Interview with Thea Harrison and Giveaway - November 9, 2012

Please welcome Thea Harrison to The Qwillery. Thea is the author of The Elder Races series and the upcoming Game of Shadows duology. Lord's Fall (The Elder Races 5) was published earlier this week on November 6th.

TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery!

Thea:  Thank you for having me today! I’m delighted to get the chance to visit with you.


TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Thea:  I am probably the most boring writer in the world. :-)  I don’t actually have very many quirks. Sometimes I write with music on, and sometimes I write in silence. My dogs are always in the office area with me.

The most quirky thing I can think of is actually how I like to take long distance car trips. I have a CD player in my car, and of course a radio, and I always take a collection of CDs to listen to. But for the last half a dozen long trips I’ve taken – two or three days of driving in the car—I’ve ended up driving in total silence and used the time to think about stories and plots.


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Thea:  I’m both a plotter and a pantser! How does that work, you ask? I create proposals for each project, or book, and those proposals have 5-10 page outlines that give my editor a clear idea of where I envision the book will go. After that, however, I go where the writing takes me, which means sometimes I need to rework my thinking from the original outline.


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Thea:  One of the most challenging things for me is the wait. I find it difficult to pour months of effort and time into a project, hit SEND and then wait for feedback and acceptance. After that, there’s more waiting—months of it—between the stages of development a book goes through before it finally hits the bookshelves at a store or online vendor. After that, there is more waiting, to see how readers respond, and to receive royalty checks after all the accounting.

The very best way to counteract all of this waiting is to invest in another project. It helps tremendously to become involved in another book or novella, which facilitates disengaging from the project I just completed. Since I want to keep writing, this works out very well for both the reader and I!


TQ:  What inspired you to write The Elder Races series?

Thea:  Years and years of reading and enjoying science fiction, fantasy and paranormal books.


TQ:  What sort of research did you do to create your world and mythology?

Thea:  I would have to say, again, that it was a combination that involved years and years of independent reading, hobby interests, and college courses (such as philosophy and mythology). I had a lot of material to draw on by the time the Elder Races was created.


TQ:  Describe Lord's Fall (The Elder Races 5) in 140 characters or less.

I’m borrowing this from something a blogger wrote (I can’t remember which one, sorry!):

LORD'S FALL is what happens to Pia and Dragos after their happy ever after.


TQ:  Tell us something about Lord's Fall that is not in the book description.

Thea:  A lot of questions and issues that have built up over the previous four books are addressed, and more questions and issues arise. I guess it’s kind of like reality: we never really live totally resolved lives.


TQ:  In Lord's Fall, who was the most difficult character to write and why? The easiest and why?

Thea:  Dragos and Pia were the easiest characters to write. Putting them on again to tell the story was like revisiting friends. As for who was the most difficult? Hmmm. I think perhaps the antagonist. I had to give his character a lot of thought.


TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Lord's Fall?

Thea:  I loved the interactions between Pia and a new-to-the-reader character, Eva. They cracked me up several times when I was writing them!


TQ:  And now for a really easy question! The Elder Races series presently consists of 5 novels and 4 novellas. Who is your favorite character from the series?

Thea:  I have said this before, and it’s actually quite true: my favorite characters happen to be the ones I’m writing at the time. Right now, though, I am between Elder Races projects…. So right now I would have to say that Dragos is my favorite.


TQ:  What's next?

Thea:  I’m quite excited that the first of my Game of Shadows duology, RISING DARKNESS, has a release date of April 2, 2013. (The second book will be entitled FALLEN LIGHT.) I’m about to begin the final edits for that project, and I’ve seen the draft of the cover art, which is spectacular! I can’t wait to share the final version with readers! You can read the official cover blurb for RISING DARKNESS here. There’s also a teaser chapter at the end of LORD’S FALL.


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery

Thea:  Thank you for having me! I appreciate the chance to visit with you.

For readers: who is your favorite character from the Elder Races series?





The Elder Races

Lord's Fall
The Elder Races 5
Berkley, November 6, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages

In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them…

Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners—in more places than just the bedroom.

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear…

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Oracle's Moon
The Elder Races 4
Berkley, March 6, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

When Grace Andreas's sister, Petra, and her husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister's two young children--neither of which she is prepared for. Then Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn Prince of House Marid, decides to make himself a part of the household both as guardian and counterpoint to Grace's impudence towards the Elder Races.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Serpent's Kiss
The Elder Races 3
Berkley, October 4, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

Recently, Vampire Queen Carling's power has become erratic, forcing her followers to flee. Wyr sentinel Rune is drawn to the ailing Queen and decides to help find a cure for the serpent's kiss-the vampyric disease that's killing her. With their desire for each other escalating they will have to rely on each other if they have any hope of surviving the serpent's kiss...

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Storm's Heart
The Elder Races 2
Berkley, August 2, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

Able to wield thunder and lightning, wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the wyr's best weapons. And he's the one sent to protect Tricks, heir to the Dark Fae throne, when she's almost assassinated in Chicago. Soon Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them-a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Dragon Bound
The Elder Races 1
Berkley, May 3, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Stories of The Elder Races
Available from Samhain Publishing

About Thea

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Thea Harrison is the pen name for Teddy Harrison. Thea has traveled extensively, having lived in England and explored Europe for several years. Now she resides in Colorado. She wrote her first book, a romance, when she was nineteen and had sixteen romances published under the name Amanda Carpenter.

She took a break from writing to collect a couple of graduate degrees and a grown child. She experienced waitressing as a teenager, has worked as an activist for a non-profit consumer rights organization, has been a receptionist, an office manager, a penniless graduate student, a director of development and research, and a single mom. Her graduate degrees are in Philanthropic Studies and Library Information Science, but her first love has always been writing fiction.

Her paranormal Elder Races series began May 3, 2011 with Dragon Bound, which won RT Book Review’s Book of the Year Award, and the Romance Writer’s of America RITA in the paranormal romance category.

All five of her full length novels in the Elder Races series have won Top Picks from RT Book Reviews. Book two, Storm’s Heart and book four, Oracle’s Moon, hit the USA Today bestseller’s list, while book three, Serpent’s Kiss, hit the New York Times extended bestseller list.

She adores animals and currently resides with two small dogs that have very large personalities.

Website : Blog : Facebook : Twitter : Goodreads




THE GIVEAWAY

What:  One commenter will win her/his choice of a Mass Market Paperback copy of Dragon Bound, Storm's Heart, Serpent's Kiss, or Oracle's Moon from Berkley. US  ONLY

How:   Answer Thea's question: 

Who is your favorite character from the Elder Races series?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry).  This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Friday, November 16, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*