Welcome Special Guest: author Erin Sinclair

I know this was scheduled to come out on the 15th, but since I love her work, she's a good friend of mine and in celebration of her Valentine's Day story, Cupid's Folly, making #6 on the top 10 list at Devine Destinies (http://www.devinedestinies.com) I decided to post it a little early & say "Congrats on being in the top 10!"
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Please welcome author, Erin Sinclair, who weaves superb, beautifully written tales. I had the privilege of a sneak peek of The Betrothed, book 2 of the Fallen Angels series, and I must say it’s a wonderful story that drew me in and kept me within its world throughout its duration.

I enjoyed her philosophical insights into reincarnation and relationships and how love can withstand the tests of time and humanity’s free will. Today she’s sharing a look into her Fallen Angel series and her life as a writer.

Erin’s Bio: Writing is my obsessive joy.  I want to draw the reader in, totally immerse them in the worlds I create and help them lose themselves.  The best compliment I’ve ever received from a reader is that I took them there. That’s when I know I’ve done my job.
So Erin, What inspired you to become a writer?
I can’t say I was inspired, more like driven, given a gift and “told” what to do with it.
When did you attempt your first story?
Depends on how you look at it.  I was eight when I started creating stories, but the first “real” story I wrote with the intention of publication is called Snow King.  It was started about ten years ago.  I wrote four chapters of it. Looking at it now, after what I’ve learned about the craft of writing, it is awful! LOL  I will re-write it.  The premise will stay the same, but I guarantee the quality of the writing will improve.
What length was it?
It was/is going to be a full-length stand-alone novel, roughly 75-80K words.
What's become of it?
It is waiting, patiently, in my writing cabinet.
How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
None, all of them have ended at four chapters.  The first novel of my trilogy the Fallen Angel series (Twilight’s Son) was written in four months after acceptance on spec.  Everything else I had written prior to that is in various stages of creation and have never been submitted, at least, so far.
What genre(s) do you write in?
My alter-ego Erin Sinclair writes primarily paranormal romance, romantic comedy often with a paranormal twist, and romance.  My romance is all sensual PG-13, sometimes R rated.  The emphasis in my stories is on character study with the romance as an additional bonus, but not the be all, end all of the story.
What drew you to write in it/them?
Seems to be the way the stories wanted to be written, honestly.  My favorite aspects of any story, no matter the genre, are the characters and their experiences, how they develop because of their paths drawn out in the novel.  I want to read a story that reveals a character bit by irresistible bit. I’m writing in romance because it is a genre that is people driven, it is about how they fall or rise to the occasion within the context of their storyline.
What’s your favorite genre of all to write in?
I have no favorites, but I am partial to literary fiction, sci-fi, young adult and fantasy.  Love a good mystery/thriller, too.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
Can’t say I’ve ever received bad writing advice because I listen to the message I’m receiving not the vessel delivering it as I like to say.  Everything I’ve learned has been appropriate to the art form I’m studying.
How do you celebrate/deal with acceptance/rejection letters?
Oh, I’m still celebrating the acceptance of my first novel Twilight’s Son,

so that’s been about 2 ½ years so far.  As for rejection, I defy anyone to deal with it well.   ;-D If I ever receive a rejection, it will be treated with a generous dose of junk food, more than likely accompanied with chocolate.  If it is in the summer, definitely ice cream followed by or along with a good cry ‘cause Mama’s gonna need it.
In regard to the books in your Fallen Angels series, which actor and actress do you envision playing the roles of your hero and heroine? If there’s a villain or other characters who are pertinent to the story, who would play those parts?
That’s easy.  Shade-Alex O’Laughlin (played Mick on Moonlight) closest to how I envision Shade; Lt. Detective Brie Carter-Tricia Helfer (played Six on the new Battlestar: Galactica).  As for supporting characters, Sergeant Sam Wells-Mitch Pileggi (played Skinner on X-Files); Uriel-Kristanna Loken (played the Terminatrix in Terminator 3); Father Kenny-Ian Holm (played Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings movie trilogy).  Yes, I’ve given this much thought! Hahaha
In regard to the book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? What sparked the idea for the story/series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
The Fallen Angel trilogy can be read as stand-alone stories however, each succeeding story builds upon the last, so I suggest reading all three.  The Betrothed is Book 2 of the Fallen Angel series.  The novels are written in this order:  Twilight’s Son, The Betrothed and Garden of Eden.

  Pure inspiration created the Fallen Angel series, that and a grumpy customer I was dealing with at the time.  In order not to argue with the man, Shade popped into my mind, told me his story and I scribbled away as the customer harangued me.  Sounds rude I know, but better that than allowing my temper to get the best of me.  I’m a redhead, so I’m sure you can picture my reaction had I followed through…hahaha.
Now for some fun facts…
Would you/have you own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet?
I would own a parrot, definitely a horse, maybe a pet rat as long as it was laid back and wanted to cuddle.
Are you a morning person or night owl?
When I wasn’t working full time, I was a morning person.  I’m back to night owl now that I’m working again.
If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
Water purifier, fishing pole, a bar-b-que grill, a computer and a cast iron frying pan/cooking pot.  Most are obvious for survival, need the computer to journal my experiences.  If I’m rescued by a gorgeous male hunk of a naval or coast guard officer, I’m thinking that could be a whole new book, how about you? LOL.
About The Betrothed and the other Fallen Angels books…
My research into the idea of angelic beings consorting with we humans comes from different mythos, various spiritual belief systems, plus a few of my own ideas of how those concepts may have developed.  In this trilogy, though, Roman Catholic mythology plays a large part in the story created as I’ve been fascinated by that religion’s legends for a long time.  This trilogy is my take on one of endless possibilities involving the idea of angelic interaction with humanity.
Vengeance lasts forever.
Book 2 of the Fallen Angel series revolves around revelations. Brie and Shade’s relationship ignites and the intensity of it takes Brie’s breath away. She reveals herself in ways to Shade never before exposed to any man she’s loved. Shade is ecstatic that the love of his life is returning his love for her. He knows beyond any shadow of doubt the doorway to her heart is now open for him to enter. Trust is established and Shade begins to hope he can reveal who he is to her.  In the meantime, Brie takes on a baffling murder involving famous local artist, Maggie Norris. Maggie’s slaying makes no sense to the Detective, as her best friend had no enemies, knew no conflict in her life. Brie teams up with veteran Denver Metro homicide detective, Rachel Lopez, who has been placed in charge of the Norris case.  Together the pair find dead-end after dead-end in their investigation, until they realize someone is attempting to stop Brie from finding answers at all costs.  When Shade discovers Brie’s life is in danger, he becomes terrified, then enraged at the thought of losing her. As the pressure mounts on the beautiful couple, the kind and gentle angel of the first novel takes a backburner to the fearsome warrior who will protect his hard fought for love at all costs. Shade draws the line, who will be the first to cross?  He refuses to yield the one gift both lovers received when they were born— the gift of choice/free will.
Excerpt:
Shade could not shake the apprehension wrapped around him, a blanket of shadows despite the bright day, since he heard the news of Maggie’s death. A fog rolled in, the mist blocking his ability to see farther than a few feet in front of him. He couldn’t read the jumble of disjointed emotions forming a dark mass darting back and forth, daring him to identify what he was catching in his mind’s peripheral vision…As Shade stepped onto the front porch, he reached out with his senses. Wave upon wave of empathy extended from his mind as he attempted to center himself, sort out why such trepidation filled him. Having been in human form for a few months now, he had a better understanding of why a human could allow the unknown to stir fear. It was difficult to fight off the urge to succumb to it. Truth told, as he became more ensconced in his humanity, he preferred to maintain some angelic awareness using internal disciplines learned throughout the eons. It was becoming too easy to focus on the physical, the most impermanent of all states of existence. In learning about love from the human perspective, Shade discovered that with great love, there was also great worry. It was a challenge to keep the gentler aspects of his emotional nature in harmony with the less rational side of his humanity. He realized, though, he underestimated the power of human emotion and knew he would need to find balance within the experience.
Down, down, down he sank into a mild trance, absorbed the atmosphere around him. He tried to deny it, but couldn’t—the specter of impending peril was close. A dark thought swift and sure swooped upon his consciousness. Danger, Brie’s in danger.
Shade’s eyes ignited and he pulled himself from his meditation, stumbled from the porch in confusion. He gasped, his ancient language spilling from him as he tried to understand the tide of fear mixed with anger washing over him. “No, this can’t happen!”
The familiar drone of the Jeep’s engine as it moved toward the house brought Shade to his senses. He turned toward Brie as she pulled into the driveway and she called to him. “Shade, what’s wrong?”
He ducked his head to prevent her from seeing the light of his soul shining through his eyes. When he opened them again, he knew they were their usual green-gold. Brie’s face had the telltale signs of the unsure and he dipped his mind into hers to determine if she had seen anything. Sorrow and concern were the only emotions he felt and he grasped her to him, happy to see her.
“What’s going on?” Her voice was calm, but Shade knew she had been crying.
Shade cupped her face in his hands and braced his forehead against hers, closed his eyes, breathed in her scent. “Just had a bad feeling, love, glad your home.”
“Must have been some feeling.”

“I think Maggie’s death is finally sinking in.” Shade, in essence, spoke the truth, although he knew there was much more to his reaction and resolved to find out why Brie was in danger. He couldn’t lose her. He had just found her. How could he be without her? Who was he without her? Once more, he sent out questing tendrils of empathy, every sense on full alert. Shadows gathered force, pushed him back. It only strengthened his resolve to discover what was happening.
The novel released on February 1, 2011 through Devine Destinies (www.devinedestinies.com).  You won’t be disappointed, and once read, you’ll certainly crave more of our lovers as they continue on their journey—apart and together! Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vswN-i5rGTA
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, CR, it has been so fun!
Sincerely,
Erin Sinclair
http://www.erinsinclairauthor.com/

It was a pleasure having you here, Erin. Thank you for taking the time to do the interview and sharing your stories with us.
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