8/04/2016

Sharon Ashwood's Enchanted Guardian!

Welcome Sharon Ashwood back to the blog with her new release:

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.

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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

PREVIOUS RELEASES:  

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?


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9 comments:

  1. Welcome back, Sharon! I've never watched a movie or read a book about Camelot.

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    1. How about Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Or maybe you're more sane than I am!

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  2. I've never watched or read anything about Camelot. Congrats on being RITA finalist. I love Haagen-Dazs.

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    1. Who doesn't love Haagen-Dazs? It's a force of nature!

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  3. I 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.

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    1. I think the one I remember best is Excalibur, but that's a pretty old one now. Thanks for commenting!

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  4. FIRST KNIGHT with Sean Connery comes to mind. The Arthurian legend continues to fascinate.

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