Giveaway & Interview with DEMON'S CURSE's Paranormal Romance Author Alexa Egan

 DEMON’S CURSE

Imnada Brotherhood series #1

Alexa Egan

RCJR eZine Interview

January 10, 2013

Alexa, thanks for stopping by.  I m so excited that you are her.  For people not familiar with you would you mind sharing a bit about yourself?

I’m a slightly frazzled forty-something with a wonderful supportive husband, three children who still require way too much of my time, a cat named Olive, and a brand new puppy because I really do not have enough stress in my life. We live in a rambling old house that exists in a perpetual state of renovation. And when I’m not writing, I can be found curled up with the family watching movies or curled up in a chair reading a book (or walking a dog.)

What was it like to see your book in print?

It was--quite simply--amazing! I leafed through it, thinking “Wow, I wrote that…and that…and that…”

What was the very first thing you did when you heard your book was going to be published?

After Snoopy dancing around my office, I took the whole family out to dinner to celebrate.

When you received your first email or snail mail from a fan what did you think?

Hmmm…I don’t know if I’ve received any yet. Lots of lovely compliments from fellow authors and some great reviews, but I’m awaiting that elusive first piece of real “fan” mail. Uh-oh…should I be worried?

Do you believe that social networking is a productive way of meeting potential readers? Are there pros and cons to networking with social media?

I definitely like the instant gratification of being able to connect with readers, but there are downsides. I know for me it can easily turn into a huge time suck. I really have to discipline myself not to get caught up in it. I’m also a very private person, something I was never fully aware of until I took on such a public profession. So, FB and Twitter and the constant need for information to fill those spaces can really nibble at the edges of my comfort levels if I let it.

What was some of the best and worst advice you were given on your road to becoming a published author? 

The best advice I ever got was, ‘try and ignore all the stuff that’s out of your control and concentrate on the next book’. Great advice, because if you don’t, you’ll go mad.

The worst advice was ‘try and ignore all the stuff that’s out of your control and concentrate on the next book’. Horrible advice because there’s no way in hell you can ignore all that stuff. You keep thinking if only I run one more ad, check one more review site, tweet more regularly, etc…

What advice would you give to a struggling writer in this day and age of self-publishing?

Since I have yet to take the plunge into self-publishing, I really can’t offer too much advice in that arena. But from what I’ve gleaned, the best advice is the same advice I’d offer any writer; promo is great but the best way to attract and keep readers is to write the best book you can. Put it out there. Then sit down at your computer and do it again…and again…and again.

If you could write any other genre than your present one, which would it be and why?

I began my career writing straight regency historicals, so returning to that genre would be fun if I ever had the time. Does that count?

Do you remember where you were when you first thought up Imnada Brotherhood series?

It was winter so I was probably in my living room curled up on the couch. I move my laptop down there and camp out beside the woodstove. It’s very cozy and extremely conducive for daydreaming…and napping. 

I am addicted to this series and the characters.  For those who are not yet familiar with The Imnada Brotherhood, would you mind telling about the brotherhood?

In a nutshell, the series is about the Imnada, a race of shapechangers and telepaths who have lived secretly as humans for thousands of years and would do anything to guard their secret from a dangerous outside world.

As a result of a savage massacre on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, Captain Mac Flannery and three other shapechangers are cursed to live the hours of darkness trapped as their animal aspect.

I’m really excited for the debut of this new series and can’t wait to hear what readers think of my regency-era shapechangers.

After reading DEMON’S CURSE I can tell that you put your own blood, sweat and tears into every character and it shows on every page.  My imagination is running wild and curious to know if there is a bit of yourself in your characters.  Who do you believe is most like you?

I don’t think any of my characters are anything like me, though they may be a bit of how I wish I could be—clever, resourceful, courageous, kindhearted, and of course…beautiful. Maybe that’s a bit of the fantasy that goes along with romance novels. We see ourselves in the characters, or at least we see how we’d like ourselves to be. Or maybe I’m waxing way too philosophical. J 

When you began the Imnada Brotherhood series did you have Captain Mac Flannery and Bianca Parrino’s arcs figured out?  Did you know that before you began that they would end up the way they did?

Hell no! I’m a pantser. I don’t know anything about my characters when I begin other than a few basic facts and that by the end they need to be together. To me, that’s the fun of writing. Learning about the characters as I go along.

Alexa, share with us a bit more about Captain Mac Flannery and Bianca Parrino’s story in DEMON’S CURSE?

DEMON’S CURSE opens with the violent death of one of the four shapechangers and Mac certain the secret of the Imnada has been discovered. His only link to unearthing the truth is Bianca Parrino, a star on the Covent Garden stage and a suspect in the vicious killing. Soon, the unlikely pair are forced to place their trust in each other as they flee a murderer and seek an end to the dark curse.

What was your premise for writing this story?

Don’t laugh, but my very first thought when coming up with the series was ‘why not have aliens in the regency?’. Needless to say, my agent was skeptical about little green men hanging with the beau monde. So I tweaked the idea a bit, added an Arthurian twist, two warring magical races, threw in a battle-toughened group of shapeshifting ex-soldiers, and…oh yeah…a really nasty curse.

I would like to take a moment and thank Mac and Bianca for dropping by with Alexa.  Hi Guys, (waving above the crowd) I am so excited that you were able to drop by today.  I hope you do not mind, but I would love to ask you some need to know questions that readers are desperate to know.

I am one of those readers that love to find out what people think the moment they meet the love of their lives.  Bianca, I will start with you.  What was the very first thing you thought when you laid eyes on Mac?

I thought he was arrogant, overbearing, and quite the most devastatingly handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. Or would be if he ever cracked a smile.  

Mac, you are up. =) What was your first impression of Bianca?

That she was beautiful and distant, and that I would have to tread very carefully if I wanted to find out the truth about Adam’s death.

Bianca, would you please share with readers the moment you knew you fell for this sexy, mysterious and bullheaded Captain?

It was during our time at the Wallace farm. (smiling wistfully) It was the middle of the night, and I woke to hear the sounds of Squire Fruddy’s gamekeepers loose in the wood. I was terrified they were hunting Mac. And terrified because I knew if we couldn’t break the curse, Mac would never allow himself to love me as I knew, in that moment, that I loved him. 

Same question for you, Mac.  When did you realize that your life wasn’t complete and didn’t make a lick of sense if Bianca wasn’t in it?

When did I realize it or when did I stop fighting it? I knew the moment she didn’t flinch when faced with the horror of the curse, though I would have denied it to the last breath in my body at the time. It took a good scolding from my friends (and hers) before I finally surrendered. But even then, I wasn’t sure we’d find happiness. There just seemed too much keeping us apart.

What is one thing, you both, would like readers to walk away with after reading your love story?

That sometimes you have to let go of a lifetime of what you  think you know in order to embrace the truth that’s right in front of your face.

Now back to Alexa

Thank you, Alexa for bringing Mac and Bianca with you today to chat about their love story.  I truly appreciate you letting me take a few moments to ask them some need-to-know questions. =)

Happy to do it.

What was the very first thing you did after typing THE END to your DEMON’S CURSE manuscript?

The same thing I do after every book—I heaved a great big sigh of relief. Then immediately started planning the next story.

What is one thing you hope readers take away after reading DEMON’S CURSE?

I really hope they enjoy the blend of historical and paranormal. And I hope they fall in love with my shapechangers enough to follow them deeper into the series. 

When that fleeting free time comes your way what do you like to do?  Are there any authors you would recommend to readers until we have the next book in your The Imnada Brotherhood series in our hands?

I read or watch movies curled up on the couch with my family.

As for authors to recommend, I could go on for hours, but I’ll try to keep it short. J I love Megan Whalen Turner’s Thief series…dying for the next one to come out…and Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series. Both are YA and both are amazing. If readers are looking for romance, I would steer them toward Kendra Leigh Castle or Kristen Callihan; both superb writers.

I would like to thank you one more time, Alexa for bringing readers into your intoxicating and sexy world of The Imnada Brotherhood will bring your legions of fans and new fans rushing to know more about this incomparable loving couple.

Thank you very much for having me. It’s been a pleasure. 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781451672909

Publisher: Pocket Books

Publication date: 12/26/2012

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Pages: 400

The Imnada Brotherhood #1

Buy @ Barnes & Noble

Overview

She holds the key . . .

One of the mythical race of shape-shifting Imnada and a member of an elite military unit, Captain Mac Flannery suffers under a ruthless curse. As the result of a savage massacre on the eve of Waterloo, he and the men he served with are forced to live the hours of darkness trapped as their animal aspects. Now one of them has been murdered, and Mac suspects the existence of the Imnada may finally have been discovered. His only link to unearthing the truth—Bianca Parrino, the beautiful actress whom every man desires.

. . . to his forbidden desires

Forging a new life for herself after escaping the clutches of her abusive husband, Bianca is again drawn into violence when a dear friend is brutally murdered and she becomes a suspect. Forced to place her trust and her life in Mac’s hands as they flee a determined killer, Bianca cannot deny she is falling for the mysterious soldier. But will his dark secrets tear them asunder? Or will love be the key to breaking even the cruelest of spells?

Connect:

A member of Romance Writers of America and a Golden Heart finalist, Alexa Egan lives in Maryland with her family. Visit her at AlexaEgan.com.

Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexaEganBooks

Twitter @AlexaEganBooks

ECLECTIC PASSIONS ONLINE BOOK CLUB

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Giveaway: Thanks for stopping by RCJR eZine blog today.  I hope you had a blast getting to know more about today’s featured author Alexa Egan’s The Imnada Brotherhood.  Wow, DEMON’S CURSE was a fantastic beginning to a fabulous new historical paranormal series.  It is definite paranormal that every lover of paranormal romance should have on their TBR pile.

In celebration of Alexa Egan’s appearance today one lucky winner will win an a copy of DEMON’S CURSE.

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Contest runs until January 12, 2013

Winner will be contacted directly on January 13, 2013

Happy Reading! =)