Interview with Mia Marlowe + Giveaway

Mia Marlowe writes about rogues, pirates, headstrong heroines, alpha heroes and everything in between. Today she is answering some questions about her latest release with Connie Mason, LORD OF FIRE AND ICE. She was recently on the blog sharing her Rock*It Reads books but this time around she is sharing a little bit about her Sourcebooks release as well as her next Kensington release.

WELCOME BACK TO THE BLOG MIA!!!

Meet Mia:

Mia writes sensual historical romance with a sparkle of magic for Kensington and Sourcebooks. Her work was featured in PEOPLE magazine’s Best of 2010 edition. One of her books is on display at the Museum of London Docklands alongside Johnny Depp memorabilia. Mia’s most recent release, TOUCH OF A ROGUE, was named a Top Ten Best Romance for Spring 2012 by Publishers Weekly. But the accolades that mean the most to her come from her readers! She loves to connect with other people who also adore books.

Connect with Mia: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Hi Mia! Thank you so much for sharing your latest release with Sourcebooks, Lord of Fire and Ice

Jamie and Kati: Who is Mia Marlowe? (author, soprano, wife, mother, international woman of mystery...)
Mia: Well, looks like you’ve about got me covered. I am all of the above. To that I’ll add that I’m someone with an over-active imagination that sometimes runs away with me. I love the delicate dance between two souls at the heart of all my stories and feel so lucky to be able to spend my days exploring the essence of romance.

J&K: Share a little bit about LORD OF FIRE AND ICE [no copying blurb :)
Mia: LORD OF FIRE AND ICE is the story of Brandr the Far-Traveled who’s just returning home to the North after a five year journey. He’s lived a praise-worthy adventure with his friends and returned with fabulous wealth, but the true treasure he discovered was how to control his special gift—the ability to call fire from the air and direct flames with a thought. But he runs afoul of the locals on Tysnes Island (located at the mouth of his home fjord) and finds himself wearing the iron collar of a slave. Since he won’t use his fire mage skills against his own people, he’s forced to find another way to earn his freedom.

Katla the Black is a prosperous widow who accepts Brandr as her thrall in part to avenge the death of her husband at Brandr’s father’s hand. She means to humble him so abjectly his name will become a byword, but Brandr is a hard man to feel vengeful toward. And Katla longs for the deep love she never experienced with her husband.

J&K: What is it that makes Brandr and Katla perfect for each other?
Mia: They are both strong people—alpha personalities. This leads to a good deal of conflict, but also sparks of strong attraction as well. Here’s a little taste of their first meeting:

Katla had to show this man his place and quickly. “I saved you from the gelding knife this night. You will show your appreciation by kissing my foot.”
She lifted her nightshift to ankle height and presented one to him, toes pointed.
That should wipe the smug expression from his face.
Brandr shrugged, bent over and grabbed her ankle. Then he yanked her upside down. Her bottom took a glancing blow on the floor before she found herself hanging precariously, her foot level with his mouth when he stood back upright.
It happened so quickly, surprise forced all the air from Katla’s lungs. Her nightshift billowed down to bunch at her armpits, exposing her to him. When she tried to kick free, he grasped her other ankle as well. Her fingertips splayed on the slate floor to steady herself.
He planted a wet kiss on her instep and then lowered her to the floor. She managed not to land on her head, but her right shoulder took most of her weight before she rolled to lie flat on her back on the cold slate
Brandr glared down at her and bared his teeth in a wolf’s smile. “Want me to kiss anything else, princess?”

Obviously, Katla and Brandr were made for each other! LOL!

J&K: What made you decide to collaborate with Connie Mason?
Mia: Connie and I first met in 2006 when my debut book MAIDENSONG (also a viking romance!) came out. Connie very graciously gave me a glowing cover quote, the first she’d ever given anyone! Then RT BOOK Reviews compared my work to hers (and Bertrice Small and Virginia Henley) in their first review of my writing.

When our editor Leah Hultenschmidt and agent Natasha Kern suggested we give writing together a try, it was a no brainer for me. Of course, I wanted to work with her.

J&K: Is it hard to co-write a book and why not write together under one name?
Mia: It’s hard to write a book. Period. Whether you do it with a partner or on your own, it means creating a whole world and all the people who inhabit it. Connie and I get along great and find plenty of common ground for our stories. We both love alpha heroes and crave adventure with our romance.

As far as writing under one pen name, that’s a marketing question. Connie Mason has been writing since the 1980’s and has a broad following. Her fans might not realize it’s her work if we had opted to write under a single joint name. Besides, there are plenty of writing teams out there who are using both names—Sherrilyn Kenyon/Dianna Love, Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer, etc. We’re in good company.

J&K: Do you have any writing rituals? (blasting music, eating cookies, drinking wine...)
Mia: I choose a movie soundtrack for each story to listen to while I write. A soundtrack provides a wide range of emotions and I always pick something with no lyrics to distract me. Then it’s just a matter of putting my feet up in the writing chair and making my hands stay on the keyboard.

Oh! And I also have a couple little dogs, Mack & Harry, who like to snuggle in with me while I’m banging out a story. They’re good for getting me out of the chair every few hours so I don’t get stuck. A quick walk with my “boys” often helps me untangle a scene.

J&K: Plotter or Pantser?
Mia: Sadly, I’m a pantser. I so envy plotters, but even if I try to put one together ahead of time, my characters will invariably lead me down different paths.

J&K: If Hollywood came knocking on your door and wanted to make LORD OF FIRE AND ICE into a movie, who would play the hero and heroine? (just an excuse to put up eye candy.lol)
Mia: Chris Hemsworth, the hot young Aussie actor who plays Thor in The Avengers movie would be wonderful as Brandr. In fact, he sort of looks like the guy on the cover, doesn’t he?

And for Katla the Black, I imagined Liv Tyler, the girl who played Arwen in Lord of the Rings.

Actually, I think LORD OF FIRE AND ICE would make a terrific movie. There’s plenty of action and adventure to go along with a steamy romance. (agreed)

J&K: What can readers expect from you next?
Mia: Lots of exciting things! Last weekend, my prequel to the Touch of Seduction series came out. It’s called TOUCH OF A LADY and explains how the “gift of touch” (the ability to glean information from inanimate objects) made it into the Preston family lineage. Here’s the blurb:

Tristan’s grandfather lost the family fortune. In order to save the estate from disaster, Tristan is determined to wed the daughter of a duke. Lady Florence’s dowry is hefty enough to sink a frigate, so Tristan will shoulder the family’s burden, even if it means a loveless match.

When he first lays eyes on Delphinia Preston, he knows she’s trouble in a gorgeous blue dress. Despite the rumors about her being a half-gypsy witch, there’s something about the grey-eyed beauty that calls to Tristan. And he can’t keep himself from answering, even if it means wrecking all his carefully laid plans…

Set at a house party at the Duke of Seabrooke’s country estate, TOUCH OF A LADY features a glittering ball, a naughty game of Hide and Seek, and a grotto in the center of the maze that sees all sorts of clandestine activities! At only 99 cents, this enovella is a hot summer read!

Then on July 31st, the final book in the Touch of Seduction series, TOUCH OF A SCOUNDREL comes out from Kensington. This book was great fun to write because I stood the trope of a scoundrel on its head. My heroine is the scoundrel! Emmaline and her foster father are con artists who are plotting to dupe their mark out of a boatload of cash. My hero’s “gift of touch” shows him that he’ll be kissing the pretty American miss very soon and, unlike most of the visions he sees, this one pleases Griffin. Until he learns that Emmaline is his brother’s fiancée…

All the “Touch” books stand alone, but the characters with the “gift of touch” are all are cousins. Check out my website for excerpts and reviews!

LORD OF FIRE AND ICE:

Genre: Historical
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (July 3, 2012)

His duty is to fulfill her every desire...
Brandr the Far-Traveled has seen the world and a good many of the beautiful women in it. His bed skills are the stuff of steamy legend, his sword sings death, and he can call up fire from thin air. No one ever thought he could be enslaved through trickery and forced to wear the iron collar of a thrall—least of all him.

Until all she desires is him...
Katla the Black isn’t just called so for her dark, silky hair. His new mistress has a temper as fierce as a warrior’s and a heart as icy as the frozen North. But inch by delicious inch, Brandr means to make her melt...

Connect with Connie: Author Site
Get Your Own Copy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

Thanks so much for having me here today to talk about LORD OF FIRE AND ICE. Sourcebooks is offering a copy to one lucky commenter--US/Canada only. 

• To enter, leave me a comment or question. Or answer this question: We always hear about the tall, dark and handsome hero. Who’s your favorite blond actor?
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A huge thank you to Mia for sharing her latest release with Connie Mason with us and for the giveaway copy.
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