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:: BOOK INFO ::
Danann Frost Falls from Grace (Book #1)
Danann Frost Embraces the Darkness (Book #2)
Summary: Danann Frost is thousands of years old, yet young for her kind. She is a creature of the Light, an Angel, one of the Seraphim; a race of beings that live beyond our world. She has been cast out of paradise and Fallen from Grace, all for the love of a Dark One - a vampire. The only problem is, Seth did not want her and told her to go and not come back. Danann has made a life for herself amongst the vampires of this world and they protect her fragile nature. She and the vampire Asher live on the fringes of the human world; love and loyalty cannot separate them but trouble and vengeance are on their way. After two hundred years of enduring the crippling punishments of her Fall, Seth walks back into her life but he is bitter and angry and out for revenge. Thank God he is after someone else...or is he? Can Danann escape the dark intentions of her once-beloved for whom she Fell from Grace, or has she put all those that she holds dear in danger? Journey with Danann as she takes the path to taking back her Light and ascending to be Angel once more. Will the Archangel Uriel surrender her Light or will Danann be doomed to walk in darkness forever?
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:: GUEST POST ::
1) Joanne, I read on your website that you wrote your first five books in 99 days, how did you manage to do that?
JV: Basically, I'm kind of crazy. I can be a very driven person when I have a project that is both challenging and personally rewarding. I literally sat down at my computer with almost no forethought whatsoever and began writing. I wrote all day, everyday (and most nights too) and finally, 99 days later, much to my great surprise, I discovered that I had written in excess of 2000 pages, which when divided up, turned out to be 5 rather substantial novels. The only reason I was able to do this was because of the indulgence and support of my husband and children who not only tolerated my dedication to the project but also supported and encouraged me greatly.
2) What inspired you to write your latest novel, Danann Frost Falls from Grace?
JV: I was actually researching something I needed for the Ancient Blood books. I was on Wikipeadia and got caught up, you know the kind of thing...going from this to that to that just because it interests you. Anyway, I started out in the Carpathian mountains and wound up on a Celtic mythology page related to the God Manannan Mac Lir. The story was about how his second wife cursed the children of his first marriage to become swans for 900 years until the curse would be broken. In that moment, my mind literally exploded and I had visions of a young woman with snowy white wings, washing herself by a lake in Ireland. I pictured a man watching her, a vampire prince who believed her to be the goddess daughter of Manannan who was cursed but she is not a goddess, she is actually an angel and thus, my story was born
3) Since the sequel, Danann Frost Embraces the Darkness, is coming out on June 12th, what can we expect as readers?
JV: I began writing because I was disatisfied with what I was finding. I vowed to write stories that are 'the whole package'. You know the kind of thing, they make you laugh, they make you cry, they hold you within their grip and don't let go. Characters that you love, hate and identify with. Characters and stories that you invest yourself with and plots that don't ignore the hard issues, basically stories that address virtually everything you want to know and answer every question you have. Stories that keep you on the edge of your seat and ones that you will re-read many times in your lifetime. By the end of a series, I promise to tie everything up, answer every question and see justice done to everyone, good, bad or otherwise.
4) In the Danann Frost series, who is your favorite character creation?
JV: It goes without saying that both Danann and Seth are favourites but my absolute favourite character would have to be Mia. At the beginning of the story, her past makes her a more timid sort of character but in her journey with Danann, Mia learns what it is to have a friend and to be a friend. You has to make very, very difficult decisions and choices and by the end of the sequel, she is a very sassy, gutsy woman who is willing to stand up for what she believes in...something that to me, all women should be.
5) As an author, what are the three most important items you need during your writing process?
JV: Firstly, music. Every scene and I do mean EVERY scene that I write is written with total emotion and I play music that will put me in the right mood for what I am writing. An example of this in the first book Danann Frost Falls from Grace is when Danann is sitting in a convertible driving down a tree-lined boulevard on a hot summer night on the way to a night club on the beach. The music I played to write that scene was The Black Eyed Peas I've got a feelin'.
Secondly, I need air. I need to be able to breathe and so I have a large sliding door nearby where I write that is open whether it is hot, cold, rainy or even stormy.
The third thing that I need is not so much solitude, because the kids are often about when I am writing but I do need to be left alone. My mind and I get into a zone where the characters and stories become so absorbing.
6) Last but not least, would you like to say anything to your present and future readers?
JV: Absolutely. I would love to say that first, foremost and forever, I am just like you...a reader. It is because of that, that I became a writer and so I believe that I owe my readers the very best of me. I vow to write stories that to me, are the full package. What I mean by that is stories that are deep on character development and plotline, stories that address every hard issue and not ignore or put them in the 'too hard basket'. I promise to never knowingly break the rules that I established. I hate it when writers break their own rules because they can't work out how else to fix something but when they do this, it makes me feel cheated and I never want my readers to feel that way because I know just how it feels. I also promise to see justice done by the end of a series, everyone gets what they deserve, good, bad or otherwise and I promise to leave you feeling perhaps exhausted but also totally satisfied.
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:: AUTHOR'S BIO ::
I am a 40 year old wife and mother, having 2 children, a boy aged 10 and a girl, aged 8. I began writing at age 39, during February of 2009. I literally sat down at my computer one day and began writing. I wrote for 99 days straight, all day every day and then came out of that with 5 rather large books that I lovingly call the 'Ancient Blood' Books. I began editing and realised very quickly that I had to continue 'creating'. By that I mean, creating more characters and storyline. As a result, I began writing Danann Frost Falls from Grace. This was accomplished in 19 days, after which I took a week off, then I wrote the sequel Danann Frost Embraces the Darkness in 21 days. They are a companion tale to the Ancient Blood books, set in the same universe with some crossover.
My life prior to writing Danann's story did not include writing at all. In fact I hated writing at school, though I always achieved good marks. I spent my whole working life in the Banking Industry before leaving to begin my family. I did not realise what was missing in my life and indeed, writing never occurred to me but as I sat at my computer one day listening to music, my mind literally exploded. I was listening to Frankie Goes To Hollywood's the Power of Love. The lyrics I'll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampire's from your door. When the chips are down, I'll be around with my undying, death-defying love for you.
Instantly, my mind was flooded with ideas and though the story did not go the way I expected, it was these lyrics that sparked my imagination to a point where I literally just starting typing. The characters helped to drive the story though they would cause me great stress by often refusing to do what I wanted them to. In the end, I learned to embrace their opinions because I had given them life...I should be listening to them. This way of writing for me, produced something that has very real, very flawed characters that go adventuring into very deep plot lines.
For more info on Joanne, visit her sites:
Thank you Joanne for this great post!
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