[Archive] Guest Web Appearance with Lydia Dare_9.8.11
09/08/2011
Guest Web Event with Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson (a.k.a Lydia Dare)
Hello Book Monsters and Literal Addicts! Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL ADDICTION are very pleased to welcome Lydia Dare to our sites today.
Lydia Dare has been called “The dynamic duo of paranormal historical romance” and is a pseudonym for the writing team of Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson. Both Tammy and Jodie reside in North Carolina and are active members of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers organization. They have even both sat on the Board of Directors.
The writing process of Lydia Dare involves passing a manuscript back and forth, each one writing 1,500 words after editing the other’s previous installment. Jodie specializes in writing the history pieces, and Tammy’s specialty is the paranormal. When you combine the two, voila……you have the extraordinary paranormal historical romance magic that is Lydia Dare.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading the magical novels of Lydia Dare yet, we definitely recommend that you do. It’s been said that “the unique writing of Lydia Dare, the witty dialogue, humorous scenes, imaginative creativity and literary genius, make this novel, and all the books in the series, a gem for anyone’s library” and we totally agree! The characters are charming, clever and above all, extremely humorous. The plotlines leave you wishing the books would never end and anticipating the next release, while the historical journey is simply amazing. Many agree that “you can’t help but find yourself totally bewitched by the fun and imagination of it all!” Now, let’s get you acquainted with these magical tales…..
Lydia Dare is the creator of two series that weave into each other. It begins with the WESTFIELD WOLVES, which consists of four books “A Certain Wolfish Charm”, “Tall, Dark and Wolfish”, “The Wolf Next Door” and “The Taming of the Wolf”. It then spins off into the REGENCY VAMPIRE TRILOGY, which, hence the trilogy, has three books in the series “It Happened One Bite”, “In the Heat of the Bite” and the newest book in the series “Never Been Bit” which was just released on September 1.
To catch you up on the REGENCY VAMIPRE TRILOGY we’ll give you a brief synopsis of each book….
“It Happened One Bite” synopsis -
He’s lost, trapped, doomed for all eternity…
Rich, titled, and undead, gentleman vampyre James Maitland, Lord Kettering, fears himself doomed to a cold and lonely existence-trapped for decades in an abandoned castle. Then, beautiful Scottish witch Blaire Lindsay arrives, and things begin to heat up considerably…
Unless he can persuade her to set him free…
Feisty Blaire Lindsay laughs off the local gossip surrounding her mother’s ancestral home-stories of haunting cannot scare off this battle-born witch. But when she discovers the handsome prisoner in the bowels of the castle, Blaire has no idea that she has unleashed anything more than a man who sets her heart on fire…
“In the Heat of the Bite” synopsis -
Chivalry is far from undead…
Matthew Halkett, Earl of Blodswell, is one of the few men in the ton who can claim to be a knight in shining armor- because that’s precisely what he was before being turned into a vampyre. When he spies a damsel in distress in the midst of a storm in Hyde Park, his natural instinct is to rush to her aid…
But not every woman needs to be rescued…
Weather-controlling witch Rhiannon Sinclair isn’t caught in a storm-she’s the cause of it. She’s mortified to have been caught making trouble by the imposing earl, but she doesn’t need any man-never has, and is sure she never will…
But when Rhiannon encounters Matthew again, her powers go awry and his supernatural abilities run amok. Between the two of them, the ton is thrown into an uproar. There’s never been a more tempestuous scandal…
“Never Been Bit” synopsis -
The glittering world of high society is the playground for the rich, titled, and reluctantly undead…
Alec MacQuarrie’s after-life has become an endless search for pleasure in an effort to overcome his heartbreak and despair. Wandering through the seedy world of London’s demimonde, he’s changed into a dark and fearsome creature even he doesn’t recognize until he stumbles into a magical lass he knew once upon a time and sees a glimpse of the life he could have had.
But the ton is no match for one incorrigible young lady…
After watching each of her coven sisters happily marry, Sorcha Ferguson is determined to capture a Lycan husband of her very own. When she encounters Alec, she decides to save her old friend from what he’s become, all while searching for her own happily-ever-after.
Over his dead body is Alec going to allow this enchanting innocent to throw herself away on an unworthy werewolf, but that leaves him responsible for her, and he’s the worst monster of them all…
Now, let’s find out more about the dynamic duo behind these incredible books….
Lydia Dare interview on LITERAL ADDICTION
Lydia Dare interview on Book Monster Reviews
Don’t Forget!: Tammy and Jodie will be available to chat Live with members, followers, fans and guests from 8:00 - 10:00pm EST in our Author Chatroom on the Contact Us Page!
CONTEST:
Tammy and Jodie are graciously offering up a book to 2 winners from LITERAL ADDICTION and 2 winners from Book Monster Reviews (winner’s choice of available book from either of the 2 series).
To Enter, make sure you’re signed up for the Forum on the Author’s Corner Page, and leave a comment as a reply to the Contest Entry thread with your email address.
Entries without email addresses will not be entered into the contest!
Want another chance to win? Go to http://www.bookmonsterreviews.blogspot.com/, make sure you’re a blog follower, and leave a comment on the Interview there with your email address as well.
Good luck!!
Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION: Hello Tammy and Jodie! Congratulations on the release of “Never Been Bit” a few days ago. We’re so happy to have you with us today!
Jodie:Thank you so much! We’re so happy to be here.
Tammy:Thanks for inviting us!
Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION: We always like to start out by getting to know our guest authors a little bit better.
Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourselves that we can’t find out on the internet, in your bio, etc?
Jodie: That is so hard for me. My life is such an open book and I tell everyone everything. Umm… Let’s see. 1 – I am terrified of sharks, but I snorkel in the ocean with my teenage son so he won’t think I’m a wimp. 2 – I love key lime pie. 3 – I’m a huge James Dean fan. *Sigh*
Tammy: I have been married for 18 years, have a houseful of boys aging from 7 – 16, and I am the quintessential sports mom. Do the words “cow bell” mean anything to you?
2) How long have each of you been writing, and what genre did you start out writing in?
Jodie: I have been writing since I was in second grade. I’ve written everything from bad poetry to screenplays. I went to school for journalism, but decided I enjoyed fiction so much more. After all, you aren’t guaranteed happy-ever-afters in real life.
Tammy: I started writing after my youngest son was born. I decided to stay home with him and quit my corporate job. I had some time on my hands, and started reading Elizabeth Lowell. (HUGE FAN!) I had a story in my head and started putting it on paper, and actually sold that first book. In retrospect, it never should have seen the light of day. But it was contemporary romantic suspense. Nothing at all like I’m writing today.
3) What made you decide to team up and create Lydia Dare?
Jodie: We’d known each other for a few years through our local RWA chapter. We both joined at the same time, but the credit for the idea of teaming up is all Tammy’s.
Tammy: I had an idea for a historical paranormal romance. Jodie was the Regency writer, so I told her about my idea. She proceeded to tell me all the reasons why my story wouldn’t work (my heroine couldn’t inherit, etc) and she tossed out some ideas of ways to change it. When we were done, it was no longer my story- it was ours. It started as a game of round Robin. We never thought we’d get 10 books out of it. At least I didn’t.
4) Where did the pseudonym “Lydia Dare” come from?
Jodie: The Lydia part is in honor of Elizabeth Bennet’s wild younger sister in Pride and Prejudice.
Tammy: The Dare is just a cheeky play on words that seemed to fit. (Naming Lydia Dare was worse than naming any of my children, I’ll tell you.)
5) Do either of you have any interesting writing quirks, or things that you must have with you to begin the writing process?
Jodie: Nope. Nothing I have to have. But I like to have a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino from Starbucks.
Tammy: Quiet! I have to have quiet! And ice to munch on.
6) Who are some of your favorite authors and series respectively?
Jodie: I am a huge fan of Deb Marlowe. I love Claudia Dain and her Courtesan series. Sabrina Jeffries is amazing! And I will read anything by Liz Carlyle, even her grocery list if I could ever get my hands on it.
Tammy: All of Jodie’s fav’s are on my list. But add to that some paranormal romance like Kresley Cole and you have my to-be-read pile.
7) What are some of your hobbies, or things that you each enjoy when you’re not writing or taking care of other author business?
Jodie: I used to love to crochet and found it stress relieving. I’m also a huge film buff (a hold over from my screenwriting days) and usually see one movie a week in the theatres.
Tammy: Hobbies? Who has time for hobbies? Honestly, I am not the least little bit crafty. I actually have a crafty deficit. It’s like a big old empty hole that will never be filled. So, I don’t do crafts. Ever. I often have good ideas for crafts. But there are so many failed project parts laying around that my hubby doesn’t even listen to ideas anymore.
8) If you each could spend the day with any one of your characters, who would it be for each of you, and what would you want to do?
Jodie: Just one??? I would so want to hang out with Rhiannon and beg her to zap my ex-husband with a bolt of lightning…umm…I probably shouldn’t say that. Just kidding. How about – I would love to spend the day with Caitrin (our clairvoyant) from The Taming of the Wolf and I would beg her to tell me my future and my son’s future. I would be a huge pest until she told me everything.
Tammy: Blaire. Because she’s kick-ass and snarky. And she might bring James with her.
9) You love to write about vampires, werewolves and witches… If you could be one of these paranormal beings, which one would each of you choose and why?
Jodie: Yikes. I don’t think I’d want to be any of them. They are so tortured in our books. But if I had to pick – I’d say witch because ours have some pretty cool powers that might be nice to have.
Tammy: I NEVER say this, but… I agree with Jodie. (Don’t fall out of your chair, Jodie.) I’d probably want to be a witch. Who wouldn’t like powers?
Jodie: Wow! You don’t know how rare that is. We never agree. Or rarely.
10) What is the best part of writing as a duo? What are the hardest parts?
Jodie: The best part is there really is no such thing as writer’s block. If you stumble or can’t figure something out – you can send the pages to your partner and when they come back, the problem is fixed. Also, it’s nice to share both the good and the bad so you’re not facing whatever the situation is – alone. As for the bad…well, I’m a glass is half full kind of person so I don’t dwell on any bad parts.
Tammy: I’m a “who stole my stinkin’ glass” kind of person. But I still don’t have any complaints. The best part is that someone is always waiting to read your work, which presses you to write farther and faster and stretch yourself. Much easier writing with a partner than alone.
11) Can you please give us brief synopses regarding the WESTFIELD WOLVES and REGENCY VAMPIRES series for readers that are not yet familiar with your work?
Jodie: There’s so much to tell. The Westfield Wolves feature 3 werewolf brothers (I mean Lycan brothers. Simon, our hero from “A Certain Wolfish Charm” gets very upset about the “w” word.) In the second book – “Tall, Dark, and Wolfish” our hero Lord Benjamin encounters a coven of Scottish witches. And those ladies make up the heroines in the final Westfield Wolves book and in the Regency Vampyre series.
Tammy: There were three wolves to begin with. But we wrote a bad guy into THE WOLF NEXT DOOR that just had to have his own story, so it became 4 Lycan books when we added THE TAMING OF THE WOLF. The Lycan’s met a coven of witches in TALL, DARK AND WOLFISH. They were so charming and powerful that they had to have their own stories. We knew Ben got a witch, but once Blaire threw that first fireball at Ben’s head, I knew the witches had to be written about. Then Blaire (the kick-ass witch) needed a kick-ass hero. So, our first vampyre was born. It made me wonder where he came from, though, and who he’d created. So, we got Matthew and Alec in the deal as well.
12) We heard that the Hadley Brothers (Dashiel Thorpe’s half brothers) will be up next to get their own books. When do you expect the first book to be out?
Jodie: You know, I haven’t seen a release date for the first one – “The Wolf Who Loved Me”, but my guess would be Spring/Summer 2012.
13) Can you tell us who the first book will feature, and give us a tease of what we can expect?
Jodie: Lady Madeline Hayburn makes her debut in “Never Been Bit” as the Duchess of Hythe’s granddaughter and Sorcha’s friend. We also get to see her first encounter with the Hadley brothers. In “The Wolf Who Loved Me” Maddie finds herself in a precarious situation when she sees Mr. Weston Hadley turn into a wolf right before her very eyes.
Tammy: And once she sees him in wolf form, he has no choice but to spirit her away to Gretna Green to keep her from telling his secret.
14) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview, but have never been asked? How would you each answer your respective questions?
Jodie: “How is it that you are ALWAYS right?” My answer – It just comes naturally. I’m just kidding… I really have no answer. I can’t think of something I wish someone would ask me.
Tammy: I’ve always wanted to be asked what I want to be asked in an interview. So thank you for fulfilling my dream. LOL J
15) Is there anything specific each of you would like to say to your readers while we have you here today?
Jodie: I just want to thank our loyal fans out there. Whenever we get emails from readers who want to talk about the books, it makes my day. I’m so glad to be part of something that brings joy to readers out there.
Tammy: There’s nothing better than running into people on the ‘net or in person who know your characters as well as you do. They fall in love with them the same way we do, and we thank all the readers for all the feedback.
Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION: Thank you again ladies for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. We would love to have you back again in 2012 when you unleash the Hadley Brothers on the world, what do you say?
Jodie: Absolutely! Just let us know when.
Tammy: Definitely! Thanks for having us today!
If you would like to find out more about Lydia Dare, you can visit them at any of the sites below.
Website: http://www.lydiadare.com/index.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lydia.dare?ref=search&sid=553023929.3778536042..1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/LydiaDare
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3112090.Lydia_Dare
