ASCENSION Book Tour: Interview and Giveaway with Felicity Heaton

Please welcome paranormal romance author Felicity Heaton to Book of Secrets! Felicity is here to answer some interview questions and to talk about her latest release ASCENSION. Hi, Felicity!

Describe yourself in six words or less.

Passionate, creative, honest, driven, loving, stubborn

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think that was probably when I was first e-published back in 2005. It was exciting to see my books out there at last. The feeling that I’m a writer is one that has grown in me little by little every day that I’ve been putting fingers to keyboard. With my recent decision to give up the day job and become a full time author, that feeling has increased one hundredfold. Writing is now my career, and I have only become more passionate about it.

Please share some juicy details about ASCENSION.

Ascension is a hot, sassy, snarky and kick-ass urban fantasy romance, and it’s the first part in a new series for me, the Shadow and Light Trilogy. There’s plenty of passion in the book. The sort of heat burning between the hero and heroine is intense and unwavering, something not easily extinguished even though they’ve been apart for six years at the start of the story. There’s a lot of emotion involved too, as with all my books, and emotional hurdles that the hero and heroine need to overcome. The hero in this one, Taig, is a half-demon half-human who has dedicated his life to eradicating demons because of his negative feelings towards his own demon blood and father. The heroine, Lealandra, is a butt-kicking witch who is just as stubborn as the hero. When she realises that her only hope of surviving both the dark force that is out to kill her and her impending ascension, a time when her magic reaches the pinnacle of its power, is to turn to Taig for help, she also vows to make things right between them. They bang heads a lot in the story, but there’s such fire in both of them that neither will back down. If readers are looking for kick-ass hero meets kick-ass heroine, with plenty of hot loving and passion, then this is definitely one for them.

What or who were your early influences that led you to write paranormal romance?

I grew up reading paranormal stories. I’m talking about my love of them going back to when I was learning to read as a kid. I have book reports that I wrote in school and if it didn’t involve vampires, witches, werewolves or other supernatural elements, I decided it was ‘boring’. When I was a teen, I was really into reading H P Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and other gothic horror writers, as well as fantasy novels and classic romances. I think it was the combination of all of those, and the vampire world I daydreamed about during my classes as a teen that led me to where I am today. I didn’t read paranormal romances before I started writing them. Now I can’t put them down and the vampire world of my daydreams is now one I put down on paper for everyone to read.

If you could trade places with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Oh, I think I would have a hard time getting this down to just one character. If I really had to choose, I think I would have to go with Prophecy from the Prophecy Trilogy, which is part of my Vampires Realm series that I write as F E Heaton. My reason for choosing her is simple. She’s the only vampire in that world that can use magic, and she has a gorgeous deadly vampire, Valentine, as her bonded mate. Valentine is the hero I’ve fallen hardest for during my time as a writer. He’s the one who has really stayed with me. I love them all, but Valentine is super special.

What is your favorite paranormal being?  Why?

Vampires. Not the sparkly sort, or the kind that moans about having to drink blood, or refuses to kill. Not a wimpy vampire. I like my vampires dark and deadly, killers without remorse, more traditional as it were. The darkness inside them is part of what makes them so appealing so I can never understand when authors shy away from it, or try to change vampires until they’re basically humans with fangs and some special powers. I definitely prefer a more traditional, darker kind of beast. A demon in the form of man.

Where is your favorite place to read?

If it’s sunny, then I love to read in my garden. It’s a real sun trap as it faces due south, so the temperatures can get a bit unbearable if it’s a really sunny day, but it’s so relaxing to just slouch there and read. I’ll read anywhere though and whenever I get the chance, which isn’t often since I’m always writing or editing, or doing work related to my writing.

Other than writing, what are some of your passions in life?

I love drawing, mostly anime/manga style stuff. I also love watching anime, reading manga, or playing on my PlayStation 3. Other than that, I love learning Japanese, but haven’t had time to recently, or travelling. Travelling is a huge passion for me.

What can readers expect next from you?

After Ascension, I have another 5 releases this year. Next up is Forbidden Blood, which is the first book in a new series called Vampire Venators, and that’s out on June 18^th 2011. It’s a dark vampire romance and a whole new world for me that I hope readers will find fascinating. On July 30^th I’ll be releasing Her Guardian Angel, which is the fourth book in the Her Angel series and the first novel length outing for my dark sexy angels. After that, I’m releasing Masquerade, the tenth book in my Vampires Realm series, on September 10th. It’s a busy year for me as always. 

Where can readers find you on the web?

Readers can find me all over the place. The best places to connect with me are:

Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/

Blog: http://www.indieparanormalromancebooks.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

About the Book:

ASCENSION

By Felicity Heaton

A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic.

With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig’s blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy.

Old feelings come flooding back as Taig allows her into his world and Lealandra finds herself fighting not only for survival but to win his broken heart again and heal the pain in their past. Can he forgive her for walking out on him all those years ago and will he ever believe her when she tells him that he’s not a monster but the man that she loves?

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Ascension
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ascension/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011267451/

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1461131839/

About the Author:

Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.

Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures.

Giveaway Details:

Felicity is giving away an e-book of winner's choice from her backlist (excluding Ascension).  To enter, please leave a question or comment for Felicity and a way to contact you.  The giveaway is open internationally.  Contest ends on Saturday, 5/28/2011, at 11:59 pm CST.  Good luck!

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