BLURB:
Mirror, mirror,
full of stars,
Who will claim
the throne of Mars?
The princess:
Engineer Bianca Ross, heir to a megacorporation and the Mars elevator, needs to
acquire a mine on the surface to secure her place in the company. All that
stands in her way is the mine's charming owner, Cesare Chan.
The evil
stepmother: Victoria Ross is plotting to gain control of Mars. She plans to
assassinate Bianca and seduce Cesare to further her goals, and Bianca's trip is
the perfect opportunity.
The charming
prince: Cesare shouldn't get involved. Bianca's visit could reveal the escaped
slaves he's hiding at his mine, but he can't ignore a damsel in
distress--especially one as beautiful as Bianca.
Alone, neither
would stand a chance against Victoria. But together, they could rewrite a tale
that's meant to end with Bianca's blood.
EXCERPT:
Time to begin the charm
offensive. “How could I forget?” he said. “You were my damsel in distress.
Standing on a balcony, no less. A bloke couldn’t ask for a more dramatic
introduction. Though we didn’t get around to exchanging names, did we?”
“Well, M’Chan, I am
grateful…” She trailed off, as if she didn’t quite know what to say next.
Cesare said thoughtfully,
“But I think my heroic actions deserve a more substantial reward than I got.
Buying you a drink was nice first installment, but it’s not quite enough.”
She blinked. “Reward?”
“Ay. In return for saving
your travelpac, I want you to call me Cesare.”
She looked at him for a
moment, her chin tilted up, brows slightly raised. He suddenly had the
uncomfortable feeling that she was studying him as if he were an amoeba
crawling around on a petri dish. Right, so maybe the charm offensive needs some
retooling.
Then again, maybe not. Icy
as her expression was, her delicate ivory skin was blooming with heat along her
throat and her fine cheekbones.
“Cesare,” she finally said,
imbuing the two syllables of his name with a sense of how utterly unimpressive
she found him. For some reason Cesare found himself smiling wider.
“Is there something you
would like to discuss with me?”
“Ay, Bianca,” he said,
reining in his smile. “In fact, I’ve wanted to introduce myself to you, ever
since you started trying to take over my company.”
Her expression didn’t waver.
“Your company? I believe you mean your father’s company.”
He shook his head slowly.
“No, Bianca. My company. No matter what the legal documents say, RedIce is
mine.”
INTERVIEW:
- Where
did you get the idea for the novel?
I’ve
always been fascinated by both space exploration and fairy tales, but the idea
for Ice Red really began to crystalize when I read Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red
Mars series. His use of mythological themes in a hard science fiction setting
influenced me profoundly. But there isn’t nearly enough romance in his books,
or in science fiction as a genre. I decided to correct that oversight. And so
Ice Red was born—a romance novel based on Snow White, set on Mars 300 years in
the future.
- Your
title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
The
original working title for the novel was Red Ice, which was a nod to the
setting—Mars, the red planet--and to Snow White. When the book was going
through editing and copywriting, the title was changed to Ice Red to more
closely echo Snow White.
- Why
did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?
I
chose science fiction romance because I wanted to create larger than life
characters and adventure filled plots. Closely related genres like paranormal
romance and steampunk also tap that vein, but there were already plenty of
authors working with vampires and airships. I felt the need to explore
underused territory. With a science fiction setting, I can not only write exciting
stories, I can speculate about how society and culture might develop in the
future, and how science might change who we are as humans. Also, I get to write
love scenes set in zero gravity. That’s fun.
- Since
becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
The
most exciting moment for me was getting the e-mail offering me a contract with
Carina Press. I had officially become an author!
- What
book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?
Right
now I’m rereading one of my old favorites by Linnea Sinclair, Games of Command.
It’s definitely one of the best scifi romances ever written.
- What
is your writing process?
I
plot my books out thoroughly before I start writing. I also do an in depth
character study. Because each of the stories in my Once Upon a Red World Series
is based on a classic fairy tale, I always have a specific framework to adhere
to. Since Ice Red follows the story of Snow White, Bianca, my heroine, has to
leave her home and take refuge with seven strangers. But it’s important that
Bianca’s actions be organic to her character rather than simply dictated by the
plot. What are the emotions and thoughts that drive her to leave home? What
drives Cesare, the hero, to rescue her? I try to answer those questions before
I type my first word. Some details change as I go along, but I always know
where I’m going and how I’m going to get there.
- 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?
Whenever
people talk to me about my book, I always ask them about their own experiences
with it and with the genre. Readers love to make connections like that, and so
do I.
- What
is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I
was a painter before I put my art career on hold in order to write novels. My
style was surrealist, and had almost nothing to do with my fiction ideas. The
creative muse is funny that way.
- How
do you react to a bad review?
I never take bad reviews personally, and I never try to argue
with someone’s opinion. I’ve found criticisms to be useful if they point out
weaknesses in my craft that I can work on, but I don’t let negativity undermine
my confidence in my larger vision. I just shrug and remind myself that some
people don’t like bacon.
- How
did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
I celebrated with champagne, loud music, and a really late
night!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jael
Wye grew up on the American Great Plains, went to school in the Midwest, and
now lives in beautiful New England with her family and her enormous collection
of houseplants. For more of Jael’s unique blend of futurism and fairy tale,
don’t miss her ongoing series Once Upon A Red World.
Links
Website
-- http://www.jaelwye.net
Twitter
-- @jaelwye
Carina
Press -- http://ebooks.carinapress.com/3541389E-76F4-4F5B-A898-4EB437B8F69C/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=36D1C146-87F9-40C8-9FD4-995A2F0B2130
GIVEAWAY:
Jael will be awarding an eCopy of Ladder to the Red Star to a
randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The more you comment, the
better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thanks for hosting!
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