Zoe Archer: Interview and Contest!

Zoe Archer is back at For What It's Worth to discuss Rebel - the third book in her Blades of the Rose series. In case you missed her the first time around, click HERE to read Zoe's guest post introducing her exciting, sexy new series!

This time we're discussing Rebel, playing favorites, food and sexy Hellraisers!

*The Blades of the Rose series has been released one book a month, starting with Warrior in September and concluding with Stranger’s upcoming release in December. As a reader I’m thrilled to have a series wrapped up in four consecutive months but as author what has it been like? A whirlwind of publicity? Stressful? Fun? All of the above?

Zoe: Definitely all of the above. I'm currently under contract, so I have to find time to promote whilst making my word count, which isn't the easiest thing to do. It's important, though, and I can't complain too much because, hey, four books in a row! It's what I like to think of as a good problem. Besides, I spent years at some pretty awful day jobs, doing work I hated. I can't mind putting in long hours for something I love.

*All of the books have a blend of genres; historical romance, paranormal, action adventure, but Rebel seems to have the most paranormal elements to it. Without giving too much away can you tell us a little bit about Rebel, it’s hero Nathan Lesperance and of course another tough, smart beauty – Astrid?

Zoe: The paranormal elements increase from each book, so that by the time we get to REBEL, and then STRANGER, there is a lot more magic. But at bottom, every Blades of the Rose book is a romantic adventure. REBEL is no different. This time, we journey to the rugged, beautiful and dangerous Canadian Rockies, a place full of myth and legend. Nathan Lesperance is an attorney in Victoria, but he's more than just a lawyer. Nathan was taken from his Native family as a child and raised in a government school. Instead of becoming a carpenter or taking up some other manual labor-based employment, he fought his way to become the only Native attorney in the area, and perhaps in all of Canada. He's a born fighter, and determined as hell to prove himself. So he takes a dangerous assignment that leads him into the wilderness, and that's where he meets Astrid Bramfield.

Astrid was once a Blade of the Rose, and she and her husband worked side-by-side to study and protect the world's magic. But her husband was killed in action--he actually died in her arms. Grief-stricken, Astrid turned her back on the Blades and has lived for years as a solitary frontierswoman in the Canadian wilderness. When she meets Nathan, the attraction between them is immediate. But for Astrid, the attraction is also unwanted. She's deeply wounded, fiercely solitary, and determined never to give her heart again. Unfortunately for Astrid, but fortunately for us, the fight for the world's magic won't let her continue in her solitary state forever.

What follows is a lot of action, adventure, danger, ancient legends, dastardly villains, and some super hot love scenes!

*My favorite thing about this series (besides the seriously sexy guys) are the female characters. All of the women come from different backgrounds, and different experiences but they are all intelligent, brave and complicated. Why was it so important to you to write your female leads this way?

Zoe: I am the first to admit I'm a card-carrying feminist. That means it is very important for me that I like and respect the heroines I write. Having watched adventure films and read adventure stories where the heroines are incompetent, shrill liabilities constantly in need of rescuing, I was determined to create heroines in adventures who not only carry their own weight, but can kick ass and do some rescuing of their own.

If there is an element of wish fulfillment in every book, then what I want for myself is not to be taken care of and saved by a big, strong man. Instead, I want to be his equal, just as strong, just as capable. And the perfect man sees this strength as something both admirable and desirable. Fortunately, that's exactly how my husband feels, and while I can't shoot a rifle or ride a horse, there are other ways I show my strength, and he appreciates that.

*Although the series follows the same theme – The Blades saving the world’s magic from evil forces, each book takes place in a different location with different main characters. Which was your favorite to write?

Zoe: I can't play favorites! The books will get jealous! But if I had to pick a favorite, I'd say it was a toss-up between SCOUNDREL and STRANGER. SCOUNDREL was just so fun because Bennett, the hero, is the embodiment of fun: witty, sexy, doesn't take himself seriously, determined to enjoy himself no matter what he's doing. Yet I also really enjoyed writing STRANGER because I adore the hero, the inventor genius Catullus Graves. I'm not sure if it's right for an author to fall in love with their own creation, but, honestly, I think Catullus is seriously crush-worthy. Shy inventor genius with a love of waistcoats and freckled women! Who could resist that?

Every Blades book is a book I loved writing. These were stories I had wanted to tell for years, and I was finally telling them. Some days were challenging, some books were challenging, but I never lost my excitement, every time I sat down at my computer.

*Authors often speak of the “writer’s cave” when they are nearing a deadline. It seems that there is a massive intake of caffeine & chocolate, very little showering and angry outbursts…..lol. Since both you and your husband are writers, how does that work in your household? Does it help that someone understands the process so you both have a person to bounce ideas off of?

Zoe: We both totally get the "Can't talk, writing!" stage, so we respect each others' space. He and I share an office, and it works out fine. He puts his headphones on and I listen to my music, and we just write. We're each others' critique partners, so we read and give notes on our respective work. He also helps me tremendously with the plotting phase (Team Plotter!), as well as fight choreography, weaponry, and technical matters. He has been writing for years, but has recently started writing sci-fi romance as Nico Rosso and will have a book out on November 22 from Liquid Silver Books (plug, plug). From me, he learned about the romance genre, and he's embraced it whole-heartedly.

Being married to my critique partner is wonderful. We respect each others' voices and goals, and help to make sure we make our work as strong as it can be. I'm very, very lucky.

Karen here: To continue the plug for Zoe's DH - Go HERE to find out more about Taken to the Limit by Nico Rosso - release date November 22nd by Liquid Silver Books. 

*Onto the important stuff!

*I follow you on Twitter (@Zoe_Archer) and you tweet about baking a lot. (Which I must say is kind of mean, since you’re talking about fresh baked donuts and I don’t even live close enough to stalk you.) The holidays are coming up – do you have anything special that you make every year? Can it be sent safely to Florida? Hint….hint.

Zoe: For Thanksgiving, I usually bake up a batch of pies. My step-father loves pumpkin pie, so I always bake that, but then I try and do something a little different for myself. I'm thinking this year of trying an espresso chocolate chunk pecan pie. It's not dessert unless there's chocolate. Also, I usually give baked gifts to my in-laws, so I spend about a month beforehand combing through my sizable cookbook collection to pick out something delicious. It might be chocolate-covered biscotti this year, but I'm not sure. Again with the chocolate. Detect a theme?

Tell you what, send me a ticket to Florida, and I'll make something fresh in your kitchen. Any requests?

Karen: I like your theme! Anything chocolate sounds good to me! Your ticket to FL is in the mail....

*You also seem to have a thing for boots. How many pairs do you own?

Zoe: Yipes! That's a good question. I have hiking boots and weather boots (yes, we have weather here in Los Angeles), but for fun boots, I think I have about five pairs. Not very many, really, but I always want more. If it comes to the knee and has buckles on it, I want it!

Karen: From the way you tweet about boots - I thought you would have a closet full of them! Five is not bad at all. In fact I may have more than you.

*I’m skipping waaay ahead but this series sounds so good that I have to ask – What is your Hellraisers trilogy about? (releasing in December of 2011) I hear there will be sexy dark brooding men and leather involved.

Zoe: Oooh, The Hellraisers! They are some bad, bad boys. The premise is this: A group of 18th century English rakes inadvertently free the Devil from his prison and literally raise hell. Each of them is given a special power: the ability to control luck, being able to see the future, reading minds, or the ability to persuade anyone to do anything. They are not the clean-cut do-gooders that the Blades are. In fact, in many ways, they are both the heroes and the villains of their stories. And, because it's a Zoe Archer book, the heroines are pretty kick-ass (and those that don't start out as kick-ass become so over the course of their respective stories). Naturally, the heroes will be sporting tall leather boots. That is also a requirement of any Zoe Archer book.

Thank you so much for having me here today! Readers, please leave a comment and you will be entered to win a signed copy of REBEL (US and Canada only).

 

 Karen: Thanks for stopping by Zoe! Because I'm a BIG fan of the Blade's series and it's the holidays I'm throwing in a copy of Warrior & Scoundrel into the prize pack!

 

 

 

 

CONTEST TIME!!

Win a signed copy of Rebel from Zoe Archer
&
Warrior & Scoundrel from me....

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment

*You must be 16 or older to enter

*US and Canada only

*All entries must be received by Sunday 11/28/2010 11:59 pm EST

*Winner will be posted on this blog Monday 11/29/2010 -
it is your responsibility to check back to see if you won.

•The winner has 7 days to email me with their address or I will pick another winner.

Extra Entries:

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Visit Zoe: Zoe Archer

On Twitter: @Zoe_Archer

Buy the books!

Warrior (Blades of the Rose)

Scoundrel (The Blades of the Rose)

Rebel (The Blades of the Rose)

Stranger (The Blades of the Rose)