Guest Author & Giveaway: Lucy Monroe featuring Moon Craving

 ***This giveaway has ended, but you should still read the post...it's worth your time:)

Thanks for joining the fun!***

Three years is a looooong time to wait in between books in a series.  But that's exactly how long I've waited for the next story in the Children of the Moon series by Lucy Monroe. I think this is why I prefer to wait and read a series once it's well established...that way I can have my book binge fest all at once :)

Thankfully, my wait is almost over.  Moon Craving is being released next week. Yay!  I can hardly stand it I'm so excited, especially after reading the excerpt.  In the meantime, Lucy is my guest today and she is here to talk about Moon Craving...the book I've been craving for three years.

Welcome to Seductive Musings Lucy! I am so glad to have you as my guest today. I’ve been a big fan of yours since finding 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys (still one of my favs) and have been eagerly anticipating a new book in the Children of the Moon series for what seems like forever! 

For you, what makes a romance novel a great love story, and who are some of your favorite authors to read? Who's your new favorite find?

A great love story, for me, must always include copious amounts of emotion.  I want to feel something, whether I’m writing, or reading a book.  I don’t want to be able to skim whole pages because nothing is happening in the hearts or minds of the characters.  I also love spice...I want to know the characters are sexually compatible because that’s such an important element of romantic relationships.

Favorite authors?  Christine Feehan, Kate Davies, Sean Michael, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lori Foster, Susan Andersen, Josh Lanyon, Dianne Castell, Lora Leigh, Lorie O’Clare, Lynne Graham, and the list goes on. :)

New favorite find?  Dakota Rebel.

I love Lori Foster and Lora Leigh too....in fact now that I think about it, I think I first found you in the Star Quality anthology because of Lori's short story.  I was going through a Lori Foster reading binge at the time.  Seems to be a recurring reading theme :)  I loved your short story Moon Magnetism, and then found The Real Deal and 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys and have been hooked ever since on not only your contemporary, but your historical and paranormal novels.

You are most known for your contemporary romances both with Harlequin and Brava romance.  Tell us some of the compelling reasons you had for writing your Children of the Moon paranormal shape-changer series as well as setting it in medieval Scotland.

I fell in love with werewolves when I read Lorie O’Clare’s first books (2003).  I glommed werewolf stories after that and knew I wanted to create my own world of shapechangers.  The larger than life characters, the concept of a lifemate, all of it enthralled me and still does.  As far as the historical setting, I started off writing both contemporaries and historical.  I’d written four Regency era single titles, when it came time to write the first Children of the Moon book and I knew I was ready to change eras.  I settled on the Middle Ages because to me, werewolves just seemed to fit naturally into that part of history.

Moon Craving is the second book in the Children of the Moon series. Can you give us a brief summary about each of these novels, and maybe a sneak peek at who the next hero will be in this series?

I don’t write back cover copy nearly as well as my publishers, so....

Moon Awakening

When Emily Hamilton's family is ordered to send a woman to the Scottish highlands for marriage to the laird of the Sinclair, Emily volunteers in order to save her younger sister from such a fate. But at her new home, the only friend she finds is the laird's sister-especially after Emily's stubborn streak causes the laird to cancel the marriage. And though her plans have gone awry, she refuses to return home...

Lachlan Balmoral is laird of his clan-and leader of his pack. One of the most feared werewolves prowling the Highlands, he is on the march against the hated Sinclair, who have abducted a Balmoral woman. He kidnaps the sister of the Sinclair laird, planning to marry her off in revenge-but the woman he takes along with her proves to be the greater prize...

For Emily feeds a desire he has never known existed. And though Lachlan would not think of touching his enemy's betrothed, he must know how a mere woman could tame his heart so easily... 

Moon Craving

If it were up to him, Talorc—laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack— would never marry. But when the king orders that Talorc wed an Englishwoman, the lone wolf is shocked to find his mate in the strong-willed Abigail. And after an intensely climactic wedding night, the two fiercely independent souls sense an unbreakable bond…

Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible. And for his part, he has no intention of telling her about being a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she’s begun to love has deceived her, it will take all of his warrior’s strength—and his wolf’s cunning—to win his wife back. And Talorc will have to face his biggest challenge yet: the vulnerability of a man in love…

The next hero will be Barr, the 2nd in Command to Talorc, Laird of the Sinclairs.  He’ll be taking over his own clan...should be interesting, yes?

Tell us more about your hero in Moon Craving, Talorc Sinclair? What do you think will make readers, much like his heroine Abigail, fall in love with him despite his reluctance to marry, his bitter prejudice against the English and his secret ability to shape change into a wolf?

Talorc is loyal.  He is strong.  He is protective.  He is smart.  He is independent.  And he is gorgeous.  What’s not to fall in love with? LOL

Your right, with all of those traits it would be oh so easy.  I can see why Abigail fell for him.  

However, their love story wasn't an easy one.  Both Talorc and Abigail keep secrets from each other.  His…that he is a werewolf.  Hers…that she is deaf.  He is Laird of the Sinclair clan which abhors weakness, and in their medieval world deafness is definitely a weakness even though she is strong in character and spirit; especially considering her cunningness in managing to keep her deafness a secret.  How does her deafness affect her relationship with Talorc and their ability to communicate with each other, and how she is accepted by his clan?

Abigail hides more than just her inability to hear from Talorc in her effort to hide it.  At first, he believes she is timid and unwilling to stand up for herself, which could not be further from the truth.  She finds acceptance through her strength of spirit and loving heart.  No one, least of all Talorc, can resist her.

I can't wait to learn what those secrets are.  What's your favorite scene or moment from Moon Craving, and why? Can you describe it for us without giving too much away?

My favorite scene is the second wedding – the Chrechte ceremony neither expected to participate in.  Abigail because she has no clue it even exists and Talorc because he has no clue she is his mate.

I love that you have the Chrechte Marriage Blessing on the Children of the Moon website, even reading the words outside the context of the story is touching.

What are some of your upcoming releases in this series, or any new novels or projects you are working on, and who are some of the most requested characters that readers want you to write stories for?

I have a Traditional Greek Husbands duo out from Harlequin Presents in July and August and my next Goddard Project book will be out from Brava in September.

Currently, the most requested character is Zahir, the eldest brother in one of the royal families in my Royal Brides miniseries for Presents.

For me it wasn't just one character, it was this series that I have been eagerly anticipating...I can't believe it's FINALLY here :)

If you could ask readers a question, what would it be?

What is your favorite romance theme?  I know what mine are and I tend to write them, but I’d like to know what concepts or themes that other readers find particularly intriguing.

Finally, just for fun…if you could write the “fortune” in a fortune cookie what would it be?

I prefer the proverb type of fortune cookies.  Mine would say, “Following your dreams leads to both joy and pain, but the joy will outweigh the pain.”

Bestselling author Lucy Monroe pens a scorching tale of passion, deception, and a wild love that can’t be tamed…

If it were up to him, Talorc—laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack— would never marry. But when the king orders that Talorc wed an Englishwoman, the lone wolf is shocked to find his mate in the strong-willed Abigail. And after an intensely climactic wedding night, the two fiercely independent souls sense an unbreakable bond…

Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible. And for his part, he has no intention of telling her about being a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she’s begun to love has deceived her, it will take all of his warrior’s strength—and his wolf’s cunning—to win his wife back. And Talorc will have to face his biggest challenge yet: the vulnerability of a man in love…

Read an excerpt (it's a good one too)

(amazon widget)

Many, many thanks to Lucy Monroe and her staff for arranging this interview.  She is one busy writer and her daughter is just weeks away from getting married so I can't thank her enough for taking time to be here with us today!  She's had about fifty books  published since 2003.  That's only seven years, and approx 50 books (yes, as in 50, and no it's not a typo I counted and read almost all of them).  Are there really that many hours in a day ?  Because right now I am feeling like a MAJOR underachiever!  Seriously.

I need to feel better....so I'm gonna check out that cover....one. more. time.

OK, I'm back.  Now that I'm smiling we can move on to the rest of the good stuff.  Speaking of good stuff, if you haven't checked out the Children of the Moon website, you are missing out.  Didn't know Lucy had a website just for this series....well here's what you will find:

• Glossary of terms.  which I always like to have when reading a paranormal series
• The Beginning:  tells how the world that the Moon stories are set in came to be.   It's details like this that helps readers understand the books better
• Character profiles:  I personally love these
• Chrechte Marriage Blessing
• Seasons of the Moon
• and last but certainly not least considering our Muse this week are the Pack Markings....i.e. tattoos!

If you'd like to find out more, not only about the Children of the Moon series, but Lucy Monroe's contemporary, romantic suspense, and historical novels you find find her at her website and blog at www.lucymonroe.com, or you can also connect with her on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.

If you missed out on the first book in the Children of the Moon series, here is your chance to win it.  Lucy has generously offered to giveaway one signed copy of Moon Awakening.  Here's how you can enter to win:

Ways to earn entries:

• Mandatory: Answer the question Lucy posed to readers in the interview (good for 1 entry) 
• Mandatory:  You MUST be a Google Friend Connect (GFC) follower in order to be eligible to win (unfortunately an email subscriber, or subscription in Google reader, and a follower are not the same thing so make sure you are signed up as a follower if you'd like to win this book)
• Blog about this author's giveaway on your blog and leave a link with your comment (good for 15 entries)
• If you don't have a blog, don't worry you can earn extra entries by telling your friends. If they leave a comment on this post and mention that you sent them you can each earn extra entries (good for 5 entries for the referrer and the commenter for each friend) 
• Purchase any item from the Seductive Musings Amazon store by using this link, or the Amazon widget contained within this post and email a copy of your purchase receipt to me no later than the deadline to enter (email available in sidebar). Sorry purchases made prior to this date do not apply, and link contained in this post must be used. No faxes or snail mail copies are allowed. No purchases are necessary to win. (good for 25 entries, or 50 entries if a purchase is made from the featured author's available titles)

How to enter:

• You can choose to enter as many different ways that you want, but please place all of your entries in ONE comment
  

Rules and disclaimers: 

• This contest is open to US addresses only...sorry :)
  
• The contest will end on January 31st at 11:59 pm EST and winner will be posted after they have been selected
  
• Winner will be selected using Random.org
• The winner will have THREE days from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within three days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS
• The book(s) will be mailed directly from the publisher or author and no substitutions are allowed
• Seductive Musings is not responsible for prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit 
• All giveaways are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice 

Good Luck!

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