Away by Meg Benjamin

Please welcome Meg Benjamin author of Away

Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Away

by Meg Benjamin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Paranormal romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INTERVIEW:

1. How did you come up with ideas for your books?

In many cases, I honestly can’t remember the inspiration for the books I write, but I remember the inspiration for the Folk vividly. I’d just moved to Colorado from Texas and I was a little worried about my writing because up until then I’d only written about the Texas Hill Country (my Konigsburg series) and San Antonio’s King William District (my Ramos Family series). But one afternoon right after Halloween my hubs and I were driving in our neighborhood and came to a very steep hill. At the bottom there were a pile of smashed pumpkins where kids had rolled their jack-o-lanterns down to see them detonate. I suddenly had a mental image of goblins standing at the top of the hill rolling down heads. And no, that particular scene never occurs in the Folk books. But it could! And somehow the fact that I’d thought of that rather strange scene not only started me thinking about the Folk series, it also reassured me that I could definitely keep writing in a new setting.
2. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

For the Folk series, I didn’t have much! I didn’t really know anything about fairies beyond Midsummer Night’s Dreamand some children’s books I’d read a long time ago. But I found a terrific book by Anna Franklin called The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Faeriesthat was not only full of information but lots of fun to read. I made lists of things I found in Franklin that I wanted to include, like the names of the fairy groups from various countries (e.g., Barbegazi and Kobolds) and names of individuals who were significant (my hero, Grim Morrigan, actually has the names of two fairy dignitaries). Franklin’s information, combined with my own affection for supernatural beings, got me going.

3. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?  I’ve completed two more Folk books that will be coming out later this year, Unseenand Found.They feature some of the same characters from Away, along with some new characters and settings. And I’ve got plans for more Folk books in the future.

4. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I have a critique partner, Teri Wilson, rather than a group. It’s always a good idea to get someone else to look at your writing, preferably somebody who’s not closely related to you! Teri are both readers and writers, so we know when something is working and when it isn’t. But we’re also friends, which means we usually manage to phrase our criticism diplomatically. We’ve been working together for quite a while, and I can’t emphasize enough how much Teri has helped in the development of my books.

5. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

Before I moved to Colorado, I was a member of the San Antonio Romance Authors (SARA), a local Romance Writers of America chapter. Everybody in the group was trying to be published and we had monthly meetings where we got advice on various aspects of the publishing process. SARA also had an active on-line critique group where we could get feedback on whatever we were working on. Thanks to SARA, I started submitting my work to publishers and finally published my first novel with Samhain in 2009. I highly recommend RWA, both at the local and national level. They’re a wonderful resource.

6. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

As a rule, I’m a big planner when it comes to writing. I know a lot of people who just start writing, but I’ve never been able to do that. I need to know where I’m going and where I want to end up. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t change things as I actually write the book—that happens all the time. But I need a framework before I can get going. At least it reassures me that I won’t get halfway through the book and have no idea how to finish!

7. Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

Since we moved to Colorado, I’ve become more of an outdoors person (it’s hard to stay inside when you’re surrounded by such spectacular scenery). I go hiking in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter. This has given me a lot more familiarity with Colorado settings that I can use in my books. In Away,the heroine takes an ill-fated hike to Golden Gate Canyon. The trail she uses is one I’ve been on, too, and what she sees is what you’d see there. That was a lot of fun to recreate!

8. Do you have an all time favorite book?

I love reading historical romances, particularly regencies, and my favorite regency historical is Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels.I love the way Chase combines humor and pathos. You’re laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. Plus it’s one of the few novels where the heroine actually shoots the hero (who richly deserves it) and still marries him. In a way, Prince Bertie in Awayis a regency hero, probably the closest I’ll ever come to writing one.

9. Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

The next book in the Folk series is Unseen, tentatively scheduled for an August release. The hero is Teran Richter, the hero’s best friend in Away.Teran loses his job in Jefferson County and is sent on a mission by Prince Bertie to a new town, Animas. There he finds some unknown members of the Folk, and surprising opposition to his supposedly innocuous mission. Animas is based on one of my favorite Colorado mountain towns, Crested Butte, and I got to include lots of details that are based on real things, including Crested Butte’s notorious Vinotuk fall festival.

10. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

I love doing Pinterest boards for my books, including actors and actresses that I’d cast for the leads, although I frequently come up with more than one person who fits the description. For AwayI’d go with Joseph Gordon Levitt for Grim and Anne Hathaway for Annie. I’d also love to see Tom Hiddleston for Prince Bertie since I sort of imagine him with an English accent (he’s a prince, after all).

Beauty model girl with healthy brown hair

BLURB:

Grim Morrigan, Guardian of the Ward and part-time private detective, polices the Folk, the clans of fairies who live in the foothills outside Denver. But his main job is concealing their true nature from the mortals around them.

Enter mortal Annie Duran, who hires him to look for her brother Richard, missing and presumed dead for ten years. Annie has seen Richard in the parking lot of the nightclub where she works. Now she wants answers, and Grim’s supposed to find them.

The quest for Richard ensnares both Grim and Annie in a sinister conspiracy involving kidnapped women and outlaw magic. But they also discover their own overwhelming attraction to each other.

When Annie herself disappears, Grim’s need for answers becomes even more urgent. With the help of a dissolute prince and a motley crew of unlikely fairies, Grim confronts a rebellion among the Folk.

And it may take more than just magic and luck to save both Annie and Grim this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

He leaned toward her, slowly, slowly, and she moved to meet him. His lips were softer than she remembered, gentle, brushing against the side of her throat. She took hold of his sleeve, her hand closing on the cool smoothness of the leather.

He pulled away, stripping off his coat, then edged in closer, catching her chin between his fingers. Not a gentle kiss this time, but a claiming that burned her skin, set her pulse racing. His hand cupped the back of her skull, holding her tight so his tongue could plunge deep into her mouth. She moaned, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt, feeling the coarse crinkle of hair and the heat of his skin. Her own desire built like a drumbeat.

And then he was lifting away, resting his forehead against hers, panting. “Wait.”

****

Wait?With every cell in his body screaming for her, he’d suddenly grown a conscience? Why the hell had his long-lost ethical sense decided to reappear now? Wretched timing, Grim. Just your style. He closed his eyes, catching his breath while he worked out what to say to Annie Duran that wouldn’t sound either insulting or insane.

“Wait?” She was staring at him, eyes shining with desire—and confusion.

He was such an idiot he felt like moaning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her newest series, the Folk, is a paranormal trilogy set in Colorado. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (both are available from Entangled Publishing). Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin/), and Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2681