A Look At Adonis Devereux & 'The Lotus Ascension' ( @AdonisDevereux @evernightpub #SO )

Today we have author Adonis Devereux visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Adonis Devereux is two people made one. He grew up in Michigan and in rural Indiana, a Midwestern boy with a passion for story. She was rootless, a Virginia native who lived in London, Paris, and Rome before her parents settled just outside Tokyo. Like him, stories burned in her.
* They met in university at a poetry reading, and their love story continued into marriage, graduate school, and half a dozen children. Now he teaches at a Japanese national university, and she teaches children to invert fractions and decline Latin nouns, all while researching ancient Roman and medieval recipes for their novels.
* Together, they are Adonis Devereux.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
* Our most recent release is The Lotus Ascension, the third book in the Lotus Trilogy. The first book in the trilogy is The Soldier's Lotus, followed by A Lotus

for the Regent. These three are all part of our larger Gilalion series, but aside from the Lotus Trilogy, the others are able to be read in any order really. The Lotus Ascension follows the now-grown children of the heroes and heroines in the first two books of the trilogy as they deal with the political fallout of the decisions made in A Lotus for the Regent and fall in love along the way. Of course, falling in love can troublesome when you have been promised to a King from the day you were born.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?

* When we first wrote The Soldier's Lotus, the hero's best friend, Kamen, caught our attention, and we did not feel like the story was complete until we had told what happened to him afterward. But then we had a political mess to fix, and the children of the heroes and heroines grew up just in time to fix it. We have always known more about our stories and about the world of Gilalion than is necessary for any given novel we write, but this time we wanted to detail what happened. We thought that these characters deserved a story to themselves!

Describe the hero in five words.
* Courageous, intelligent, gorgeous, possessive, alluring.

Describe the heroine in five words.
* Genius, generous, beautiful, queenly, trapped.

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* Our favorite character is probably Sillara, the heroine, but we have a soft spot for Kamen and Ajalira, the hero and heroine of A Lotus for the Regent, who show up in The Lotus Ascension in a minor role. Sillara is the most eligible maid in the kingdom, but she's trapped, promised by her parents in political alliance to a far-away king whom she's never met. Of course, things don't run smoothly, and she falls in love with someone much closer to her...then she's torn between love and duty.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* “Yet even the breaking of the world could not break their love, and the world itself ended first.”

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * The Lotus Trilogy, 3
* Konas Seranimesti was present eighteen years ago when the last Lotus in Arinport gave birth to twins, Soren and Sillara. Sillara was betrothed to Konas's brother the day of her birth, and Konas has fallen in love with his brother's promised wife.
* But what can Konas do? Sillara is the daughter of a Lotus, and her life has been planned out in advance. She has never been allowed to choose anything for herself. But when her twin brother, Soren, who is himself feeling the pressures of his station, joins her on a desert hunting trip arranged by his best friend, everyone's plans for Sillara are ruined.
* Lost in the desert and assumed dead, Sillara is given choices for the first time in her life, but how can she choose a love she has never recognized? Will Sillara's choice ruin Soren's chance for love? And can Konas win a heart promised to another man?
Be Warned: public exhibition, anal sex, multiple partners, m/m sex, f/f sex, bondage, spanking, erotic asphyxiation
~ Excerpt ~ * Soren had no more time to pursue his dark thoughts, for the shaking of the tambourines summoned everyone to the main tent. A male and female pleasure slave, clad in near-nothingness, stood at the entrance and greeted the revelers. Nathen gave Orien a light kick.
* “Get up, sleepyhead. Delight calls.”
* Orien groaned, squinted against the light, and rolled over. He rose, shook the sand from his massive, muscular frame, and stretched. His face broke into a wide grin. “Is it time to travel the marshes already?”
* Soren nodded.
* “Merieke brought plenty of herbs, so no one has to worry about bastards, so I am going to take one of the girls for myself. You all can fight it out over whoever's left.”
* Orien, Nathen, and Soren entered the tent and were carried along on waves of music, incense, and herbs. Soren watched as a slave crushed the petals of a purple flower in his hand and threw it into the brazier. Immediately he felt his mind slipping away to that thrilling realm of supreme carnal gratification. The slaves had some touch of their master, and though Konas was not here, his influence remained. Soren knew he was in for another unforgettable orgy.
* Merieke came, too, and her natural beauty shamed the crafted appearances of the pleasure slaves. She wore nothing save her jewelry, and even her brothers turned and gasped at her arrival. Gold and malachite earrings dangled from her lovely earlobes, and a wide necklace of gold and silver fashioned in the likeness of two birds' heads looking in opposite directions lay across the upper half of her breasts. Her lips were red as the ripest apples, and black wings of kohl rose from her eyes, giving her a cat-like look. Soren was almost convinced that she was purring. A belt of thin gold coins linked together hung on her hips, drawing his attention to her exposed and beautiful pussy. Clean. No hair. Just the way the Sunjaa liked it. But most magnificent of all was Merieke's headpiece, an ornate black wig decorated with cold-worked glass of varying colors.
* “Hello, boys,” she said.
* No one responded, so stunned were the men by the sudden revelation of her charms.
* Soren noticed that she held something in her hand, but whatever it was, it was small enough to be concealed in her closed fist. The only thing he could see was the long ribbon of silk that hung from her hand. It put him in mind of something fun, and with a grin, he walked over to a nearby casket and rummaged through its contents of toys in search of a blindfold.
* Orien took one of the slave-girls and commandeered her. Due to Orien's unpleasantly oversized cock, that was no more than Soren expected. That left two male pleasure slaves, one female, and Merieke.
* Merieke walked over to Soren, reached up inside his skirt without breaking eye contact with him, and grabbed his cock. “It's about time, don't you think? We've known each other all our lives, and still we haven't fucked?”
* Soren untied his skirt and let it fall. “Well, I've been at sea.” He liked bantering with her.
* Merieke's eyes glowed. “From what I hear about what you sailors do to each other at sea, I'd say you're more than ready to take what I'm offering.”
* Soren grinned and ran his hands through his long hair, freeing any small tangles from his horns. “I'll make your first time with an Ausir something to remember.”
* Merieke went up on her tiptoes and kissed Soren's mouth. “And I'll make your first time with me unforgettable.”
* Soren smiled back at Nathen, who nodded his approval. Merieke's brother turned his attention toward a female pleasure slave, invited a male pleasure slave to join them, and moved off. Knowing that he was going to tell Sillara everything about this afterward, Soren resolved to thoroughly thank Merieke for her kindness in giving Sillara her first climax.
* The part of Soren that was the attentive lover wished he had asked Nathen what kind of lover Merieke was, what she liked and disliked, and what she liked even if she did not know she liked it or just would not admit it to herself. But the other side of Soren, that adventurous side that liked a bit of a surprise, was glad to be sailing into uncharted waters. The sea had never looked more inviting.
* Soren sensed that Merieke, in her excitement, wanted to lead, and he obliged her. He knew that some people dealt with their nervousness by overcompensating in matters of control. Soren could wait to assert himself; besides, he was happy to see what Merieke would do.
* Merieke laid Soren down on a pile of soft pillows and leaned over him, arching her fingers in order to press her nails into his chest. Her hands played with Soren's body, traveling over his shoulders, and down his muscular arms. She traced the wide wings of the proud falcon tattooed beautifully across his chest. She leaned in closer to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, and as she tousled his locks, she kissed his throat. Soren moaned and relaxed into the pillows. Merieke only used her left hand. Her right hand still held her secret.
* The passion of Merieke's kisses increased, and she, too, moaned as she rubbed her tits against Soren's skin. Soren kneaded her breasts, ending each long caress in a pinch of her nipples. He breathed deep of the spices in the fibers of her wig, and his cock surged to life. In moments it was achingly hard. Merieke trailed her kisses across his collarbone and down his chest. She stopped at his nipple for a nibble, and Soren thrust his cock up into her stomach. The hard shaft slapped against her skin, and she looked up into his eyes and smiled.
* Her kisses continued down to his navel, and there she paused to lick. With her left hand, she reached down and grasped Soren's cock, working it in preparation for her tongue. She jacked him off against her throat, moving the head of his cock down her jawline and across her chin. Merieke's tongue flicked out, almost touching it but not quite. Soren smiled at her game. Soon it would be his turn.
* Without warning, Merieke devoured Soren's cock, the pleasure of which caused him to suck in his breath and hold it. Her lips held his hard shaft against her ever-moving tongue. Her head bobbed up and down, and Soren groaned in pleasure to see his cock disappearing into the mouth he had wanted to fuck for so long. Merieke looked up into his eyes while she sucked. She knew exactly what to do.
* But then something happened that surprised and impressed Soren, a man impressed by nothing where sex was concerned. Soren was so far more advanced than any of his lovers that no one had ever been able to catch him unawares in the bedroom.
* Merieke did. As she sucked, she dropped both her hands below Soren's legs so that her hands were out of sight. Soren knew she was up to something, but he could not guess what. Then he felt something cool against his asshole, and he looked down in surprise. Merieke managed to smile while still keeping his cock in her mouth.
* Soren was open to anything, so he trusted Merieke to please him. So far she was doing an excellent job. He relaxed his asshole and let Merieke slip inside whatever she wanted to put there. Whatever it was, it was not very big. Not as big as a cock. And then a most pleasing vibrating sensation filled his back passage.

Buy The Lotus Ascension here...
Evernight Publishing
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Amazon

Find Adonis Devereux here...
Blog
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Twitter
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Thank you for joining us here today, Adonis Devereux! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

A Look At Adonis Devereux ( @AdonisDevereux @evernightpub )

Today we have author Adonis Devereux visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
Thanks for having us today! Hi, we’re the husband-wife writing team of Adonis Devereux. You know what’s different about us? I’m sure you’re all aware of how it’s trendy for romance novels to have both the heroine’s and the hero’s points of view. Well, since we’re a husband-wife writing team, we have the advantage of the right writer writing the right gender. The Mr. writes the chapters with the hero’s POV, and the Mrs. writes the heroine’s!

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
We are proud to talk about our newest release, The Soldier's Lotus. It is, in a way, part of a series, in that all of our novels so far have been set in Gilalion. Gilalion is a rich fantasy world, a pet project of both halves of Adonis Devereux for over 15 years. Each novel can stand alone, but it is helpful to follow them in chronological order. For The Soldier's Lotus, the two stories most useful to have read are Bride for the God-King and Love Comes Twice. Neither are necessary, though.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
We made it up out of thin air over coffee dates and long walks in the country. We always start every story with the hero and heroine, then move to plot. The chemistry has to be there; they have to have a reason to be together or the plot doesn't work.

Describe the hero in five words.
Massive, brave, kind, selfless, noble.

Describe the heroine in five words.
Cunning, intelligent, beautiful, dangerous, courageous.

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
Kamen, the friend of the hero and the heroine's rival. See, Kamen loves the hero, his best friend, and the heroine is jealous of their friendship.

What's your favorite line in the story?
"Their mouths touched, and he felt from her such passion and tenderness at the same time, as if it were their first and last kiss."

A look into the story...
Title: The Soldier's Lotus
~ Blurb ~
   One death. Saerileth had trained all her life for one death. From the time her clan had been massacred when she was five years old, until now, thirteen years later, Saerileth has sought one death. Now that she has attained the rank of full-blown Lotus, she has been sent by the Red Lotus guild to the foreign city of Arinport. But Saerileth has other plans, and the one death she seeks is more to her than the guild's plans for her. Saerileth's plans go awry, however, when she meets Darien, the brave soldier from her past, whom she had never expected to see again.
   Darien alters everything, simply by being there, and Saerileth is swept up into a world of intrigue and assassination that makes seeking her one death even harder. But her mission of vengeance is difficult to reconcile with being the soldier's Lotus, and in the end, Saerileth's choice will affect three nations.
   Be Warned: multiple partners, ménage sex, anal sex, m/m sex, spanking, erotic asphyxiation.
~ Excerpt ~
   “I must enter you now,” Darien said, and Saerileth’s eyes widened.
  “Why?”
   “To prevent my crew from taking you themselves and dividing you as common spoil.”
   “Can you not just order them not to?”
   Darien shook his head. “They found you. If I renounce salvage rights to you, they can claim them. The only way to put you utterly beyond their power is to make you my legal concubine.”
   “Then why do you not just tell them I am?” Saerileth shifted on the divan and crossed her ankles.
   Darien glanced back at Kamen who stood in front of the door and looked straight ahead, bending his concentration on the invisible air. He did not make eye contact with Darien. Something serious ate at him, something that had started the moment Saerileth came aboard.
   “I tried that once,” Darien said, returning his attention to the girl he knew he must couple with. “There was no contract, no witness. I didn’t want to take the girl against her will, so I faked it. We Sunjaa are the People of the Word, as you probably know. If it isn’t written down and witnessed, it didn’t happen.” Darien did not enjoy talking about this, but he wanted Saerileth to understand. “Well, my crew went ahead and raped her anyway, and I wasn’t able to do anything about it. She was their salvage, and I had failed her.
   Saerileth stood and let her pallav fall. Darien drew in a long, deep breath. Her beauty was divine, every line and curve perfect. “Your pain is fresh, as if this happened yesterday. You are a man of deep feeling.” And she laid her hand on the bare part of his chest that lay exposed from his loose shirt.
   Her flesh was still cold from the seawater, but her touch was like fire on his skin, sending hunger through him. “I will take you, then.” It was half statement, half question. He laid his hands on her shoulders, feeling her delicate frame beneath his strong, soldierly hands.
   All Saerileth did was look up at him through her long, black eyelashes and nod. That sent Darien over the edge. He picked her up and kissed her mouth, tasting her lips as if they were fruit. She was half his size, and he easily wrapped his arms around her back, bringing his hands to her opposite sides. She threw her arms around his neck as she kissed him back with equal fervor. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and due to their size difference, she was practically perched on his massive, muscular frame. To Darien, she was no weight at all. He had carried heavier sacks of grain.
   Saerileth unwrapped her pallav from her left forearm and tossed it away. With both hands free, she ran her fingers across Darien’s close-cropped hair. Between kisses, Darien could catch glimpses of her body. Under the pallav, she wore a short shirt that left her midriff bare, and the skirt she wore, though tight, accommodated a wide range of movement. The material was elastic enough to allow her legs free reign.
   Darien laid Saerileth down on the divan and lay on top of her, though he rested most of his weight on his forearms and one knee that wedged itself between the cushions. So much for the pristine state of the divan! But to Darien, this moment made his saving it worth it. He wanted to be rough with Saerileth, but this was her first time with him, so he promised himself he would be gentle. By the way she ground against him and the way she deep-kissed, Darien guessed she was skilled in sex, but he could not know whether she had ever taken a man of his size inside her before. Considering she was dressed as if she had just come from the Dimadan, he guessed she had not. The Sunjaa were better endowed than the Zenji, and Darien was better endowed than any other Sunjaa he knew. And he had seen a lot of cocks in his day.
   Saerileth blindly yanked at his breeches, and he blindly yanked at the shirt that hugged her breasts. They could not stop even for a moment to look at what they were doing; he needed more of her kisses. He did not want to miss one taste. He was greedy for this beautiful, pale stranger, and her clear desire for him only served to make him abandon all reason. His growl slipped past her tongue, and she responded by sucking on his bottom lip. His cock swelled, and he was obliged to reach down and loosen the strings so that his cock might burst free. When it did, it slapped against Saerileth’s belly with such a smack that she gasped and pulled away from Darien. Her eyes searched his in wonderment, as if she had discovered hidden treasure. She gazed into his eyes as her hand found his cock. Once she touched it, she smiled at Darien, let slip a light laugh, and fell to kissing him again.

Buy Links:
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Tuesday Tea with @AdonisDevereux ~ A look at 2012

Well, another Tuesday is upon us. Do you have your beverage ready? Yes? Then sit down and join Adonis Devereux’s discussion on looking at 2012. Welcome Adonis!

     What does 2012 hold for us? I wonder how many blog posts are popping up all over the place with that question. Do I really want to go there? Probably not. I live in Japan, and on New Year's Day, we were hit with a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. No damage, really. No tsunami. But it was a grim reminder of the March 11, 2011 disaster in northern Japan where the ocean rose up and washed away entire towns, swept commuter trains out into the sea, and buried thousands of people under debris. Don't get me started about the nuclear crisis and the government's lies to cover up what is either their laughable ineptitude or their diabolical collusion with the power company. New Year's Day told me one thing: Mother Nature isn't done with us yet. The entire country of Japan shifted eight feet to the east as a result of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck us last March. The quake destabilized the entire fault-line deep in the Pacific. Experts say Tokyo is due for one. And where do I live? In a suburb, just north of Tokyo.
     And so we run, we move? Nope. Our home is here. Even though we're American, we've made a life for ourselves here. My wife and I (we write together under the pen-name “Adonis Devereux”) had all our six daughters here. This is where we stay. This is where we write, come what may.
     Our publisher, Evernight, has been good to us. From the summer of 2011 when we started our first draft of Worth His Freedom, until now with the release of Bride for the God-King, we have received unstinting support from people around the world, but especially from loved ones and friends back home in the USA. Evernight took a chance on an unpublished, unknown married writing team, and I have to thank them for giving us our shot. Both our releases have climbed the rankings at various e-book retailers. We cherish every review, whether positive or negative. We are thrilled with every piece of fan mail. Our heads are still spinning from this wild ride that started in November 2011 and seems like it is just about to really take off.
     So, I'd rather not focus on the negative, about what disaster might lie before us. Everyone here in Japan is worried about the next big one. Worldwide, people are freaking out (partially tongue in cheek, partially not) about the Mayan calendar and the end of the world. But you know what? The world ends every day, and the world is born every day. Every time a person dies, the world ends. Every time a baby belts out its first cry, the world is born. Worrying about tomorrow will not change tomorrow. Tomorrow is an illusion. There is only today. Live today. Love today. Write today. I certainly will. Peace for the new year to you all!
     Thank you, C.R. Moss, for letting me step into your blog!
~AD

Blurb for Bride for the God-King by Adonis Devereux:
     The telepath Elemia has spent her whole life training for her chance to marry the god-king in his far-away capital, but then she meets Abbas—and everything comes apart as they fall for each other.
     As a half-breed, Abbas is barely tolerated by his own people, and Elemia is cast out of her order of novices for being with him. As punishment, Elemia is to be sold in marriage to Abbas' older brother, though her mind has already joined with Abbas'. The lovers would do anything to avoid this untenable situation, but even if they escape, they will still have to deal with the god-king.
~ Excerpt ~
     Abbas laid out the pieces of clothing: first a thin, white smock, then a tight, blue bodice with laces that he laid on top. He also showed her two skirts, one slightly longer than the other. They were woven in red and blue patterns. “And, of course, your riding boots. You will find yourself ahorse more often than on foot.” Abbas was thrilled that he could teach Elemia about his ways. “I'll step outside. When you've tried these on, call me back in.” He did not want to go. He wanted to stay and admire the lithe body she had hidden under her robes.
     “Thank you, Abbas. Yes, I will call you back in.” But she did not move toward the clothes. She simply stood and gazed at him.
     Abbas tore himself away, not trusting himself to study her body further, and his head spun as he closed the door behind him. Ahketh was standing there scowling at him, and Abbas's euphoria evaporated. The Ausir knight represented everything that separated him from Elemia: the Order and its absolute control over her life, and the enforced marriage to Cathal.
     “I hate you,” Abbas growled.
     Ahketh chuckled. “I am not too fond of you, either, half-breed. The sooner we are away from each other, the better.”
     Abbas brooded until he heard Elemia calling his name, more quickly than he had expected.
     “What's the matter?” he said through the door.
     “I need help. I am not sure what to do with this–this thing.”
     Abbas's gaze darted to Ahketh's face. What would the knight think of him helping Elemia with her clothes? But Ahketh did not seem to care. He was staring off into the space before him.
     Abbas re-entered the room, wondering if he might find Elemia half-naked. Instead, he found her fully dressed in the shift and skirts. In her hand, she held the bodice.
     “Not bad for a first try.” He laughed a little louder than he felt, trying to cover his surprise. Elemia's breasts were round and full, larger than he had anticipated. He could make out little else save the slim curves of her hips. He cleared his throat, approached, and took the bodice. “This goes on before the skirts, and part of it tucks under them. May I?”
     Elemia spread her arms out wide and looked wonderingly into Abbas's eyes. “Please.”
     Her innocence and trust both aroused Abbas to fever pitch and hardened his resolve to abuse neither. “Here, let me.” Abbas reached out and loosened Elemia's skirts, untying them and letting them fall to the floor. The shift went to her knees. He admired the shape of her leg, strong and lean, as it disappeared up into her smock. But then he saw the tattoo, and the creeping ivy across her ankle brought him up short.
     “The chieftain said my ivy will never bloom.” Elemia must have read his thoughts, or, more likely, his disappointment was plain on his face.
     Abbas took what comfort he could in that promise and continued his work. He clasped the bodice around Elemia's waist and laced it from the bottom up. He worked slowly. He wanted to take his time and enjoy the feel of her flesh beneath his hands. With each pull of the lace, Elemia's form became more defined, more visible to Abbas's appreciative eye. Elemia was slender and small, but the fullness of her breasts reminded him that she was not a child. The bodice stopped short under her bosom, leaving them covered only by the shift. As he tied off the lace at the top, his gaze traced the outline of her firm breasts. Her erect nipples were visible through the thin fabric.
     “Is it too tight?” Elemia asked. “I cannot really breathe.”
     Abbas knew that the bodice was not too tight. “It's fine. It just takes some getting used to. You've spent your life in a flowing robe.” It pleased Abbas to think that Elemia was becoming as aroused as he, for if anything was too tight, it was his breeches, straining to contain his erection. He slowly knelt and picked up the skirts, raising them around Elemia's hips, letting his hands brush against her buttocks.
     Elemia sighed and reached out to tuck a stray braid back behind Abbas's ear. As he wrapped the skirts around her waist, Abbas could feel Elemia moving against him. She was reacting the way her body wanted her to, but she was ignorant of the ways of sex. He realized had she known, she would have kept a tighter rein on her physical response. Abbas smiled to himself and tied the skirts in place, looping the belts through the bodice according to Rolador fashion. He stepped away from her then to appraise her, but he made sure he kept his hands folded in front of his straining breeches. “I have never seen a lovelier chieftainess.” He had never seen a lovelier woman. It still amazed him that others did not see Elemia's beauty.
     “You flatter me.” Elemia smoothed down the bodice. “It is kind of you to think so. You are the perfection of two races, more beautiful than either alone.”
     Abbas was glad to hear the voices of Volshaden and Jhaleed in the antechamber. He could not trust himself any longer in the room with Elemia, for he wished to seize her, rip the bodice from her breasts, and lick her rosy nipples. He wanted to throw her on the bed, tear off her skirts, and thrust his throbbing phallus into her. He knew that her body would accept him; surely it had already prepared itself. She would wrap her legs around his hips and pull him in deeper, all the while devouring his mouth with her own.
     “They are calling us.” Elemia brought Abbas back to reality.

Where we are:
Blog – boundlessasthesea.blogspot.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/adonis.devereux
FB author page – www.facebook.com/pages/Adonis-Devereux/250061305038584
Twitter – twitter.com/#!/AdonisDevereux
Amazon – www.amazon.com/Adonis-Devereux/e/B0067XK2CU
Goodreads – www.goodreads.com/adonisdevereux
Email – adonis.devereux@gmail.com

How to purchase:
Evernight Publishing
All Romance eBooks ~ Worth His Freedom
All Romance eBooks ~ Bride for the God King
Bookstrand
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
1 Place for Romance ~ Worth His Freedom
1 Place for Romance ~ Bride for the God King

Welcome special guest: author Adonis Devereux ( @AdonisDevereux @evernightpub )

Today we have author Adonis Devereux visiting. We are a husband-wife writing team living in Japan. We're Americans, and we have six daughters. We've been married 14 years, and though we've both individually loved stories, we just started writing together about four years ago.

* So, Adonis, what inspired you to become a writer?
The love of stories and wanting to read stories that did not yet exist. So, we will write those stories; we will build those worlds.
* When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
She: When I was 12, I wrote a story in three parts that totaled about 100k words. It was epically bad. It languished on my father's old computer until it mercifully passed into oblivion.
He: When I was in high school. It was a novella, terrible, of course, but it got my mind working along the path of story creation. I branched out in poetry, which won some on-campus awards, in university. After marriage, I haven't touched poetry. It's a young man's art.
* How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
Easily a million words, which was about six separate stories. We did not intend these things for publication, however. They were for ourselves, for our apprenticeship, and we have found those million words to be our grand sacrifice upon the altar of publication. In other words, those early stories were good practice.
* What genre(s) do you write in? What drew you to write in it/them? What’s your favorite genre of all to write in?
We write fantasy, paranormal, romance, and a mix of all three. We love good sci-fi and fantasy, and we also enjoy canon literature, as we both have Master's degrees in that field. Romance is an easy genre for us to write in, since we believe that all the best stories are love stories.
* What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
Best advice: If you want to be published, write what people want to read. (Some of our early stories were considered technically good but not a style anyone reads nowadays.)
Worst advice: Write what you know. (We make up our worlds wholecloth!)
* How do you celebrate/deal with acceptance/rejection letters?
Celebrate: With a toast with all our children (the adults get liqueur, the kids get apple cider).
Deal with: Ummm, we have never received a rejection letter. Worth His Freedom got only offers, but we went with Evernight because of personal recommendations.
* In regard to the book you’re promoting, 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?
Tsalrin: A young Jude Law, but he'd have to spend a significant amount of time in the makeup chair everyday before filming. Oh, and can we make him taller? (No spoilers)
Miria: A long, blonde, young Kate Winslet.
Aemilius (villain): Chris Pine, but he'd have to make himself quite unpleasant!
Hedda: Gemma Jones.
* The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
Worth His Freedom is a stand-alone book, but it is set in a fantasy world that will be the setting for other love stories from us. What sparked the idea? The character of the hero, Tsalrin. When we were designing the mythology of our world, he became an important figure.

*** Now for some fun info… ***
* Are you a morning person or night owl?
She: Night owl. A chronic insomniac.
He: Neither and both. I can function on either schedule.
* What’s your favorite day of the week?
She: Monday. And outing and coffee in the afternoon with him.
He: Sunday. Home with her, having friends over.
* If you could live anywhere in the universe, where would it be and why?
She: Rome. I lived there when I was a child and would dearly love to return.
He: Earth. It's the only habitable globe we know of. I'll get back to you if we find another M-class planet.

*** About the story(ies)… ***
Title: Worth His Freedom
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Tag line: Two lovers. One collar. No escape.
Blurb: Miria, a young noblewoman on the cusp of an arranged marriage, meets the Ausir Tsalrin, her father's mysterious assassin, and sparks fly immediately. They face obstacles of political machinations and racial intolerance. Tsalrin is trapped by an ancient curse, and Miria cannot escape her father or the husband to whom he would sell her, a man who sees her merely as a political tool. Miria and Tsalrin's position is impossible, but neither one will give up their hidden love. Theirs is a story of struggle against abuse, bigotry, and paterfamilias. Their love is both their greatest danger and their only comfort as they search for their mutual freedom.

***Find Adonis here***

Blog: http://boundlessasthesea.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adonis.devereux

Twitter: @AdonisDevereux

Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/worth-his-freedom-by-adonis-devereux

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Worth-His-Freedom-ebook/dp/B006423G0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320672464&sr=8-1

Thank you for joining us here today! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.

Adonis would like to give away one copy of Worth His Freedom to one lucky person who comments on this blog topic. The format of the book can be epub, prc, or pdf. The contest will end one week after the blog post goes live. The winner will be notified by email, so we need you to include your email address in your comment so you can be entered in the drawing. Thanks!