Interview with Author Stephanie Rowe and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome author Stephanie Rowe to RFTC. Stephanie is celebrating the release of Darkness Arisen and has stopped by to answer a few questions. Please give Stephanie a warm welcome.

Four-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Heart® Award winner Stephanie Rowe is the nationally bestselling author of more than twenty published novels with major New York publishers, including Warner/Grand Central, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dorchester & Sourcebooks. Stephanie has received starred reviews from Booklist and high praise from Publisher's Weekly. Stephanie writes romance (paranormal, contemporary and suspense), teen fiction, middle grade fiction and motivational nonfiction, including her bestselling dark paranormal Order of the Blade series.

Places to find Stephanie:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
On the writing side, I'm a lifelong reader who, as a child, won a blue ribbon at my town library for reading the most books over the summer. My love for books never faded, and I started telling stories to kids while I worked at day camp during college. Eventually that turned into writing the stories down, and everything evolved from there. I love to write, I love to read, and I love the magic that can happen when an author lets her passion and imagination run free. When I'm not writing, I'm a mom, I play tennis with my pals, and I am working hard training my new rescue dog, who is just the sweetest boy ever.

Did you always want to be a writer?
I was always a reader and a storyteller, but it didn't occur to be to be an author until I was in my thirties. I had been working at Nike for a while, and although I loved my job, it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I had been investigating assorted career opportunties for a while, and then I received an alumni magazine in the mail from my college. The cover article was about two graduates who had written a thriller that had been optioned into a movie. As I read that article, I suddenly knew that was what I wanted to do. I didn't have a computer t home, so I would go into work at four in the morning and write until the day began, and hten stay late to write, and come in on weekends. Everyone thought I was being a rockstar employee, but little did they know… After I finsihed my first book, I was hooked and I bought a computer for myself. 18 books later, I sold my first book!

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
I have experimented with every style from sitting down without any idea and simply starting to write, to having an 80 page detailed outline. I have spent a lot of time going to workshops on plotting, and have combined a whole bunch of different methods and forms to create a system that works for me. I do a lot of prework, but it mostly to dig really deep into the characters and see what drives them, and then plot evolves from there. I create a sheet with an assortment of vague plot points (like: "In this section, my heroine who is terrified of spiders will have to brave spiders to save the hero." But I won't know exactly how that scene will play out until I get there).

Where do your ideas come from?
Every experience I have in life goes into what I call "the vault," which is that mysterious place in my head where ideas come from. Then, when it's time to come up with a new story, I just start randomly brainstorming until things start to form. Sometimes the first thing to take hold is a character's childhood trauma, or a bad guy's motivation, or a setting that moves me. Once that one thing catches, things start to evolve from there.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
There is only one thing that can defeat Calydon warrior Ian Fitzgerald, and she has just found him.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I love stories about the triumph of the human spirit, about people who have hit rock bottom, but don't give up, and somehow manage to hold onto hope and faith and find their way back.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
One of my favorite books ever is Mine Until Midnight by Lisa Kleypas. I was going through a really difficult time in my life, and that book was a gift that gave me hope.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
The opening scene is always, without fail, the most difficult to write. It could take me 15 iterations and three weeks to get that one scene right. It has to be the right combination of emotional intensity, setting up the story, action, conflict and everything else. Without a doubt, it is the pivotal scene in the book. Another critical scene is the final scene, because if you don't do justice to the story after the character and the readers have cried, loved and bled along the way, then it's depletes the story of everything you have put into it.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?

• Marie Force, because she is absolutely brilliant with what she has done with her career, and I would love to pick her brain.
• J.K. Rowling, because she is the quintessential example of someone who hit rock bottom and emerged into brilliance.
• J.R. Martinez, because he is so inspiring.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
Today I'm actually doing my taxes, but once I get that done, I will be working on three projects:

1. PRINCE CHARMING CAN WAIT, which is the next EVER AFTER book,
2. GUARDIAN OF THE HIDDEN, which is the launch book for my new dark paranormal series, THE RUINED LORDS, and
3. DARKNESS UNLEASED, which is Ryland's book, the seventh in the Order of the Blade series.

I am currently brainstorming all three of them, and whichever one comes together first will be the next one that I start writing. All three of them will be coming out in 2013.

**Please provide a question to ask blog followers. **

Darkness Hunts Him.

Calydon warrior Ian Fitzgerald refuses to die. Cursed by black magic, he has stayed alive through sheer force of will and unyielding commitment to a mission he is sworn to complete. There is only one thing that can defeat him…and she has just found him.

Desire Torments Her.

Ravaged by her own passions, tarnished angel Alice Shaw is fighting desperately for salvation before all she cares about is lost forever. Her sensual allure, and the forbidden power buried inside her, are outshone only by the burning need she awakens in Ian.

Fierce Passion Ignites.

Raging desire explodes between Ian and Alice, pushing them to the brink of destruction. They cannot afford to succumb, but the cord that binds them will never let them go…not until their most dreaded nightmares come true. Together, they are destined to fail. Together, they will fight to survive the impossible.

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

Check out the Order of the Blade series: 

Click for info.

DARKNESS ARISEN 

Blog Tour Schedule 

3/25 - The Reading Café

3/26 - Reading Between The Wines

3/28 - United by Books

3/29 - Book Monster Reviews & Literal Addiction

3/30 - Ramblings From This Chick

3/31 - Redheaded Bookworm

4/01 - Wicked Readings

4/02 - Beach Bum Reads

4/03 - Books-n-Kisses

4/04 - Riverina Romantics

4/05 - Close Encounters With The Night Kind

4/06 - Alexx Mom Cat's Gateway

4/07 - GraveTells

4/10 - Romancing The Book

4/11 - Cocktails and Books

4/12 - I Smell Sheep

4/13 - Jeep Diva

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 lucky winner will win an eBook of their choice from either the Order of the Blade, Ever After or Alaska Heat series.

To Enter: 

• Please leave a meaningful comment/question for Stephanie.
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 

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