into?

Son of Dragons is a fantasy/ paranormal romance. Another novel of mine, Viking Fire, is a historical romance. I primarily write fantasy, paranormal and historical romance.

What made you decide to write that genre of book?

I have always loved fantasy—probably because it was taboo in my house growing up. Seriously, I couldn’t even watch Disney movies because of the ‘magic’—I craved fantasy stories as a child and still do.

Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?

Tough question … probably Celeste from The Garnet Dagger Book 1 Legends of Oblivion. She’s my favorite because she was so easy to write and I loved that she did not allow her circumstances define who she is (plus it was my first published novel so it will always be special to me.)

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

I wrote poetry when I was fourteen, but it was until I was in my late twenties that I wrote novels. Ironically, it was reading a historical romance without logic (a Viking just ‘gets saved’ because the heroine is Christian) that I thought I could write a better book—or at least write a book I would like to read.

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?

Since I’m a stay-at-home mom for the last four years, I write whenever and wherever I can. My husband has recently build me a writer’s desk in the corner of our room which I don’t use nearly as much as I should. Usually, I write on my laptop at the kitchen counter (because my 18month old loves to smash the keys).

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

Yes. And I get upset and eat chocolate on the bad ones – then I try to see if there is anything I can use to be a better writer for the next story.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

I am terrible at titles. So far, I have only written one story where the title came before I wrote the it –a short story called The Proxy part of an anthology with five other writers called Six Shades of Romance.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

They all come from my imagination and a baby book of names.

Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?

Character and place names come after their creation in my imagination. However, sometimes I have to change a character’s name. I read the names until one jumps out at me as looking and sounding like the character. Once, though, I had to change the hero’s name. In Viking Fire Bram was Ragnar originally, but by the time of publication (even though I wrote the book years ago) the History Channel’s Vikings was out and their lead character was named Ragnar (and it didn’t help that my hero looked like a young Travis Flemmel).

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

I have a general idea of the hero and heroine, the develop more as I write the book. However, secondary characters like Nivel in the Legends of Oblivion series surprised me with his personality as I wrote the series.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")

Yes, Son of Dragons has two morals: Don’t judge a book by its cover and Love will find a way.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

A tough question. I still love paperback. I love holding a book in my hand and seeing how many pages are left. However, I equally love eBooks because they are a lot less expensive, you can have multiple books in one place, and no one can see what you are reading.

What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?

I have tons of favorites, but if I only said one it would be The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. Why? Because it was the first fantasy book I read as an adult that made me want to write my own fantasy romance, which became The Garnet Dagger Book 1 Legends of Oblivion and the first book I got published. I have read it twice—which for me is a huge deal. I do not read books more than once because there are too many wonderful books out there that I have not read.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

Normally I would say no, books do not transfer into movies well. However, I think the Harry Potter series was the exception. The reason, in my opinion, that they transferred well was that they incorporated the author in everything and stayed as close to the books as possible.

Your favorite food is?

Anything with cheese or chocolate – but not together

Your favorite singer/group is?

Imagine Dragons

Your favorite color is?

Red. Not maroon, not orange-red, but blood-red. Always.

Your favorite Author is?

Many, but I’ll name just a few: Terry Goodkind, Anne Bishop, PC Cast, and Kim Harrison.

 

 

abouttheauthor

clip_image004

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.

What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).

Andrea writes paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.

She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndreaRCooper.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreaRCooper

Author Website: www.AndreaRCooper.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6934877.Andrea_R_Cooper

Blog: http://andrearcooperauthorblog.wordpress.com/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/andrearcooper/

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for having me on your fabulous blog today!

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  2. Fascinating how your favourite book inspired you and look where that inspiration took you. :-)
    Tweeted.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Daryl,

    I know :) I can't believe it sometimes, but here I am. Thank you for coming by.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like that you let the characters tell their stories. :) Tweeted!!

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  5. Awesome review and interview. Gosh you are a busy lady! Always amazes me how much authors continuously have going on at any one moment. It's like we are gluttons for punishment!

    ReplyDelete