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Sunday, December 26, 2010

Ten Tantalizing Questions & Giveaway with Bree Despain, Author of The Lost Saint!

Today I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Bree Despain, author of The Dark Divine, and the highly anticipated sequel, The Lost Saint, which releases tomorrow, December 28th 2010! Bree stopped by to discuss the book with us and brought along a great prize pack to boot. See contest details below.

 

Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo.
 
1.       The Lost Saint, the sequel to The Dark Divine, is currently scheduled for release on December 28th 2010.  When we last left off, Grace Divine had sacrificed everything to save Daniel, but lost her brother Jude in the process.  What can we look forward to in The Lost Saint? Can you share with us a favorite line or scene from the book?

 "You bedazzled my stake?" 

2.       What three words do you think best describe The Lost Saint?

 "Awesomest sequel ever" (Sorry, that was my husband's contribution--please ignore him.)  How about: "Exciting, action-packed, heart-breaking."  (Hyphenated words count as one, right?) 

3.       What do you love most about the main characters you’ve created in this series?

I love how much Grace and Daniel care about each other and that their relationship is based on a lifetime of friendship rather than just some sort of mystical force or lust that draws them together.  I think their friendship makes their passion even greater.  

 4.       Do you have anything in common with Grace's character in your novel? Do you ever base your characters on people you know?

The Lost Saint: A Dark Divine Novel  I grew up in a tight-knit religious family similar to Grace's--which means it was hard for me to write about her family unraveling the way it does in TLS.  I also like to think of Grace as the stronger version of myself in high school.  We're both pretty stubborn but Grace is more likely to speak her mind.  Daniel is based on a few different people from my life, and Pastor Divine is a lot like my own father.

5.       In The Dark Divine, Grace found out that some stories about creatures that go bump in the night are not merely fiction. If you had to become one supernatural creature for a day, which one would you want to be and why?

 Probably a fairy--they don't seem to have as much angst as other paranormal creatures, plus it would be fun to be able to fly for a day.

6.       If you had to pick a theme song to describe Grace, which one would you pick and why? 

 Tremendous Dynamite by The Eels.  It's a song about a girl with "her head screwed on real tight" (i.e. stubborn) who can put up a hard-won fight.  Love the lines: "Being the bomb is her birthright.  She's tremendous.  She's dynamite."  This song is pretty perfect for how Grace evolves in TLS.

7.       What types of feedback do you receive from readers? Is there one comment in particular that really affected you?

I love hearing from readers!  The letter that affected me the most was from a girl who read out loud to TDD to her best friend who was in coma--and when her friend awoke weeks later she said that one of the things she remembered was someone telling her a story about a girl named Gracie and that she liked it and wanted to hear more.  The girl who wrote me the letter believed that her friend's connection to the story was one of the things that helped pull her out of the coma.  I cried quite a bit when I got that letter! 

 8.       As a writer, why do you think the genre of monsters and fantasy is so appealing for so many people? 

The Dark Divine I don't know about other readers/authors but I love paranormal fiction because the genre allows authors to use monsters and fantasy elements as metaphors for what many people go through in their real lives. It's a fantastical/escapist way of exploring real issues.

9.       What were you like as a teen? What types of books were your favorites when you were Grace’s age?

 I was an introvert who had a funny/crazy side that only really came out when I was with good friends.  I was really into drama, so I loved reading plays.  OTHELLO, GLASS MENAGERIE, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD were some of my favorites.  I also loved a YA series of books called Sunfire Romance.  They were basically historical fiction spiced up with a love triangle.  I found them surprising useful when taking A.P. American History.

10.   What can we look forward to reading from you next? Will there be another installment in this series?

Yes I'm working on the third book in the Dark Divine trilogy right now.  After that book, I have plans for another paranormal series but this one will be based on Greek mythology. 

Want more? Check out my previous interview with Bree Despain. 
Read my review of The Dark Divine & The Lost Saint.



GIVEAWAY  PRIZE PACK
**Signed paperback of The Dark Divine
**ARC of The Lost Saint
Bonus goodie: Signature Lost Saint blue nailpolish!

The Lost Saint (Dark Divine,  #2)
BY BREE DESPAIN


The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel.  Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi.  She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother.  When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do.  She must become a Hound of Heaven.  Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero.  But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble.  Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung.  Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint.
Official Rules:
1.You must be 13 year or older to enter.
2. Open to entrants with a valid U.S. mailing address only. 
3. Entries must be received by Midnight EST on January 9th 2011. 
4. Once contacted, winners have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
5. To enter to win, simply fill out the form below. Good luck!  


34 comments:

Reading said...

Great interview. I loved the Dark Divine and can't wait for the Lost Saint. I hope it is not too heart-breaking.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Booklady said...

With a line like "You Bedazzled my stake." I've got to read this book.

I like reading plays when I was young, too and To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books.

Bree - have you written any plays?

Beverly aka Bookwoman

Pamk said...

I can say for sure that my sons and hubby would say those song lyrics would fit me to a t.

Cheryl said...

Great interview. I love learning about new authors

Adriana said...

Aw, the girl reading TDD to her friend is so sweet! I'm really looking forward to The Lost Saint as well as the Greek mythology series that sounds really good!

Christina / Book Addict said...

Thanks for sharing this fabulous interview! I am so excited for this book!

donnas said...

Great interview. Really been wanting to read TDD.

Vivien said...

Can't wait for this. I just re read TDD in anticipation. Love it.

LJ said...

This series sounds great, and I'd love to read it. Great interview and giveaway! Thanks for hosting!

Sophie said...

I love the sing you choose for Grace and oh that story about the reader and her friend in a coma -- how beautiful was that??? Thank you so much for the interview, Bree!

holdenj said...

Great post and info about the new book! And thanks for sharing that story from one of your fans about her friend in the coma. Very heartwarming.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Cristy said...

Great Interview. I love the Series! Can't wait for the book to come out!

Stephanie Lorée said...

These books sound wonderful! Great interview and great answers. Thanks so much for hosting the giveaway!

Brynne said...

"You bedazzled my stake." LOL
Question 7's answer=WOW
Thanks for the great giveaway and interview!

Moridin said...

Great interview! The Lost Saint sounds like a great book.

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Great interview. I love paranormal trilogies.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Tales of Whimsy said...

Seriously FABTASTIC quote :) I need to get my hands on this book :)

A'lina said...

I really want to read these! Thanks for the great interview and giveaway!

Kathy Habel said...

I heard Bree speak a couple months ago, since then I have been even more excited to read The Lost Saint!

BookHounds said...

AWESOME~
No need to enter me, I just posted this on win a book!

http://winabook.westofmars.com/2010/12/28/the-lost-saint-by-bree-despain-2/

Aik said...

Hi Bree, I've always wanted to read your books! Thanks for participating in this interview!

Jessy said...

Thanks for the interview, Bree. I just love when you recommend music. You've turned me on to a lot of great bands!

minhchieu said...

great interviedw! i cant wait to read the lost saint. i really hope i win

EVA SB said...

Great interview. I am really looking forward to reading the Sequel to The Dark Divine.

Sheila Deeth said...

Great interview. I think you've got me hooked.

Anonymous said...

great interview! I can't wait to read the next book!

latishajean said...

Great interview I loved the Dark divine and can't wait to read the Lost saint. Thank you so much for the great giveaway!

Liz said...

Loved The Dark Divine. Can't wait to read this one!

Anonymous said...

Great interview! Looks like an interesting book!

Rita Renne said...

"You bedazzled my stake." I have GOT to read the sequel now! (:

The story about the girl in the coma waking up after being read 'The Dark Divine' had me to the brink of tears. Such a sweet story. I loved this interview. Thank you, Despain!

~Brianna

missreneer said...

Great interview. I am so interested in reading this. Thanks for the great giveaway :)

mrsjohnson1982 at yahoo dot com

darlanpaulsmamma said...

i really want to read this book now after the interview, i am going to go buy the dark divine - i love to read especially books of this genre - thanks for the giveaway
melissa.barnes76 at yahoo dot com

Khyla said...

Hi Bree, I've always wanted to read your books! Great interview! Looks like an interesting book!

Bere said...

Awesome interview, Kim! I have not read this series yet but I am really looking forward to doing so. I've heard great things on both TDD and TLS. =D