Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop!

 Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

& Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf for hosting

The last hop that just ended was such a hit I decided to go ahead and giveaway the same fabulous YA series again! 

Click pictures for descriptions

    

But this time I have a special treat. An interview with the author so you can learn a little more about her and what you might win! 

To enter all you have to do is leave a lovely comment about the interview and your email address. Open internationally.

National bestselling author Michelle Rowen writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy. She was the winner of the 2007 Holt Medallion for Best First Book and the 2009 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Vampire Romance.

Learn more at her
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Hope you enjoy the interview! My little reactions are in purple!

Can you tell us a little bit about the Demon Princess series and why you decided to continue the series?

The Demon Princess series is about a sixteen year old girl named Nikki who learns her estranged father is a demon king in another world and she's the heir to his throne. The books follow the adventures she has, the trouble she gets into, and the people (demons, faeries, dragons, etc.) she meets along the way. I wrote the first two books for a publisher who chose not to continue with the series after book two. Unfortunately, I had ended book two in a very open way in anticipation of future books (bad idea!), so I had a lot of questions that still needed answering -- both for my characters, for my readers, and for myself. I decided, after a great deal of angst and contemplation, to finish the last two books and publish them myself for the pure satisfaction of being able to tell Nikki's complete story.

[I am so happy you did! Thank you!]

Which of your characters is most/least like you, and in what way(s)?

While we look nothing alike, I think I'm the most like Eden Riley from my Living in Eden series. Not the fact that she's a witch/nephilim, but that she's neurotic, a bit of a loner, and takes everything way too seriously. However, I share the exact same sense of humor as Sarah Dearly from my Immortality Bites series -- sarcasm for the win!

[Sarah Dearly is very funny! I love her sarcasm and look forward to her story continuing in Blood Bath and Beyond!]

Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?

I'd like to hang out with Sarah Dearly from Immortality Bites. She's fun. And even though she's a vampire, she probably won't be diving for my neck unless she's dealing with a curse.

[She would be fun to hang out with but I think you know if I could choose I would probably like to hang out with a certain faery king.]

Have you ever had any surprising reactions by readers where they loved/hated a character or event in your book more than you thought they would?

Uh-huh. Rhys the faery king from the Demon Princess series seems to get a whole lotta love. Big-time. I mean, he's cute and all, but he's kind of cranky and elitist, and for a long time he despised my heroine. Now I know readers dig that! ;-)

[I know I dig it! I think he just wanted to despise her but never really did. I saw through him all along ;-)]

What book are you reading now?

Currently I'm in major deadline mode, so the only stuff I'm reading now is my own first drafts. However, waiting on my Kindle is Soul Screamers Volume 1 by Rachel Vincent that I started and loved, and I can't wait to get back to it.

[Another one of my favorite YA series! Happy reading!]

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The challenges of writing vary by the day and/or the hour. Some books write really "easily," (which is to say, they aren't complete and utter torture to get on the page), but others like to fight the whole way. I'm writing a fighter right now. But I intend on winning. Oh, yes.

[Good luck! I know it will end up a winner!]

What was the hardest/easiest part of the Demon Princess series?

The hardest part was receiving emails from readers wondering where book three was and, quite honestly, not knowing what to tell them. Talk about awkward! Luckily, I've now remedied that and I hope those readers are pleased. The second hardest part was realizing that I hadn't totally succeeded in making Michael as awesome to every reader as he was in my head, and that a surprising majority (*eyes Jennifer*) liked the faery dude better. ;)

[I'm extremely pleased! And yes I am completely in love with your faery dude!]

What do you do when you are not writing?

I'm pretty much always writing or thinking about writing -- I seriously need to branch out more in 2012 and get a few new hobbies. But I've been on a really heavily prolific writing schedule the last couple of years. I chill out by watching fairly mindless television, and going out as often as I can to the movies and dinner with friends and family.

[I am selfishly happy that you are always writing! Trashy television is always a great escape.]

What is your outline process like?

I brainstorm "bunny" scenes, which is what I call the scenes I'm really looking forward to writing that just hop up along with the original idea -- romancey stuff, plot twists, main action. I put them in order, then work on sub-scenes and bridge scenes. It ends up being a bullet point list of approx 35 scenes. Then I organize it into three acts, each hopefully ending on a mini cliffhanger surprise. From there I do more brainstorming at the beginning of every writing day. I am most definitely a plotter, but still, my stories and characters will surprise me once I start writing and might go in a different direction than I planned. Sometimes I even allow it. When I talk about my outlining it always sounds complicated, but I've found this is the way I write and it's pretty organic for me. Brainstorming's my favorite part of writing!

[WOW That does sound a little complicated but that is why you are the awesome writer and I'll just stick to reading.]

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

My favorite part of Reign Fall were the biology class "discussions" Nikki had with Rhys. Their verbal sparring is seriously a joy to write. They have really good chemistry, which is totally effortless on my part as a writer. For this reason alone, readers can be fairly guaranteed that Rhys is going to be in book four a lot, if only to make the writing easier for me! ;-)

[YAY! You just made my day! Rhys in book four A LOT makes me very happy! I also LOVED those biology scenes. They do have excellent chemistry!]

What paranormal power would you like to have?

The ability to eat anything I want and never gain weight.

[I would also love this power!]

If you were in Nikki's world would you rather be a demon, shadow, faery, dragon oracle, or demon slayer?

I asked this question on my DP Facebook page, but now I'm not all that sure for myself.... Can I be a witch instead? I want to do some magic and not have to worry about horns or wings.

[Yes I copied you. Since you asked I was curious what your answer would be! I still say dragon oracle because they can tell the future and I don't want any horns either. Although after reading Reign Fall, I know that dragon oracles have some nasty side effects too.]

All of your books have a very interesting love triangle. What do you enjoy most/least about writing a love triangle? Do you always know from the start who the character will end up with or do you change your mind as the story unfolds?

Not ALL of my books have love triangles!! Just most of them. ;-) I do like the dynamic a triangle sets up for the characters in a series. I mean, if the guy and girl get together in book one and they're all happy and content with each other, la la la, then where's the conflict? Bring in the other hot guy! Usually the "other" guy will offer the heroine what is missing in the first guy, which USUALLY leads her to realize why she likes the first guy more, even if she's attracted to the second guy. You know? I usually know who I'd PREFER my heroine to end up with from the beginning, but depending on that heroine, she might have other ideas about this. For example, in my original outline for my first book, Bitten & Smitten, Sarah ended up with Quinn. Sarah, however, disagreed with me and clung to Thierry like crazy instead -- and the rest was history. In Demon Princess, I've been (quite frankly) shocked how many readers seem to be Team Rhys, but it's made me take an objective look at my writing and figure out what happened (FYI, I figured it out). Not that I mind all that much. Rhys is pretty darn cute!

[What?! No you shouldn't have told me that! I was totally Team Quinn! But I do think Sarah and Thierry make a great couple too. I admit I really loved Gideon Chase from book 5 as well! I also loved Mathias(Nightshade series) and I even liked Ben(Living In Eden series). I end up loving all your characters so even if the heroine doesn't really see it as a triangle I still do.]   

I'm also looking forward to your next YA release in May of Dark Kiss! What can you tell us about it?

Thank you! I'm VERY excited about it. It's the first book in my Nightwatchers series for Harlequin Teen, about a seventeen year old girl named Samantha who is kissed by the hottest guy in town at an all-ages club, but in this kiss he steals her soul. This strange and scary loss (and its ramifications) leads her to discover a team of angels and demons in her city who've reluctantly teamed up to fight against a common foe that threatens the universal balance of dark and light. *cue dramatic music*

[Sounds awesome! Here is the goodreads link if you want to add it to your to-read shelf!]

Thanks so much Michelle for the interview and continuing the Demon Princess series! I love it and all your books!

WINNERS! Congratulations!
 Enjoy your books!

1st number drawn and winner of all 3 books
kpop_junki 


5 winners of the eBook 
Linda Henderson
Lisa Richards/alterlisa
Maegan Morin
ClumsyKat 
Reading