HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY: Giveaway and Interview with THE DARK LADY'S Author Maire Claremont

It is my great pleasure to be sharing Valentine's Day with you and to bring you a brand new author your way.  Step into the mad crazy world of historical romance author Maire Claremont with her dark and dangerously mysterious debut release THE DARK LADY.

Máire, for people not familiar with you would you mind sharing a bit about yourself?

Oh, my. What to say? I am a wayward gypsy girl??? I studied dance and theater. I actually have my M.A. in theater and as much as I loved it, I prefer directing people on paper rather than on the stage. I adore Shakespeare and traveling. I’ve lived all over the US and in Ireland, Scotland and London.

 What was it like to see your book in print?

Completely unbelievable. :D

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

Celebrated with my mom. She’d been my biggest fan for ages and she was quite sick with cancer. So, I was able to share the news with her. I think we did a Downton Abbey Marathon and squeed all day long. :D

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

Actually, my VERY first just came a few days ago and it was so exciting. I kept wanting to say, “No, really? You truly love it?”

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

Absolutely. I’ve had great success with new friends and readers on Twitter and Facebook. The pros are meeting likeminded people and enjoying life and successes. The cons? NOT WRITING. :D

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

What a fantastic and difficult question. With self-publishing so many doors have opened up. Whole markets exist now that were considered dead. My biggest word of advice to unpublished writers is to make sure you’re truly ready. I worked very hard, for years, getting my manuscripts slaughtered by critique partners and experiencing so many letters of rejection. That experience really helps you evaluate your writing. So, make sure your story is the VERY best it can be.

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

Young Adult. I adore the passions and angst. Young Adult novels experience emotion so beautifully and freely. I love that.

Do you remember where you were when you first thought up The Mad Passion Series?

Yes. I was in bed, in the dark and couldn’t sleep.

After reading THE DARK LADY I can tell that you put your own blood, sweat and tears into ever characters 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?

Wow. Thank you so much. What a compliment. And the answer is yes. My father was an alcoholic who recovered. He was sober for the last fifteen years of his life and I think this gave me a very distinct understanding of Eva’s addiction. Honestly, I am in all my characters, but Eva’s determination to make her life better and not give in is definitely a huge part of my mind set.

When you began the Mad Passion series did you have Lord Ian Blake and Lady Eva Carin’s arcs figured out?  Did you know that before you began that they would end up the way they did?

No. Absolutely not. I’m a panster, so I had no idea how the story would end. There’s even a plot twist at the end that only came to me in the moment. I was as blind as the characters until it was revealed to them.

Máire, share with us a bit more about Lord Ian Blake and Lady Eva Carin’s story in THE DARK LADY?

Its a story of loss and redemption, of being driven right to the edge but then finding the most beautiful happily ever after. My characters really pushed their limits but in the end, they knew what they were doing. Eva and Ian go on a long journey from childhood, falling in love, succumbing to duty, and then to the trials of life. But they find each other again and then nothing can stop them.

What was your premise for writing this story?

I didn’t really have a premise. I let the story take me where it wanted me to go. But I was driven to explore women of the Victorian period and how they were so easily put in peril by society.

I would like to take a moment and thank the Lord Ian and Lady Eva for dropping by with Máire.  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.  Lady Eva, I will start with you.  What was the very first thing you thought when you laid eyes on Lord Ian?

It is quite pleasant of you to ask. And thank you for having Máire. I’ve given her a great deal of trouble. Now, as to your question, I met Ian when he was a boy and I was struck by how very sad he was. After all, he’d lost both his parents and he was standing in the great hall. He looked so very alone and so very kind. I knew then and there that I would ensure he never felt so alone again.

Lord Ian, you are up. =) What was your first impression of Lady Eva after so many years have passed?

Madam, that is a most difficult question. One, I barely feel I can answer as it is so intimate. However, Máire is urging me to overcome my scruples. You see, when I returned from India and saw Eva for the first time in years, she was in an insane asylum. My heart broke at the sight of her. She’d been so vibrant, so alive and she seemed so lost, so grief stricken. I knew I had to rescue her and find her happiness again post haste.

Lady Eva, would you please share with readers the moment you knew you fell for this sexy, mysterious Lord Ian?

Oh, from the moment I met him as a child. Something happened then. You, see, I had also lost my parents and a bond was formed. It was undeniable. We understood eachother from that first moment of meeting. Now, later, when he returned from India, it took some time. But I think, when we were in the stables together and we were so able to easily talk again, I knew nothing had truly ever changed.

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

The moment she saved me from being so lonely. I was alone in the great hall, terribly sad and had given my favorite toy to be put in mama’s grave. And Eva said she would share her toy bear with me. I was hers then forever. After many years, after such a long separation, when I first held her in my arms, I was again swept away. No matter what had befallen her, she was still my Eva.

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

{Eva and Ian glance at eachother} Eva: That no matter how broken you think you are, you deserve love.

{Ian smiles} And that it is never to late to find happiness.

Now back to Máire

Thank you, Máire for bringing along Lord Ian and Lady Eva 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. =)

Oh, you’re very welcome. Though they may not seem so, they do love to talk.

What was the very first thing you did after typing THE END to the manuscript of THE DARK LADY?

Stared at the screen. LOL. Once, again, I couldn’t believe it was done. And then I think I went to lunch by myself to celebrate and read a Sherry Thomas novel.

What is one thing you hope readers take away after reading THE DARK LADY?

That love is incredibly powerful, but even more so, even if you’ve walked through hell, you can come back from it and find peace.

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 Mad Passion series in our hands?

I love to read, go to the theater, travel, and ride horses. I also love period films. Authors???? Oh my. So many. But my VERY faves for waiting until Lady in Red comes out are, Delilah Marvelle, Meredith Duran, Sherry Thomas, Joanna Bourne, and Cecila Grant.

I would like to thank you one more time, Marie for bringing readers into your intoxicating and mad passion of the dark world of the Victorian time. I know that THE DARK LADY will bring your legions of fans and new fans rushing to know more about this incomparable loving couple.

THANK YOU. Its been so wonderful visiting.

{Eva and Ian also thank you}

The Victorian era was full of majestic beauty and scandalous secrets—a time when corsets were the least of a woman’s restrictions, and men

could kill or be killed in the name of honor....

Lord Ian Blake has returned from India a broken man. Years ago, he pledged to Lady Eva Carin—his childhood companion and " first love—

that he would bring her husband back alive. His failure haunts him. But even his jade soul can’t anticipate the shocking sight of beautiful,

independent Eva confined in a madhouse....

Locked in an asylum, forgotten by society, Eva is adrift in both body and mind. For Ian to break her free, they must cross a powerful enemy—

and prove her sanity to England’s unforgiving aristocracy. But the biggest danger of all may come when the secrets of Eva’s tragic past are

finally unlocked....

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Lady-Novel-Passions/dp/0451417992

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Lady-Passions-ebook/dp/B008BM4N0W

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dark-lady-maire-claremont/1111518783?ean=9780451417992

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dark-lady-maire-claremont/1111518783?ean=9781101609323

SNIPPET:

Eva stroked her hands along Dragon’s withers and drew in the earthy scent of stable and horseflesh. Underneath her hands, Dragon felt silky, muscled, and supple. A body well over a ton in weight. A body which could bear all her suffering without any thought.

            It would be so easy to give it to him. Dragon had always been strong and kind, even if he was a bit wild. He’d take her sadness and pain, then toss his head and stomp his hooves into the earth, passing those paralyzing emotions into something eternal and far more powerful than she.

            He tossed his head then looked back at her with his liquid dark eyes, sensing her distress. “Oh Dragon,” she sighed, tears stinging her eyes. “What am I to do?”

            The stallion let out a great sigh that shook his barrel chest, moving her hand along with the shiver of his white coat.

            She laughed, even as a tear slipped down her cheek. And at the stallion’s suggestion, she drew in a long slow breath then blew it out. And she did feel better.

            Carefully, she rested her head along the stallion’s massive shoulder. Dragon stood, leaning away for a moment, but then he leaned in toward her, pressing lightly against her body. A gentle acceptance of her need.

            She stroked her hand along his neck, wishing she could give away all her pain to the beautiful horse that had been Ian’s for a decade. Though Dragon had stayed at Blythely when Ian went to India. It didn’t surprise Eva that Ian had left behind his beloved horse. Most likely, Ian hadn’t been able to bear the idea of uprooting the horse that was the alpha of his stable and take him to a land far away that bore no resemblance to the green fields of England.

            Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to go back. To envision riding Dragon with Ian. The way she had clasped her arms about Ian’s waist as they tore across the countryside. They had been at one with each other then. No worries. No fears. No idea of ever being parted.

            Dragon whinnied and shifted on his large hooves.

            Eva lifted her head as Dragon’s soft ears twitched towards the stable door.       

            “Eva?”

            Her breath caught in her throat. Ian. She’d thought to be alone, but the horses had always been a siren call to them. “Yes?”

            Ian walked carefully into the stable and Dragon immediately stretched out his beautiful face, head butting Ian. Ian laughed, a soft gentle sound. “I missed you too, boy.”

            Eva held her breath, feeling she watched a sacred moment as Ian leaned his own face towards his stallion. For one brief moment, their foreheads touched and all Ian’s cares slipped away from his face, leaving behind the gentle carefree young man she had once loved.

            Her own heart twisted at the sight, wishing they could disappear back to that time. Knowing they could not.

            Ian stroked his own hand along Dragon’s neck until his fingers slipped over Eva’s entwining with them and Dragon’s mane. “Did you wish to ride?”

            Her breasts rose and fell in quick short breaths at the touch of his hand. She tore her gaze away from his fingers over hers and glanced toward the stable door. Rain began pelting down, turning the earth a russet brown. “Now?”

            He smiled, a slow boyish smile. “No. I suppose not.”

            Ian cocked his head to the side. “Listen?”

            She frowned but then realized that Ian was mesmerized by the sound of the rain falling upon the roof, a repetitive, hypnotic beat that soothed her aching nerves.

            Dragon whinnied and nickered. “Do you suppose he likes the rain?” Eva asked.

            “I think he’d like a treat.”

            She grinned. “Of course.

            “Shall we?”

            Eva nodded and followed Ian out of the stable and into the hay room. He started for a loose leaf of it but he hesitated and glanced back over his shoulder. “You looked happy just now.”

            She wove her fingers together. “So did you you.”

            He smiled then held out a hand to her.

            It felt so strange as if he was asking her to trust him. Just like he had done to wild and wounded animals so long ago. And like all the wounded creatures that he had reached out to, she couldn’t resist. Despite the misgivings in her heart, she crossed to him and took his hand. The largeness of it, rough, strong, tender swallowed up her fingers.

            “Eva, I have been unkind--”

            She started to shake her head but stopped herself. “Yes. You have. But you have also done what you thought necessary.”

            He tilted his head down, his black hair dancing over his brow. “And if I did something, now, that I thought necessary? Would it anger you?”

            The scent of spice about him as he leaned closer sent all her senses clamoring. “It would depend what it was.”

            He looked as if he was about to speak, but instead, he wrapped his arms about her waist, pulled her to him and took her lips in a sudden, white hot kiss.

            At first, she couldn’t think. She could only feel. Every part of her felt this was right. From the way his hands spanned her back to the feel of his lips over hers, teasing her, to the way he sheltered her in his strong arms.

            Without hesitating, Eva grasped his shoulders, pulling him close, desperate to find something beautiful with him. Effortlessly, he swept her up, cradling her against his chest. In two short strides, he took her to the soft hay piled against the stable wall and laid her down against it.

            Gazing up at him, she felt safer than she had in a lifetime.

Bio:

2011 Golden Heart winner Máire Claremont first fell in love with Mr. Rochester, not Mr. Darcy. Drawn to his dark snark, she longed to find a

tortured hero of her own… until she realized the ramifications of Mr. Rochester locking his frst wife up in his attic. Discovering the errors of her

ways, Máire now looks for a real-life Darcy and creates deliciously dark heroes on the page. Oh, and she wants everyone to know her name is

pronounced Moira. Her parents just had to give her an Irish Gaelic name.

Links:

Website: http://www.maireclaremont.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MaireClaremont

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MaireClaremont

Pinterest:http://pinterest.com/maireclaremont/

I hope you had a blast getting to know today’s featured author.   Historical romance author Maire Claremont latest release in her majestic and scandalous Victorian romance, THE DARK LADY.  If you are looking for intrigues and high stakes among the dark gothic back drop of the Victorian world, then, welcome Maire Claremont's magnetic world.

In celebration of THE DARK LADY’s release and Maire Claremont’s appearance today RCJR eZine and Ms. Claremont will be giving one (1) lucky reader a copy of THE DARK LADY.

Here’s how to enter.

*Leave a comment for Maire Claremont.

*Become a follower of RCJR eZine Blog

*Like us on Facebook

*Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter #TheDarkLadyGiveaway

*Follow us on Twitter @ RCJReviewsEZine

Please leave your email in your comment.

Contest runs until February 21, 2013

Winner will be contacted directly on February 22, 2013

Happy Reading! =)