Guest Post with Author Shona Husk and Giveaway

Meet Shona Husk, author of Lord of the Hunt.

Three time ARRA finalist Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally. She is the author of the Shadowlands Series and the Annwyn Series. You can find out more information about Shona and her edgy romances at http://www.shonahusk.com/ or follow her on Twitter, @ShonaHusk.

Find Shona at:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Five fun facts about Lord of the Hunt

Even though I’m a plotter, writing each book is a different experience. Here are some of the things I did and learned along the way while writing Lord of the Hunt:

1) I got to travel the world looking for cool places that Taryn and Verden could escape to in the mortal world. By travel I mean on line of course as I don’t have access to fairy portals that make travel free and fast. Despite the online nature of my journey it was still fun as checking out ancient temples in South America (along with the flora and fauna) was fascinating as were pubs in Ireland (along with current fairy lore) and of course everyone loves the ancient wilds of southern Tasmania. What Verden and Taryn get up in these locations is all revealed in the book ;)

2) This was actually the first book in the series that I plotted, book 3 To Love a King came next….and then I worked out what book 1 The Outcast Prince was about. I remember plotting Lord of the Hunt while sitting in an Engineering conference about water quality in drainage systems. It was during that conference I realized that romance writing conferences (for writers or readers) are way more fun and that engineering conferences aren’t nearly as welcoming and could do with more free books. A goodie that comes with a lanyard and a program is not a goodie bag guys!

3) While writing Lord of the Hunt and seeing it through Verden’s eyes as he went home to make amends with his family I discovered that Annwyn is an island.

4) Every draft of this book had a different start. This is really unusual for me as usually once I find the right place to start it sticks…not this time. It was only after my first round of edits with my editor that I got the start right. I think starts and ends are really important to get right and while I knew I hadn’t quite got there with this book in the early drafts, I knew where I was heading—sometimes it takes someone else to look at a story and go “I know what you’re trying to do, how about this…” and of course once they’ve said that it becomes obvious…

5) There is a deleted wedding scene. Yep in the very first draft Taryn and Verden had a bit of an impromptu wedding. No one wants to see that though…wait, you do?

Here it is =)
~~~
The King placed his hand over theirs. “This is no deal, or vow of loyalty. This is a binding of two people. It is a sacred magic, akin to the one shared by King and Queen. As such only they have the power to undo the binding. Do you understand the severity?”

Taryn swallowed, her mouth dry. She could understand why most fairies never married—aside from the whole having to share their power and the issue of status—the only person who could grant a divorce was the King or Queen and that would mean being on their good side. “I do.”

“I do.” Verden said without hesitation.

“Very well.” The King nodded.

A tremor ran through her body and was then gone. She took a breath but felt no different, then she glanced at Verden. That was it? “Did it work?”

“Of course it did.” Gwyn said, then he clasped Verden in an embrace. “Do you forgive an old and bitter King?”

“Yes. I don’t regret a day of serving you.” The two men drew apart.

Taryn had the feeling that they would never see each other again. This was goodbye and she couldn’t stop the lump from forming in her throat. They may not have been close friends toward the end, but it was hard to wipe away hundreds of years of history.
~~~

She Wasn’t Cut Out for His World...

The realm of the fairies might be unbelievably beautiful, but its people are notoriously treacherous. Raised among mortals, Taryn hoped to avoid her fairy heritage her whole life. But now she must cross over to Annwyn and appeal to the King to pardon her exiled parents, or they're sure to die. And to get to the King, she'll first have to face the Lord of the Hunt...

He Can't Imagine Life Without Her...

Verden, Lord of the Hunt, is sworn to serve to King. But the moment he sees Taryn, the attraction is instant and devastating. How can he not help the beautiful, brave young woman who refuses to bend to the will of the court? Yet the power in Annwyn is shifting, its magic failing. No matter how much he may love Taryn, the Hunter knows that abandoning his duty could bring down the mortal world forever...

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |

Check out the Court of Annwyn series:

Click for info.

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 copy of Lord of the Hunt

To Enter: 

• Please leave a comment or question for Shona.
• US/Canada ONLY.
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 

Special thanks to Sourcebooks sponsoring this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway