Forbidden Things by Nikki McCormack Interview & Giveaway

BLURB:

Ascard power can strengthen, heal and create. It also has great potential to destroy, enough to topple entire governments. Indigo’s country places strict limitations on the use of ascard so she must channel her talents into the healing arts or risk severe punishment. An orphan from a disgraced family, trapped by her father’s treason, Indigo struggles to reclaim her place in a society that has driven her into an abusive engagement.

Then a mysterious stranger from a neighboring country contacts her using ascard. He needs help escaping his prison so he can bring an end to his emperor's oppressive rule or die trying. His unshakable devotion to his cause and the passion hidden behind his cool arrogance move her to help him at the risk of being branded a traitor herself.

When the politics of society bring them together a second time, Indigo decides to use her growing powers to help him fight his war. If only she dared fight for her own future with such passion. Perhaps she can find the courage to do so by helping the man she has fallen for win his revolution. She might have exactly the power he needs to succeed.

INTERVIEW:

What are four things you can’t live without?

Outside of the basic essentials, I could get by with very little, but there are many things I wouldn’t want to have to live without. Since we are talking things and not people or critters, I’d probably say my laptop, my truck, my lip balm, and my phone so I can keep in touch with the important people in my life.

What is your favorite television show?

I still have much love for Firefly, Farscape, and Carnivale, but, as far as newer shows go, I’m most enamored with Penny Dreadful. The story is compelling and the acting is excellent. The sets and costuming are also very well done and there is plenty of eye candy to go around.

If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Why?

The first person that came to mind was Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. I’m not sure, if I dug deep, that she would be my first choice, but I always felt like she was one of the more underrated characters in the series. Her whimsical nature always appealed to me and there is clearly a much deeper story behind her that doesn’t get enough book time in my honest opinion. Also, who doesn’t want to go to wizarding school?

What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?

There are two more books in the Forbidden Things series in editing right now with a plan to release both within the next year. I also have the sequel to The Girl and the Clockwork Cat coming out soon I hope, though I don’t have an official release date for it as of yet. Aside from those things, there are several more projects on track for next year, but I won’t go into details until they’re a bit further along.

What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

I tend to spread my reading across a lot of different authors, mostly in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. There are several books and authors that have helped me keep my passion alive and inspired my writing. The list would have to include most anything by C.S. Friedman, The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey, The Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop, and one of my early horror favorites, H.P. Lovecraft. There are too many to list them all, but the book that started me down this road, Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce, requires an honorable mention.

EXCERPT:

Her attention wandered to the fountain sprouting up in the center of a nearby courtyard, simple and elegant like a great stonework lily. A man stood by the fountain, watching water droplets falling with the shimmer of multicolored gems in the bright sunlight. Long silver hair hung to the middle of his back like a frozen waterfall. His smooth pale skin and unusual hair marked him as Lyran, but his regal bearing and rich attire didn’t befit a slave or merchant.

Curious. “Have you seen him before?”

Andrea turned, following her gaze. “Who?”

“The man beside the fountain.”

“There’s no one by the fountain.”

Andrea’s reply tugged at her awareness, but the silver-haired Lyran was turning toward them now. His pale eyes met hers and the air pressed from her lungs as if a corset were being pulled too tight. The buildings lurched and spun in her vision.

“Indigo?”

She sank to her knees. Andrea crouched down with her, her eyes wide and frightened. She held Indigo’s shoulders tight, her lips moving. Indigo heard only the pounding of blood in her ears.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12 (which is still tucked away in a briefcase in her office). Despite a successful short story publication with Cricket Magazine in 2007, she treated her writing addiction as a hobby until a drop in the economy left her with an abundance of free time to focus on making it her career.

Nikki lives in the magnificent Pacific Northwest tending to her awesome husband, two sweet horses, three manipulative cats, and a crazy dog. She’s a wine and tea fanatic who loves sitting on the ocean in her kayak surrounded by open water or hanging from a rope in a cave, embraced by darkness and the sound of dripping water. She also enjoys horseback riding, archery, PC gaming, dancing, good anime, etc. She studies Japanese and practices Iaido because she believes we should never stop learning.

Twitter handle: @Author_NikkiMc

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMcCormack

Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7437256.Nikki_McCormack

Blog: http://nikkimccormack.com/

Amazon author page URL: http://www.amazon.com/Nikki-McCormack/e/B00N3A8JBQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Barnes and Noble Author URL: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/nikki-mccormack

Elysium Palace: http://www.elysiumpalace.com/dissident

GIVEAWAY:

The author will award a $50 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/06/vbt-forbidden-things-dissident-by-nikki.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway