Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
PO Box 3201
Martinsville, VA 24115
United States
Stephen H. Provost is an author of paranormal adventures and historical non-fiction. “Memortality” is his debut novel on Pace Press, set for release Feb. 1, 2017.
An editor and columnist with more than 30 years of experience as a journalist, he has written on subjects as diverse as history, religion, politics and language and has served as an editor for fiction and non-fiction projects. His book “Fresno Growing Up,” a history of Fresno, California, during the postwar years, is available on Craven Street Books. His next non-fiction work, “Highway 99: The History of California’s Main Street,” is scheduled for release in June.
For the past two years, the editor has served as managing editor for an award-winning weekly, The Cambrian, and is also a columnist for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo.
He lives on the California coast with his wife, stepson and cats Tyrion Fluffybutt and Allie Twinkletail.
Filtering by Tag: author interview
Today’s interview is with Anita Blount, author of The Proper Choice. It’s the second book in her Tenacity romance series, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. (The first was A Lovely Condition.) The author is a Mississippi native.
Read MoreNevada author Jacci Turner is an Amazon bestselling author of middle-grade and young adult fiction author has been a therapist, school counselor, campus minister, and mom. She is the author of several novels, most of which are geared toward young adults.
Read MoreSamaire Wynne has just completed her latest Paranormal Academy series, the Fae Rebel Academy trilogy, on the heels of her popular seven-book Titania Academy series (with an eighth book in the works).
Read MoreSandie La Nae, co-author with Arline La Ferry of Weird & Wonderful Nevada, sat down recently for a written interview with The Open Book. I met Sandie at an author event in Sparks a few weeks ago and thought she’d be a great person to profile here.
Read MoreC.W Tickner is a UK author and Terry Pratchett fan who's here to talk about his Humanarium trilogy, which is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Where and with whom do you live? Cambridge, UK. Fiance and the spirits of past pets.
If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? Terry Pratchett. The things he could inject into my story would have me in stitches.
Why do you write? Because no one had written the book I wanted to read. (I did look.)
Where do you write? Sitting on a bed. Comfy, and with the ability to switch positions as aches dictate.
What imaginary land would you choose as your home, and why? Any form of interplanetary vessel. Endless possibilities on where to go, where to eat and who or what to meet and discover. Space gypsy.
What animal, real or imaginary, would you choose as your constant companion? A pocket-sized dragon, preferably orange in colour. But i’m not fussy.
Your superhero alter-ego: T-Man: Able to produce excellent cups of tea that wow strangers and colleagues but burn the skin of any who oppose me.
Historical period you’d like to visit: Feudal Japan.
Favorite board, card or video game: Dungeons & Dragons, in any form.
“This is one of the best books I’ve read in years. I highly recommend this to any Sci-fi fans! The characters are believable and the story is well written. The world is unique and amazing!”
Title, genre and length? The Humanarium, science fiction, 177,000 words.
When and where does it take place? In the future and on another planet, inhabited by giant aliens.
How did you come up with the title? It’s a play on words; Humans and Terrarium. A place to keep humans.
What inspired you to write it? I was cleaning out my fish tank one day and the thought occurred to me that I was in some way a god to the fish inside. (no god complex, honest). I realised that if I did not feed them or provide them with a landscape and companions, they would suffer as a consequence. I wondered how it would be if the roles were reversed and humans were on the inside. I figured I could swap “Fish” for “Aliens” and hey presto, a bizarre world was born in which humanity lives inside a fish tank.
Is there a sequel in the works? The trilogy is out already and a fourth on its way.
Where, how can you get it? Amazon store and in Kindle Unlimited.
Describe your book in one word that most people don’t normally use. Fantastical.
Who would want to ban it? Anyone with a phobia of giants or the premise that the “god” one might worship is in fact another creature with a greater intellect.
To whom did you dedicate it and why? To my editor. He puts up with a lot.
“I very much enjoyed this book!! I’ve been reading Science Fiction since I was about 10 yrs old (56 now), have read all the Masters and hundreds of other authors. I have to say this book is completely different than anything I have ever read before. It was so nice to be able to read a story that makes you think on it for quite a while afterward.”
Name, age and occupation: Harl Eriksson, early twenties, blacksmith.
Where and with whom does he live? Alone, on the outskirts of town, beside the “Wall” at the edge of the world.
Who would play your protagonist in a movie? Adam Driver (Kylo Ren).
What’s his celebrity crush? Anyone with blonde or red hair. He has never seen such a thing, having grown up in a tank with black-haired people only.
What’s his biggest fear/phobia? Fear of being “Lifted” by the titanic hand that enters the tank and steals people from the world.
Weapon of choice: The people around him.
At the beginning of the book ... our hero is a simple blacksmith, by the end he must free humanity and fight for “Human Rights”
Worst habit? Demanding instant vengeance.
Best feature? A quick learner and being able to accept the world for more than what it “appears.”
“Tickner’s ‘The Huminarium’ is a gripping tale. It not only makes us question what it would be like to be stuck in a Terrarium style world but whether we already are in such a place. The themes of disobedience, curiosity and escape from the gods’ wrath make for a compelling read from start to finish. ... For fans of Sci-fi, ‘The Huminarium’ is thought-provoking, exciting and a damn good read. I loved it!”
Andy Peloquin is the author of Gateway to the Past, the third installment of The Last Bucelarii series, which he describes as "dark fantasy with a look at the underside of human nature." Peloquin's latest novel, it was published March 31 and focuses on The Hunter, legendary assassin of Voramis, whose mission is to protect a boy he rescued from a demon. The author sat down and answered a series of questions via email for this installment of The Open Book.
Author's website: http://andypeloquin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andyqpeloquin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyPeloquin
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andypeloquin/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/100885994638914122147/about
Name, age and occupation: Andy Peloquin, 29, author/freelance writer.
Where and with whom do you live? I live in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico (south of the U.S. border) with my wife and four kids.
If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? Brandon Sanderson or Scott Lynch. Being able to work with those authors (even just be in the same room with them and talking with them) would be a dream come true!
Why do you write? Because I MUST. I come from an artistic family, but have no artistic skills of my own. When I discovered writing, it was like finding a part of myself I was missing. Writing gives me a way to communicate, an outlet for my innate creativity, and a way to connect with people.
Where do you write? I love the safe, comfortable environment of my office desk, where I do most of my writing. However, some of my best chapters have been hammered out at the airport, on a bus, at a coffee shop, or sitting by the beach.
What imaginary land would you choose as your home, and why? There's something wonderful about Narnia that makes it a wonderful place to be. It's that "home away from home" I discovered as a child, and even now live to read.
Your superhero alter-ego: I wish I could be one of the more bad-ass superheroes (the Punisher, Captain America, etc.), but I think I'd be like Hawkeye — just a normal guy with a skill that makes him exceptional. The fact that he can go toe to toe with gods and super-beings is something I highly respect.
Historical period you’d like to visit: I think I would have made an AMAZING Viking (6' 6" is a pretty good height for a Norse raider).
Favorite board, card or video game: I've recently discovered Settlers of Catan and have fallen in love with it. Of course, what's life without a bit of tabletop role-playing a la D&D/Pathfinders?
“Creative, gritty, and beautifully dark...fantasy addicts will love it!”
Title, genre and length? The Last Bucelarii (Book 3): Gateway to the Past — the latest in the dark fantasy series. Length: 120,000 words.
When and where does it take place? The setting is medieval-era in an alternate world known as Einan. It starts off in a French/German-style village, but transitions to a Saharan Africa-esque setting. The Hunter ends up in a Marrakech/Cairo-style city with hints of Saudi Arabian/Turkish/Moroccan architecture and culture.
How did you come up with the title? The idea behind the title is that "memories are the gateway to the past". Especially for this character, who has had his memories erased (for reasons explained in this book) up to 40-50 years before. So by accessing his memories, he literally sees into the life/lives he once lived.
What inspired you to write it? The first book introduced the character and his drive to kill, as well as showing him at the peak of his powers (inhuman strength/speed/stamina, healing ability). The second book showed what happened when he tried to fight the urge to kill, as well as lost his powers. In this book, he has recovered his powers and come to terms with the fact that he needs to kill to remain sane. He's no longer trying to fight it. However, at the end of Book 2, he saves the life of a child, who happens to have abilities to hunt down demons. When he's near the Hunter, the voices in his head fall silent. The Hunter brings him along — out of guilt for his actions, and out of a necessity to remain sane. But the life of an assassin is a dangerous one, and no place for an innocent child. A great contrast — cynical, violent assassin meets extremely naïve (the result of Williams Syndrome) child.
Is there a sequel in the works? This is Book 3 of 6. Book 4 is already written, and it introduces the "big bad" of the series. Books 5 and 6 are on their way as soon as I can sit down and write them.
Where, how can you get it? All the books are available on Amazon, as well as Barnes & Noble.
Describe your book in one word that most people don’t normally use. Deep. On the face of it, it's an action/adventure story with a bad-ass assassin as the protagonist, but once you look a bit deeper, you realize it's the story of a lonely person trying to find a sense of belonging in a world where he doesn't belong. That's something we can all relate to. And it takes a look at emotional/mental/neurological/psychological disorders — sociopathy, psychopathy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, paranoid disorders, schizoaffective disorder, Williams' Syndrome, and many more.
What would you select as your book’s theme song? Who would you choose to write the musical score? The perfect song to describe this book is one by Five Finger Death Punch. The song says, "I'm on the wrong side of Heaven, and the righteous side of Hell." As a half-demon assassin who hunts demons, that's the perfect way to describe the character.
“The fantasy world has a compelling new antihero…the Hunter will terrify and captivate you.”
Name, age and occupation: The Hunter of Voramis. Age unknown. Occupation: assassin.
Where and with whom does he/she live? When first we meet him in Blade of the Destroyer, he lives in fancy apartments concealed in the heart of a run-down warehouse. He has brought beggars, lepers, and outcasts into the building to live with him. Initially, they were meant only a camouflage. But eventually they've become the closest thing he has to family — his only link to the world. He is an outcast like them.
Who would play your protagonist in a movie? I'd love to see Thomas Jane or Jason Momoa play this role. Both are bad-ass in their own right, and would make one heck of a half-demon assassin!
What real-life person would be your protagonist’s hero, mentor or role model? The Hunter is a bit of a loner, so he wouldn't have a mentor, role model, or hero. He's far too cynical and sees the worst in everyone.
What’s her biggest fear/phobia? Though he isn't self-aware or emotionally mature enough to realize it, it's the fear of being alone. He has lived a long life and been on his own for most of it. Being alone makes him depressed and allows his mind to wander toward dark thoughts.
What’s his/her favorite quote or motto? "May the Long Keeper take your body; your soul is forfeit." This is the ritual he was taught to remind him of his humanity.
Weapon of choice: Soul-stealing dagger named Soulhunger that feeds him power and is an incessant voice in his head that drives him to kill
At the beginning of the book, our hero is … A ruthless killer with a very limited sense of morality. He has only one thing he holds true: the innocent should be protected.
Worst habit? Killing people who could identify him. If they see his true face, they must die.
Best feature? His desire to protect those that matter to him, and his unyielding stubbornness. He won't quit, no matter how bad things are going for him.
“From the first words on the page this fantasy holds the reader spellbound even after the book is finished … his character is very well-defined even if his past is a mystery. Root for an assassin? Oh, yes, one must!”
Anne R. Allen is a prolific writer, so identifying her as the author of So Much for Buckingham by no means encompasses her identity as an author. That just happens to be the work she's discussing here. In all, she's written or is writing a dozen books, produces one of the most helpful blogs on writing you'll find, writes short fiction and conducts writing workshops. She's also been an actress, bookseller and playhouse artistic director.
So Much for Buckingham, published in January 2016, is Volume 5 in the Camilla Randall Mysteries series. As described on Amazon, it's a "comic novel ... (that) explores how easy it is to perpetrate a character assassination whether by a great playwright or a gang of online trolls."
Author's website: http://annerallen.com
Twitter: @annerallen
Name, age and occupation: Anne R. Allen. I'm the author of 10 books (Two more coming up in 2017) and I'm an award-winning blogger. I'm old. As in Boomer. I remember the Edsel, the Kennedy assassination, and Woodstock.
Where and with whom do you live? I live in a little cottage by the sea in Los Osos (California) with a whole lot of people who are almost entirely fictional.
If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? I would choose to write with Cambria's brilliant superstar author, Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of the book that made Pay it Forward a household phrase (as well as over 30+ other bestselling books.) And guess what? I actually got to do it. Catherine and I co-wrote a guidebook for authors, How to Be a Writer in the E-Age: A Self Help Guide.
Why do you write? Because the stories are there and they have to come out. They always have been. I've written fiction since I could hold a crayon.
Where do you write? I have the perfect writer's study, in the back of a little house at the end of a dead-end street, in a quiet room with lots of light and a view of trees and sky where I can hear waves on a windy day. The perfect writer's retreat.
What imaginary land would you like to visit? Narnia. Definitely Narnia. Animals that talk would be great to hang out with.
What animal, real or imaginary, would you choose as your constant companion? I have a fictional cat, which I have given to my heroine, Camilla. I always used to have cats, but I developed COPD and allergies, and after my last cat, Chuck, died, my docs nixed a new one. So now I have Buckingham, who looks like Chuck, but isn't real, so he's cheaper to feed.
What do you collect? Mistakes. I always say that on the blog. I'm old enough to have collected a pretty full set of mistakes. So I figure other writers can learn from them.
Historical period you'd like to visit: The 1920s. I love to read anything set in the 1920s. The Australian TV series The Miss Fisher Mysteries is one of my favorite escapes.
“Serious comedy ... written without a trace of sentimentality and an underlying tough realism that belies the wonderfully over-the-top nature of some of the characters — the humour in this is necessarily dark — but there’s any number of laugh out loudlines in it.” ”
Genre and length: My novels are dark satiric mysteries. My publisher calls them "chick lit noir." They run about 75,000 words, standard mystery length. So Much for Buckingham is No. 5 in the Camilla Randall Mysteries series.
When and where does it take place? The setting of So Much for Buckingham alternates between the Central Coast of California and the fictional town of Swynsby-on-Trent in the English Midlands. Swynsby is the home of my heroine's publisher, Sherwood, Ltd. as well as a famous medieval manor house that Richard III often visited. Swynsby is the fictional name I've given to Gainsborough, a lovely market town in Lincolnshire, home of my first publisher, Babash-Ryan, who published my first two mysteries, Food of Love and The Best Revenge.
How did you come up with the title? "Off with his head! So much for Buckingham" is a famous line from Richard III that Shakespeare didn't actually write. It was added by a 19th century actor named Colley Sibber. The novel is about how repeated lies can often become more acceptable than truth, whether perpetrated by a great playwright or a gang of online trolls.
What inspired you to write it? As a well-known blogger and small-press author, I have had to deal with Amazon review vigilantes and social media trolls. I've had rape and death threats and went through nearly a year of harassment. So I decided to explore the problem from both sides — both from the POV of an author who is punished by vigilantes for breaking rules she didn't know existed and from the POV of her boyfriend, a music reviewer whose career is destroyed after he gives a bad review to a vindictive band.
Is there a sequel in the works? The next book in the series, The Queen of Staves, The Camilla Randall Mysteries #6, is due in July.
Where, how can you get it? So Much for Buckingham is available locally at Coalesce in Morro Bay and Volumes of Pleasure in Los Osos. Online it's available in ebook at Amazon, Kobo , Nook, iTunes, Google Play and Scribd. In paper, it's available at Amazon and B&N and Walmart.
What would you select as your book's theme song? I'd love to have something played on a zither. Like the theme from the film, The Third Man. When I lived in Gainsborough, an ice cream truck came around on Saturdays that played the theme from The Third Man instead of ringing a bell. The tune was tinkle-y and bouncy … but the undertones were dark and ominous because of the film. Perfect for "chick lit noir."
What's your most interesting chapter title? Maybe "The Kingdom of Perpetual Night." (All the chapter titles come from Shakespeare's Richard III.)
Who would want to ban it? The pro-Tudor people who believe Richard III really did kill the princes in the tower.
“Delicious wit, wonderful eccentric characters, and a beguiling plot. Camilla Randall is a delight!”
Name, age and occupation: My sleuth, Camilla Randall, is "pushing forty so hard it screams." She's a formerly wealthy socialite and etiquette columnist — now the impoverished owner of a permanently failing Morro Bay bookstore.
Where and with whom does she live? She lives in a biodegrading former motel cottage in Morro Bay with a tuxedo cat named Buckingham who doesn't like her very much. Her best friend, gay screenwriter Plantagenet Smith, doesn't live with her, but he's the only constant in her life, since she's a magnet for "Mr. Wrong." Plant has recently married wealthy businessman Silas Ryder, but his marriage may be on the rocks.
Who would play your protagonist in a movie? Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow. I originally envisioned her as Bess Armstrong, the actress best known as the mom in My So-Called Life, who happens to be my cousin.
Who's her celebrity crush? Maybe Jon Bon Jovi. She has a thing for working class guys from New Jersey.
What's her biggest fear/phobia? Of being impolite.
On what TV show would she appear as a special guest? When she was a young debutante, in the prequel to the series The Best Revenge she appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I can't say why, though. Spoilers.
What's her favorite quote or motto? "Most people have an inner child. I have an inner great aunt."
Weapon of choice: A well-placed stiletto heel, either thrown, brought down on the back of the head or aimed at the villain's eyeball. A spritz of hairspray to the face works, too.
Worst habit: She accepts everybody as they present themselves and is easily misguided in her eagerness to be fair.
Best feature: Camilla treats everybody with equal kindness and good manners.
“Anne Allen had me laughing unexpectedly and sometimes out loud with her wonderful crafting of her words into sentences that became alive and three dimensional throughout these stories. ”
Mandy Dawson is the author of Elemental Awakening, the first in her series, Elementals, just released in December. Its intriguing premise: An ancient being, imprisoned in statue form for thousands of years, is reawakened in the present. Mandy graciously agreed to sit down and answer some questions for The Open Book.
Author's website: www.mandydawsonauthor.com
Amazon: http://a.co/1dBiyMf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inmandyland/
Twitter: @in_mandyland
Name, age and occupation: Mandy Dawson, 41, executive assistant/author
Where and with whom do you live? I live in Atascadero with my two children – Joseph and Elizabeth, their two hamsters, a survivalist fish, three chickens, and a stray cat who likes to be fed, but not pet.
If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? I’d want to write a book with Julia Quinn. While my list of favorite authors, both living and dead, is almost as long as my list of favorite books, co-writing would require someone with a sense of humor and a similar writing style. Our subgenres differ, but I think we’d both approach the project with tongues firmly in cheek and a healthy dose of fun.
Why do you write? I’m not quite certain I’d know what to do if I didn’t write. I’ve always told stories in an effort to give life to the people in my head. Some of my earliest memories are of lying in the dark and whispering the tales of two foolish little girls and their accidental adventures to my sisters when my parents thought we were asleep. As I got older, I began to write them down and never stopped.
Where do you write? Because I work full time, I try to fit in writing wherever and whenever I can. I write at my desk or kitchen table after I put the kids to bed. I take my laptop with me on my lunch break and lock myself into a conference room to tap away at my keyboard for an hour. I even take my laptop or notebook with me while camping and zip myself in my tent or plant myself at the picnic table for an hour or so. I’ve found getting away from the house prevents me from being distracted by the never-ending pile of laundry, so the bulk of my drafting is done at Bru (Coffeehouse) in Atascadero, sitting at a little table in front of the window with my headphones on and a pot of Earl Grey steaming nearby.
What animal, real or imaginary, would you choose as your constant companion? If I were to have a constant animal companion, it would be a dog. One that knew how to use and flush a toilet, didn’t chew on the corner of the wooden coffee table, and was able to refill my glass of wine. A dog may seem like an ordinary animal when the options are as varied as reality and imagination allows, but while a dragon would be amazing, a nice, slightly overweight, midsized dog prone to napping between long rambling walks would be a kindred spirit.
What do you collect? I collect sea glass. My kids and I spend hours roaming the beaches looking for shards of trash turned to treasure. We have piles of it all over our house filling jars and bowls and frames. Sometimes we craft something from it, but we mostly enjoy studying it, looking for the bubbles and imperfections, the clues as to what it originally was, where it might have come from. We make up stories about the people who owned it before it was shattered and pounded against the surf to wash up at our feet.
Favorite board, card or video game: I’m a game fanatic with almost as many favorite board games as I have moods. Right now, I’m addicted to Settlers of Catan, though last year it was Sequence and before that I couldn’t get enough of Five Crowns. My sister just bought me Pandemic, and I have a feeling it might boot Catan from the top ranking.
“This is the first book in a series, and although it doesn’t leave you with a cliffhanger, it makes you want to find out what’s going to happen next. An overall win for Ms. Dawson’s debut novel.”
Genre and length? Elemental Awakening is a romance novel with a strong thread of paranormal running through it. It’s a bit over 65,000 words long.
When and where does it take place? It’s a contemporary novel with locations moving from L.A. to the Central Coast to the Andes and the Bay Area.
How did you come up with the title? My editor wasn’t thrilled with my working title, Someday I’ll Figure Out a Witty Title for This Book, and I wasn’t thrilled with the only other option I’d come up with, Let Sleeping Gods Lie. She suggested Elemental Awakening after reviewing my three-story arc, and I loved the way it fit.
What inspired you to write it? Four years ago, I was part of an online writing group. One of the picture prompts was of a stone statue half buried in the ground. It sparked an idea of what would happen if that statue was a cursed man frozen for all time and then, what would happen if someone happened to wake him up. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop.
Is there a sequel in the works? The sequel, Elemental Escape, is drafted, and I’m starting my first round of revisions.
Where, how can you get it? You can currently purchase Elemental Awakening in paperback or ebook versions on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
What would you select as your book’s theme song? Who would you choose to write the musical score? A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. Since I spent most of my writing time plugged into Ingrid Michaelson, I’d select her to write the musical score.
Who would want to ban it? People who don’t believe in magic. I’d forgive them, though, for wanting to ban it. Not believing in magic must make life rather sad.
To whom did you dedicate it and why? I dedicated my book to my parents who taught me a love of reading. Family legend has it that my dad used to travel the rodeo circuit with two hard-backed suitcases. One was filled with clothes, the other with books. My mom was never without a book nearby. Even with four children, she still found time to read. Usually while standing up because she rarely had time to sit. I also dedicated it to my three younger sisters who have always listened to my stories. And finally, to my children, because without them I wouldn’t have dared to embark on this adventure. When my son told me that he knew he could do anything he set his mind to because I had taught him that by finishing my book, it made all the late nights and long hours of editing worth it.
“Most novels tend to be plot based or character based, but I felt that this one was a seamless merger of the two. Immediately engaged by the first page, the story continues to delight. It was one of those books that caused me to let the kids make their own dinner so I could finish.”
Name, age and occupation: Helen Browning, early 30s, midwife and secret key to unleashing an elemental battle for power. Lukos, early 3000s, Light.
Where and with whom does he/she live? She lives alone in a small cottage in a place roughly based on Cambria. He lived in an area known today as the Andes until he was turned to stone, during which time he lived deep in a cave until discovery and then on display in museums around the world.
Who would play your protagonist in a movie? Jaimie Alexander for Helen and Chris Hemsworth for Luke.
What real-life person would be your protagonist’s hero, mentor or role model? Helen would be fascinated by the work of Jennifer Worth and the idea of caring for a population in the East End of London post WWII. I have no doubt, she’d devour her memoir and likely binge watch the show on PBS while eating Cherry Garcia ice cream. Luke has a lot of catching up to do. (Being a statue for thousands of years puts a dent in one’s knowledge of world events.) As someone who is facing a battle of epic size, bringing about a civil war, he’d study the great generals in history, especially those who brought peace to their people.
What’s his or her celebrity crush? Helen has a soft spot for hunky nerds. She probably has a huge crush on David Tennant. Luke isn’t certain what celebrities are and is slightly taken aback by Helen’s over-the-top swooning when David is on screen.
What’s her biggest fear/phobia? Helen is afraid of losing the people she loves. Luke is afraid of becoming stone once again.
At the beginning of the book, our hero is … At the beginning of the book, Helen has spent her life trying to rediscover the stability she lost. She’s strong and capable, confident in her skills as a midwife and secure in her life path, but she also knows something is missing. There’s been a hole in her life nothing has been able to fill. Luke was literally turned to stone, his fate sealed. When he first awakes, the emotions and sensations threaten to overwhelm him so he clings to the one thing he knows and is certain of: his love for the woman who woke him.
Worst habit? Helen is stubborn. When presented with a situation in which she feels horribly out of her depth, she clings to what she knows with a tenacity that becomes not just dangerous, but deadly. Luke is impatient. He’s spent thousands of years frozen in stillness with nothing but time to plot and plan his revenge, yet when he’s finally able to put some of those plans in action, he discovers the world has changed drastically and the answers he seeks are not easily found.
Best feature? Helen is a quiet warrior who has always championed the most innocent. Luke has somehow retained his sense of humor, no matter how dark his life became.
“This imaginative romance takes the reader out of her own element into a completely different world that exists layered on top of our own. ”
