Tuesday 6 October 2015

Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway - Rare Form by Jen Crane



Find the tour schedule here.








Rare Form by Jen Crane
(Descended of Dragons, #1)
Publication date: October 6th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Synopsis:

A Secret Past
Fiery redhead Stella Stonewall can’t decide between a margarita and a manhattan. The rest of her life? Please. Stella has never really fit in, and her pretty world comes crashing down when she learns it was never her world at all.

Rowan Gresham is domineering, brooding, and as sexy as chocolate-dipped sin. When he transports Stella to the magical realm of her parents she recognizes her rightful place immediately. Gresham’s motivations are less clear.

A Scorching Chemistry
The enigmatic Gresham aids in Stella’s metamorphosis and their chemistry ignites, though a long-time girlfriend and a significant age difference stand in the way.


A Battle for the Rest of Her Life
Stella’s life fast-tracks to extraordinary when she enrolls at Radix Citadel for Supernatural Learning, an enchanted college whose students turn furry on the regular. As Stella learns to navigate the magical new world of Thayer she must also find her animal form, a task as elusive as her ancestry. Stella soon faces an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn to manipulate an animal form she never knew she possessed.





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When did you start writing?

I began writing a novel over two years ago. I decided it was “now or never,” and luckily my husband was super supportive. It’s been a long road, but I’m so glad these books have arrived at their destination. I love them. I hope others do, too.



‪What makes you want to write?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, and even chose careers in which writing was my primary focus. But those tasks required I take complicated subject matter and reformat it for public consumption—federal laws, complicated grants, things of that nature. My past writing lent itself to brevity. So I’ve had to re-learn creative writing.




Do you ever get writer's block and what do you do to get over it?


Luckily, I’ve never had writers’ block. Yet. These first two books were such a pleasure to write, and I love them. Finding the time to commit to writing—and still rearing a family—is tough, so I treasure my writing time.




‪Do you have a special way of going about writing?


I write all day on Tuesday and Thursdays. If I’m on a tight deadline, I write in the evenings or weekends, too, when I can. I don’t sit at a desk. I sit on my sofa with a pillow under my laptop, in silence (though occasional wordless music for an intense scene). The back of my house faces a forest, so I watch the squirrels, birds, and deer play while writing about a magical world full of animal shifters.




Do you have any works in progress?

I am (literally, later today) beginning Book 3 in the Descended of Dragons series. I’ve done some rough plotting, but haven’t yet begun the rest of Stella’s story. It’s tentatively titled Salted Wound, and I hope to release it in the spring of 2016.




‪What are your hobbies? 


I love being outside, whether I’m running, gardening, reading, canoeing, or just absorbing nature.




‪How did you choose the character names for Rare Form?

Stella is my oldest daughter’s middle name. I wanted to honor her in some way, and it just so happened to have a connection to the stars, as Stella does in these novels. I chose Stonewall because it implies strength of character, which Stella certainly has.
Rowan Gresham’s name came to me as if it was fated--that’s all I can say. I imagined him and his name and it possessed my mind like he himself would. Rowan are strong, sacred trees steeped for centuries in superstition and magic. It fits.
There was never another name for Timbra Redfern. It is her. When I thought of her character, I just knew. But Ewan Bristol I did let simmer for a while. His name developed slowly, sort of sneaked in.



Who is your favourite character in Rare Form? 


I love Stella. Her naivety, her strength, her spunk. I even love her snarky side, though she’s working on that. Ewan would be a close second to my favorite character. He’s very complex.




‪How did you get the idea for Rare Form?

I have a dozen book ideas driving around in my head. This Descended of Dragons series is the one I let off the exit ramp. I love fantasy, whether it’s epic, paranormal, or urban. I wanted to write something I’d like to read, and this story, with its strong heroine, magical world, witty banter, and mythical creatures just came to me in a frenzy. 



What was your favourite part of writing Rare Form?

I loved writing the banter between Stella and her personal interactive assistant, Pia. Though she’s an electronic device, Pia has an attitude and she and Stella butt heads at every opportunity. 




What are you currently reading? 

I have this system, see, in which I read two fun and/or trashy novels followed by one classic, non-fiction, or educational book. I do this so my brain doesn’t rot…and so far so good.


I recently decided it was shameful I had never read Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d'urbervilles. But I have to tell you, I wish I’d left it on my to-read list. I finished the book, but it was with much gnashing of the teeth. My eReader barely survived the many throws across the room.




What is your favourite book? 


This is going to sound so cliché, but my favorite book has to be Pride and Prejudice. It’s the one I read that spurred my love for reading novels. The one that I could read again and again and still page through madly. There’s a reason it’s timeless: it’s wonderful.
Though I will add that I LOVE George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.




‪Who is your favourite author? 

I honestly can’t pick just one. Books/authors that have inspired me are Princess Bride/William Goldman, Mark Twain, Outlander series/Diana Gabaldon, Pride and Prejudice/Austen, Game of Thrones/George R.R. Martin, HP/JK Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Maya Angelou. So many influences by gifted authors.





What is your favourite TV show?


Between writing, marketing, and rearing a family, I don’t have a lot of TV time. But I do record and make time to watch Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, Outlander, the news (Yes, really. No, not Fox.), and anything HGTV.




‪Quick-fire questions:



Chocolate or ice cream? Chocolate all the way. Not even close.

Paperback or ebook? ebooks these days, though I still love paper.

Dogs or cats? Both

Go out or stay in? Outdoors!!!

Summer or winter? Summer. Give me a pool and a margarita any day.





AUTHOR BIO
 
Though she grew up on a working cattle ranch, Jen Crane has been in love with fantasy and science fiction since seeing a bootleg tape of Quantum Leap in the 90’s.

She has a master’s degree, and solid work histories in government and non-profit administration. She’s been published in reputable newspapers and magazines.

One day, though, she said, “Life’s too real for nonfiction. I’m gonna write about love and magic.”

Jen is happily living out her dream in The South with her husband and three children, striking that delicate balance between inspiration and frustration.

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