Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Book Tour: Sunrise Over Brasov by Stephanie Burkhart Interview & Giveaway

BLURB:
Rosa Getzi lives a life of intrigue at Poiana Brasov with Clement, a werewolf, and Cassandra, the witch. Her past doesn't matter to her – until she discovers what it holds.

Prince Michael Sigmaringen joins his sister-in-law, Caroline, and the vampire prince, Darius, in a daring rescue, igniting Rosa's desire to find her family. However, all is not as it appears. Rickard, Rosa's friend, escapes with her. Clement will go to any lengths to get Rosa and Rickard back.

At Darius' fortress, Michael soon discovers Rickard is a new breed of werewolf – one who can control the change, and Clement hopes to exploit Rickard's abilities.

Michael's courage, strengths, and convictions will be tested like never before. Can Michael and Rosa find true happiness and the rid the lupine haunting of the Sigmaringens once and for all?

INTERVIEW:

Question: Where did you get the idea for the novel?

Steph: It started out with a spark. There were a lot of secrets surrounding Michael's birth that came to light in book two of the Moldavian Moon series. Now in book three, "Sunrise Over Brasov," Michael has to get back to his roots and discover just who he is and what he stands for. He learns just how strong he is in the face of adversity. He's given an opportunity to stop the werewolf haunting of his family, but is he brave enough to take it?

Question: Who came up with your title, "Sunrise Over Brasov?"

Steph: I did. The titles in the Moldavian Moon series play on certain levels of darkness: torment, twilight, and sunrise. Torment (from book one) implies deep darkness; twilight – fading darkness; sunrise – a hint of light driving the darkness away. The titles are meant to link the series. I wanted the title for Michael's book to imply hope, which I think it does.

Question: Why did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?

Steph: I grew up in the 1970's watching "Creature Double Feature," on TV. The show replayed stories about vampires, werewolves, and witches. I also loved hearing ghost stories. Then I discovered gothic novels and Victoria Holt. Needless to say a love of the supernatural had been instilled in me at a young age. Becoming a paranormal romance writer was a natural path for me to take.

What I enjoy about writing paranormal romance is the creativity it affords me. There's no limits. My worlds are defined only by my imagination.

Question: Since becoming a writer, what's the most exciting thing that's ever happened to you?

Steph: I've published two children's books with 4RV Publishing. My boys are very proud to share and talk about my books. It's very endearing to hear my sons gush about Mom. Also, my story, "Journey of the Heart," has been a best seller on Amazon and it's rewarding to see my hard work pay off.

Question: What book are you reading?

Steph: I'm reading a couple. "The Mark of Athena," by Rick Riordan is one. My 12-year-old loves the Percy Jackson series. I read them, too, so we can talk about them. I'm also reading "Sensory Integration Disorder." My younger son has a sensory processing disorder and this book has helped me to understand what a sensory processing disorder is and how I can help him better. I'm also reading "Champion of Sherwood," by Laura Strickland. It's a nice, easy read that allows me to draw on my imagination.

Question: What is your writing process?

Steph: I come up with a "germ" of a plot, then I define my characters using bios and "casting" them so I have a visual. I use the Internet to research the setting and time period. I usually write 3 chapters at a time adjusting for the characters and editing. When I finally reach "the end," I have a beta reader give it a look and I do a copyedit.

Question: 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?

Steph: I usually sign, "Best Wishes," and my name. If it's one of my children's books, I try to personalize it with the child's name and "Enjoy Caterpillar's (or Aly and Miguel's) adventures."

Question: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

Steph: I was married in Nykobig, Denmark.

Question: How do you react to a bad review?

Steph: I'm usually very disappointed with myself. I feel like I didn't communicate what I wanted to regarding the characters so the reader couldn't go on the journey with them. I make it a policy to never respond to a bad review.

Question: How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

Steph: With a smile.


EXCERPT:
He raised his hand and lowered his hood. An inherent strength filled his profile. Confidence. Concern. Relief.

Rosa's breath jammed in her throat. He looked familiar. He smelled familiar.

"Rosa, it's Michael. Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

A frown set against his rugged features. "I don't have time to argue -- now put on a warm dress and cloak."

"No." She was not going anywhere with him despite the relief in his voice.

He sighed and shut the door. Moving with fluid grace, he crossed the room, jerked the door to her closet open and threw the items he wanted her to wear on her bed. "Get. Dressed."

"No." She was determined not to budge, despite the danger outside.

"Rosa, we're leaving."

"I'm staying."

"Why would you want to stay? Clement kidnapped you."

Disconcerted, she pointedly glanced away from his hard stare. What did he mean by kidnapped? Clement didn't keep her behind bars and feed her only bread and water. Rosa could even go into Brasov to shop as long as Lucien or one of the bodyguards went with her.

"I'm going to take you back to your mother."

Her head snapped toward his direction. Mother? Of course she had a mother -- a family, even -- only she had no recollection of them. So why did her body fill with warmth at the mention of her mother by a man she hadn't seen before, but was hauntingly familiar? She pursed her lips, torn by conflicting emotions.

"Caroline and Darius can't keep this up. Now get dressed or I'll dress you myself."

"You'll find me an unwilling subject."

He drew in a deep breath and raked a hand through his thick ebony hair. "You are exasperating."

"So I've been told."

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  After serving 11 years in the US Army she currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks.  She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

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 GIVEAWAY: 
Stephanie will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Starbucks GC to TWO randomly drawn hosts.The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 


9 comments:

  1. A great interview thank you. I think it's a fantastic title.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really enjoyed the interview! You shouldn't let a bad review get you down. Some people only do this to be mean. To me I feel that the bad reviews are just suggestions on how to improve on my writing. I loved the excerpt and I'm definitely going to add this to my tbr. Thanks for sharing
    amybowens34@yahoo.com

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  3. We've just heard from the author -- she's away with limited internet and is having some trouble getting online. She'll be here as soon as she can, but asked us to let you know why she's not been in touch. Thanks!

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  4. I enjoyed the interview. Victoria Holt is a favorite of mine, I just love her books.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for the interview, the books sounds very interesting.
    serena91291@gmail.com

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  6. Thank you so much for having me here today. I'll be in and out as I'm in Yosemite and the internet isn't good. Amy thank you so much for your kind words about bad reviews.
    Smiles
    Steph

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  7. Interesting characters

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  8. Love the interview! I've always wanted to travel to Denmark! Thanks for sharing

    collenga@yahoo.com

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