GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Interview: D. B. Reynolds, author of The Stone Warriors Series (Books 1-4) + giveaway | I Smell Sheep

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Interview: D. B. Reynolds, author of The Stone Warriors Series (Books 1-4) + giveaway

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
DB: I was a voracious reader, even as a child, and that led me to writing. But it’s difficult to earn a living that way, so off I went to university and a proper job for many years. But then I decided to take a German language class, mostly because it was one of my darling husband’s SIX fluent languages! While perusing the local college’s night school offerings, I happened to see a writing class being taught by an editor whose name I recognized from her many years at all the big Syfy publishing houses. I’d read so many of her authors’ books and just had to meet her. So, I enrolled in her class instead. During that class, I wrote a couple short stories as assignments, and she told me I should really be writing seriously. So I did.

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
DB: I’m lucky to have travelled all over the world, which I love. I’ve been to many interesting places, seen history being made, but the one trip that was truly a dream come true was my trip to Antarctica two years ago. It was alien and exciting, everything I’d always hoped it would be. We went out on heavy-duty Zodiac rafts every day and saw many different species of whales within touching distance. We crossed the Antarctic Circle, visited the Ukraine science station, and were nearly swamped when a HUGE ice formation collapsed almost right on top of us. It was exhilarating, thrilling, and something I’ll never forget!

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
DB: First, I’d quietly put my affairs in order to make it easier for my family. And then, I’d take a lovely bottle of wine and a bunch of junk snacks and sit in my yard, reading while I enjoyed the sunshine and listened to the birds sing. And when it was too late for that, I’d go to bed and read anything I wanted, as long as I could.

Who is your hero and why?
DB: A lot of people talk about the heroes in their lives, but I don’t really have one. There are people I admire—my wonderful husband for surviving a hellish childhood, before going on to become a good and compassionate man; my mother, who overcame personal demons to become the strongest woman I’ve ever known; and certain public figures who have risen to the responsibility of making (or at least trying to make) the world a better and safer place that they were born into.

What kind of world ruler would you be?
DB: I don’t want to rule the world, or even a country. That’s a terrible job. I love my solitude far too much to live such a public life.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
DB: Tall, blonde, intelligent, introverted, with a rebellious streak that got me into lots of trouble when I was younger.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
DB: I think my Vampires in America would make a great TV series, but here’s the thing…I worked in television/movies for many years, and I’ve also watched a lot of movies. Screenwriting is very different from book writing, and movies/television are very, very different than books. Unless you’re very powerful, like J. K. Rowling, you have very little creative control over the casting and dramatic presentation of your work. Some authors have contracts that specify the series, for example, must follow the books for the first season, but after that the script writers can go anywhere they want. A good example is True Blood, which was based on Charlaine Harris’s brilliant Sookie Stackhouse series. IMO, the producers absolutely destroyed that series, and I’m not the only one who feels that way. Would I like the money and increased sales that would come from a series based on my books? Hell, yes. But I’d probably have to force myself not to watch it.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
DB: Hmm, I had to think about that one, but the answer is none. I have gone on historical pilgrimages, though, because I’m a huge dork who loves history.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
DB: A dragon, just because I love them, even though I’ve never written about them. I have several throughout my house, though.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
DB: I have many, which I write as Vampire Vignettes and post on my blog. They never stay there long, however, because they end up in print and e-book anthologies.

How did you come up with the title of your first novel?
DB: I’m terrible with titles. I couldn’t come up with one I liked for RAPHAEL, and so I simply went with his name, and I’ve been doing it ever since with subsequent characters. That was also true with my Syfy Romance, Shifter Planet. That was never supposed to be the final title, but it stuck.

If you could spend time with a character from your books who would it be? And what would you do during that time?
DB: I love all my characters, each in different ways. But if I’m going to spend time with one of them, I’d want to have fun. I’ve always thought Rajmund would be the best guy to spend an evening with. He’s smart and very handsome. He has a dry wit, likes to have a good time, and isn’t too terribly neurotic. No drama.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
DB: I sometimes base a character’s description off a real person, but for the most part they’re from my imagination. I have very vivid mental images of my characters. The one exception is that the personality and personal values of all my male characters are based at least in part on my darling husband.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story? 
DB: I always have control of my stories. That doesn’t meant they don’t change as I’m writing, but it not because of anything the characters do/don’t do, or become.

Dragan (The Stone Warriors Book 4) 
by D.B. Reynolds
January 24, 2020

250 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until…. Dragan Fiachna, heir to the curse of royal blood, a horror hiding behind a beautiful face…. you shall remain locked in stone until a maiden, untested and pure, shall find grace in your beast and safety in your nightmare.

Dragan Fiachna, born to a life of loneliness, cast into stone by a sorcerer’s curse and imprisoned forever in darkness. He is freed at last, only to discover his enemy still lives and is plotting the death of millions in his quest to rule this new world.

Maeve Collins, brilliant, courageous, and compassionate enough to believe a stone statue can have a soul. Shocked when her beautiful winged man breaks free, horrified at the torment he’s endured, she dedicates herself to reuniting him with the warriors he calls family.

But she never planned on falling in love.

Racing across half the country in search of the only man who can stop their foe from fulfilling his merciless scheme, Dragan and Maeve discover they’ve unwittingly stolen the one artifact that can defeat their enemy. And he wants it back. Pursued by assassins, they fight their way to Dragan’s brothers, only to discover the war for this world has already begun….


Gabriel (The Stone Warriors Book 3)
by D. B. Reynolds
October 30, 2018
266 pages
It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until. . . .

Gabriel Halldor. . . one of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen, but his tremendous skill can’t save him from a sorcerer’s curse. Trapped in stone and left lying in darkness for thousands of years, he is, at long last, brought into the sunlight of a Japanese garden, where a young girl comes to sit at his feet and read him stories as she grows to womanhood.

Hana Himura. . . beloved granddaughter of a Japanese mob boss, raised to the life of a warrior. When death comes for her grandfather, he sends her to the one guardian courageous enough to protect her from a sorcerer who will stop at nothing to have her.

Raphael. . . the most powerful vampire lord on earth, and the only man who can save Gabriel and Hana from an enemy who would enslave them both.

Running from the certain death that awaits them in Japan, Hana and Gabriel flee to Malibu and the vampire lord her grandfather called friend. Raphael is magic and power combined, and Gabriel and Hana will need both if they’re going to survive long enough to defeat their enemy and light the flame of desire that’s been simmering between them for years.


Kato (The Stone Warriors Book 2) 
by D. B. Reynolds
June 23, 2017
254 pages
It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until . . .

Kato Amadi . . . born of darkest sorcery, unstoppable on the battlefield, his magic is as deadly as his blade. But not even magic could save him from vicious betrayal. Trapped for millennia in darkness and silence, he is freed at last, only to find himself in the middle of a battle against the very beasts of hell he was created to destroy.
Grace Van Allen is a scholar of ancient languages who toils in the dim recesses of a museum basement with only a beautiful stone warrior to keep her company. But when Grace calls upon her silent warrior to help her translate an obscure new language, she breaks the ancient curse holding him prisoner . . . and frees three deadly demons to rampage through her city.

Tracking demons is what Kato was born to do, but he’ll need Grace’s help. And when they discover that Kato’s enemy is still alive and still plotting against him, their hunt takes a dangerous turn, one that might just prove fatal for both of them . . .


Damian (The Stone Warriors Book 1)
by D. B. Reynolds
June 15, 2016
252 pages
It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until . . .

Damian Stephanos honed his skills in battles fought with magic as much as swords. Caught by a deadly spell that left him trapped for centuries in darkness and obscurity, he is finally freed, only to discover that his enemy still lives. Determined to find him—and to free his brothers in arms—he first must fulfill his blood debt to the woman who released him from his torment. Unfortunately, being so close to this enticing female is another type of torment altogether . . .

Cassandra “Casey” Lewis is a hunter. Possessing the rare ability to sense magic, she spends most of her time shadowing arcane collectors, and more often than not, stealing the dangerous artifacts she pursues. Her job is risky, especially when she’s stealing from one of the most powerful sorcerers alive. But having a gorgeous warrior by her side is a definite bonus. He’s great in a fight . . . and in other places, too.

Following a trail of dead bodies, the two of them must join forces to track down the sorcerer who cursed Damian, and who now plans to turn an ordinary magical device into a deadly weapon. Risking everything, including their hearts, they’re about to discover that trusting each other might be the hardest thing of all.


About the Author:

D. B. Reynolds is the RT and Epic Award-Winning author of the Vampires in America series of paranormal romance, and an Emmy-nominated television sound editor. D. B. currently lives in a flammable canyon near the Malibu coast, and when she's not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else's. You can visit D. B. at her website Dbreynolds.com

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5 comments:

  1. I like the cover. The story sounds really good and a book I would enjoy reading.
    I am always looking for new authors to read.
    jwisley(at)aol(dot)com

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  2. I love the covers and the one "word" titles. DRAGON got me :).

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  3. Looks like they have a lot of stuff going on.

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  4. I haven't read these yet but I have book 1 downloaded on my Kindle now.

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