Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Author Interview: Rachel L Demeter, A Kindled Winter

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A Kindled Winter
By: Rachel L Demeter
Releasing November 1, 2015
Black Lyon Publishing, LLC

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Amazon UK


Synopsis


“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” — Dale Evans

A week before Christmas, Jeseca Reed sets off for Blue River, Oregon—her childhood home and a vault of tender memories. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when she’s left stranded in the mountains’ vast, untamed wilderness. Desperate and alone, she seeks shelter at a cottage and finds herself in the arms of a mysterious stranger.

Dr. David Drake was once a renowned cardiovascular surgeon. But a devastating tragedy has left him scarred both inside and out, unable to use his hands to operate again. For the past five years, his Blue River cottage has been his sole escape—a safe haven where he can shut out the world, bury himself in his grief, and reunite with his son’s memory.

Together they are summer and winter. Fire and ice. And yet a poignant connection forms between them. Jeseca awakens David and thaws his heart with a romance hot enough to melt snow. But before David and Jeseca can fully embrace each other, they must wade through darkness and confront the ghosts of their pasts …

Equal parts steamy and heartfelt, A Kindled Winter brings the spirit of the holidays to life with a passionate story of second chances and healing love.

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Excerpt
David’s enchanting voice swelled the darkness, surrounding Jeseca, gripping onto her senses with a thousand beckoning fingers. They held her captive—and she readily surrendered her freedom.

“We’re like day and night. Summer and winter. Fire and ice. And yet something about you whispers my name and echoes inside me …” His mouth found her pulse point. Damp, hot lips nibbled on her skin and sent her wits reeling. “You should have never come in here. It was a mistake.”

“Then tell me to leave and I’ll go,” she replied through a breathy whisper. Her voice sounded thick with desire, hoarse … she hardly recognized it as her own. “And I don’t believe we’re complete opposites,” she said, her words husky and guttural. “I think the real you is hiding.”

Impenetrable silence took hold. Only the howling wind and David’s heavy breathing breached the quiet.

“Should I leave?”

More silence. “No. I need you … I need you to stay with me.” The words emerged from the darkness and wrapped around Jeseca’s heart with the force of a lasso.

He plunged a hand beneath the bathrobe, which had fallen halfway open, and a jarring whoosh of air slammed against her skin. His tongue swirled along her collarbone, branding her flesh with slick, wet shapes. Her heart hammered, and she clutched at the bedsheet as his mouth ventured lower … lower … skirting across the V-line of her plush pajama top. Then his fingers were working the buttons, quickly undoing them and sweeping the soft material aside. Cold air tightened her naked breasts, causing gooseflesh to prickle her skin.

“Stop me if I’m going too fast,” he breathed against her.

Yes, she should stop him. This was wrong. Totally wrong. Instead, all rational thought melted away and she found herself arching against his mouth and tongue. She wanted more—not less. And she wanted him to go faster—not slower …

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Goodreads


Author interview

I'm delighted to have Rachel join me to anwer a few questions for the blog. Please give her a very warm welcome ...

Thank you for having me here today, Deanna!

Tell us a little about yourself and your writing background.
Me in a nutshell: I currently live in beautiful Sunny California with Teddy, my goofy Polish Lowland sheepdog, and my high school sweetheart twelve years. Richard and I began dating during our freshman year and have been together ever since. He’s truly my soul mate and greatest inspiration. I’m so grateful to have found him at such a young age—and he recently popped the big question!

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Our little family at a Howlloween Paw-ty!

I graduated from Chapman University’s film school with a B.A. in Screenwriting. Even though I’m primarily a novelist, film school deepened my love for crafting fiction tenfold; it taught me to concentrate on plotting, dynamic characters, and effective pacing, as well as the importance of visual storytelling. I wouldn’t trade my college education for anything in the world.

But I’ve been writing before I physically learned to write. Simply put, writing is my life’s blood, my passion, and my greatest obsession. It always has been in my blood, a part of my very essence. As a child, one of my favorite pastimes was imagining stories and characters while my mom would record them for me.

So, what novels have you written?
Currently three of my babies have entered the world:

The Frost of Springtime was released in 2014 under Black Lyon Publishing, LLC. It’s an edgy historical romance of forbidden love during the 1870s uprisings in Paris.
On a cold Parisian night, Vicomte Aleksender de Lefèvre forges an everlasting bond with a broken girl during her darkest hour, saving her from a life of abuse and misery. But while Aleksender is drawn away by war, Sofia matures into a stunning young woman - and upon his tormented return, she alone might bring an end to the winter in his heart.

Finding Gabriel was released in 2015 under Momentum Books (Pan Macmillan).
During the chaotic ending of the Napoleonic Wars, two tortured souls struggle to overcome adversity and find hope in the wreckage of their pasts. Equal parts steamy and heartfelt, FINDING GABRIEL is an evocative journey through darkness and light, loss and hope, searing passion and the redeeming power of love.

A Kindled Winter, my first contemporary romance and beta hero, released on November 1st under Black Lyon Publishing, LLC.
A KINDLED WINTER brings the spirit of the holidays to life with a passionate story of second chances and healing love.

Is there a message in A Kindled Winter that you want readers to grasp?
Never lose hope or abandon faith in yourself. Life is full of wonderful and often unextend surprises—but we first must be open to receiving them. :-)

Are any parts of A Kindled Winter based on someone you know or events in your own life?
Writing A Kindled Winter was an incredibly personal experience that touched home in a profound way. The hero of the story, Dr. David Drake, is a cardiovascular surgeon. I was born with a congenital heart defect (Transposition of the Great Arteries—a condition that is mentioned in the story).  I underwent two major surgeries while writing A Kindled Winter, and completed the majority of the work during my recoveries. In hindsight, I realize that the subject matter was therapeutic and my personal way of working through this time in my life.

Oh, and Brody—David’s Old English sheepdog mix—was very much inspired by my own fur baby!

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Which writers inspire you?
Countless writers inspire me, and I love discovering new voices every day. To name a few: Gaelen Foley, Stephen King, Diana Gabaldon, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Lisa Kleypas, George R. R. Martin, Amy Harmon, J.K. Rowling … the list goes on and on.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
Oh, I definitely use an outline. In fact, I’m seriously an organizational freak—at least during the brainstorming and plotting phases. I plan my days out months in advance, and draw up detailed plot outlines and character sketches before ever beginning a new story. Though, I can certainly veer away from ritual and become a “pantser” when the manuscript calls for it. Once I’m immersed in the “writing phase,” the outline becomes more of a road map than a strict guideline. I follow the basic course, but will take side trips, travel into unexpected territories, meet new people along the way, etc.

Starting January 1st, I’ll be implementing a Motivational Writing Calendar into my process. All writers should check it out—it’s awesome and really spices up a stale routine.

Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
Yes. I track my progress by word count rather than hours or pages. When I’m “in the zone,” I’ll knock out 3,000+ words per day. Other times, when I’m distracted or suffering from the dreaded writer’s block (cringe), I’ll manage about 500 words. So, it varies greatly—but I try to set a minimum word count each day.

Alternatively, some days I’ll concentrate on research, plotting, developing the characters, or just brainstorming new scene concepts. I prefer a mixed bag!

Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
Read, write, and repeat! In the words of Stephen King (one of my personal idols and favorite authors):

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.”


Author Info


jsRachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been Rachel's passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mother would record them for her. She holds a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, she ensures every character is given a soul.

Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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