Interview with Jan DeLima + giveaway

I'm so pleased to welcome Jan DeLima to the blog today. She's a great author who's just published a great werewolf paranormal romance called SUMMER MOON, the second book in her Celtic Wolves series. It's a series I quite enjoy and I hope you'll enjoy my interview with her.

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Welcome to Team Tynga's Reviews, Jan! To start, could you please tell us a bit about your Celtic Wolves series, for anyone who's new to your world? 

Thank you for inviting me to stop by!  For the Celtic Wolves series you need only imagine a world where the legends of Celtic lore still walk among us in secret.  It’s a place where warriors are also wolves and reality isn’t always what it seems.  Set in modern day, each book features strong fantasy elements but also a secondary storyline with a romance between two new main characters.

What inspired you to create this series?

At the time I worked in the cataloging department of my local library when a book on Celtic artifacts came across my desk.  It reviewed findings and theories of Celtic beliefs from Celtic art, with depictions of men shifting into wolves.  Intrigued, I dove into researching Celtic history and folklore and found more material than I could possibly imagine on wolves and shape shifting.  Let's just say my paranormal writer's radar was dinging loudly.  Once the research started my characters demanded a place in this magical world.

I love the use of Celtic mythology and Welsh vocabulary in your books. It makes the series really stand out. What prompted you to go in this direction for your series mythology?

Thank you!  During my research I was frequently coming across references from the Mabinogion, which is a collection of Welsh folklore translated from medieval manuscripts.  I think it’s somewhat amazing considering the time period (around the 1300’s) that these stories were preserved.  Many of the tales feature shape shifting, wolves, marriage, and court life in medieval times.  The terms I use for Guardian/Gwarchodwyr, Wolf/Bleidd, and many of the others, are the actual translations from those medieval manuscripts.  On an interesting note, the Mabinogion also contains some of the earlier references of Arthurian legend, but they aren’t the stories we normally associate with King Arthur.

Now, could you tell us what to expect in SUMMER MOON? 

Summer Moon is Luc and Rosa’s story, and the second book in the series.  The fantasy continues where it left off in Celtic Moon, with the rebels uniting against the Guardians, oppressive leaders who want to see their race restored back to the powerful beings of Celtic lore.  However, a new romance begins when Rosa proposes a dangerous offer to unite their clans in the impending war against their leaders.  Luc is very much an alpha, but also honorable, and Rosa has been isolated from society.  She claims her freedom in this book, and her rightful place in the pack hierarchy to defend the people she loves.  These two personalities created a wonderful dynamic and were a lot of fun to get together.

Do you have a favourite character or (non-spoilery) scene that you can share with us?

Oh, goodness, how do I choose just one?  I love Luc. He’s a confident alpha, but also gentle and compassionate.  There’s more sensuality in this book, and I blame Luc for that.  I’ve also enjoyed writing Cormack’s journey, who is the hero of the next book.  (I’ve shared a scene with Cormack below.)

And now, it's time to get personal! What's your favourite...

...TV show?
Grimm is great.  I can’t wait for the new season to begin.

...recipe?
Any recipe that doesn’t skimp on carbs and butter.  Shortbread is an uncomplicated classic.

...vacation destination?
Home for me is Maine, so for a holiday I love to go to Florida.  New Orleans is a favorite as well.  It’s such an eclectic city.

...board game?
Scrabble, hands down.  My grandmother still rules the board, and she’s competitive.  I’ve learned some of the best words from her.

One last question: Will we be seeing more stories in the series? If so, can you give us any exclusive teasers?

Oh, yes!  Elen and Cormack’s story is next.  They are both central characters throughout the series, and their love story is featured in the next installment.  Elen has a special gift; she can manipulate nature with a touch of her hand, but she’s feared by their kind, and therefore lonely.  Trapped in wolf form, Cormack has been Elen’s chaste companion for over four hundred years until she frees his human half in Celtic Moon.  In Summer Moon he’s learning how to be human.  By the third book he will be the warrior she needs to protect her from Pendaran, a dark suitor who wants more than just her powers.  Rest assured this isn’t a love triangle, because Elen has no interest in Pendaran, the Guardian leader who ordered her childhood torture in an effort to call a wolf that never surfaced.  But she is forced to feign interest or place her family in jeopardy.

Since this last question is about future books, I will leave you with an excerpt with Elen and Cormack.

All my best,
Jan

From Summer Moon…

Raw from two brutal shifts, and then a third, Cormack went to Elen’s room as a wolf. He refused to deny her a friend this night. Because of Merin’s appearance, he knew she hurt. The doors were locked but he’d convinced Mae to let him in. As a wolf, he was adequate—and not the bumbling oaf a man who could barely walk a straight line, or talk around his own thick tongue.

When the door quietly closed, he padded over to the bed.

Elen slept on her side, cocooned in blankets. A row of pillows lined her back. It was how she’d slept when he’d first met her, as if squares of encased feathers could protect her from the nightmares of her youth.

With his teeth he dragged the pillows from the bed. She slept in a loose shirt and undergarments, but the shirt had ridden up to reveal her spine with two jagged scars, the only physical evidence of her mother’s torture. Merin had pinned her down and shoved rods under her skin in an effort to force a wolf that never came.

The mattress sagged under his weight as he jumped on the bed and settled along her back.

She stirred, and then inhaled. “Cormack . . . ?”

He nuzzled into her tumbled hair. Her scent had lessened in this place, but he caught a whiff of the moonflowers that bloomed at night in her garden, pure and white, and sweeter than honeysuckle.

Elen turned, stroked her hand over his side. “I’m so sorry, Cormack . . . for hurting you again.” Her voice clogged with her tears. “I couldn’t resist Pendaran’s summons.”

He growled softly from the memory of that putrid ass who had dared to call her, and his own inability to protect her.

“Do you hate me?” she asked again, as she had in the library.

He was not ready to show her his true feelings, so he vowed them silently . . .

No, Elen . . . I don’t hate you. I love you more than the air that I breathe. And if I had to choose between the two—I would choose you.

Unaware, she fell asleep with her face buried in his neck as his fur absorbed her tears. Come morning, Mae cracked open the door and Cormack slipped from Elen’s room without waking her. She was returning to Rhuddin Village with Dylan today and Cormack wasn’t going with her.

She wanted a friend. He wanted more. Next time they met, he would be the adequate man she needed—the warrior she could love.

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For more Jan, check out the following links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Here's the scoop on SUMMER MOON:

She won’t be ruled again…

Rosa Alban has been obedient her entire life. But when her alpha husband dies, she seizes the opportunity to flee the oppressive Guardians—the rulers of the secret shapeshifter world. Her flight instantly brands her as a pack traitor, and she has no choice but to seek protection from a neighboring tribe by marrying one of their sons.

Known as the Beast of Merin, Luc Black loyally plays the part of unwanted son and devoted brother. He realizes marrying Rosa will strengthen his tribe’s territory, but he has no intention of loving ever again. Still, he’s unprepared for the intense physical need the wild she-wolf awakens in him.

When the Guardians hone in on Rosa, Luc must fight to protect his new bride. And as war descends, the unlikely allies discover their destinies are irrevocably entwined…

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Jan is giving away  signed copy of CELTIC MOON and SUMMER MOON to a lucky reader.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted by Tynga at 03:00

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Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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