GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Sheep Interview: author Dawn Chartier + giveaway! | I Smell Sheep

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sheep Interview: author Dawn Chartier + giveaway!



(make sure to turn on Dawn's theme music while you read her introduction)


Today we welcome New Orleans author Dawn Chartier and her awesome choice of music. She recently self-published her novel Not An Angel (isn't that cover yummy?) and wanted a chance to let tell the flock all about it! I gotta say I like what I heard and hope you will too. Stick around till the end and get a chance to win one of 2 e-copies being given away.




Kira McCoy wants to die. Losing her husband and daughter tragically left her without hope. Now her disturbed brother-in-law will stop at nothing to have her for himself. All she wants is to find peace, but instead finds herself on top of a bridge ready to end her suffering. Protector of the Poryria, Trace Stuart is called to defend his race or embrace death. Defending humans is not part of the plan, but he cannot stop himself from saving Kira. Realizing that he shares a special bond with Kira, Trace defies his Queen and rushes into the heart of darkness in order to rescue the woman he loves. Will Kira be able to reach past her own pain to pull them both into the light?


Baton Rouge. Local Cafe. 2 Sheep and one Poyria Guardian meet


Sharon: Welcome to I Smell Sheep Dawn! Help yourself to the Kool Aid and Moon pies (I bet no other blog offered you refreshments. We are professional like that <G>)
Katie: Oh, I think Mark drank all the Kool Aid…but I’ll whip more up in a jiffy!
Dawn: Yum. You ladies rock! During Mardi Gras we throw Moon pies from the floats. Everyone loves them, including me.
Sharon: *has thoughts of a giant Mardi Gras Sheep float…*
Katie: *has thoughts of all the vamps during Mardi Gras….*

Sharon: If you could have a theme song play when ever you walked into a room, what would it be?
Dawn: Secrets by One Republic. The first line is, I need another story. Love that!

Sharon: Tell us about your book Not An Angel, and most importantly will Trace Stuart make Katie’s vampire senses tingle?
Katie: I am a BIG fan of the vamps and like Sharon stated above they do make my blood tingle, but I’m not alone in this line of thought. Why do you think women love vamps so much?
Dawn: Katie you get tingles too??? lol
Katie: Yes, daily! hehe
Let’s see, Not An Angel is about a hot Poryria Guardian, Trace, who feels guilty for a human woman taking her life because of him, so when he sees another woman jump from a bridge, he vows to save her and keep her safe. Then he screws up again.

Kira the woman who jumps from the bridge believes the man who saved her is an angel, but of course he’s not. She’s had a really rough life, but slowly opens her heart once again. I don’t want to give it all away, but it is an emotional journey for both of them.

And to answer Katie’s question. I’d say the reason we love vamps is because they are normally sexy, powerful, intelligent, and so passionate. At least those are my thoughts.
Sharon: Can you tell us a little more about Poyria without giving anything away?
Dawn: Poryria’s are what humans call vampires, unless they turn Vry. You don’t want them to turn Vry. Not good. Not good at all. Trace is a Guardian and he and his brother Mikael (Mike) hunt Vry in Baton Rouge and nearby areas in Louisiana. They take risks every day of being turned, but they vowed to their Queen to protect humans.
I know you want to know more, but I’m not telling. (lol) There is an excerpt on my website if you want to get a taste of Trace, Kira and the Queen.

Sharon: Is the guy on the cover (swoon) a good representation of Trace?
Dawn: Oh yeah. The cover is Trace.
Sharon: okay, that is all I needed to know ;)
Dawn: That’s what I said. lol

Sharon: Is this going to be a series? If so, what can you tell us about the series in general?
Dawn: Yes. The series will be based on the Poryria Guardians from all over the world. Next up is Drago’s story. Trace and Drago fought at the end of NOT AN ANGEL, and if it wasn’t for Kira stepping in, I’m not sure who would have won. They are both very strong and hardheaded Poryrias.

Katie: What’s the best thing about being a writer in your opinion?
Dawn: I love creating stories. I love giving people happy endings, and I love hearing someone say that my book touched them. That’s so important to me.
Katie: But not ALL stories have a happy ending, is that an avenue you might one day try? Or a to be continued…
Dawn: Even if it’s a To be continued story, I still want the reader satisfied. I know how it feels to get those books that tease the hell out of you. One is Karen M. Moning’s Fever series. My God, that woman tortured her readers, and I told her too. But, I love Mac and Barrons, and I couldn’t stop reading them.

Sharon: Tell us about your writing environment. Do you prefer day or night, quiet or music, desk or coffee shop…
Dawn: Day. I write if it’s quiet or not. I don’t normally write with music, but the TV is often on. Mostly, I write at home while alone, but once a month I get together with some writer friends at Starbucks and we do sprint writing. I normally reach about 2000 words at Starbucks. Not bad for a few hours.

Sharon: Why did you decide to go the self-publishing route?
Dawn: Good question, Sharon. First, Not An Angel was published with an e-publisher before I self-published. I’ve been watching lots authors going the self-publishing route, and when my contract was close to renewal, I decided not to renew it and give the self-publishing a try. The GOOD part of S-P is that I get more royalties. The BAD part is all the marketing is up to little ole’ me. But thank goodness for great book bloggers such as yourself for having me.

Katie: Is it harder going self-published?
Dawn: For me it wasn’t harder. I did have a little trouble with formatting, (some pages are cut in half) but overall it came out okay for a newbie. And another reason why I self-published was because the book had already been “edited” and a “beta-reader” went over it too. I wouldn’t have self-pubbed if that hadn’t been done. Will I do it again? I’m not sure yet. Probably. However, I just got an offer for another book from a large e-publisher, and I’m seriously thinking about it.
Sharon: Oh! Congrats on that. We will have our little hooves crossed for you (if you decide to go with them.)
Dawn: Thanks!

Sharon: You are from the New Orleans area which is known to have many different supernatural creatures living there. Have you run into any and would you be willing to give any single vamps Katie’s number?
Katie: Oh please say yes!!!!!
Dawn: lol. Sure. Katie, send me your phone # off the loop. Well, so far I’ve run into Acheron and Nick -- you may have heard of them. They were at the Dungeon in the French Qtr, and I’ve also run into a few ghosts and witches too.
Sharon: *looks at Katie* ROAD TRIP!!!!! Where exactly did you say you lived?
Katie: I'm just heading straight to the French Quarter! I'll give you my number to pass along as well. Winning!
Dawn: Come on down! Vampires love new blood, I mean, tourist.

Sharon: We are always looking to improve our blog. Is there something you like or dislike about review blogs in general?
Dawn: Actually, I find your blog refreshing. You don’t ask the same questions as most bloggers do. Good job!
Sharon: Awww! Flattery will get you Sheep Swag! After the interview give me your mailing address and we will send you some exclusive Sheep Swag.
Dawn: Kewl!

Katie: Where can folks find you in the coming months?
Dawn: In October I’ll be taking a class from Mary Buckham in Kenner, LA.
November 5th, I’ll be at Heartla’s Readers Luncheon as a guest.
March 2-3 – FF&P (Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal) Conference in New Orleans.
And I’m not sure from then on.
Sharon: I would love to go to FF&P! I went to my first con this year (in NC) and it was a blast.
Dawn: FF&P is going to be awesome! Karen M. Moning will be there as will a lot of other authors. (they are working on details now) I’ll send you a link when it’s up. Anyone reading this is invited too.

Sharon: I noticed we like the same type of books! Who is your favorite BDB brother? And would you say Barron’s name?
Dawn: That is so tough. I’d say Butch. For some reason he grabbed me from book one.
Yes. I love Barron! Yum. Yum. Yum. I can’t wait to read his version. At least I hope there is a his version.
Sharon: She did post a sex scene from his POV on her site. OMG, Squee! Pretty much sums it up ;)
Dawn: She did? I’m going over there right now.

Time for our Rapid Fire Round! (don’t worry, we don’t use ammunition…often ;) Answer with the first thing that pops up. Ready? Set……GO!

Sharon: pancakes or waffles?
Dawn: Pancakes

Katie: gum or hard candy?
Dawn: Gum
Sharon: what flavor?
Dawn: I’m not too picky, but I’ll say spearmint.

Sharon: crawdad’s or shrimp?
Dawn: Crawfish
Sharon: going on record here…Eww!
Dawn: Sharon, have you tried one?
Sharon: um, er…next question!!! <G>

Katie: Sexy Nerd or Sexy Cop?
Dawn: Sexy cop (love uniforms)
Katie: Could have some fun with good cop/bad cop role play…..just saying!

Sharon: Coke or Pepsi?
Dawn: Coke
Sharon: damn! And I was really starting to like you…
Katie: HAHA She loves Coke! And now I love her even more!

Katie: Blade or Angel?
Dawn: Angel

Sharon: DC or Marvel?
Dawn: DC
Katie: ewww ok taking some love back. lol Just kidding. Sort of. *sticks tongue out*
Dawn: You know I wanted to say both, because I do like them both. *sticks tongue out too*

Katie: Cowgirl hat or Fedora?
Dawn: Fedora

Sharon: Nickelodeon or Disney?
Dawn: Disney

Katie: Take me now or Take me later?
Dawn: Now! lol
Sharon: well, duh!

Sharon: Sunlight or Moonlight?
Dawn: Sunlight (really depends on my mood)

Sharon: Is there anything you would like our readers to know before you go?
Dawn: Yes. Thank you so much for having me today! I would love to give *two* readers who comment and share this post on twitter and facebook an ebook of Not An Angel.





***GIVE AWAY***
2 e-copies of Not An Angel
Sheep Swag!
*which will include a moon pie and Cherry Kool Aid
 (I kid you not!)
To Enter:
1. Share this most awesome interview on FB or Twitter (there is a button at the bottom of this post for doing just that!)
2. Leave a comment telling us where you shared (counting on Sheep honor guys) and what have you done or would you do for Mardi Gras beads (or a moonpie) <G>?

Contest ends: Oct 4 at midnight!


19 comments:

  1. awesome interview!
    thanks for sharing and good luck with you release!
    cheers
    Liz

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  2. I Smell Sheep is one of the best blogs ever! Your questions are interesting and fresh. Your authors are witty, humorous, and write great (or great sounding) books!

    I'm not sure if I would be willing to do much for Mardi Gras beads. I've never been to a Mardi Gras themed anything and have never been to the real thing. Moon pies might get a little action out of me but we really don't want to scare anyone :)

    I shared this on my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sapphyrias-Book-Reviews/190594980992792

    Saph
    saphsbookblog at gmail dot com

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  3. awesome interview!
    thanks for sharing

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  4. @Sapphyria - Aww, thanks :) You make our little sheep tails wag. Did you know the winner will receive a moon pie and Kool Aid as part of the sheep swag?! I know, right? We are so good to you guys ;)

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  5. Yeah, don't get me near Madi Gras. I'd probably bare all. Down with the fun! Congrats on the new re-release Dawn. Hugs!!!

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  6. Great post Dawn.
    Pamela K.

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  7. awesome interview!
    thanks for sharing

    rogcaprino [at]hotmail[com]

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  8. I honestly think we have some of the best commenters out there. You all rock!

    Vamps for everyone!!!!! Weeeeeeee!!!!

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  9. I shared to both FB & twitter. I lived in NOLA for 4 years the best thing I did for beads was to make my Hubby flash LOL
    I'm a follower :)

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  10. Great post! Love this blog and the interview style :) This book is going on my wishlist. Hope I get a chance to read it! I don't have tweeter or facebook, otherwise I'd be all over getting the word out :(

    I've never been to Mardi Gras. Would love to go. I guess you get me liquored up and I'd have the liquid courage to flash for beads. But it'd be my luck and someone would take a pic and everyone I know would know. Including my mother.... so.... I'm gonna play it safe and hope someone just gives me some :)

    Thanks for the great post and giveaway!

    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Shared on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/yadkny/status/118848641082458113

    Great giveaway! I'm not a very risque type of person, so there's not a whole lot that I would do for beads... sorry:(

    yadkny@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for the fun today. I would love to read Not an Angel :)
    Tweeted - http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com/2011/09/sheep-interview-author-dawn-chartier.html?spref=tw

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awesome interview and giveaway!! I posted it on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jwitt33/status/119061892114300928

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dawn is trying to post replies, but for some reason blogger won't let her! Hopefully she will get here...:)

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  15. Liz and Saph, thanks for stopping by. Liz I've been meaning to pick one of your books soon. (download)

    Saph, no flashing required. Lol

    Rachel, then Nola is a must for you, so I can dare you....lol

    Pamela, so glad to see you here. Thanks!

    Roro, so glad you enjoyed!

    Corky, I flashing hubby? Wow.

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  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  17. I need to read what I write before I post. Lol

    Erin, no pics are allowed on Bourbon, at least that's what I say.

    Yadkny, you know, theirs not a lot I'd do either. I too many of them stashed in my closet.

    Denise, I'm so glad you had fun! Sharon and Julie rock!

    Julie (ju-ju) that's what I call my buddy, Julie. Lol thanks for coming and sharing...

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  18. Great interview, Dawn. I loved your comments. I remember when Not an Angel was only a ms.

    Nick G.

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