"When I'm not writing" with Jocelynn Drake + giveaway!

Jocelynn Drake is our guest this week for our "When I'm not writing" feature. She's got multiple titles under her belt as the author of two series: the Dark Days books and The Asylum Tales. Jocelynn is here today to celebrate her latest Asylum Tale, DEAD MAN'S DEAL, which was released last week. She's also providing a giveaway of the first novel in the series, ANGEL'S INK, so be sure to stick around to the end of the post!

Sadly, I feel like when I’m not writing, I should be writing. But everyone needs a break from work to let their brains rest just for a bit. During my downtime, I am a gamer. I’m not one of those hard-core gamer chicks who can school you on any game and/or system set in front of her (But it would be cool if I was.) However, I do know my way around a PlayStation controller.

My first love is the Final Fantasy series by SquareEnix. I fell in love with Final Fantasy VIII on PlayStation One. Enraptured by their detailed storytelling, I have played Final Fantasy 7, Crisis Core, 8, 9 10, 10-2, 12, 13, and I’m now working on 13-2. I’ve also played their Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, which are the Disney/Final Fantasy mash-up games.

Of all the Final Fantasy games, I think Final Fantasy X is my favorite, but then who doesn’t love a tragic love story. The graphics were beautiful. The battle system was brilliant. The storytelling was epic. I guess it should be no surprise that I have a Final Fantasy X tattoo to commemorate my love.

A couple years ago, my love of video games found a new addition – the Assassin’s Creed series. While I will freely admit that I’ve skipped the first game in the series, I am hopelessly in love with the rest of the games, particularly those featuring Ezio Auditorre d’ Firenza. What’s not to love? Suave, passionate, dedicated, and so very handsome. The storytelling is superb (which is pretty important to me if you haven’t figured that out) and I love wandering around renaissance Italy (or even running across the rooftops).

The added bonus is that Assassin’s Creed series has an online feature that lets me play assassination missions against other gamers. (So, if you happen to be killed by a JDrake while playing Assassin’s Creed online – my bad.)

Besides epic battles and sexy Italians, I also love building cities and civilizations, so I’ve naturally gotten addicted to SimCity. I’m also planning to start the Uncharted series soon, and not just because I share a last name with the main character (though it doesn’t hurt). What’s not to love? Explosions and treasure hunting.

Playing video games allows parts of my brain to space out for a time or to even work on a plot issue while I concentrate on things like locating all the Borgia flags and figuring out a clue 6to get me to Eldorado. Video games allow me to escape into another world while avoiding the written world for a short time, because sooner or later… that book I’m working on will be calling me back.

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Thanks for stopping by, Jocelynn! Always great to meet a fellow gamer!

For more information about Jocelynn and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on DEAD MAN'S DEAL:

In a world where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires swim free in a sea of humanity, sometimes you need an edge. Looking for a little love? Need some luck? Desperate for revenge? Gage can give you what you need. The most talented tattoo artist in town, he knows the right symbol and the right mix of ingredients and ink to achieve your heart's desire. One tattoo is all it takes. But remember, everything has its price...

Gage learned that lesson long ago, in ways he'd rather not remember. But the cruel and powerful wizards in the dreaded Ivory Towers he escaped aren't about to let him forget. Though Gage has managed to stay out of sight, he can't outrun the past forever. The wizards know Gage is using forbidden magic, and they intend to punish him for his transgressions.

Too bad if innocent humans and monsters—entire cities—get in the way. They will quell a nascent magical uprising and Gage will be the sacrifice they need. First, though, they have to find him...

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Here are the earlier books in the series:

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Jocelynn is kindly offering up one (1) copy of ANGEL'S INK, the first book in the series, to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Posted by jenn at 07:00

 giveaway, Harper Collins, Jocelynn drake, When I'm not writing  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.