WELCOME CLAIRE DELACROIX

 Today, I'm thrilled to host Claire Delacroix who also writes as Deborah Cooke. Read her interview from last year as Deborah Cooke here.  Deborah also recently was named  Romance Writers of America's PRO mentor of the year!! Well deserved recognition for how much she gives back.

CLAIRE DELACROIX

Bestselling author Claire Delacroix sold her first romance, a medieval called THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE, in 1992. Since then, she has published more than forty-five romance novels and numerous novellas. She has also written under the names Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke. THE BEAUTY, part of her successful Bride Quest series, was her first book to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books.

She has an honours degree in history, with a focus on medieval studies, and is an avid reader of medieval vernacular literature, fairy tales and fantasy novels. She makes her home in Canada with her husband and family. When she isn't writing, she can be found knitting, sewing or hunting for vintage patterns.

RENEGADE'S HEART

RENEGADE'S HEART

ISBN: 9781927477007

Released from the captivity of the Fae, Murdoch Seton wants nothing more than to forget his lost years. Undertaking a quest to recover treasure stolen from his family seems the perfect solution - but Murdoch is not counting upon a curious maiden who holds both the secret to the theft and his sole redemption.

Isabella is outraged to find her brother’s keep besieged by a renegade knight - especially one who is too handsome for his own good or hers. After a single encounter, she becomes convinced that his cause is just and decides to unveil the true thief, never imagining that their single shared kiss has launched a battle for Murdoch’s very soul.

As the treacherous Fae move to claim Murdoch forever, Isabella seeks to heal the knight who has stolen her heart. But will Murdoch allow her to take a risk and endanger herself? Or will he sacrifice himself to ensure Isabella’s future?

Learn more, read an excerpt and buy a copy here:  http://www.delacroix.net/trhX.html

GET TO KNOW CLAIRE DELACROIX

MAUREEN: Where do you most like to read and how often?

CLAIRE: I like to read in bed. Sometimes I only last five minutes; other times I’ll be reading all night.

MAUREEN:What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

CLAIRE: I like anything with fantasy elements, or any story in which things are not quite what they seem. And yes, this does leave me lots of latitude!

MAUREEN:  Do you believe in ghosts?

CLAIRE: Of course. I live with two.

 

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

CLAIRE: Well, it’s been busy for all of my names lately and I think that’s going to continue. As Claire Delacroix, I’ve started this medieval Scottish series, The True Love Brides, to tell the stories of the other siblings at Kinfairlie. THE RENEGADE’S HEART is available now, and my plan is to publish the next three books in the series at six-month intervals. So, I need to write THE HIGHLANDER’S CURSE and publish it in December, then the next two books next year. I also have a novella coming out this fall “No Halo Required”, which is linked to my Prometheus Project trilogy and tells Tupperman’s story. (You can see the cover, right here: http://www.delacroix.net/nohaloX.html) Also, in the past year, I’ve republished a lot of Delacroix titles that were out of print, and republished four of my Claire Cross time travels as Delacroix books. (http://www.delacroix.net/ttravels.html) It’s been a fascinating and exciting process.

For Deborah Cooke, my paranormal YA trilogy The Dragon Diaries is now all available - book #3, BLAZING THE TRAIL, came out in June. So, those of you who don’t like to wait to read the next installment can just dive in and read it all now! (http://www.deborahcooke.com/dragondiaries.html). The next Dragonfire paranormal romance will be published in October. It’s called EMBER’S KISS and is #8 in the series. (http://www.deborahcooke.com/emberX.html) The hero is a dragon-shifter (of course) but he doesn’t want to be one. He’s also a surfer trying to go pro. What’s interesting about this one is that it’s the first heroine in the Dragonfire series with paranormal powers of her own. I had a lot of fun with that, and the possibilities it created for future books. I’ll have an announcement about what comes next for Dragonfire on my blog on November 1.

I also republished my Coxwell series of contemporary romances this month. They were originally published under the pseudonym Claire Cross but now they’re Deborah Cooke books. I really enjoyed revisiting these books and am thinking about what comes next for me in contemporary romance. You can read about them right here: http://www.deborahcooke.com/coxwells.html

MAUREEN:  What’s your favorite hobby?

CLAIRE: I knit a frightening amount.

MAUREEN:  What’s your favorite fairy tale?

CLAIRE: Beauty and the Beast. I love proactive heroines!

MAUREEN:  What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on?

CLAIRE: We went to Paris, France for a week and a half one February, and just explored. We walked all over the city, visited street markets, ate and drank and shopped and went to museums. The only thing that wasn’t perfect about that vacation was not having a kitchen. I keep saying that we’ll go back but for at least a month and rent a small apartment with a kitchen.

MAUREEN:  Cats or dogs?

CLAIRE: Only standard poodles need apply.

MAUREEN:  Hiking boots or high heels?

CLAIRE: Do I have to choose?

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

CLAIRE: Yes. It’s a family joke that I listen to Queen when I’m writing - very loud. It’s me and Fred, all the way to the end, every time.

MAUREEN:If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

CLAIRE: I’ve always said a sculptress or a pastry chef - which are kind of the same thing, although one is with food - so I’m finally thinking of taking some cooking classes.

 

MAUREEN:  What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

CLAIRE: Back up everything on my hard drive.

Then have a glass of wine.

MAUREEN:  If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and why?

CLAIRE: Well, obviously I’d go to the Middle Ages. Probably the 12th century would be my first choice (although it would be a tough call), probably France.

MAUREEN:  Salsa or guacamole?

CLAIRE: Salsa. But fresh, not out of a jar. A fresh piquante is the best ever.

MAUREEN:  Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

CLAIRE: I try to not get wrapped up in reviews. They’re important and they can be interesting, but in the end, each review is one person’s opinion. Of course, we’re not all going to agree on everything. So, it’s nice to read the good ones and I try to not worry about the bad ones. There’s always a mix.

MAUREEN:  What soundtrack or playlist do you recommend for your current release?

CLAIRE: I listened to Loreena McKennitt while writing this one. (Fred got a break.)

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER  ☺

MAUREEN:  You’ve written under three pseudonyms. Do you have a favorite author persona? A favorite genre?

CLAIRE: (Actually there have been more than three, but shhhhhh, let’s not talk about that.) The truth is that I like to mix it up. I like to write in different genres and try different things. I doubt that will change anytime soon. I was pretty excited to get back to medieval Scotland for this book and to start this series - I’ve missed “Claire” and all those Kinfairlie kids. It was great to dive back into that world again - and I’ll be heading back there any moment now for THE HIGHLANDER’S CURSE, #2 in the series and Annelise’s book.  

MAUREEN: Speaking for readers: we've missed Claire, too! I'm so glad that these books are available again.

CLAIRE ASKS READERS:

 

Do you only read in one genre or sub-genre? Or do you like to try different things? Do you follow authors into other sections of the bookstore or not?

**BOOK GIVEAWAY**

Claire will give away a signed trade paperback copy of THE RENEGADE'S HEART to one lucky commenter.

 

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH CLAIRE (and Deborah) HERE:

website - http://www.delacroix.net

FB - http://www.facebook.com/AuthorClaireDelacroix

Reader newsletter - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chestwick/