Interview with author Felicity Heaton + Giveaway

Please welcome paranormal romance author Felicity Heaton! 

Ollie:How long have you wanted to write professionally?

Felicity: I don’t think I ever wanted to write professionally before I began writing for fun. I developed a real passion for writing then and once I began writing original fiction with my own characters, it became even more of an obsession of mine. I throw myself one hundred and ten percent into things I’m passionate about, and writing is up near the top of that list. I was writing ebooks back in the days when we were constantly told that ebooks were going to make it big, but they never did. I really loved writing and I stuck with it even though chances of making a living from being an indie author were non-existent. I persevered because I had come to love writing so much and sharing my stories that I wanted to do it as my career. I never thought it was possible, but it was a nice dream to have.

It was only when Amazon Kindle opened its doors to authors outside the US that I began to make money from my craft. It didn’t stop me from writing to satisfy my love of penning big epic paranormal romances. I was more about the numbers than the royalties. I always have been. Whether it’s free books or paid sales, I get excited when I see lots of people reading my stories.

It wasn’t until 2010 that I began making enough money that I could potentially drop my full-time job and mix up my working life, alternating between writing and freelancing as a web developer. It was a huge risk to switch my comfortable job for a more turbulent life as self-employed. By the time I could leave my job in 2011, I was making far more money from writing than I had expected and it turned out I was able to do writing full-time without the need to freelance for any amount of the year. I never anticipated that I would reach the end of 2011 and look back to see that I had sold over 150,000 copies of my books (as well as given away tens of thousands of free books)… and I certainly didn’t expect that I would have sold 100,000 copies between January and June alone this year, as well as achieving the number 1 spot in Fantasy Romance on Kindle with one of my books. I’ve also just signed with a fantastic agent in New York, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.

Ollie:What were your inspiration for writing Her Demonic Angel and do you plan out the story or do they pop into your mind out or the blue, like when you are out for a walk or taking a shower?

Felicity:I can never tell where my stories come from. I am inspired by everything and ideas come to me all the time. Like you said, I can be in the shower, or walking or driving somewhere, or watching TV. My brain is always engaged, formulating new ideas and open to visits from new characters. Normally, they like to come when it’s really hard to write down the idea. I think that’s my muse’s way of teasing me.

I remember writing Veiron in Her Guardian Angel and he was all brash and tough guy, and a bad boy. I instantly fell in love with him and knew I would have to write his story, taking him back into Hell, the place he hates most, and challenging him by giving him a heroine who was stubborn, feisty, and bound to get under his skin. I wanted to make Veiron reveal his softer side and wanted to give him a woman who would stand by his side and help him fight his battles. The story grew out of that relationship and the rocky start of him having to go into Hell to save her.

Ollie:How would you describe Veiron and Erin?

Felicity: Oh, exactly as above. As for their dynamic… they really play off each other. Erin keeps pushing and Veiron keeps sidestepping, and it’s a merry dance as they try to stay off the Devil’s radar, but it’s a dance in an ever decreasing circle and it isn’t long before they end up in each other’s arms, and then the real fun begins! Together, these two are an unstoppable force and neither will allow anything to stand between them, not even God or the Devil himself.

Ollie:In Her Demonic Angel Veiron is a fallen angel and a pawn in heaven and hell's game that leads him to Erin who gets drawn in. What is it that these two characters see within each other and how will they play a part in one another's life?

Felicity: I think they see a kindred spirit in each other. They’re both very similar in some ways and very different in others. Veiron does his best to disguise the fact that his gruff warrior exterior hides a poet’s heart and that he feels very deeply about things, and when he loves, he loves with all of himself. He’s been through a lot and has taken knocks, and has learned to keep his distance so he doesn’t get hurt. Erin challenges him and he finds it difficult to keep away from her, even when he feels that she’ll only end up turning her back on him when she discovers that he’s like the demonic angels who captured her and took her down to Hell for the Devil.

Erin sees through the façade to the man beneath and she works hard to make him see that she wants to be with him, never relenting. They grow closer as they race to escape the Devil’s men and reunite Erin with her sister, Amelia, who was the heroine of Her Guardian Angel. They develop a bond that is so strong that nothing can break it, although many try in various ways to tear them apart from each other.

As I mentioned above, together they’re an unstoppable force and they take on the world so they can have their forever after.

Ollie:Many readers comment that you are able to create such vivid imagery in your writing. Do you find the process difficult and in regards to Her Demonic Angel what aspects was the most difficult and the easiest to write.

Felicity: I don’t find it difficult. I think it’s just a natural part of my style of writing and my voice. I love to layer in descriptions and I have a very vivid imagination. I’ve always said that I write movies in book form. I love to imagine everything I’m writing and I can see it playing out in my head as I write, and I think that comes through in the book, allowing readers to see what I envisaged too.

Ollie:Which of your characters do you relate to the most?

Felicity: I’m not sure there is a single one. I do have an innate fear of death so perhaps I’m most like Lincoln from Seventh Circle as he shares that with me. There are probably many characters that have little slices of me in them, or are in situations that reflect my life experience. Writers have a tendency to take facets of themselves to breathe life into their characters. Erin in Her Demonic Angel is an artist and I love to draw. It’s one of my passions.

Ollie:When you're writing do you listen to music? If so, what are some of your favorite artists/albums/songs to write to?

Felicity: I do listen to music. I can write in silence too, but I always prefer to write with music. It helps me shut the world out and focus on my work. What I’m listening to all depends on what type of scene I’m writing. I like to listen to everything from classical music to alternative rock. It just depends on the particular mood or emotion I want to feel and therefore evoke in my writing. I have fighting songs, sad songs, love songs, dramatic ones too. I tend to make a soundtrack for every book I write, packed with songs that really speak of the characters and the scenes.

Ollie:Out of the books you’ve written, do you have a favorite hero or heroine? Is so, who and why.

Felicity:I have a few, all of them heroes. My number one is Valentine from the Prophecy Trilogy. I absolutely adore him. He’s dark, gritty, loyal and loving, and extremely dangerous. The ones holding the number two spot are Julian from Love Immortal, Kearn from Forbidden Blood, Aleksandr from Heart of Darkness, and now Veiron from Her Demonic Angel. Veiron is my number one angel. I totally fell in love with him over the course of writing his novel.

Ollie:What do you hope the readers get from reading the book?

Felicity: I love to give readers an escape into a fantastical world with unforgettable characters and a story that will sweep them along, surprising them at times, warming their hearts at others, and leaving them in the end with a deep sigh of satisfaction and a big smile on their face. I want to give readers warm fuzzies, and I want them to find a deep sense of relaxation as they read my stories, whisked away from the troubles of this world to the excitement of one far more uplifting and enchanting. I want to give them hope that there is true love out there, and maybe those vampires, werewolves, demons or angels we dream about exist too.

Ollie: Would you tell us a little of what you’re working on next?

Felicity: I have just finished outlining Bewitch, the next book in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series, and have just begun writing it. I’m ten thousand words into the first draft on day one and I’m eager to continue writing it, but I need to pace myself. I tend to get burned out if I persist at a pace of 10k a day!

I’ve also completed the first draft of the first book in a new series, Guardians of Hades. I’m very excited about that series as I’ve been working on it for the past four years.

When I’m done with the first draft of Bewitch, I will be planning Unleash, the final book in the series. I’ll also be working in planning the next Her Angel book and the next Vampires Realm book.

Her Demonic Angel, the fifth book in Felicity Heaton’s Her Angel romance series, is now available, and to celebrate the release she’s holding a fantastic giveaway at her website and she’s also giving away the first book in the series, Her Dark Angel, for FREE at selected Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books and Apple iBookstore sites.

You can find all the links for the FREE book, including a sample, at the following page: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/herdarkangel/

Find out how to enter the Her Demonic Angel international giveaway (ends September 23^rd) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download an 8 chapter sample of the novel: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Demonic%20Angel

Here’s more about Her Demonic Angel, including an excerpt from this long angel romance novel.

Her Demonic Angel
Felicity Heaton
A demonic angel with a heart of ice, Veiron walks a dark path with vengeance on his mind. Nothing will sway him from his mission to destroy his master... until he risks his life to enter Hell once more to save a mortal female. The fiery beauty makes him burn with hungers he must battle and needs he cannot deny, tempting him to surrender body and soul to her.

Erin is convinced her refusal to do the Devil’s bidding will see her die in a terrifying realm straight out of her nightmares. The last thing she expects is the lethally sensual warrior who breaks into her cell and awakens the darkest desires of her heart and a fierce longing to know the heat of his caress.

Pulled into an incredible world where war is set to ignite and darkness is on the rise, Erin races with Veiron to escape the Devil’s legions in a journey fraught with danger and filled with passion that flares white-hot.

When Erin is faced with a life-shattering realisation and an extraordinary destiny, will their love give them the strength to battle both Heaven and Hell or will they be parted forever?

Her Demonic Angel is available from:

Amazon.com Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00995OSTQ/

Amazon.co.uk Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00995OSTQ/

Apple iBookstore US: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781909306301

Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781909306301

Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781909306301

Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781909306301

Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9781909306301

Author’s Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Demonic%20Angel

Her Demonic Angel – Excerpt

The door opened behind her and Erin didn’t make the mistake of whirling to face the visitor this time.

She turned slowly, expecting to find either the Devil or one of his cronies come to torment her.

It was neither.

A bloodstained and beaten man wearing tight black jeans that emphasised the thickness of his thighs and a black t-shirt that stretched across the impressive hard cut breadth of his chest stood in the doorway.

He was holding a very big sword.

Erin swallowed.

Had he come to kill her?

She glanced back at the abyss below her feet. What would be a better and less painful death? Falling to this scarlet-haired man’s sword or plummeting into the volcanic river?

“Erin, I presume?” His deep voice wrapped around her and Erin couldn’t miss the concern that laced the weariness and irritation in it.

Erin looked back at him.

He slid the broadsword down his back and scrubbed his hand across several days’ worth of dark growth on his handsome face.

One good-looking man had fooled her already and it wasn’t going to happen again. This man was every bit as lethal, brutal and vicious as the Devil. It was there in his eyes and the way he held himself, legs spread in a warrior’s stance, ready for a fight.

He looked as though he had already been through several battles recently. Now that she looked closer, she spotted tears in his t-shirt that revealed startlingly enticing glimpses of hard packed muscles.

Erin dragged her gaze down to her own feet.

She must have lost it in the past few days. She had finally plunged into crazy, her mind frazzled by her captivity and being in Hell. She had to be insane to be ogling the man who had clearly come to kill her.

“Why don’t you just do it and get this over with?” she said, feeling a spark of defiance ignite in her chest. If she was going to die, she might as well go down fighting.

“Excuse me?” He frowned at her, a quizzical look filling his dark eyes. “Get what over with?”

“Killing me.”

His dark red eyebrows pinched together. “If you’re not Erin, I might.”

It was her turn to frown. “You don’t want to kill me?”

“Are you Erin?”

She nodded.

“Then I don’t want to kill you.” He stepped into her cell and she noted that he didn’t bother to stay close to the door. If she were entering a cell on a mission to save someone, she would certainly keep one foot in the door in case a bad guy came along and shut them both in. Did he have another means of escape if that happened? He raked dark eyes over her and she shivered under the heat of his gaze. “You are not what I was expecting.”

“Ditto,” she said and shrugged when he looked into her eyes, confusion lighting his again. “I was expecting the Devil to come back.”

“The snide little fucker actually paid you a visit in person?”

Erin frowned at how casually he badmouthed the Devil, as though he wasn’t afraid of him. She stared at the man, taking in his impressive height and build. He was taller than the Devil and much broader too, thick sinewy muscles visible beneath his tight clothing. His biceps were huge, so large she would struggle to wrap both of her hands around one arm. Her fingertips and thumbs wouldn’t touch if she tried. Matching black and red tribal tattoos curled around those biceps, a tantalising peek of a larger design that disappeared under the sleeves of his t-shirt.

Erin found herself wanting to strip his top off to see the rest of it.

She really had lost her mind.

“Are you alright?” He frowned again.

“Just a little brain damage,” she said, trying to make light of everything.

He crossed the black floor and stopped before her, towering close to a foot over her, his immense body overshadowing hers and making her feel tiny. He slid one large hand along the line of her jaw, tilted her head back, and stared down into her eyes.

Erin swallowed. It should be illegal for a man to be so handsome yet so lethal-looking. He screamed danger but she wasn’t quaking under his touch because of it. It was a whole other feeling that had her trembling.

“You don’t look crazy,” he whispered and she added his sultry low voice to the list of reasons someone should stamp him with the words ‘dangerous’ and ‘forbidden’. “Now... all opposed to being rescued, raise your hands, otherwise, I’d like to get the fuck out of here.”

Erin didn’t argue, not even when he clamped one strong large hand around her slender wrist and drew the broadsword strapped to his back with the other. She stared at the open door, battling a flood of emotions that threatened to sweep her under. Freedom. This man was here to save her. It was too sweet and glorious to believe. It had to be a cruel trick, another form of torture to break her.

She didn’t have much time to take in what was really happening when he pulled her over the threshold and into a long black corridor that ran between the cells. Before she could even glance back at the cell that had been her home for God only knew how many days, he was dragging her along the hallway.

“Can you run?” He glanced over his broad shoulders at her and didn’t give her a chance to respond before he started at a pace.

Erin tried to keep up. The prospect of actually surviving and escaping Hell flooded her with adrenaline that had her bare feet moving but she couldn’t match his long strides. A bright flash blinded her but it didn’t slow her companion. He kept running. They passed a large open room and she turned her head in time to see several dead bodies strewn across a floor slick with blood. More flashes lit the darkness and with each one, a body disappeared.

They looked like humans. Had the man killed them to reach her? What was that light and why were they disappearing?

She started to ask but her gaze settled on the hard angles of his profile and the stern set of his jaw and she thought better of it. This man was her ticket out of Hell and she wasn’t about to piss him off, not when she had the impression that he was quite content with killing.

Erin pounded along the black-walled corridor beside him, her legs beginning to tire and each step jarring her bones and sending pain shooting across the soles of her feet. She lost her footing on one of the sets of steps that led downwards and almost fell. The man’s hand on her wrist stopped her. He pulled her up by her arm as though she was nothing but a ragdoll in his hands, suspending her off the ground for a second before setting her down again.

“You are weak,” he said and she bristled at the double meaning in his words. He wasn’t just saying she was weak from her captivity, but that he thought she was weak period.

Erin snatched her wrist free of his grasp and rubbed it. She turned her nose up and stormed ahead of him, feeling crazy for taking the lead when she didn’t know where she was going and she didn’t have a weapon, or the knowledge of how to wield one. She couldn’t let him think she was weak though.

He followed behind her, a dark shadow barely a few feet from her, his footsteps almost silent.

They reached a split in the corridor and Erin paused. Neither of the avenues she could take looked inviting. Both were pitch-black and voices came from one. Or was it the other? Everything echoed in the corridors and it was hard to distinguish which would lead her to a grisly death and which would lead her to freedom.

She chose the right.

The man grabbed her around the waist from behind, twisted her in his arm, and slung her over his shoulder.

Erin struggled and his arm tightened against her back, causing his thick shoulder to press into her stomach. Her organs protested, sharp pain lancing each one.

“You’ll fall off. I need to move fast and you’re slowing me down.”

Well, that was just rude. Erin punched his backside. God, it was like a rock. She almost purred. Could this man get any smexier?

“You can’t carry me and fight your way out of here.”

He laughed, the warm timbre of it echoing around the dark walls. “Believe me, Sweetheart, I can fight with both hands tied behind my back. You’re no hindrance at all.”

He jogged down the left corridor with her, each step jolting her on his shoulder until she felt close to losing what little remained of the last thing she ate. Erin grabbed his leather belt, hooked her thumbs into the waist of his jeans and pushed herself up enough that it didn’t hurt as much as he ran.

This was just embarrassing now.

It was bad enough having her rescuer belittle her.

Having him carry her fireman-style to freedom was making her wish he had left her in her cell.

Warm fresh air assaulted her, as fresh as Hell got anyway, and she looked up to see the huge black walls of the prison fortress bouncing away from her.

“You can put me down now,” she said but he didn’t hear her. Either that or he was ignoring her. She was tempted to punch him on the backside again but gave up and let him have his way.

The jagged towers of the prison slowly wobbled into the distance and were lost from view behind the spires of black rock that lined the path her hero had chosen. Vents in their sides and tops belched hot acrid smoke that stole her breath. She pulled his black t-shirt up, exposing a lean delicious back, and covered her mouth with it. How the hell could he run in this?

Erin wanted to be sick.

She counted the bounces in his step to keep her focus off the horrendous smell of rotten eggs invading her lungs and the increasing number of bleached bones that lined the path as though someone had kicked the bodies out of the way and just let them rot there. Or perhaps some smaller creature had picked the bones clean. There were grooves in some of them, as though sharp teeth and claws had scraped them. Erin hoped it had happened after death and that the screams still ringing in her ears weren’t the death cries of people being eaten alive.

The man managed over three hundred steps before he finally stopped and set her down with surprising care in a wide clearing.

“Are you alright?” He held her at arm’s length, looking her over.

Her blood heated when his dark eyes lingered on her breasts and then the tiny shorts she wore.

“Do you always dress like this?” He raised an eyebrow.

Erin folded her arms across her chest, covering her breasts. The black pebbles of the path cut into the bare soles of her feet. “I was in bed when they took me.”

He ran his gaze over her again and a touch of crimson ringed his dark irises.

Erin took a step backwards.

That had to be a reflection of their fiery surroundings. It had to be.

Mr Tall, Dark and Deadly couldn’t be something straight out of Hell.

Her Demonic Angel is available now from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Apple iBookstores and direct from the author. It will soon be available for Barnes and Noble Nook too.

Find all the links, a fantastic 8 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to enter the Her Demonic Angel giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Demonic%20Angel

Books in the Her Angel romance series:

Her Dark Angel (Her Angel romance series book 1)

Her Fallen Angel (Her Angel romance series book 2)

Her Warrior Angel (Her Angel romance series book 3)

Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel romance series book 4)

Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel romance series book 5)

About Felicity Heaton:

Felicity Heaton writes passionate paranormal romance books as Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!

If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, Felicity Heaton’s best selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series she writes as F E Heaton or any of her stand alone vampire romance books she writes as Felicity Heaton. Or if you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try Felicity Heaton’s new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.

In 2011, five of her six paranormal romance books received Top Pick awards from Night Owl Reviews, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews, and many of her releases received five star reviews from numerous websites.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

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

Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton

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

Felicity is offering a eBook of Her Warrior Angel. Please leave a comment or a question to Felicity to enter, along with an email if it's not on your profile.