I am so excited to welcome my friend, Stacey O'Neale, onto the blog today to talk about her brand new series!
1. Have you always wanted to be a writer? What was the first thing you ever wrote?
- I never thought about writing as a career until about seven years ago. My parents have always been very practical, so I never thought anything like this was possible. The very first thing I wrote was poem to my seventh grade boyfriend. LOL!
- What draws you to the paranormal genre?
- I'm an avid reader of YA and adult paranormal romance. I try to read a book a week. For me, reading is an escape. When my life gets overwhelming, I like to disappear inside a new world. It's easy to do that with paranormal. I also love the swoony men that tend to run rapid in these worlds. ;-p
- Why did you decide to write a series about elementals?
- I was researching faeries when I kept coming across the word elemental. I googled the name and happened to stumble upon the sixteenth century works of an alchemist named Paracelsus. He identified the four types of elementals, even giving them names. My brain started spinning with ideas, and eventually, the characters came to life.
- Can us a little bit about the MORTAL ENCHANTMENT series?
- MORTAL ENCHANTMENT is a YA paranormal romance series featuring elementals. They live primarily in Avalon, but also interact in the mortal world. My series focuses around Kalin and Rowan. Kalin is the half elemental, half mortal daughter of the air court king. Rowan is the prince who walked away from the fire court crown. THE SHADOW PRINCE was written in his POV, while MORTAL ENCHANTMENT was written from Kalin's.
5. Can you share a teaser of MORTAL ENCHANTMENT with our readers?
a. The best teaser is the prequel novella, THE SHADOW PRINCE. It's FREE on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also, the first chapter of MORTAL ENCHANTMENT is at the end of the novella.
6. What scene was your favorite to write in MORTAL ENCHANTMENT?
a. Chapter Twenty. I had that scene in my head even before I knew how the book would end. It's very swoon-worthy. I think readers will enjoy it. J
- What was the hardest scene to write in MORTAL ENCHANTMENT?
- It's difficult to answer this without giving anything away. I will say there's a scene where a character thinks they are about to uncover something big, but it ends up crashing and burning in their face. It was tough to write because the character feels completely responsible.
- We first met Rowan in THE SHADOW PRINCE. Has he changed in any way from the prequel to now? If so, how?
- Yes, he has definitely evolved. He lost so much in THE SHADOW PRINCE. He's matured because of it, but also gotten a bit darker in MORTAL ENCHANTMENT. On the outside, he's developed his skills with weapons. When you add that in with his fire magic, I would say he's gotten pretty dangerous.
- Who are some of your favorite authors?
- I have a list of what I call my auto-buys. I will read anything by these authors: Gena Showalter, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Richelle Mead, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Melissa Marr.
- What are you working on next?
- I'd like to finish the first book in an adult science fiction romance series I started last year. I'm about halfway there. Afterwards, I have to write the second book in the MORTAL ENCHANTMENT series. Needless to say, 2014 will be a busy year for me. J
Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
In Kalin Matthew's world, elementals control the forces of nature. They are divided into four courts: air, woodland, fire, and water. At sixteen she will leave the life she's built with her mortal mother. Kalin will move to Avalon to rule with her father—the elemental king of the air court. Along the way, she's attacked by a fire court assassin and saved by Rowan, a swoon-worthy elemental with a questionable past.
Worst of all, she learns her father is missing.
To rescue him, Kalin will have to work with a judgmental council and a system of courts too busy accusing each other of deceit to actually be able to help her. But, they aren’t her biggest challenge. With the Midwinter’s Ball only five days away, Kalin must take over her father’s duties, which includes shifting control of the elements—power Kalin has yet to realize.
As Rowan attempts to train her, a war looms between the four courts. If Kalin fails, her father will die and the courts will fall, but the betrayal she’s about to uncover may cost her even more...
Before you read MORTAL ENCHANTMENT, make sure you check out the FREE prequel
novella, THE SHADOW PRINCE!
Every sacrifice has consequences.
Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission:
Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king.
Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he's capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?
Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission:
Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king.
Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he's capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?
Available for FREE on Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Also available in PRINT from Amazon
Author Bio
Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.
Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.
Elementals sound quite fascinating and I love that the idea came from the 16th century works of an alchemist! Those people were a bit nuts back then (metal into gold? Interesting but...not gonna work, y'all.).
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