Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Interview & Giveaway with Hailey Edwards


 
Hailey Edwards is joining us today to answer questions about her new novel, Hint of Frost which is available now in e-book format

Hi Hailey! Thanks for stopping by today, can you give us the “elevator pitch” for Hint of Frost?

When her mother is murdered in her nest, Lourdes has one choice: she must marry before her own nest is seized. All she needs is a warrior fierce enough to protect her city and safeguard her clansmen. Such a male is Rhys the Cold.
Rhys’s clan is starving, but their taste for the Araneaean flesh makes them unwelcome dinner guests. Yet Lourdes threatens to melt the cold encasing his heart. When her sister is captured, they pursue their enemies, where she will discover if she’s worth her silk or if she’s spun the thread by which her clan will hang.

  Can you tell us a little bit
 about yourself?

 Sure. I’m a stay at home mom with a love of baking, crafting and power tools.



Where did you get the inspiration/idea for your novel?

I had been kicking around the idea of writing a new series for a while. I love vampires, but I wanted to write something a little more unique. So I kept the fangs and the biting fetish and decided that spiders were my new vampire. Only, my Araneaeans are also, in some cases, venomous, as well as able to spin silk from their fingertips. They also have several other very cool spiderlike traits.

What sort of research did you do for Hint of Frost? 

I Googled until my fingers were numb, then checked out books at the library. I wanted to match my idea of clans to real spider families, so it took a lot of doing to make that happen. Even then, for ease of pronunciation, I went with the family name instead of the species to keep a uniform look.
For example, the Araneidae clan is based on Darwin’s Bark Spider (Caerostris darwini), so its genus is Caerostris.  The Salticidae clan is based on the Bagheera kiplingi spider, with a subfamily of Dendryphantinae. Even though it had the right sound, it was too complex, so I condensed each family where I could. 

Are you a plotter or a panster?

I’m a pantser. I outline obsessively, then start writing and it all falls to the wayside. 

What other projects can we look forward to reading from you soon?

In June, the third Askara novel, Eversworn, will be released from Samhain Publishing. In August, the first book in my new Wicked Kin series, Soul Weaver, will be released from Forever Yours.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, and Kresely Cole.

What are you currently reading right now, or what are some books in your TBR pile?

I just finished reading Patricia Brigg’s newest Alpha and Omega novel, Fair Game. It kicked off a Mercy Thompson re-read, since A/O is a spinoff of that series, and Mercy is my favorite heroine.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

When I first started writing, I had ideas too big for me. Sometimes their execution was lacking. I am grateful for the constructive criticism I received then, for shaping how I think and write now. The best compliment is when a reader emails me and says they got lost in a world I built. There is no greater feeling.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Do your research. If you’re looking to break into publishing, head over to Absolute Write (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums ) or Romance Divas (http://forums.romancedivas.com/) and educate yourself on publishers, editors, agents, and most importantly—improving your craft.
 
Finish this statement: You’ll enjoy Hint of Frost if you like…

This snippet of my review from Heroes and Heartbreakers is the best answer I’ve got. (Plus, it made me laugh.)

“Are you a Game of Thrones addict? Have you started referring to your girlfriends as “wenches” and the husband as “my lord,” really pushing for that “your grace” title you so desperately want? Well, Hailey Edwards’s Hint of Frost might just be the book you’ve been looking for.” 

Thanks for stopping by Hailey! 


Hailey is generously offering an e-book of your choice to one winner, you may choose A Hint of Frost or any other books from Hailey's back list.

To enter, please leave your name and email in the comment section and one winner will be picked on  Monday, April 30th!


To learn more about Hailey Edwards and her books, click on the following links! 


2 comments:

  1. A Hint of frost sounds like a really great read I would love to win a copy!
    Danasquare3@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for hosting me, Van!

    And thanks for stopping by, Dana. I hope you'll enjoy reading Frost.

    ReplyDelete