Book Tour: The Space Between by Kristie Cook Interview & Giveaway

New Adult Paranormal Romance

Date to be Published: 4/5/2013

Synopsis:

When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between

After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to

Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared

empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she

can’t open.

Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to

reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out

of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been

haunting his dreams day and night.

Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t

escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to

crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men

attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical

fascination.

To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that

requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must

do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them.

Permanently.

Excerpt:

LENI – The overhead lights fell dark for the last time as I opened the dressing room door. The back exit stood open at the end of the hall, allowing in enough light from the streetlamp outside to show my way. I inhaled slowly, cherishing the musty smell of an old theater mixed with the odor of dancers’ sweat and the fragrance of white roses. I silently said my goodbyes as my feet carried me outside.

“Thank you, Uncle Theo,” I whispered as I left the theater for the last time. Only because of him did I even have this opportunity. I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it.

A large, muscular body flew at me, swept me into his arms and twirled me around as though we were still on stage. Laughter bubbled out of my chest.

“You ready to celebrate, cara mia?” Alberto asked as he set me down.

“Celebrate that you’re finally getting rid of me?” I teased.

He clapped his hand over his heart, and his face fell into an exaggerated expression of pain. “Oh, Leni, you do not know how I will miss you and your mane.”

He swatted playfully at the bottom of my curls. He had no idea how I would miss the way he said my name, drawing out both syllables, “laaaay-kneee,” like only an Italian could do.

“But you won’t miss my heels on your toes or my arm in your face?” I said in mock disbelief.

He took my hand and danced me down the cobbled street toward the plaza at the center of town. “You are a stunning dancer, cara mia. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He spun me under his arm, my duffle bag banging me in the butt the whole time. “Of course, you have become much better since becoming my partner. But everyone does.”

He winked at me before dropping me into a dip. My bag slid off my shoulder and a hand darted beneath me to catch it. Alberto swung me up and around so that I came face-to-face with the most unbelievably stunning vision I’d seen my whole time in Italy. Which was saying a lot. His eyes—blue, I thought, though the light from the corner post wasn’t enough to be sure—enraptured me. He held my bag out with a small smile that hinted at dimples.

“Grazie,” I said breathlessly as I wrapped my hand around the strap of my bag. He gave me a nod almost deep enough to be a bow, his shaggy blond hair falling in his face. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. My mouth fell open. “How rude.”

“Must be American,” Alberto said. I punched him in the arm.

“Who goes out of their way to catch a falling object and then can’t even say ‘you’re welcome’?” I asked absent-mindedly as I stared after the retreating body that rivaled Alberto’s. No, scratch that. It totally beat out Alberto’s even on his best day.

“What an ass,” Alberto muttered.

“Rude, yes, but I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“No, I mean what an ass that man has.” He let out a low whistle.

I laughed and admired the view as well. “I can agree with that.”

“He’s going to Alonzo’s. Lucky us.”

~ ~ ~

JERIC – I flipped to the picture I’d drawn a couple of weeks ago during my search in Italy. I’d woken from a dream, one I’d been having for years, and as I had previously, I’d felt the need to sketch the girl who had me waking with a painful boner. Now that I’d met her in real life, I couldn’t deny the girl in my sketches was Leni—curly hair, exotic green eyes, full lips and breasts, her skin … as if the absolute best features of both African and European blood had been blended together and given to her. The Leni I’d just met would probably never wear the leather bra, miniskirt, and knee-high boots I’d drawn her in, but damn if she wouldn’t look hot in them. The vision came to me clearly. Too clearly. I had to place the book over my lap to hide the full-blown wood pressing against my jeans.

I needed a distraction. I needed to get her out of my head. I bought several little airline bottles of rum and dumped them in my Coke, but they weren’t enough to blur the image of Leni’s face in my mind. When the smoking hot flight attendant ran her finger over my arm then dropped a napkin with a message on my tray (“Meet me upstairs?”), I couldn’t resist. I snuck up the spiral staircase to the empty upper level and found her in the bathroom wearing nothing but heels and thigh-high stockings, tendrils of bottle-bleached hair barely hiding her fake tits. Flight attendants like this had made me a lifetime member of the mile-high club—they wanted nothing more than something to make the transatlantic flight more interesting. My perfect kind of girl.

Unfortunately, my eyes only saw Leni’s body under my hands.

Interview:

1.            Where did you get the idea for the novel?

While we were on a road trip, my husband woke up and said, “I had the coolest dream!” He couldn’t remember a lot about it, but what he told me grew into what is now the Space Between. Then the characters came to me and it all came together.

2.            Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?

Many authors can’t start writing until they have at least a working title, but I can’t title my work until I at least finish the first draft. This one, however, came to me when I got to that place. When you read the book, you’ll know what place I mean. As soon as I wrote the scene, I knew this was the perfect title.

3.            Why did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?

I’ve always loved reading the paranormal/fantasy genre, so writing in it just feels natural. I love the grounding that our real world gives us while having the freedom to create new twists to it. As for New Adult, it’s the most exciting time of life, full of drastic change—after high school and childhood but before we get bogged down with mature adult responsibilities like careers, children and bills. I loved this time of my life and love writing about it.

4.            Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?

I’m leaving next week for the UK for the London Book Fair and a signing tour. How exciting is that?!? When I first thought of publishing, I never imagined people outside the U.S. reading my books. I don’t know why. It just hadn’t occurred to me. And now I have a huge fan base in the UK. It’s crazy. And I’m so excited to see England!

5.            What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?

When I can grab a few minutes here and there, I’m reading Legend by Marie Lu. Unfortunately, the release, the upcoming trip and writing Soul Savers Book 5 don’t give me much time to read right now. Before that, I’ve been mostly critiquing for other authors. I’m dying to do some reading for fun, though. My TBR list is way out of hand.

6.            What is your writing process?

Heh. It changes from book to book. I used to write pretty much by the seat of my pants with a couple of key scenes in mind for the plot. More recently, I plan ahead a lot more. Of course, the characters usually throw my plan out the window and tell me how the story really happened, but it gives me a starting point anyway. And something to come back to if we get totally derailed. Planning out the plot makes for a slower first draft and sometimes I miss the brain dump I used to do. But plotting in more detail also makes for faster revisions. So there are pros and cons, and different things work for different books. Something I have to remember every time I start a new project.

7.            At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say? 

I try to jot a short note, playing on the title or the theme of the book. If I’ve communicated with the person before, I try to personalize it more. Some people just want a signature, though, which always makes me think they’re planning on going right to the bookstore to sell it. lol

8.            What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I bought myself a compound bow last year and I’m not a bad shot with it. I also happen to be pretty good at the shooting range, better than my husband and boys, much to their chagrin.

9.            How do you react to a bad review?

There’s always something to learn from each review, even if that “something” is that not everyone is as smart as my fans and me. lol Just kidding! Usually the lesson is simply a reminder that no book satisfies everyone. They used to really hurt, but now I just shrug them off. They aren’t common, so it’s not difficult to let them go when I see all the 5 and 4 stars.

10. How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

After dancing around the house with snot and tears running down my face? Party, of course!

   

Kristie Cook:

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, a New Adult paranormal romance/contemporary fantasy, with the first four books, Promise, Purpose, Devotion and Power available now and the next book coming in June 2013. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella, currently available. Over 160,000 Soul Savers books have been sold, with Promise peaking at #54 on the Amazon Top 100 Paid list and at #1 in the Amazon Fantasy category.

The Space Between, which releases April 2013, kicks off her second New Adult paranormal series, The Book of Phoenix. 

Besides writing, Kristie enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at:

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Soul Savers Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

BUY LINKS 

Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/Space-Between-Book-Phoenix-ebook/dp/B00C3OQO2O/
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Space-Between-Book-Phoenix-ebook/dp/B00C3OQO2O/
Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-space-between-kristie-cook/1114959553

Giveaway:
Kristie is doing a major giveaway at the end for a $200 gift card or a swag bag full of goodies! As part of this, entries can include links to blog stops where they left comments. 
Visit her blog here:  http://www.kristiecook.com/2013/04/the-space-between-release-tour.html and to enter the giveaway with this link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTM1ZjhlNWMxMjE1OThiNjI4OTEwNjU1ZDgxMjNhOjEy/