Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Love Divine: The Book Tour! Featuring Genella de Grey


Genella DeGrey's here at the blog. Welcome!

Thank you so much for having me, Wendi!

1. You wrote about Scotland. Exciting. How'd you get your idea?

You know, I never thought of it as Scotland! LOL Only because it wasn't quite yet Scotland in 420. :) I will tell you though, I do seem to have some sort of spiritual connection and deep adoration for the UK and can't wait to go there someday. In this lifetime, that is – LOL

The idea came to me – oddly enough – when I was standing in my bathroom one morning putting on makeup. The thought sort of flitted through my mind about how disrupting it must have been for the inhabitants of Britania when the Church of Rome introduced their new religion to the Druids.

Around 410ish, Rome pulled out of the UK, then later they came back not as solders but as missionaries. I felt that there was a story there, and moments later, the heroine, Aslyn, came to me wanting me to tell the tale.

2. I see it's a historical. 420 isn't the most popular time period to write about, but it's unique. What made you decide to go with that time period?

Because I write historicals, the choosing the correct time period is absolutely essential. I chose that particular time period because it would have been about ten years since Rome left Britton after a significant time of occupation of the area, and I wanted Aslyn to be the right age so that she remembered when the solders last came through. The fictitious village of Cardamon Long and its location would have been about as far north as Rome had originally gone. Of course, later when they came through as missionaries they no longer were subject to boundaries.



3. When you write: music, silence, or white noise?

I like to have music playing, but I try to keep true to the time period in which I am writing. I listened to Lorenna McKennett and Enya while writing Love Divine.

4. Everyone has one or two bad habits. Name one of yours.

I spend way too much money on skincare and makeup. I can't help it. I love the stuff. One of my favorite places is The Body Shop. GADS, the $$$ I could (and do) spend in there! LOL

5. What's in your To Be Read pile?

You mean my TBR Mountain? LOL I go to at least one major convention a year and if you've ever been, you will know the HUGE amount of free books they send you home with. So I would say I have about sixty books in print waiting to be read.

My e-reader is in the shop, so when that gets back, I have about six ebooks I want to get to – and SO many more I want to buy! Between Total e-Bound and Resplendence alone, I see new ebooks *all the time* I MUST have. :)

I suppose one could say that my accumulation of books is a bad habit, but I like to tell myself it's all in the spirit of research. (Insert evil laugh here*)

6. Say someone wanted to make a t-shirt with a slogan for you and it could be anything. What would your shirt say?

What a great question! Every once in a while I hear something that I deem worthy of a bumper sticker or a tee-shirt. Recently, one of my friends said, "I'm not mad, I'm just done." We both stopped for a second and laughed. I turned around and made a tee-shirt for her and put it up on my Caffee Press store. As for something for me . . . I didn't make this one up, but I love it. "I'm only wearing black until they make a darker color." :)

7. What do you do besides write?

Aside from reading and watching movies – and going out occasionally to see a live swing band, I also love to tinker around in the kitchen. Notice I didn't say "cook." LOL I really only know about four things I can actually "cook" from scratch.

8. Sometimes you just need to get into the mood to write that hot love scene. What are your tricks for making it work?

This question could get me into some serious trouble. LOL I suppose I just have me some hot sex. Hahaha! Seriously, I do need to give my muse a kick start sometimes. Here is one of the pictures I used for inspiration for LD. Beautiful, isn't it? Very Druid to me. I even drew my own interpretation of it (and I don't draw very well at all!) You can find it on my website or on the items I will be signing this year at the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention Expo in April.


9. Cat, dog, dragon, or shifter? Which pet would you prefer to have?

Oooooh, I'd love to have a dragon.

10. Who serves as your role model for your hero/heroine? Have you ever seen a person and said "gee, that person would make a great hero in my next book"?

I usually have a vague idea of what my hero or heroine look like, but once in a while I stumble across a picture that is a perfect likeness of one of my characters. For instance, the character in Braveheart, Princess Isabelle *is* Aslyn.

And I have a character in one of my Victorian old west stories (Come the Rain: Book one in A Touch of Destiny) that looks just like Tristan Ludlow in Legends of the Fall.

Thank you so much Wendi, this was fun!

Namaste, everyone!


Here's the blurb:

In the Highlands of Britannia, 420 A.D., Aslyn, was raised a Druid by her late mother.

Now Rome has returned, but in place of a legion of solders, a single man peddles a new Roman god.

Ryus Jorian was sent on a mission for the new religion. But instead of a cave of barbaric souls in need of saving, he finds an intelligent, beautiful, hedonistic distraction whom his Bishop finds equally delectable.

Ryus must choose between the salvation of his soul and the woman he loves.

Aslyn must escape before she becomes the Bishop’s newest sacrificial lamb.

Want to read a bit? Here you go!

Reaching up to entwine her arms around his neck, Aslyn’s heart raced when his mouth softly coaxed her lips part. She nearly toppled over when he groaned as her tongue touched his. The wood post which bordered the stable separated their bodies, and Aslyn longed to be rid of the thing.

Suddenly remembering that anyone who had a view of the stable could see them, she broke out of the kiss.

“We shouldn’t be—”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Aslyn glanced over her shoulder and back up to Ryus. No one was about, but that could change at any moment. Her breath came out in a huff that may have been part laughter. “Let me finish. We shouldn’t be doing this here.”

She saw his eyes light up like flames. “Then where?”

“Come to me after sundown,” she whispered, unable to believe the words actually came out of her mouth. Oh, she was thinking them, but once they passed over her lips, the bones were cast. He would be leaving soon, and it would be good for her to take a few more memories with her to her grave.

Without another word, Aslyn pushed away from the stable fence and headed straight for her lodging.

She paced in her room and wrung her hands, the same way in she did just before she met Ryus in the ancient grove of Ardwinna.

Aslyn almost yelped when he came bursting through her front door.

“You have more faith in me than I do if you think I can wait until sundown.”

Thanks Genella! I've enjoyed having you here! If you want to follow her tour, you can go here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2010/03/vbt-genella-degrey.html and make sure to comment!

Hugs to Genella!

2 comments:

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

Hi Genella! So glad you oculd stop by. I can't wait to read Love Divine!

Genella deGrey said...

I returned from out of town today - so sorry I'm late, Wendi!

Thanks again for the interview!
:)
G.