Welcome Sharon Ashwood back to the blog with her new release:
THE ENCHANTED GUARDIAN
THE ENCHANTED GUARDIAN
A love of
legendary proportion
In another time, in a place once known as
Camelot, they had been lovers. Torn apart by betrayal and lies, Lancelot Du Lac
and Nimueh, the Lady of the Lake, had each suffered greatly.
But the magic of the fae had reawakened a
man once trapped in stone, and Lancelot was determined to find his long lost
love. Only, Nim was desperate to hide her fae soul, as she was marked for death
by their mutual enemy.
Though centuries apart had not diminished
their passion, they would once again face a dangerous test to prove each was
the other’s destiny.
BOOK VIDEO BUY THE BOOK **GIVEAWAY LISTED BELOW**
Sharon Ashwood is a novelist, desk jockey and enthusiast for the weird
and spooky. She has an English literature degree but works as a finance geek.
Interests include growing her to-be-read pile and playing with the toy
graveyard on her desk. As a vegetarian, she freely admits the whole
vampire/werewolf lifestyle would never work out, so she writes her adventures
instead.
Sharon is the winner of the RITA® Award for Paranormal Romance. She
lives in the Pacific Northwest and is owned by the Demon Lord of Kitty Badness.
Jan
Schliesman: How often do you Get Lost
In A Story?
Sharon Ashwood: Whenever I can! I usually have
one book I’m reading and another on audiobook. It takes me a while to actually
read a book – usually reading is a bedtime activity for me and mileage varies
on how long I keep my eyes open – but I listen to audio while I walk to and
from work. I’ll go through several books a month that way.
Jan: What are you reading?
Sharon: I’m reading Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me and listening
to D.M. Pulley’s The Dead Key. The
first is a Regency romance and the second a mystery thriller that has me biting
my nails!
Jan: Congratulations on being a RITA finalist! How have contests furthered
your career?
Sharon: I got my first
publishing contract via a RWA chapter contest, so that was a definite career
boost! I’ve won a few contests for published novels, including the RITA for
paranormal romance in 2011. Awards are a wonderful endorsement, but they do
make me expect more of myself every time I sit down to write. If you’re only
ever as good as your last book, a contest win means the bar just got higher!
Jan: What’s the best part about writing paranormal romance?
Sharon: Paranormal romance gives the
writer a huge landscape to work with. It has the life-and-death possibilities
of a swashbuckler (hello, alpha heroes!) but also the capability to work with
all kinds of metaphor. It’s fun but there’s room for some complexity, and the
emotional journey can be very extreme.
Jan: Does your heroine have any of your
character traits?
Sharon: My heroine, Nimueh, is the fae
Lady of the Lake. Her soul has been badly damaged, and this has robbed her of
the capacity to feel. When the book begins, she’s just starting to heal. Now,
since the soul-sucking monsters I encounter in real life aren’t quite as
effective, I can’t say I’ve had the same experience. However, isolation and
alienation are things most of us understand, and that’s kind of where she’s at.
Nim has to reclaim her emotional balance and then she encounters Lancelot, who
hurt her horribly in the past. It’s bad enough running into old lovers, but
she’s in a terrible place. They go through quite a ride before things work out.
Jan: Most writers have to find their zone before the
words start flowing. Describe your ideal writing day.
Sharon: I’m not an early bird. My brain starts working
mid-morning and I can go until late at night. Ideally, I have no one around and
no to-do list and I can just write, break for a walk, write, snack, write . . .
I work really well in hotel rooms because there’s nothing to distract me. I did
some of my best writing at a convention when I was bored with the programming
and just curled up with my laptop.
Jan: I keep a case of Dasani in my office. What’s your go-to
beverage of choice?
Sharon: Black coffee in the morning
and mint tea at night. When I’m really stuck, I go for hot chocolate but that’s
getting into self-bribing territory.
Jan: Best
vacation you’ve ever taken?
Sharon: A few years ago I spent 3
weeks in England researching a project. It was great because I got out and
explored the countryside. There are some amazing natural caves along the Devon
coast that bring to mind doorways into hidden kingdoms. Or pirates!
Jan’s GOTTA
ASK: My hubby works for Haagen-Dazs, so what’s your favorite
flavor of ice cream?
Sharon’s GOTTA ANSWER:
That’s
easy! There’s a flavor a local company makes that’s tamarind and cardamom, so
it’s tangy and a little bit spicy. I’m not crazy about really sweet flavors, so
this is perfect for me.
FIND SHARON
ASHWOOD
Previous GLIAS interviews:
UP NEXT:
Watch for ROYAL ENCHANTMENT and ENCHANTER REDEEMED in
2017
Camelot
Reborn Series: Enchanted Warrior
The Horsemen
Series:
Possessed
by a Warrior
Possessed
by an Immortal
Possessed
by a Wolf
Possessed
by the Fallen
THANKS SO MUCH, SHARON, for sharing your writing world with us. Sharon is offering an autographed copy of Enchanted Warrior to one lucky International reader who answers this question:
Have you ever read stories or watched movies about Camelot? Which was
your favorite?
Welcome back, Sharon! I've never watched a movie or read a book about Camelot.
ReplyDeleteHow about Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Or maybe you're more sane than I am!
DeleteI've never watched or read anything about Camelot. Congrats on being RITA finalist. I love Haagen-Dazs.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love Haagen-Dazs? It's a force of nature!
DeleteI have watched a few movies based on Camelot, but a fav is not really coming to mind... the one that popped into my head is First Knight though.
ReplyDeleteI think the one I remember best is Excalibur, but that's a pretty old one now. Thanks for commenting!
Deleteno, not interested
ReplyDeleteFIRST KNIGHT with Sean Connery comes to mind. The Arthurian legend continues to fascinate.
ReplyDeleteAnd what's not to love about Sean Connery?
Delete