Spread the Awesome! Author Spotlight: Bree Despain Interview & Contest!!!

Welcome to the Kingdom!

It is a pleasure to have the talented author Bree Despain visiting today.

(don't you love those yellow shoes?!!... ;o) )

Bree’s book The Dark Divine is a favorite here in the Kingdom and our excitement is palpable! The wonderful Elana Johnson started all this by asking which book did I feel deserves 10 STARS!!!

After reading my entry on this AMAZING book be sure to check out over60 Other Bloggers who have also chosen to spotlight their favorite author & recommended read!! For example check out

Suzanne Palmieri's post on author Kenneth Harvey once you learn all you can about Bree Despain here!

So are you ready for The Dark Divine? Turn the page with me..

A prodigal son...

A dangerous love...

A deadly secret...

I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kicked the gravel a couple of times and worked up my courage again. “Tell me . . . I mean . . . why did you come back? Why now, after all this time?”

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

(synopsis, book cover, and photo courtesy of Bree Despain's blog site)

WHEW!! Is that not something that makes you want to run to the closest Barnes & Noble right now!!! Well, put the keys down, keep reading below THEN go buy it… ;o)

SP: Now, Bree, as you can see you are surrounded by adoring members of the Royal Court. All of us here are beyond ecstatic to learn as much as we can about you – we just love juicy details...Ahem.

BD: It is my pleasure to be here your Highness, and I only hope to please the court.

As I was saying we are all delighted to meet you! *smileswickedly* Now for the interrogation..ahem..questions…

SP: When I sit down to write I have my tiara slightly askew, my laptop (jewel encrusted of course), my husband fanning me with a palm leaf and a cup that has Princess emblazoned on it filled with Green Tea at my side. Do you have any little writing quirks, what are your rituals?

BD: Interestingly enough, my writing rituals are very similar to yours. Except my cup would be filled of either cinnamon bears or chocolate chips, and my hubby would be shirtless—occasionally pausing to flex for me :D. In all seriousness, I prefer to write in bed the best.

SP: I dream about how I will react when a book of mine is published – the crazy excitement that will occur. What is the craziest, most out of the ordinary thing you have done since having TDD published?

BD: The craziest thing we did as a family was take a trip to Disneyland. I know it doesn’t sound crazy, but did I mention we drove there? 12 hours later, we learned that was about as crazy as you can get. I promised my boys that if mommy ever sold her book, they’d get a trip to Disneyland out of it—it was a great bribe to get more mommy time for writing.

SP: *SLIGHT SPOILER* What is your favorite page in The Dark Divine? Why?

BD: Good question. Hmmm… I think I’ll go with pg 115. I absolutely love this scene between Daniel and Grace. This is where Grace begins to fully realize the feelings she has for Daniel are more than just a friend wanting to help another friend out, and the first time we begin to see Daniel open up and be truly himself. It is a tender moment and was one of my favorite scenes to write.

SP: What is your favorite color and did you have any say in the cover of TDD?

BD: Red. But purple comes in as a close second. As for the cover, when I was asked if I had any thoughts from my publisher, they got a two page letter outlining what I liked and disliked as cover concepts. I was hoping for something that helped convey the mood and feel for the book, rather than a literal depiction. After a bit of trial and error, we ended up with a cover for TDD that I couldn’t be happier with.

SP: Okay, let’s be honest here. I am a Princess. That means I know things. Things like…you are really a Slayer, right? In other interviews you talk about watching Buffy and how you “would be” a paranormal Slayer. So that must mean that the rest of your family has certain “hidden” attributes…

Its time to fess up: What paranormal creatures are the rest of your family? We promise, this is just between us…

BD: Well, my youngest, Kid A, keeps telling me that he wishes we were all nocturnal and has devised a plan of sleeping in and staying up all night to turn himself into a “night creature” so, I’m thinking he must be a vampire. As for hubby – wolfman all the way. Kid Z takes after his father.

SP: Last but not least, what words of wisdom about becoming published can you share with all the writers here in the Royal Court?

BD: Learn to take feedback gracefully and use it to make your writing better. You may not always agree with the critiques, but often the underlying reason behind the comments can tell you something about how to make different parts of your story stronger. If you don’t learn that now, then you’ll find working with your agent and your publisher on revisions more than overwhelming.

There you have it my friends. Right from Bree herself, we would continue to bother her with random questions but she has THE LOST SAINT to finish up…

Oh! Didn’t I tell you she has a sequel to the Dark Divine coming out on December 28th!! Well, it looks like we may just have to see if we can have her visit again… perhaps right before it hits the shelves…yes, yes, it is now a Decree…

Sorry Bree no arguing with Royalty! You know “Off with her head!” and all that nonsense is a common phrase around here *winks*

Goodness! I almost forgot! This isn’t just a day to celebrate the most AMAZING BOOK! Not only can you now claim to know Bree Despain’s favorite color, her favorite page of TDD & what paranormal creature her husband truly is…but you can WIN SOMETHING!!!

One lucky commenter will win Dark Divine Swag!

Dark Divine T-shirt

(winner will email me their size and color choice)

1 copy of:

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Any one piece of:

The Dark Divine jewelry items from Heather Gardner’s Etsy shop

Heather Gardner Photography & Jewelry at ETSY

Click the link above to view her shop!

You have until May 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM CST to enter.

RULES:

You must be a follower of mine & Bree's Blog to be eligible!

You must comment on THIS POST – please leave your email address in order for me to contact the winner.

(Be sure to block spammers by using the following format)

clsbarr(at)yahoo(dot)com

Open INTERNATIONALLY!!

One lucky winner will be drawn using The Hat software!!

Now go check out Suzanne Palmieri's post on Kenneth Harvey!