May Scavenger Hunt--Character Interview

All month long, Purple Sword, Whimsical Publications and Astraea Press are hosting a scavenger hunt. Authors from all three publishers have created character interviews to let you get to know their characters a little bit better. This next part is important: If you want to participate you must email our publicist, Robyn White, at promorobyn@gmail.com. She will send you a list of participating authors along with the questions you will need to answer in order to enter to win.

Following is my character interview with Alecandros, the male lead from my paranormal romance, Tied to a Demon:

Thank you for joining us today, Alec. For those who might not know you, why don’t you start off with telling us a bit about yourself.

First of all, my full name is Alecandros. Very few people are allowed to use the shortened version of my name.

So sorry, Alecandros. I should know better.

Yes. You should. I’m a demon from the nine hells, though I haven’t always been a demon.

So how does one become a demon?

It’s a long and painful process. Not something I would recommend. When I underwent the change, it was an experimental process, a method designed by perhaps the greatest wizard of his time and the leading expert on demonology, Reynauld. Essentially, the subject’s soul must be separated from his body. In my case, Reynauld had plans for me, so he needed my soul. After yanking it out, he stuffed it back in because he couldn’t have a soulless demon running around. I guess it worked out in the end, though I wish the process would have erased more of my memories.

So you remember most of your life before?

I remember a great deal more than I think I should. It’s strange. Becoming a demon felt like having someone remove the wool over my eyes. I could see things clearly for the first time. As a result, everything that’s happened to me since that moment feels more real, like my real life didn’t begin until I lost my soul. My previous life is a bit muddled and fuzzy. The easiest moments for me to remember occurred towards the end of it unfortunately.

These events you speak of. Are they the reason you chose to submit to the process of becoming a demon?

Yes. Before that I was a renegade wizard. I had so much power, I cared little for the consequences of my actions. My own experiments were everything to me, and I didn’t balk at the thought of taking human life if it furthered my research. Towards the end, I was being hunted, and sought refuge with Reynauld. It turned out he could use me, but by that point I didn’t care. I only wanted to escape the hunters.

So what were you researching?

Oddly enough, my studies weren’t that different from Reynauld’s. I just went about it in a different way. I was studying the way a human’s soul was connected to its body. I began with animals, but I could learn very little from them since they’re so different.

What made you take the leap from animal experimentation to human?

I grew frustrated. You’re probably looking for a more satisfying answer, but that’s all it was. Animals couldn’t tell me what I wanted to know, so I moved on.

Let’s do the same. What became of you after Reynauld turned you into a demon?

Well, I don’t want to give too much of the story away, so I will just say that he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Instead of unlimited freedom, I found myself in the nine hells, awaiting my eventual release. Let me tell you, the hells are not a pleasant place. The seventh hell was my ‘home,’ for lack of a better term. I hated the place.

What does a demon do for fun then?

Most of my fellows dreamed up new ways to torture people. But I was stuck with my soul, so it was different for me. I moped a lot, in the beginning. There wasn’t a lot to do besides wait for the event that would finally set me free. And once I was free, there was no way I was going back.

Just a few more questions before I let you go. Shanna isn’t the first witch who’s summoned you, yet she called you forth from the nine hells. Care to explain that?

The  other witches all knew what they were doing. If Shanna had bound her circle properly, she would have been able to send me back, too. But once I broke free, there was no turning back.

Well, she did summon you accidentally.

Yes. And I used that to my advantage.

What did you think of Shanna when you first saw her?

I reacted badly at first, but being ripped from someplace and thrown into another is disconcerting. Once I’d adjusted to my surroundings, I realized Shanna wasn’t the all-powerful witch I imagined. She was struggling. I found her clumsiness adorable, but she’s just lucky I’m the worst thing she’s ever summoned.

Thank you for answering my questions today, Alecandros. One last thing. Are we thinking sequel?

I should think not. A prequel might be possible, but I think my adventuring days are mostly over now, and I prefer it that way. I’m quite happy with the way things turned out. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?

An Update

Yikes. Life has really derailed my writing career lately and I feel horrible about it, but I just can't force myself back on track. I'm trying very hard to get my head back in the game, but unfortunately it hasn't been that easy. I've recently started working overnights, which can be hard on anyone, so my sleep has been suffering, and when I feel groggy/drowsy/tired, I just can't write. I worry about it constantly, but even approaching the computer will give me a greater case of lethargy. I cringe at the idea of even entering the room that houses my computer. Once my schedule settles down a bit, I hope things will get better. Even being able to write this blog post is a step in the right direction.


Here's another step:

ATTENTION ALL READERS: Who wants to join in some scavenger hunt mayhem and fun for the month of May? Learn more about your favorite authors, their work and their wonderful characters in our Character Interview Blog Bash! Great prizes to be won, as well! Please email Robyn at promorobyn@gmail.com if you would like to participate and she will put you on a contestant list!


Purple Sword is set to participate, so I am working on a character interview (and currently procrastinating over it). I've never written one before and just settling on the character I wanted to do it for took me about two weeks. But seeing as how I haven't even really touched my computer in those two weeks either, except to check email, I get sidetracked easily by everything that's been happening, with fellow authors, in the world in general, by this great news I just had to share. Well, I'd better get to it!

End of Days

Once in a while, when I find I'm at an impasse on a current project, I find it helpful to take a stab at something new. Royal Guard Book 2 is the project I'm currently working on, but considering the first book was the last thing I published, I've been finding it a bit difficult to dive right back into that world, so I found myself in need of a distraction.

I briefly entertained the notion of taking on a pseudonym to publish short, strictly erotica books, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Promoting books under one name is difficult enough. Just thinking about the logistics involved for two names made my head spin.

Still, I have decided to pen some shorter tales revolving around angels and demons. The basic premise has been done before, in certain ways. You might refer to my angels as valkyries for instance. But I've decided not to call my Armageddon Ragnarok. The end of the world is simply known as the End of Days, and while it fills the angels with dread, the demons are looking forward to it. Both sides are tasked with choosing their warriors. In the first book, which doesn't have a title just yet, Kieran's target is Samantha Jordan. He doesn't know why the demons want her, but he does know that the angels are after her as well. Yet, Kieran is the best at what he does.   There shouldn't be a problem, until an angel makes him an offer he can't refuse.

Purple Sword Blog and Facebook

Want a great way to keep track of Purple Sword's authors, their great new releases, and everything else Purple Sword?

Check out their wonderful, in-depth blog here: http://pspreleases.blogspot.com/?zx=23678a80cd0b4832.

Or become a friend on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Purple-Sword-Publications/107420692619430?sk=wall.

Tied to a Demon nominated for an award!

Tied to a Demon has been nominated for its second award, this time for Siren Book Reviews' Best Books of 2010, in the paranormal romance category.

Even better, Siren is entering all voters into a contest to win free e-books, so click on the link to go vote for me and get your name entered in the drawing:
http://sirenbookreviews.weebly.com/nominees-paranormal-romance.html

Voting lasts until Feb. 1st.

Their reviewer for Tied to a Demon had very nice things to say about it. She gave the book 5/5 Siren Stones. Here's a quote, though it was difficult to choose just one:

"Tied to a Demon kept me up until the wee hours of the morning because I was unable to put it down."

In my opinion, that's the highest compliment an author can receive.

Please, go visit the website to read the full review: http://sirenbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/rachel-d-thompson-tied-to-demon.html.

Review for The Prince's Knight

Fallen Angel Reviews has given four out of five angels to The Prince's Knight.

"Watching Aric and Matthew's relationship grow and their need to protect each other was beautiful." --Teresa from Fallen Angel Reviews.

Here's the link to read the full review. She had a lot of great things to say about the book.

Yesterday, while I was trying to get some work done on the sequel, I found myself unable to concentrate. I'd just received an Advanced Reader's Copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, so I pulled it out and soon found myself lost in a world of witches, daemons, and vampires. I haven't read too far yet, and it's a very big book, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. This book rekindled my desire to pull out my own somewhat finished vampire novel (Immortal Book 1: Blood Rage).


Now, after writing most of the book in first-person, I was having thoughts that I should switch to third. Personally, I had grown sick of the overabundance of first-person books clogging the paranormal bookshelves. Interestingly enough, A Discovery of Witches is written using mostly first person viewpoint (switching to third for certain chapters). So while I had rewritten the first three chapters of Blood Rage, I was no longer feeling the excitement. Of course, I had a copy of the original manuscript to refer to. I dusted it off, so to speak. Except for my notes, everything is electronic. And I began reading it, all the while thinking to myself: "Wow, this is really good."

I know I'm probably not exactly the most unbiased opinion when it comes to my own work, but I suddenly hated the thought of rewriting so much material when I enjoyed the first draft so much. When I first envisioned this product, I had a very clear picture of what I wanted it to be. Rewriting it would change all of that. I've decided to continue on with the project in first-person. I need to rewrite a major plot point, and hopefully add a lot more to the book in order to make it long enough for my ultimate publication goals, but I'm once again excited to work on the Immortal series. And I'd lost hope for that.

Oh, and A Discovery of Witches is set to release Feb. 8, 2011. I strongly urge anyone who likes paranormal books to pick it up.

Featured Author

Yikes! It's been awhile since I've been able to post anything. I don't have internet access right now, so I have to drag the laptop to the public library. Usually I have a list of things I need to take care of, and the blog is one of the last. My battery usually dies before I get to it.

Anyway, Merry Christmas! Hard to believe Christmas is already upon us. I wanted to get a holiday story out for the season, but that just didn't happen. I'll shoot for next year. Instead, I've started working on Royal Guard Book 2, which I've titled The King's Consort. I think it's going to have a lot more action than the first book. And the way things are looking, the story might drag out long enough to warrant a third book. I want to tackle my plans for this book first before I start worrying about that.

Today, I am the featured author on one of my friend's blogs. Tied to a Demon took a spot on her Great Reads page, so my blog spot talks mostly of that, while giving mention to The Prince's Knight, where inspiration came for Tied to a Demon, and how I first got interested in writing. Here is the link: http://charleneawilson.com/2010/12/20/373/.

I've also joined Romance Junkies Holiday Contest to give away a free copy of The Prince's Knight. I don't have any extra info about that yet, but once I know what's going on, I'll try to get it posted. The info will at least appear on my website.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Holidays!