Deborah Cooke

ABOUT DEBORAH

Deborah Cooke has always been fascinated with dragons, although she has never understood why they have to be the bad guys. She has an honors degree in history, with a focus on medieval studies. She is an avid reader of medieval vernacular literature, fairy tales and fantasy novels, and has written over forty romance novels and novellas. She has also been published under the names Claire Cross and Claire Delacroix.

ABOUT FLYING BLIND

"Zoe is a wonderful heroine--smart, strong and sympathetic.

Bring on book two!" Kelley Armstrong, #1 NYT Bestselling Author of The Awakening

Zoë is the Wyvern of the Pyr – the one female dragon shape shifter with special powers. But Zoë is at the bottom of the class when it comes to being Pyr, and her powers are AWOL. Worse, there’s no reference book to consult, and the last Wyvern is dead….

Everything changes when Zoë’s best friend is bullied and Zoë reacts. Before she can blink twice, her inner dragon is loose, and she’s suspended from school and headed to a shape shifter boot camp with guys she’s known all her life. But soon she’s doubting her powers – and even some of her friendships.

Zoë quickly realizes she has to master her powers yesterday – there’s danger ahead and boot camp is a trap. A secretive group, the Mages, want to eliminate all shifters and the Pyr are next in line – unless Zoë and her friends can solve the riddle and work together to save their own kind…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Sure to become a classic!" ~ Fresh Fiction

“I dare any reader to start this book and not get caught up in the story immediately. The first of the new series about the next generation of dragons, FLYING BLIND is a story of coming of age, of finding one’s true worth, and of trusting in one’s self. For a thoroughly enjoyable and completely entertaining fantasy and a great start to a new series, don’t miss FLYING BLIND.” ~ Romance Reviews Today

Excerpty goodness at http://www.thedragondiaries.com/flyingblind_excerpt.html
Covers at http://www.thedragondiaries.com/

LET'S GET TO KNOW DEBORAH COOKE

MAUREEN: Where do you most like to read and how often?
DEBORAH: I love to sit on the porch in the summer and read. There’s a great breeze there and the chairs are squishy-good.

MAUREEN: Sounds heavenly! Do you believe in ghosts?
DEBORAH: Yes. I live with two (as well as some living peeps). They’re pretty low-maintenance now that we’re all used to each other.

MAUREEN: Okay, maybe your place isn't so heavenly. ;) Where in the world would you most like to visit?
DEBORAH: Asia. I haven’t been there and I’d love to go. I sent Thorolf to Bangkok and I’m crazy-jealous – and yes, it is twisted to be jealous of fictional characters when you are the one who made them up and decided what they would get to do. Maybe Thorolf is living my Bangkok fantasy.

MAUREEN: What’s next for you as an author?

DEBORAH: Next up is the second book in my YA trilogy, The Dragon Diaries. Zoë learns more in WINGING IT, coming December 2011, then still more in BLAZING THE TRAIL, coming next June 2012. My adult paranormal romance series featuring dragon shape shifters (Dragonfire) continues with book #7 in that series, FLASHFIRE, in January 2012 and #8 in October 2012. I think FLASHFIRE has The Best Dragonfire Cover Ever. Just sayin’. I love the book too!

MAUREEN: Do shapeshifters exist?
DEBORAH: They must. We’ve been telling stories about them for a long, long time.

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite hobby?
DEBORAH: Knitting! Of course. My blog is called Alive & Knitting, which is a big clue. I’m a teensy bit compulsive about sticks and string.

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
DEBORAH: Beauty and the Beast. No question.

MAUREEN: What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on?
DEBORAH: We went on a camping trip to Morocco for three weeks. It was awesome – and it wasn’t all bad that we spent five days in a pishy poshy London hotel suite afterwards. Great trip.

MAUREEN: I love Morocco, but didn't camp there. I'm jealous. Cats or dogs?
DEBORAH: Dogs.

MAUREEN: Hiking boots or high heels?
DEBORAH: Depends where I’m going.

MAUREEN: Fair enough. :) What’s your favorite cartoon character?
DEBORAH: Bugs Bunny.

MAUREEN: What hidden talents do you have?
DEBORAH: I try to keep them all right out in the open.

MAUREEN: What sound or noise do you love?
DEBORAH: Summer rain, especially when I wake up to it.

MAUREEN: What book would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island?
DEBORAH: The Lord of the Rings.

MAUREEN: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

DEBORAH: Yes. I listen to music, very loud music, while I write. It tends to be me and Freddie Mercury when words need to get typed – I have a stack of Queen CD’s that rotate their way through the CD deck. I like the energy of their music, the diversity within any given album, (no greatest hits compilations when I’m writing) and I love love LOVE Fred’s voice.

MAUREEN: I'm a big Queen fan, too. Freddy Mercury was one of my first crushes. Boy, was I barking up the wrong tree. ;) On to a deeper question: What’s your favorite kind of cheese?
DEBORAH: Something with lots of butterfat, preferably unpasteurized. Bring along any Raclette cheese, or Morbier, or even Oka and I’ll help you work through it. (You brought wine and a fresh baguette to go with it, right?)

MAUREEN: Of course! Yum! What was the first story you remember writing?
DEBORAH: I rewrote The Lord of the Rings as a fantasy romance. Wow, could I get sued for that, if the manuscript still existed! It was fun, though, and I learned a lot about story and structure in doing it. Took me two summers of commuting to work on the bus.

MAUREEN: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?
DEBORAH: I might be a pastry chef. Or a sculptress (but not the kind that Minette Walters wrote about.)

MAUREEN: Is Elvis really dead?
DEBORAH: We’d have to go to Kalamazoo to find out for sure.

MAUREEN: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
DEBORAH: Get a haircut. Good thing I deliver every four months or I’d be a very shaggy individual. After the haircut, I clean my office – even after four months, it gets pretty scary in there.

MAUREEN: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and why?
DEBORAH: 12th century Paris. Absolutely no question. When do we leave?

MAUREEN: Strawberry daiquiri or a beer?

DEBORAH: Neither. Red red wine, please.

MAUREEN: Coming right up. :) Do you believe in alien abductions?
DEBORAH: No, but then, I don’t live in New Mexico and have never been there.

MAUREEN: Did you belong to a clique in high school? Which one of the standard high school stereotypes did you best fit in to?
DEBORAH: I was an Artsy Fartsy. Zoë and I have that going on – except I was better at Math than she is.

MAUREEN: Salsa or guacamole?
DEBORAH: Salsa. If you have salsa verde and fajitas on the grill, I’m your girl. (What time is dinner?)

MAUREEN: Come on over. :) Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
DEBORAH: Tea - just naked, please, and preferably Earl Grey.

MAUREEN'S GOTTA ASK -- DEB'S GOTTA ANSWER

MAUREEN: Would you want to be a dragon? Why or why not?

DEBORAH: Well, of course! Why else write about dragon shape shifters? I suspect every one (especially every kid) has a fantasy of being some other kind of creature. Although I think fairies are pretty, they could probably get squished too easily. I’ve no desire to be a werewolf – maybe that’s a case of TMI. I’ve always had dogs. Never lived with a dragon, though. I love the idea of being able to fly. I love Zoë’s Incinerate Now list – if I’d thought of it, I’d have had one when I was 16, too. I love that dragons are loyal and beautiful and good at solving riddles. Come on and admit it - don’t you want to be a dragon, too?


MAUREEN: I would like to fly... And that Incinerate Now list... That is appealing. :)

DEBORAH ASKS:

If you were a dragon, what colour would your scales be?
OR, if you were a dragon, what would be your favorite power? (I’m torn between flying and breathing fire. Just so you know where I stand.)

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Deborah's publisher will send a copy of FLYING BLIND to one lucky commenter! US addresses only. Sorry. :)

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to USA addresses only. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DEBORAH COOKE:

http://www.thedragondiaries.com/

http://www.deborahcooke.com/

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeborahCookeFanPage

http://www.delacroix.net/blog/

BLOG SWAP

And for extra fun, Deb has interviewed me over on her blog today! Check it out.