Burden of Blood Blog Tour: Interview with Wenona Hulsey & Giveaway!

I am so happy to be part of the Burden of Blood Blog Tour. Thanks to Bookish Snob Promotions and the lovely Wenona Hulsey, I have a copy of this wonderful story to share with you today as well as an interview with the author. I hope that you will enjoy Wenona's answers and her book as much as I did. :)

Hello! Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I loved your book so I am very excited about getting to ask you a few questions. :)

Hi Lieder! Thanks for letting me visit your beautiful blog.  I’m so glad you loved my book, but I should have known you would, we Gemini’s think alike. :)

How did you start writing?

I’ve always loved to write. As a teen I kept a journal where I wrote down random teenage drama with the occasional short story or very bad doodle sprinkled in.  The more I read the bigger that creative fire for writing grew.  Finally about eight months ago, I decided it was time to reach for a dream, so I went to work and out came my short story, Blood Awakening, that doubles as a prelude to my novel Burden of Blood.

What was your favorite part to write in Burden of Blood?

That’s a hard question, but I guess it would have to be when Sage almost kills Nicole trying to draw her powers to the surface.  I love the reactions of all the characters in this part.  I really love how Sage gets under Luke’s skin with her “Fairies are the bomb” attitude as Nicole starts to hear all the thoughts, good and bad, around her.

Nicole has an interesting talent in being able to hear bad thoughts, where did you come up with that?

I’ve always loved books with mind reading involved but I felt like those characters had it way too easy.  I mean how hard is your life if you know everything, good and bad, that is going on around you.  I wanted to present a woman struggling to be normal as she is weighted down by the evil of others.  I one point Nicole tell us that she wishes she could hear some of the good so maybe it would balance out.  But she makes the best of it by becoming a police officer.  I wanted her to be real, as in dealing with hard situations like normal, everyday people, even though she ends up with some superhuman abilities.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

No, all of my characters are 100% fiction but I did try to make each character as distinct to where they are from as I could.  As in, I made Nicole and Kat both bold, stubborn but caring Southern women.  That’s honestly how I see most women from the South, myself included lol.  Luke was a bit harder because I wanted you to feel like he belonged in Alabama so I made him polite and chivalrous but I do let you see a bit of his roots when he is talking to Rhys in a smooth Irish accent. Oh and good Ol’ Rhys. He was a fun one to create, I liked that he was a bit hard to understand but his physical presence told it all. He didn’t need to be understood for us to get that he was one daring and HOT warrior.

Can you give us a hint as to what Nicole, Luke and the others are up to now?

I’m not too far into the next book yet but I can tell you that Nicole is in Ireland and Luke is not by her side.  But don’t worry, we all know Luke isn’t going to let her get away that easy.  You will get to meet several new characters in the next book along with seeing who, yes I said WHO, Nicole ends up with. Luke may have some competition in my next novel, Blood of Fire.

(I can't wait to read it!)

Random Fun Stuff:

If you could go on a date with either Luke or Rhys, which would you pick?

I love the polite, sweet guy who will hold the door for me and kiss me on the forehead so I’m would say yes to Luke.  I’m afraid Rhys is one of those love ‘em and leave ‘em type of guys.

If your main characters were ice cream flavors, what would they taste like?

Nicole would be fudge ripple ice cream, she tries to be plain but it just doesn’t work out.

Luke would be vanilla, pure and yummy.

Kat would be strawberry ice cream because she is so much fun and loves to have a good time.

Rhys would be rocky road.  You don’t know what you’re going to get when you take a bite but you now it’s going to be Oh So Good!

Sage would be chocolate ice cream. She’s bold and there’s nothing you can add that would make her better.

(Ooh, yum.)

If Burden of Blood was to be made into a movie, what actor would you like to be in it?

I recently spotted Chris Hemsworth and, after wiping the drool away from my lips, I thought he would make the perfect Luke.  And maybe Cam Gigandet (played James in Twilight) as Rhys if he was a little more pumped.  I think Mila Kunis would make a good Nicole if she had curly hair.

About the Author:

Author Wenona Hulsey is a lover of all things written. When she was a child, you could find her reading anything from Edgar Allen Poe to the back of cereal boxes. Today you will find her with an e-book reader glued to her hands except for the times when she is writing or spending time with her family. She is also an avid social networker who loves to meet new people. You can friend her on Twitter, like her on Facebook or follow along on her blog.

About the Book:

No one wants to know everyone’s darkest secrets, especially not police officer, Nicole Keenan. All she wants is a blissfully normal life in the small, Alabama town where she was born. But as generations of power running through her veins start to wake up, an ancient grudge is ignited that threatens to push her over the edge. She can hardly believe in what she is, let alone that a dark force will not stop until she's joins them. Or is dead.

Nicole Keenan's life enters into a dangerous dance with warriors and gothic fairies. Southern tradition collides with Irish folklore as she learns about love, heartbreak, and The Burden of Blood.

And now, for the giveaway! I get to give away two e-book copies of Blood Awakening, the novella prequel to Burden of Blood, to two commenters. All you have to do is leave a round of applause for Wenona along with your e-mail address. For an extra entry, spread the word and leave a link. This giveaway ends on Sept. 2nd at 11:59 Pacific Time.

Even if you don't win a copy, you can purchase Blood Awakening and Burden of Blood on Amazon.

Follow along the tour for more fun posts and chances to win this book. The next tour stop is tomorrow at Fangtastic Books. Good luck, everyone!

                            Lieder Madchen