Q&A Interview and Promotional Contest with Liz Strange

Hello everyone!  Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL ADDICTION are happy to have Liz Strange with us today.  (And if you were wondering, YES that is her real name! J)   

Liz was born and raised in Canada where she still lives with her family and a menagerie of pets.  If she’s not working, writing or spending time with her family, Liz enjoys reading, watching horror flicks, eating spicy food, and/or hitting the gym. 

A self-professed Sci-Fi Nerd, Liz loves anything to do with mythology, history, anthropology, ancient Greece and Easter Island, in addition to her expected fascination with Star Trek, the X-Files, and Torchwood.

Liz loves to read, has been an avid reader since she was little, and even then was attracted to the dark side.  She loves mysteries, crime novels, and pretty much all things paranormal/supernatural.  Her undying love for vampires was born when she first obtained a copy of Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot”, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Liz’s muse has been busy as of late!  She has several books that have been released in the last couple of months alone:

·         “One Week”  - Released on 5/4/11

·         “The Embrace of Life and Death (A Dark Kiss Tale)” – Released on 6/7/11

·         “Love Can be Dangerous to Your Health”  - Released on 6/21/11

and

·         ”Born of Blood & Retribution (Dark Kiss Trilogy #3)” – Released on 7/26/11

For our readers who are just being introduced to Liz, let’s give you a sneak peek into each of these books…

“One Week”:

It only takes one week to turn your world upside down.

Shannon McCallister, gets an unexpected opportunity to advance in her career when her supervisor decides to send her to London to close an important business deal. While there, she has a chance encounter with an attractive and much younger man, which opens the door to the most exciting week of her life.

Each day brings Shannon a sexual fulfillment she has never known before, and that at forty-one she never expected to have. Even more surprising are the feelings being stirred up, which linger long after they’ve left the bedroom and she's returned home.

One week suddenly doesn’t feel long enough--but is it long enough to fall in love?

“The Embrace of Life and Death”:

Kieran is a hundred-and-twenty-year-old immortal, originally hailing from the harsh, famine-stricken life of 1880s Ireland. He has surpassed death and thrived, gaining wealth, power and knowledge. Azrael is the angel of death, but his mission is far from ominous. He is the protector of the grief-stricken, and the champion of lost souls. The two are polar opposites in mission and nature, yet are inexplicably drawn to one another.

The Supreme One sees all, and when he discovers the truth about the relationship he is enraged. Their commitment to be together must be stronger than his determination to keep them apart.

“Love Can Be Dangerous To Your Health”:

Sometimes love can suck the life out of you...literally.

Jake can't believe the beautiful woman he takes home is in his bed. He finds it even harder to believe when she's implicated in several strange murders. And it stretches the boundaries of his mind when she not only claims she wants a relationship with him...but also reveals a secret about herself.

Now Jake needs to balance being a homicide detective with what his heart wants. But can he really give this beautiful woman everything she asks for?

“Born of Blood and Retribution (Dark Kiss Trilogy #3)”:

The world’s first vampire has come calling – and she isn’t happy.

After the brutal showdown with the Demarais and the reunion with Giovanni, Rachel is looking for nothing more than some peace and quiet. Harshika, the world’s first vampire, has other ideas. She's not pleased with the immortal race as a whole, finding them weak and too “human”. When called before her, the immortals are given an ultimatum: Submit to Harshika as her subjects or die.Now Rachel and
her old friends must join with new allies to discover Harshika’s weakness…hopefully in time to gain freedom for them all.

**Book #1 of the Dark Kiss Trilogy is entitled “My Love Eternal” and Book #2 is called “A Second Chance at Forever”.  Sufficiently intrigued?  We know we are!  Let’s go to the Interview and see how Liz handled our battery of questions.  Don’t forget though, Liz will also be back this evening to talk with followers, members, fans and guests Live!!

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Hi Liz!  We’re glad we could finally make this work and get you here to talk with us.  Thank you for taking time away from writing to let us get to know you a little bit better and help us introduce some new readers to your work. 

Liz: Thank-you so much for having me. After seeing some of the amazing authors you’re interviewed I feel very honoured to be in such company.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  We like to start out by getting to know our guest author a bit more, and then we’ll dig into the books. 

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourself that we can't find out on the internet?

Liz: 1. I love musicals and all movies about dancing. 2. I love David Lynch movies. 3. I have had a crush on Rutger Hauer for more than 20 years.

Q2):  If you could choose a word that best describes your life up to this moment, what would it be?

Liz: Challenging. If I told you some of the things I’ve gone through, you’d think I was making it up. I joke that I’m living Murphy’s Law.

Q3):  We saw that you’re a Horror Film nut like so many of us.  What’s your favorite?

Liz: Oh, that’s so hard. I guess I’d have to go with The Evil Dead—a classic.

Q4):  What is the one thing that you absolutely cannot go your day without?

Liz: Coffee, coffee and more coffee.

Q5):  You’re also an avid reader like the rest of us.  Who are some of your favorite authors and what’re the next couple titles on your TBR pile?

Liz: I just read Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs and that was the first book I’d read in months. I have been so busy I hardly have a chance to breathe.

Some of my favourite authors are: Michael Slade, Anne Rice, Tanya Huff, Laurell K. Hamilton, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Clive Barker. And many, many more.

Q6):  If you could live your childhood over again 1) Would you do it?  And 2) Is there anything that you would make sure to do or do differently?

Liz: I don’t know that I would want to totally live my childhood over. I’d definitely want to do some things differently like not have stopped dancing, and I would have participated in more things are school. I would also have liked to travel a bit before I settled down to have a family.

Q7):  We read that you like to eat spicy food.  Do you also like to cook?  If so, what’s your favorite dish to make?

Liz: I am what I like to call a functional cook. To be honest I don’t really enjoy it. I’d much rather be eating!

I can make a mean lasagna though.

Q8):  So, your take on Vampires is quite a bit different than Stephen’s in Salem’s Lot. ;-)  Can you sum up for us what the ideal vampire is for you?

Liz: I like my vampires to be equal parts monster and human. In my mind they are powerful, seductive, scary and unpredictable.

A bit of inside knowledge for the reader; I always imagine my vampire, Giovanni, looking like football star Cristiano Ronaldo. If you don’t know who he is, look him up!

Q9): What are some of your favorite TV shows?

Liz: I am a big Glee fan, my whole family is. I watch a lot of cable shows like Dexter, True Blood, Spartacus, Torchwood, etc. I just got into Supernatural and I am hooked! I picked up the first 5 seasons on DVD and have watched them multiple times.

Q10):  If you’re having a terrible day, what do you usually do to cheer yourself up?

Liz: My top three things would be; work out, eat some sugar, or write. Depends on the day/situation.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  O.K, now let’s find out some more about your work…

Q11):  Was there any particular inspiration behind the creation of The Dark Kiss Trilogy?

Liz: Yes and no. I originally wrote the story that evolved into the full-length My Love Eternal novel about twenty years ago. At that time there wasn’t a lot of vampire fiction, outside of Anne Rice’s series and true horror novels. I was intrigued by Anne Rice’s idea that even though vampires have become these blood-sucking parasites, they were also human once and perhaps they have hung on to parts of their past. I have often though if it happened to me what would parts of my personality and past would I hang on to and who/what would I have difficulty letting go of?

Q12):  Is there a character from your books that you particularly enjoy writing?

Liz: I loved writing the character of Charles. He is such a jerk sometimes, and it was a lot of fun to go with that!

Q13):  Are there any personality traits that you share with Rachel?  Anything about the two of you that is completely opposite?

Liz: The character of Rachel is equal parts biographical and total fantasy. She comes from my hometown, and likes things that I do, like her fascination with history and mythology. Outside of that she is her own woman.

Q14):  Are you sad that the Trilogy is coming to an end?  Any plans for additional Dark Kiss Tales?

Liz: I am sad and also satisfied with how the trilogy played out. I do have plans for more Dark Kiss tales, in fact I’ve been thinking about a follow-up to The Embrace of life and Death. There may be some other characters from the series I’d like to give their own story too. If readers have suggestions, please let me know.

Q15):  What else do you have bouncing around in your imagination that you feel must be told-- anything that you can share with us, things we might be able to look forward to?

Liz: Right now I am finishing up a YA fantasy-adventure novel, based on Welsh mythology of all things. If I can get it published I plan for it to be the first of three novels.

I have a mystery novel coming out in the next few weeks, and I’d really like for that to be a series. I have also started a sci-fi novel, which will probably be my next project.

I also write screenplays, and I will be learning soon if I’ve been short-listed for a movie/screenplay contest I’ve entered. Fingers crossed.

Q16):  Was it difficult to write the M/M paranormal romance that The Embrace of Life and Death offered?

Liz: Not really. I am a fan myself, and for some reason this particular story was really clamoring to get out. I am a very open-minded person, and whole-heatedly believe that all people deserve to be happy. I cannot understand how anyone thinks they have the right to tell another person who they should be, what to feel or who they should love.

Plus hot vampire-angel love—what’s not to like about that?

Q17):  What do you feel is the most inspirational thing to your writing?

Liz: For me I get a very specific image in my mind and the story unfolds form there. The image can come from many different things—music, something I’ve read, a conversation, art.

Once that image has taken root I have to write the story or it haunts me.

Q18): What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview but have never been asked?  How would you answer that question?

Liz: I have always wanted to be asked if I think vampires actually exist. My answer—I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. There are many things in the world I have never seen with my own two eyes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I like to keep an open mind. Life is more interesting that way.

Q19):  What’s up next for Liz Strange?  What do you have planned in the upcoming weeks/months?

Liz: I am going to the Authors After Dark convention in Philadelphia on August 12-14^th. I’m very excited about that, it’s my fist convention and I will be taking part in a book signing and a panel discussion.

Q20):  Is there anything specific you would like to say to your readers while we have you here today?

Liz: I want to give a sincere thank-you for everyone who has taken a chance on reading my work. I know it’s always a risk trying a new writer, I’ve been there myself. And also thank-you for all the wonderful comments, questions and praise. I appreciate it all!

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:   Liz, thank you so much for being with us today!  We’re sad that the Dark Kiss Trilogy has come to an end, but we’re excited to see what you create for us next.  We’re also looking forward to chatting with you Live a little bit later.  J

Liz: Thanks again. I’m looking forward to some awesome questions.

CONTEST:

Liz is graciously offering up an eBook copy to a winner from Book Monster Reviews (titles to be announced after Event). 

To Enter, make sure you’re you’re a member of the Book Monster Blog and comment on this post with a valid email address.  Any comments without an email address will NOT be entered into drawing.

Want a 2nd chance to win??  Go to the LITERAL ADDICTION website (http://www.literaladdiction.com/authors-corner.php), make sure you read their entry rules, and enter to win the contest on their site too by leaving a comment with your email address on the Interview post.

GOOD LUCK!!!