A Christmas With…Courtney Cole

I’m pleased to welcome Courtney Cole to the blog today, as part of her Bloodstone Saga Blog Tour. Today, Courtney’s telling us a little bit about the Every Last Kiss, the first book in the Bloodstone Saga. Courtney and Kismet Book Touring are graciously offering up two (2) amazing giveaways as part of the tour so be sure to stick around for details.

---------------------

Hi, Courtney, and welcome to Tynga's Reviews! We're pleased you could visit us as part of your blog tour. Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me!  Sure- I’d love to talk about myself. :)  Hmm.  I’m 36, married and have children (two boys, one girl).  I was born and raised in Kansas but I live near Chicago now.  I am deathly afraid of buoys and birds, although I love going to Lake Michigan—so my weird fears make days at the beach rather interesting sometimes.  I am the author of The Bloodstone Saga and the upcoming Moonstone Saga.  I put my left shoe on first and I adore cashmere socks. 

A lot of stories seem to incorporate world mythology, often having characters be descended from gods. What made you decide to go in a different direction, making Macy one of the Moirae (the Fates)?

Is that the direction?   Hmm. (If I had a mustache, I would be twirling it mysteriously right now).  I say that because one thing about my books is that they often change directions.  One of the things I love the most when I am reading is to encounter twists that keep me guessing.  I try to do the same thing when I write.  You never really know where I might truly be going. 

But I digress.  I loved the idea of the Fates- that three ancient entities might actually control the fates of everyone on earth.  It fascinated me and it is actually what inspired the whole series. I started thinking one day… which tragic figures in history might change their fates if they could… and the wheels started spinning.  And since I love mythology, the story came together pretty quickly.

What inspired you to use ancient Egypt and Cleopatra as the setting for Every Last Kiss?

Well, since I was considering which tragic historical figures might change their fate if they could, Cleopatra was one of the first characters who popped into my mind. Who has a more tragic story than Cleopatra?  I’ve always been fascinated with her—she must have been an incredibly strong woman. 

What was the most challenging part of writing Every Last Kiss?

Every Last Kiss was challenging to write because it is a prequel of sorts, but I didn’t want to announce that beforehand.  I really wanted to illuminate how Macy had to suffer at the hands of the Fates—and so what better way than to have her revisit one of her prior lives?

Now, Courtney, we were hoping you could answer some Christmas related questions since we’re hosting the “A Christmas With…” event here at Tynga’s Reviews.  :)

What was your favourite part of Christmas as a kid?

Hmm. That’s hard. I think it has to be the suspense… the weeks of wondering what gifts I was going to get… the suspense that built more and more with each day closer to Christmas.  My grandma used to a 12 Days of Christmas thing, where for each of the 12 days before Christmas, I got a small gift- and then of course, Christmas morning, I got the bulk of my gifts.  Christmas is such a magical time- what’s not to like?

What part of Christmas do you most look forward to now?

I still like the magic of Christmas.  I love the festive lights, the music, the way people seem like they are more giving and open, the shopping, the goodwill.  It’s a great time of year.  My absolute favorite has to be the moment when my kids come tumbling down the stairs to open gifts, though.  They are sleepy and innocent and excited- Christmas at its best.

Are you an early shopper or a last-minute one?

Last minute, all the way!  I’m not proud of it, but yes. I don’t do it on purpose, but time sneaks up on me and before I know it, it’s the week before Christmas… which is when I usually do the bulk of my shopping. 

When did you stop believing in Santa (if you ever did)?

I think I was 9.  One of my uncles told me and I was devastated.  It seems like when you realize that Santa isn’t real, it sort of takes your innocence, because you realize at that point that magic isn’t real…and believing in magic is such a big part of childhood.  My daughter turns 9 in December and I know that this will probably be her last year believing in Santa.  Gulp.

Thanks for stopping by! Your moustache twirling has me intrigued! :)

Thank you so much for having me.  I hope you and your readers have a very merry Christmas!! 

------------------

Here’s the scoop on Every Last Breath:

What would you do if you held Fate in your hands?

17-year old Macy Lockhart has the weight of the world on her shoulders. For thousands of years, she has been a Keeper in the ancient organization, the Order of the Moirae… and she literally holds fate in her hands. But this is something that she forgets because her memories are wiped clean in every life until it is time for her cycle to start again.

For the last two thousand years, this has never been a problem.

Until now. And now…

Fate, the very thing that Macy was born to keep, is being challenged and she has only one choice: To return to a previous life to fix it; a life where she was Cleopatra’s handmaiden, Charmian. And that’s not all. Unless she interferes with the fabric of time, the very thing she has returned to repair, her soul mate will die leading Marc Antony’s forces against Rome. Can she really stand aside and allow the love of her life to die all over again?

Courtney’s blog tour continues until January 6, 2012!

To hear more about the second book in the series, Fated, you can visit these tour stops next week:

Monday, December 19 – Savannah, Books With Bite
Tuesday, December 20 – Briana, The Book Pixie
Wednesday, December 21 – Nicole, Books Complete Me
Thursday, December 22 – Sarah, Workaday Reads
Friday, December 23 – Hikari, Imaginary Reads

Visit the Bloodstone Saga tour page for information on the rest of the stops and more!

------------------

Today we have two giveaways! There are different ways to enter so please read carefully.

Giveaway for Tynga’s Reviews’ Readers

Courtney is offering a fantastic giveaway prize for us: a gorgeous bloodstone ring an authentic Greek Drachma, necessary for paying the ferryman to the Underworld!!
(The ring is adjustable so it should fit just about anyone’s finger!)

 

To enter, leave a comment on this post.
Remember to include your email addy so we can get in touch with you if you win.

Canada/U.S. only

Ends January 4th, 2012.

** Winner is Sariah – comment #15**

------------------

Blog Tour Grand Prize

The second give-away is for a grand prize of a gorgeous Kindle Touch skinned with the cover art from the final book in the Bloodstone Saga: My Tattered Bonds! Isn’t it fantastic?

This giveaway is open to the every stop on Courtney’s blog tour.

Canada/U.S. only

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below.
Full contest details can be found here.

RAFFLECOPTER

Thanks again to Courtney for stopping by, and to Kismet Book Touring for organizing everything!

Posted by jenn at 06:30

 A Christmas With, giveaway  19 People left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.