Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Please welcome my 1st guest... Andrea R. Cooper!

Hooray for new things!

Tonight I am proud to host my first guest - fellow Crimsonista Andrea R. Cooper, author of The Garnet Dagger. Andrea's riding high this week; her book went live this past Monday! So make sure you show her some love and pick up a copy of her book; all that Paranormal Romance at Crimson prices? You can't beat that with a bat! Below you'll learn more about Andrea and her book, The Garnet Dagger - enjoy!







Author Bio:
Andrea R. Cooper grew-up creating characters and never stopped. She lives in Houston and when not writing stories, she likes to dance when no one is watching. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaRCooper and visit her website.

I really only had one question for Andrea: What attracted you to paranormal romance? Here's what she had to say: 

Paranormal romance (PNR), to me, embraces everything I love about a story. It ranges from historical to urban, fantasy to legends. There are a few rules in this genre, but there is more flexibility than in other romance genres. Generally in PNR there is a supernatural or mythical being. This could be an Angel, Vampire, Ghost, Zombie, Werewolf (or any other shapeshifter), etc. In other words, a nonhuman. Primarily the romance is between this otherworldly creature and a human. However there are PNRs were both the hero and heroine are paranormal or that one becomes paranormal by the end of the book.

The PNR world may be our own or could be a twin world. When world-crafting building on a non-earth stage, it’s good to pepper the world with differences from our own. Too much though and it’s hard to swallow. There has to be some similarities between our world and the PNR otherwise the reader is easily lost. Differences can be cultural, climates, customs, down to names of food, plants, etc.

 Another aspect I enjoy in PNR is strong hero and heroine. Neither one is wimpy, but can stand on their own-or at least when put to the test. Together, though, their talents complement each other. Whichever character is paranormal, there is a wide range of traits to choose from or even embellish on existing ones. For example, Christine Feehan writes about vampires. In her stories, the vampires are villains who did not find their lifemate before the change to evil. PNR can also blend different characterizations. In both the Twilight and House of Night series some of the vampires have magical abilities. In my own debut PNR Brock is an Elvin bitten by a vampire. How would Brock, not being human, transform? What would this dark gift shroud this mysterious being in?

The similarities between PNR and other romances is there must be a love story/romance. There also must be a Happily Ever After (HEA) or at least a Happily For now ending.

 Imagine the potential of paranormal romance. A character could be anything. Have abilities and weaknesses that a human would not. Plot twists to evolve. What happens if a werewolf wants to date a human, but turns into a wolf for the first time when the moon is full? Does he/she retain some of their humanity? Does the animal completely take over? Does the werewolf protect the love interest or attack them until their victim knocks them out? Do they hide who they are from the love interest or tell at the first meeting and together the couple strives to make the relationship work?

 That’s why I love to write and read PNR…all of the possibilities.

The Garnet Dagger is available through the following links:  Crimson Romance ebooks | Amazon | B&N | iTunes (Heads Up! Nook Users have to wait juuust a bit more for B&N availability!)


Brock is an Elvin cursed from a vampyre bite that forces him to feed on the life-essence of others. He is unable to touch another without taking their life. Chained by prophesy, he must find a witch, pierce her heart, and draw her blood for his cure.

Celeste must escape the monks who have held her prisoner for years. Her magic has been kept dormant by her captors. An ancient powerful Warloc craves her powers. If he succeeds in devouring her magic, she and the world will die.
When Brock falls in love with Celeste before realizing her demise is his cure, will love triumph over his desire to be healed? Will he risk everything to save her from a Warloc, an oath breaker, who also wants her dead?
Excerpt: 
       I’ve known death. For over half a millennia, I escorted many to death at the end of my sword. In the eyes of the dying, I watched it shroud them. Foolishly, I thought many more eras would pass before death came for me. It came so swiftly that I could not run; I could not escape. At a village, dressed in human clothes, I took in everything. By observing for eons, I understood and spoke their language. The world of mankind fascinated me. Their hobbled homes burrowed into the ground. Rocks crunched on top one another with thatched roofs woven from straw. Never had I seen a home or inn that was higher than three levels, as if they were afraid of the sky. I delayed my return to my people as I watched human jugglers bounce torches and knifes. It was autumn equinox and the festivities would continue well into the night. Children laughed as they chased each other. A trail of leaves from their costumes twirled after them. It was dark when I reached the forest. Since I was already late, I hiked uphill to a shortcut rather than take the long path back home. I didn’t need to alert any of my kind near the barrier at this hour.

Cooper, Andrea R. (2013-03-25). The Garnet Dagger (Crimson Romance) (Kindle Locations 50-54). F+W Media.

3 comments:

  1. Wonderful interview, ladies! Samantha, congrats on your first post. Your site is lovely! Andrea, your answer about PNR was in-depth and excellent. And your premise promises a grand conflict between your heroine, those who seek to destroy her, and a hero who may have to die in order to save the woman he loves.

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  2. Nice interview! Love your cover and this excerpt was awesome! You have a great voice! Best of luck with THE GARNET DAGGER. It sounds thrilling!

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  3. Andrea, congrats on the release! I love what you said about the story possibilities in PNR--they really are endless. And I hope your success as a writer is endless, too. :)

    Elley

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