Interview & Giveaway with Zoe Archer

Zoe Archer Intro:

Hello everyone!  LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews are very happy to welcome author Zoe Archer to the site today!  

Zoe has a great bio on her website so we thought we’d borrow it for today’s Event:

“Zoë wanted to write soon after her mother taught her how to read. (Incidentally, the first book she read was Arnold Lobell’s Grasshopper On the Road.) Different people had the enviable task of transcribing stories young Zoë would narrate into a portable tape player, and they all shed tears of joy when Zoë finally learned how to type so she could write down her own damn stories. One of her first works, written at the age of eleven, was a sixty-page fantasy epic inspired by the musical Cats, which is now sadly lost to the mists of time.

In the 9th grade, Zoë began to read romances. She would read them under her desk in physical sciences class, and on the bus, and late into the night until her head spun from eyestrain. There were early forays into writing romance, but when it came time for Zoë to go to college at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she concentrated on her studies of medieval and Renaissance literature, and now those early romances are also lost. (If someone should find them, please return them to Zoë where she can seal them in a lead-lined vault.) During those years at Santa Cruz, Zoë contemplated becoming a costume designer and historian, designing costumes for small undergraduate productions and drawing lots and lots of pictures of maidens in flowing gowns.

Zoë entered graduate school at the University of California, San Diego, fully intending to earn her PhD in 18th century literature. What she would do with that PhD was something she hadn’t quite figured out. Further, she couldn’t read French or Latin, something she would have to do in order to get her doctorate. Deus ex machina arrived in the form of a short story contest, sponsored by Glimmer Train Stories, which Zoë entered and won. She even fielded a few calls from agents wanting to see her manuscript. Oddly, they weren’t asking about her dissertation.

So Zoë sat herself down and asked herself if she wanted to keep working on her PhD and head into an uncertain future of fighting for tenure, or writing fiction. She chose fiction, and left UC San Diego with a Master’s degree in literature. (Her Master’s thesis was about film adaptations of Jane Austen—go ahead and ask her about any adaptation and she can talk until you can’t bear to hear the word “simulacrum” any more.)

Although she was born in New York and lived there until she was six months old, Zoë had no recollection of living anywhere but in California. So everyone was surprised, including her, when she moved to Iowa City to attend the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Much long underwear was worn. Two years and several snowstorms later, she was the proud owner of a shiny new MFA from the Writers’ Workshop. As soon as the degree was in her hot little hand, she promptly moved back to Los Angeles, her home town.

Day jobs followed. Zoë was blessed with the most supportive boyfriend who was also a writer, and much more disciplined about writing than she had ever been. Following his example, she got up every morning before work and wrote. And wrote. And kept writing. The supportive boyfriend had to contend with bouts of extreme grouchiness as several manuscripts were written but none were bought. The supportive boyfriend became the supportive husband, and then, one day, Zoë got The Call from her agent. Lady X’s Cowboy had been bought by a publisher.  A few months after that, the publisher bought Love In a Bottle.

A few awards and award nominations later, Zoë noticed that the deafening cries of acclaim and truckloads of gold ingots mysteriously hadn’t arrived.  There was fear, but also freedom.  She asked herself: if she could write any kind of romance, and time period, any setting, what would it be?  What kind of romance would she love to read?

The answer came after several days of intense soul-searching and chocolate consumption: high adventure.

Exotic settings.  Thrilling action.  Sexy men in waistcoats and tall boots.  Kick-ass women who carried rifles and knew how to use them.  Diabolical inventions made of brass, wood and leather.  And a bit of magic, just to keep things really interesting.

The Blades of the Rose were born.

Admittedly, it was a bit of a tough sell.  Most editors paled in fright at the thought of setting historical romances anywhere but Britain.  And to have a series where the first book is set in Mongolia?  Clearly, she’d been dipping into the laudanum again.

Then, one day, a brave editor at Kensington read the manuscript for the first Blades of the Rose book, and fell in love.  Since then, Blades of the Rose series has since garnered considerable acclaim, including a RITA award nomination for Rebel, and a Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week and starred review for Scoundrel.

Now Zoë is eager for readers to take a walk on the dark side with her new series, The Hellraisers, featuring a group of very bad boys.  She and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, have also created the steampunk romance world of The Ether Chronicles for Avon Impulse.

Zoë and Nico currently live in Los Angeles.  They share an office and get up periodically to take turns accosting the cats. When she isn’t writing or forcing herself to exercise, Zoë loves to read, bake, and tweet about boots and men in cravats (strictly as a service to her readers).”

The proud creator of the BLADES OF THE ROSE, HELLRAISERS, THE ETHER CHRONICLES and 8^TH WING series, Zoe has many jewels to uncover. 

BLADES OF THE ROSE currently has 4 books – “Warrior”, “Scoundrel”, “Rebel” and “Stranger”.

HELLRAISERS has 2 installments – “Devil’s Kiss” and “Demon’s Bride” – which was just released on 5/1/12.  The 3^rd book, “Sinner’s Heart”, is due out in April of 2013.

THE ETHER CHRONICLES has 2 book right now – “Skies of Fire,” and  “Night of Fire,” by Zoë’s husband, Nico Rosso. Book 3 of the Ether Chronicles, “Skies of Steel,” by Zoë, will be available in October  

The 8^TH WING series has 2 installments – “Collision Course” and “Chain Reaction”.

For those of you not yet familiar with Zoe’s work, we thought we’d give you the synopses of the first and most recent books in each series to get you up to speed.

THE BLADES OF THE ROSE series:

“Warrior”, Book #1:

To most people, the realm of magic is the stuff of nursery rhymes and dusty libraries. But for Capt. Gabriel Huntley, it’s become quite real and quite dangerous… 

IN HOT PURSUIT…

The vicious attack Capt. Gabriel Huntley witnesses in a dark alley sparks a chain of events that will take him to the ends of the Earth and beyond—where what is real and what is imagined become terribly confused. And frankly, Huntley couldn’t be more pleased. Intrigue, danger, and a beautiful woman in distress—just what he needs.

IN HOTTER WATER…

Raised thousands of miles from England, Thalia Burgess is no typical Victorian lady. A good thing, because a proper lady would have no hope of recovering the priceless magical artifact Thalia is after. Huntley’s assistance might come in handy, though she has to keep him in the dark. But this distractingly handsome soldier isn’t easy to deceive… 

“Stranger”, Book #4:

He protects the world’s magic—with his science.  But even the best scientists can fall prey to the right chemistry...

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE

Gemma Murphy has a nose for a story—even if the boys in Chicago’s newsrooms would rather focus on her chest.  So when she runs into a handsome man of mystery discussing how to save the world from fancy-pants Brit conspirators, she’s sensing a scoop.  Especially when he mentions there’s magic involved.  Of course, getting him on the record would be easier if he hadn’t caught her eavesdropping...

LIGHTING HIS FUSE

Catullus Graves knows what it’s like to be shut out: his ancestors were slaves.  And he’s a genius inventor with appropriately eccentric habits, so even people who love him find him a little odd.  But after meeting a certain red-headed scribbler, he’s thinking of other types of science.  Inconvenient, given that he needs to focus on preventing the end of the world as we know it.  But with Gemma’s insatiable curiosity sparking Catullus’s inventive impulses, they might set off something explosive anyway....

THE HELLRAISERS series:

“Devil’s Kiss”, Book #1:

James Sherbourne, Earl of Whitney, is a gambling man. Not for the money. But for the thrill, the danger—and the company: Whit has become one of the infamous Hellraisers, losing himself in the chase for adventure and pleasure with his four closest friends. 

Which was how Whit found himself in a gypsy encampment, betting against a lovely Romani girl. Zora Grey's smoky voice and sharp tongue entrance Whit nearly as much as her clever hands—watching them handle cards inspires thoughts of another kind.

Zora can't explain her attraction to the careless blue-eyed Whit. She also can't stop him and his Hellraisers from a fiendish curse: the power to grant their own hearts' desires, to chase their pleasures from the merely debauched to the truly diabolical. And if Zora can't save Whit, she still has to escape him.

“Demon’s Bride”, Book #2:

Leo Bailey may have been born to poverty, but ruthless business sense and sparkling intelligence have made money worries a thing of his past. It doesn’t hurt that the Devil himself has granted Leo the ability to read the future.

But even infallible predictions are a déclassé commoner’s trick to some members of the ton. They’ll never see Leo as their equal—one good reason to prove himself their better. And a noble marriage is an obvious start.

Bookish Anne Hartfield, daughter of a baron, is hardly the flashiest miss on the marriage market. But her thoughtful reserve complements Leo’s brash boldness in an attraction neither can deny. A whirlwind courtship sweeps Anne and Leo into a smoldering marriage before either can believe their luck. But happiness built on Leo’s dark powers can’t last. Soon, Anne will have to save her husband…or lose her heart…

THE ETHER CHRONICLES series:

“Skies of Fire”, Book #1:

Man made of metal and flesh

Captain Christopher Redmond has just one weakness: the alluring spy who loved and left him years before…when he was still just a man. Now he's superhuman—a Man O' War, made as part of the British Navy's weapons program—and his responsibility is to protect the skies of Europe. If only he could forget Louisa Shaw.

A most inconvenient desire

Louisa, a British Naval Intelligence agent, has never left a job undone. But when her assignment is compromised, the one man who can help her complete her mission is also the only man ever to tempt her body and heart. As burning skies loom and passion ignites, Louisa and Christopher must slip behind enemy lines if they are to deliver a devastating strike against their foe . . . and still get out alive.

"Night of Fire", Book 2

(published under Nico Rosso (Zoe's Husband)

"Night of fire, night of passion"

US Army Upland Ranger Tom Knox always knew going home wouldn't be easy. Three years ago, he skipped town, leaving behind the only woman who ever mattered; now that he's seen the front lines of war, he's ready to do what he must to win her back.

Rosa Campos is long past wasting tears on Tom Knox, and now that she's sheriff of Thornville, she has more than enough to do. Especially when a five-story rock-eating mining machine barrels toward the town she's sworn to protect.

Tom's the last person Rosa expects to see riding to her aid on his ether-borne mechanical horse. She may not be ready to forgive, but Rosa can't deny that having him at her side brings back blissful memories . . . even as it reignites a flame more dangerous than the enemy threatening to destroy them both

THE 8^TH WING series:

“Collision Course”, Book #1:

In a galaxy torn apart by war...

Mara Skiren is a scavenger, a black-market dealer. Blackmailed into helping Commander Kell Frayne infiltrate a treacherous corner of the galaxy, Mara learns that her biggest danger is from her sexy, by-the-book partner. She's a loner with more than a few battle scars on her heart, but something about Commander Frayne stirs up her long-buried need for an intimate connection.

An ace pilot for the elite Black Wraith Squadron, Kell's mission is to rescue a lost pilot and ship. Unable to deny his attraction to the beautiful, rebellious Mara, he decides bedding her would cool his ardor. But one taste is not nearly enough, and he finds himself sharing more of his real self with her than he has with anyone.

With deadly criminals on their heels and an increasingly dangerous assignment to complete, he's starting to wonder...if they survived, could he let her go? And will Mara want to stay?

“Chain Reaction”, Book #2:

Elite 8th Wing pilot Celene Jur was taken captive after a mysterious device temporarily disabled her ship's controls. Three solar months later, when Celene receives intel on the man who built the device, she's ready to get the bastard. Only problem is, the higher-ups think her mission partner should be Nils Calder, a tech-head who can understand the disabling device. The attraction between them is electric, but Celene needs a soldier who can watch her back as she exacts her revenge.

Nils knows his department is nicknamed NerdWorks. Pilots like Celene think the closest tech geeks come to combat is all-night Nifalian chess tournaments. But behind the NerdWorks insignia on his sleeve Nils is an able fighter, ready to prove himself and gain Celene's trust. 

The desire between them is unexpected, but with the fate of thousands hanging in the balance, the hotshot pilot and the tech genius must succeed in their mission—no matter the cost.

They sound fabulous right!?  We can personally attest to the fact that they are!!  How about we get to the interview to learn a bit more about Zoe and her incredible library of literary excellence, shall we!? 

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Hi Zoe!  We’re very happy to have you here today.  Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us.

ZOE: Thank you so much for having me!

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  We always start by getting to know our guest author a little bit better.

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourself – no matter how random - that we couldn’t find out easily on the Internet?

ZOE: I spend an inordinate amount of time watching the Food Network; I have three tattoos; I wasn’t able to watch the face-melting scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark until about a year ago.

Q2):  What are 2 things that always make you smile, and 2 things that never fail to piss you off?

ZOE: My husband always makes me smile. I’m also a sucker for videos of cats and dogs on the internet.  Stupidity and ignorance piss me off.  It also drives me crazy the way men and women are depicted in advertising—as though only a woman knows how to use cleaning products, and men become childlike incompetents the moment they get married.

Q3):  If you could spend the day with any of your characters, who would you want to spend it with, why, and what would you like to do?

ZOE: Bennett from Scoundrel would be a very good tour guide—he’d know all the fun spots.  But he and I are both happily married, so it’d have to stay PG.


Q4):  What are some of your hobbies and/or things that you enjoy doing when you’re not writing or taking care of other author business?

ZOE: I love to bake, but I don’t do it very often, since Nico and I both work from home, and we’d just wind up eating everything.  Delicious, but not very healthy.

Q5):  Who were some of the authors that inspired you and perhaps helped to mold you into the writer you are today?

ZOE: When I first started reading romance, I was a huge Judith McNaught fan, and then I became a big fan of Mary Jo Putney. But when I read Judith Ivory, that’s when I realized that romance could be complex, nuanced and truly artful.  

Q6):  What are some of your favorite TV Shows and Movies?

ZOE: I don’t really watch scripted television or go to the movies—maybe because I have so many stories already in my head, I don’t want things to get cluttered.  As I said above, I watch a lot of Food Network, and my husband and I watch shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars.  But I’m also a sucker for a good, old-fashioned BBC adaptation on Masterpiece Theater.

Q7):  What are your favorite types of scenes to write (i.e dialogue, action, sex, etc) and why?

ZOE: Depends on the day!  Sometimes I love writing action scenes, other times I like to explore the developing dynamic between the hero and heroine with dialogue.  And sometimes I just love writing descriptive paragraphs, which allows me to explore my love of words and language.

Q8):  What is a typical writing day like for you - Do you have a routine that you follow?  Are there specific things that you have to have with you to get the creative juices flowing, etc?  Do you have any unique writing quirks? Etc.

ZOE: I set an alarm, putter around on the internet, have breakfast, then get to work!  I usually listen to music when I write—often New Wave stuff from the ‘80s.  When you’re on deadline, you don’t really have the luxury of gently coaxing the Muse out of her cave.  Sometimes, you have to go in and drag her out.

Q9):  Since “Demon’s Bride” was just recently released, we’ll ask some questions about THE HELLRAISERS series. Was there any specific inspiration behind the creation of the series?

ZOE: I’d read and heard a lot about the Hellfire Club, which was an 18^th century group of rakish noblemen who hosted wild parties (okay, some might call them orgies). There were accusations that the Hellfire Club actually dabbled in Black Masses and Satanism.  I started to think about what it would be like if a group of 18^th century rakes literally raised Hell.  Also, since the Blades of the Rose are such good, upstanding guys, I began to wonder how “bad” could I make these bad boys.  At times, they’re almost the villains of the story.

Q10):  “Skies of Fire” is a pretty new release as well. What made you feel that you had to tell Christopher and Louisa’s story?

ZOE: The Blades of the Rose was called “steampunk” by some people, but I never really thought of it that way.  I had some advanced Victorian technology in the series, yet for me, it was always about the adventure story. Then I considered writing a genuine steampunk romance.  My husband and I created the world of the Ether Chronicles together—with him writing the steampunk Westerns and me writing the steampunk everywhere else.  In the Ether Chronicles stories I write, I deal a lot with Man O’ Wars—men who have been transformed by technology to be bigger, stronger, faster, more durable than normal men.  When a man becomes a Man O’ War, he undergoes a huge metamorphosis—literally. So I thought it would be interesting to write a reunion story where the couple hasn’t seen one another since the hero became a Man O’ War.  Plus, I wanted to raise the stakes even further by putting this reunion story in the middle of a war, behind enemy lines.  Could the hero and heroine reconcile, stay alive, and complete their mission?  These were all challenges I wanted to explore.   

Q11):  How many books do you have planned for THE HELLRAISERS and ETHER CHRONICLES series?

ZOE: There’s one more book in the Hellraisers series, Sinner’s Heart, which comes out April 2013.  Between Nico and myself, there are at least five Ether Chronicles books planned.  Night of Fire, his Western, just came out this month, and my next entry in the series, Skies of Steel, comes out in October. Then we both have one more Ether Chronicles book scheduled.  If people like them, though, I’m sure we’d write more!

Q12):  What is the status of your other series – THE BLADES OF THE ROSE, and 8^TH WING?  Is BLADES OF THE ROSE finished?  Are there more books planned for 8^th Wing, etc?

ZOE: If I ever get the time, I’d like to do some digital-only Blades of the Rose books.  But the print series is pretty much wrapped up.  I’m not saying I won’t write more 8^th Wing stories, but I have such a full schedule right now, it’s hard to find the time.

Q13):  What were some of the challenges you encountered in your career thus far?

ZOE: I’m not what you’d call a traditional romance author.  Much as I love Regency-set historicals about dukes and bluestockings, they’re not really what I write.  I mean, the first book in the Blades of the Rose series was set in Mongolia!  And none of the heroes or heroines are aristocrats.  And with the Hellraisers and the Ether Chronicles, I keep writing books that are a little “unusual.”  That can make it a bit challenging to get publishers on board, but I do get emails from readers who really enjoy that my books are so different.

Q14):  What about your work are you the most proud of?

ZOE: I work really hard to make sure that there’s equality in the relationship between the hero and the heroine, that they’re equally strong and equally capable.  It always pissed me off in adventure stories when the female characters shrieked and whined and got into trouble.  So I make sure none of my heroines do that.  And that the heroes find the heroines’ strength to be one of the sexiest things about them.

Q15):  Is there anything special that you’d like to say to your readers (or tell us about) while we have you here today?

ZOE: I believe that the future of publishing is in print and digital books.  If people are reading, that’s all that matters.  And if you are one of my readers, thank you!  There are going to be a lot of new books and fun changes in the coming months (and years).  For example, next year, I start a brand new historical romance series for St. Martin’s Press, called Nemesis Unlimited.  The first book, Sweet Revenge, comes out June 2013.  These books are dark, gritty Victorian romances—with no paranormal elements.  I’ve been pitching the series as a Victorian Burn Notice or Leverage.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Zoe, thank you so much again for being with us today.  We’re very happy to help you promote your entire backlist.  We really hope we turn some new readers on to your work & we’d LOVE to have you back for your next big release if you’re interested.

ZOE: Of course I’m interested!  Thanks so much for having me here today!

If you want to keep up with Zoe, you can find her here:

Website:  http://www.zoearcherbooks.com/Home.html 

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/zoe.archer1

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/Zoe_Archer 

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/90866.Zoe_Archer 

Zoe is graciously offering up Demon’s Bride to one winner.

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