Sunday, April 14, 2013

Giveaway! Brenda Sparks Midsummer Night's Demon and Author Interview

I walked a 5K this morning, so I'm sitting here catching up on my DVR, with my feet up on an ottoman, and a cat purring at my side. This indeed, is the life!   I'm excited to bring you more than my standard book review this week.  This is a long post, starting with an overview of the book, my review, an author interview AND a giveaway. I put the giveaway at the bottom, so make sure you get down there and and enter for some great giveaways! I also loved doing the author interview, and am going to have to do more, because getting to know the author was lots of fun! I hope you enjoy.  

A Midsummer Night's Demon
Brenda Sparks      

Synopsis:
Daelyn Torres is determined to break free from her over-protective brother. Born a demon, she knows little of the world outside her home and work. A chance blind date promises adventure and perhaps a walk on the wild side. But her night on the town takes a deadly turn when she is gravely injured and left to die. A handsome, mysterious stranger comes to her rescue and brings with him a passion she has never experienced.

A dark guardian sent to investigate a series of missing person cases, vampire Ky Robinson is ready for anything, except the insatiable desire that engulfs him when he meets Daelyn. He senses their destiny is intertwined and vows to do everything in his power to keep her safe. The only problem: demons and vampires go together like fire and ice.

Daelyn never believed in things that went bump in the night but is more than willing to be seduced by the sexy vampire who marks both her body and soul. Will Ky be able to keep them both alive long enough to prove that vampires and demons can be so much more than friends? 


Review: 

The good-- The story is well written, and a great plot potential.  I love the idea of the bad ass cop saving the day, and the damsel in distress.  It's short, and a quick read.  Also, the end has some eternal compromise.  There is one, pretty explicit, sex scene...I did warn you. 

The bad -- I want to love this book, I really do. I think it's a great start, but because it's so short, it's feels choppy, like parts of it are missing. Like the part that explains why it matters that Lyn is a demon. Her brother isn't brought up until the end, and she doesn't appear to have any powers. If anything, I'd think that 'demon' could be used anonymously with 'witch'... if that witch had no apparent powers.  We want to follow these awesome characters through their lives together. It's like a tease! 


The ugly -- It's too short!!  Brenda, double the length, and give us all of the juicy details, and we'll eat them up.  

Overall, I think that this book has great potential, but could benefit from having lots more added to it.  Just as I was really sinking my teeth into it, it ended. I want more adventures!  My friend told me that she absolutely loved Brenda's other book, Weaver of Dreams though, so I can't wait to read that one, and included an Amazon link to it. Check it out, and tell me what you think! 

Author Bio:
Born in Virginia, Brenda Sparks now resides in the Sunshine State with her loving husband and son.  Balancing her professional commitment to the local school district with her writing is challenging at times, but writing suspenseful paranormal romances is a passion that won’t be denied. Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.  Brenda loves to connect with readers.  Please visit her online or stop by her website to say hi. www.brenda-sparks.com

Links:
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/forBrendaSparks
Twitter : @brenda_sparks

Click here to check these book out on Amazon 


Author Interview


Brenda,

Thanks for agreeing to do an interview for my readers!Thank you so much for having me, Eileen. I’m thrilled to be a guest on your wonderful blog.
What inspired you to write this book, and did anyone in your life influence your main characters?
Please don’t roll your eyes, but a dream inspired Weaver of Dreams. Actually I had a nightmare. When I awoke, I could still feel the fingernails of my dream villain biting into my arm. It seemed so real, I started to wonder what would happen if there were beings who could sneak into our rooms at night to give us dreams, the physical sensations of which we’d still feel when we woke. Needless to say, I did not go back to sleep that night. Instead the entire premise for the book was developed by the time the alarm went off.As for influences on the main characters, there is a little of my husband in every one of my heroes. In this story, Zane’s protective nature is exactly like my husband’s. The heroine, Maggie, was inspired by a guidance counselor I worked with the year I wrote the story who was going through litigation.
What writers are your influences?
I’d have to say Christine Feehan and J.R. Ward are my two biggest influences. I was introduced to adult paranormal romances by Ms. Feehan’s work and it was love at first read. While J.R. Ward’s stories inspired me to write my own series.
What was your favorite book or author as a child?
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. It is the first chapter book I remember reading, so it holds a special place in my heart.
What books are you reading right now?
I am currently reading Wild About You by Kerrelyn Sparks (no relation, unfortunately) I love her series and always have fun reading her work.
Do you have anything specific you'd like to say to your readers?
I LOVE you guys! I write for you and there is nothing I like better than connecting with you via Facebook, email, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. Please find me online or through my website and say hi.
What do you do when you aren't writing?I love exploring new places. When I’m not writing (which isn’t often), I am on vacation or trasping around local spots of interest for fun. I’ve been to some really interesting places like a bat conservatory and underground caverns.
Have you had any supernatural experiences of your own?
Does living with my husband for the past 21 years count? He’s a bit strange and wacky. :)In all seriousness, I did have a few interesting experiences after my grandfather died. Within the first six months, I found the door to my grandfather clock open on four separate occasions. That has never happened before or since in the fifteen years I’ve owned the clock. In addition, during that same time period there were two occasions when I could have sworn someone grabbed my arm. Both times I was leaving my home having forgotten to take something to my grandmother. Each time it happened, I instantly remembered want I intended to take and turned around to grab it after feeling the hold on my arm. I’d like to think my grandfather stuck around long enough to be sure my mother and I were going to take care of his wife properly. He was the kind of man that would do that.


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3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for having me here today, Eileen, and reviewing my novella, A Midsummer Night's Demon. It was fun "chatting" with you during our interview about my novel, Weaver of Dreams. I hope your readers enjoy our post. Happy Reading!

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  2. Sweet story about your grandfather, Brenda. Sounds like he was a good spirit.

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    1. Thank you, Naomi. He was a very sweet and caring man.

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