The e-book winner is: mnjcarter@charter.net
Congratulations and happy reading!
Tonya: I’m so excited to introduce all of you to the elegant author of these beautiful covers. Please welcome Gabrielle to my blog! Readers love to know more about their authors. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Gabrielle: I’m the mother of two children, one of whom still lives at home with me in Pennsylvania. I home school him, which is challenging with a 15 year old boy, and I have five cats. I can’t say no to strays. I think my neighbors have begun to call me the cat lady. I can only imagine the look of surprise on their faces if they ever found out what I wrote.
Tonya: Staying the innocent ‘girl next door’ is more fun anyway! *wink* Do you have a day job?
Gabrielle: I’m a history professor at a local campus for a large university, and I teach students American and European history.
Tonya: That sounds like it makes it easy for you to be able to include that in your story lines. Some of us have things we do to get into the writing frame of mind like music, or drinks. Do you have anything special you do to get into the writing mood?
Gabrielle: I hand write everything, so I must have the notebook and pen nearby. I also need a large glass of iced tea, although I admit when I’m writing an especially hot sex scene, I’ll have a beer or two. It helps to loosen me up!
Tonya: LOL I totally understand! Do you have a card file where you keep story ideas? Where do they come from?
Gabrielle: I like the card file idea. I think I might use that. No, I have notebooks since I’m a habitual writer, so there are pages and pages of ideas along with the actual stories. My Destined Ones series came from a dream. One morning I woke up with the idea for a race of people who lived many lives through reincarnation, had special powers, and destined ones. From that came my first novel, Stolen Destiny, and my second novel, just released on October 13, Destiny Redeemed. Oddly enough, the idea for my first novella in my Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy came from a dream. This time, though, I woke up with the entire first chapter of Vampire Dreams in my mind. Something I’m eating before bed each night is making me have very vivid dreams, I guess.
Tonya: Well let all of us know what you’re eating to cause that so we can grab some next time we’re in the store! If you’re self-published, can you tell us a bit about that and how it’s going for you?
Gabrielle: I chose to become self-published after my first novel was released. I decided I wanted more control over my work and took the plunge. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did that. My three novellas, Vampire Dreams, Love’s Master, and Masquerade have all been selling very well, with all three in the Top 100 Erotic Books list on Amazon for over a month. I wouldn’t want to do it any other way now.
Tonya: Are you a daytime writer, night time writer, and do you have to be alone to write?
Gabrielle: I tend to be a nighttime writer only because my job and home schooling take up my days. I do reserve all of Saturday each week to write, however. And I have to be alone or I won’t get anything done! I’m too chatty to write around anyone else.
Tonya: Do you write better when you first have an idea of what your characters look like or do you write, then add character looks?
Gabrielle: I always know exactly what my characters look like before I begin writing them. As soon as Amon popped into my mind in Stolen Destiny, I knew he was 6’6”, blond, and had gorgeous blue eyes. Then in Destiny Redeemed, although he has the same hair and eye color and is the same height, his character has been through some tough times and he’s far more built. I tried to stay true to that idea when I was looking for images for the cover. As soon as I saw that model, I thought, “Definitely, Amon would be this ripped.”
Tonya: We’re dying to hear about your latest book. What can you tell us without spoiling the storyline?
Gabrielle: Destiny Redeemed is the story of Amon Kalins and his destined one, Thea Forester. Here’s the blurb:
Sentenced to spend the rest of his three remaining lifetimes in Nil, Amon Kalins is freed with the help of his Sidhe servant, Gethen, but now he must accept his life is never to be his again as the Council won't rest until he's safely back imprisoned within Nil's cold walls. Broken and nearly dead from his time in prison, Amon is saved by an Aeveren healer named Althea Forester. As a healer, Thea has served her people for 45 lifetimes, never having a destined one and always knowing each lifetime would ultimately end with her alone. But destiny hasn't forgotten her.
Drawn to the seductive Amon, Thea quickly becomes a pawn the Council uses to trap him. Taken prisoner by the sadistic leader of the rebel group, the Soren, Thea must survive the vicious world of the people hellbent on taking her destined one away forever, and Amon must risk everything dear to him to free her from those who would sacrifice her to claim the bigger prize and return him to Nil.
Drawn to the seductive Amon, Thea quickly becomes a pawn the Council uses to trap him. Taken prisoner by the sadistic leader of the rebel group, the Soren, Thea must survive the vicious world of the people hellbent on taking her destined one away forever, and Amon must risk everything dear to him to free her from those who would sacrifice her to claim the bigger prize and return him to Nil.
Tonya: Wow, that sounds like a fast-paced story full of intrigue! Where can our readers find you and your books?
Gabrielle: My books can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and All Romance eBooks. As for me, I’m all over the place. Click on the links below to find me.
Tonya: Your covers are beautiful to look at and as a reader, they give me sense of elegance. I like that! Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?
Gabrielle: I love hearing from readers, so email me at gabriellebisset@gmail.com And if you’ve read Vampire Dreams, you should know that Vasilije is getting his own book, Blood Avenged, in December. So if you haven’t read the novella Vampire Dreams, you still have time before that delicious vampire makes his entrance!
Tonya: Now for a few questions just for fun...What is your favorite night time snack?
Gabrielle: Popcorn. I love snacking on it as I’m writing.
Tonya: I am sooo addicted to popcorn!! Do you like toppings on your ice cream?
Gabrielle: I stick with caramel on my vanilla ice cream. Delicious!
Tonya: What’s your favorite meal - Italian, Mexican, Thai, etc?
Gabrielle: I like any meal with shrimp in it. I’m a shrimp addict. I especially like shrimp scampi.
Destiny Redeemed:
Excerpt: Thea watched the man in front of her with fear, but there was something else too, something she’d never experienced before as a healer. She didn’t just feel sympathetic for him, didn’t want to merely make his pain go away. She felt drawn to him, and not only on a physical level. She could understand that after resting her head on his hard body. He was more masculine than anyone she’d ever met. Even after what had obviously been repeated beatings, he seemed stronger than any man could be. So her physical attraction she understood.
But there was something else. After only a few hours near him, she realized with sadness that she’d miss him when he released her. But why? She knew little about him, and what she knew wasn’t good. He was Amon Kalins, the escaped prisoner from Nil. She’d been warned, as all other Aeveren healers had, not to help him in any way. She hadn’t had a choice, though. His wretched man had kidnapped her from her home and when she saw him suffering before her, nature had taken over. Healing him had never been a choice but a need.
“Thea, don’t be afraid. I told you I wouldn’t let any harm come to you, and I won’t. You’re safe as long as you’re with me.”
The tone of his deep voice was softer now, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She remained fearful, her fingers tightly gripping the drawer handle behind her.
“You’re Amon Kalins...” she squeaked out as her voice failed her. The hard surface of the dresser pressed against her back when she attempted to take another step back away from him.
“Yes.”
“The escaped prisoner from Nil.”
“Yes.”
Thea’s body relaxed almost against her will. Each affirmation should have made her fear for her safety all the more, but it didn’t. Something in his voice soothed her.
“And you’re a tempuster?” This the Council hadn’t mentioned in its edict to healers.
“Yes.”
In all her lifetimes, she’d never met any Aeveren with the power of time travel. Amon Kalins must be a very powerful man, she realized.
“Is it my ability that frightens you?” he asked in a voice she was sure was intended to put her at ease.
Thea thought about this for a moment and answered in a small voice, “No.”
His being a tempuster was probably the least frightening aspect of him. The truth was she was most frightened of how much she already liked him. She shouldn’t. She knew this. But something about him called to her.
“Then my being a prisoner from Nil?”
Thea drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not supposed to help you.”
“Why? You’re a healer. It’s your gift. Why would you be banned from healing someone who needs your help?”
Thea was ashamed to admit that she’d never considered this question, not when she was ordered not to heal him nor all the other times those who dictated her power ordered her not to help another in need. How many times had she followed edicts and watched half-breeds or full blooded Aeveren suffer needlessly for breaking one of the many rules of their world?
The thought of her blind heartlessness made her shoulders droop and the regret she suddenly felt overwhelmed her. Sadly, she explained, “The Council ordered all healers to not help you. Under no circumstances were any of us to heal you.” As she spoke the words of the edict, she felt guilty not because she had helped him, but because for the first time in her forty-five lifetimes she’d truly lived up to her nature.
“But you did. Not that we gave you a chance to follow your orders.”
“Now I don’t know what will happen to me. When they find out what I did...”
Thea’s voice trailed off as she thought of how the Council would punish her for healing Amon. As she winced at the thought of her reprimand, Amon clenched his fists at his side. Thea saw the anger in his expression and wasn’t sure how to react. She was reasonably sure his anger wasn’t because of her, but something in him had changed.
“Are you in pain?”
Amon relaxed his hands. “No.” Slowly, his face returned to the handsome, albeit bruised, expression he seemed to usually have. Thea stepped forward toward him and carefully placed her hands on both sides of his face. She didn’t know why as he’d said he wasn’t in pain, but something in her pushed her toward his bruised face.
The swollen left eye had returned to normal, and she felt the gaze of his ocean blue eyes on her as she coaxed the pain out of his features. Gradually, the slash under his eye closed until all that was left was a faint pink line. The light purple bruises that marked near his jaw and above his eyes, remnants from a prior assault than the one on his last night in Nil, faded under her light touch as the pads of her fingertips softly glided over his skin.
Amon sat stunned by her unsolicited help. As she focused on healing him, she saw him study her, his breathing turning to shallow pants and sensed his desire when she saw him lick his lips. As a healer, she wasn’t gifted with the ability to read minds, but her power came with the complementary ability of being able to read others’ reactions better than other Aeveren.
That something inside her that had pushed her toward him now told her to kiss him, and she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to one of the pale black and purple marks on his forehead. When she finally pulled away, she saw his eyes were closed and his face was calmer than at any time since she’d met him the night before.
Her mind raced. Should she apologize for kissing him, even if it was just on his skin? She’d never wanted to do anything like that ever before with anyone else she’d been charged to heal. But nothing about being near this man was like anything she’d ever experienced before.
Unsure of how to act, she found it difficult to know what to do next, and words began to tumble out of her mouth. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean...I don’t know why...”
Amon opened his eyes as Thea felt the color rising in her cheeks. She may have been saying she was sorry and claiming she didn’t know why she’d kissed him, but she was still positioned right next to his face.
“No need to apologize. In fact, there’s no need to stop.”
A sound of surprise escaped her lips and her eyes grew wide at the idea that there was more to come. Her heart pounded in her chest as his deep blue eyes stared into hers. Would he kiss her now? All at once, she realized she wanted so much to feel his lips on hers.
Site Links:
Buy Links: Readers can find all my books at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Gabrielle: Thank you so much for having me as your guest this week. I look forward to chatting with your readers so please everyone, feel free to leave a comment or question along with your email addy. I would hate to have a winner and not be able to reach you. My contest info is:
CONTEST – I’d love to give away an e-copy of Destiny Redeemed to one lucky comment that also leaves their email addy so I can contact the winner.
Tonya: This interview has been so much fun, Gabrielle! Thank you for being here all week to entertain my guests. Readers, if you've not yet peeked at her beautiful covers that are up on her blog and website, you are in for a treat! They are all gorgeous! Great job, Gabrielle! Comment away everyone and good luck!
