Giveaway & Interview with Correene Callahan!!!

OMG! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the Dragonfury series! Hot, sexy, alpha-males that shift into dragons! Mmmmm……mmmmmmmm…..mmmmm!

Right this very minute, Mac is my favorite! However, that may all change once I get Wick or Venom’s story!  They’re just as smexy!

*sigh*

Tania is priceless! She’s Myst’s best friend and is bound and determined to find her. Little does she know that Myst is safely ensconced with Bastien and has no plans to leave him. While searching for Myst, Tania meets Mac. He’s hard-core alpha dominating male. In addition to searching for her best friend, she’s doing everything she can for her sister, who happens to be in prison. Talk about a full plate! Through it all Tania holds strong and stays steady!

Mac is a newly changed dragonshifter. He’s rare because he’s a water dragon. He’s hooked on Tania and NEEDS to get to her. He MUST keep her safe. His dragon will allow nothing less.

Little does Tania know that she’s a high-energy female and Mac’s dragon is determined to have her. Even though Mac is afraid of commitments and doesn’t do long-term.

There are so many things to love about this book and the series. I love the hot, smexy alpha men. I love the strong women that love them and are loved in return. Cherished is a better word for it! I love the dragon fighting, the hot and steamy sex scenes. I love the intrigue and mystery. This series has it all!

Coreene Callahan has managed to weave a world where dragons and humans live side by side. There’s good and evil, love and heartbreak. We’ve got some good old fashioned kidnapping, suspense and political intrigue.

We met several new people in this book and I’m anxious to see how they fit into the overall picture. We have an added component in this book. The political intrigue is an added layer and I like it! I’m curious to see where that one goes and how it plays into the Razorback/Nightfury battle. I’m still trying to figure out who’s on the side of the Razorbacks and who’s on the side of the Nightfurys. All the extra intrigue is lovely!

Tania and Mac are great together. Their connection began in the last book when she helped Mac through his initial change. However, neither one of them remembers it.  Well, not while awake at least. Their connection is strong and the passion flares strong between them. Tania is amazing because she takes it all in stride. When she feels herself falling over the cliff into panicsville, she manages to bring herself back. It also helps that Myst is around to help her and seeing the love and commitment between Myst and Batien and between Angela and Rikar helps her believe.

We got some of Mac’s backstory in this book and based on what I read, I think we’ll get more in a later book. I certainly hope so as there’s some mystery surrounding him. It also looks like we may have a little father/son ass-kicking going on in a later book.

I’m really looking forward to the next on in the series. I’m anxious to know whose story we get next. I know it’s going to be good!

Get writing Ms. Callahan! I’m ready for the next one!

Thank you so much for agreeing to the interview. I’m very excited about you being here with us today!

You’re Dragonfury series is phenomenal! I’m so excited about the next one coming out Fury of Seduction. I still can’t figure out who is my favorite Dragon. They’re all so yummy.

Coreene Callahan: Thanks so much! I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the Dragonfury Novels. I love writing them, and I’m with you. I can’t decide who my favorite is either. Although, I have to say, I usually fall in love with whichever guy’s story I’m currently writing. Right now, it’s Wick in FURY OF DESIRE (Dragonfury series, book 4). <sigh> He’s a hard nut to crack, but I think I may love him all the more for it!

1.      You use dragon shifters in a couple of different series. Where did your fascination with dragons come from? I mean, how did you get so interested in them?

Coreene Callahan: I fell hard and fast for dragons when I was thirteen. I remember the moment it happened. I was flipping through a textbook about the medieval era (trying to decide on an essay subject for history class) and near the center of the book was an incredible picture of a dragon.  A millisecond—that’s all it took—and my imagination flared, expanding into possibility. From that moment on, dragons have lived large inside my head. I even got a dragon tattoo my first year away at college (much to my Dad’s chagrin!).

2.      In the first book, we had a dragon fight, newborn baby, and McDonald’s jingle in the first 100 pages. How in the world did you get to the point where all of those things came together at once? Those are definitely not things I would have associated together in one story.

Coreene Callahan: It’s funny how a book comes together. I often say that my characters dictate the path, and I, as the writer, scramble to keep up. There are days when I can’t type fast enough, and others in which my characters refuse to talk to me at all.

But honestly? I like it that way.

In order to write with authenticity, each character needs to feel real—to have their own strengths, weaknesses, and a laundry list of needs and wants. Each one must have a past (sometimes painful, sometimes not) and a hope for the future. If a character resonates with me, they take on a life of their own. The way they talk, act and think becomes all about an individual’s unique perspective, the sum total of life experience, personality, and viewpoint.

In other words, how a character views the world shapes the story as I write it.  So because everything is rooted in character, the McDonald’s jingle suddenly works in context with battles and newborn babies. What he or she thinks, I write down in a stream of consciousness. Makes for a lot of fun and even more surprises!

3.      I must say I’m very excited about Mac’s story. What kind of surprises can we look forward to in his story?

Coreene Callahan: Hmm, Mac. He’s just so darned beautiful he makes me smile. He is an unbelievably fun to guy write, and in FURY OF SEDUCTION he was so unpredictable he kept me hopping. Every time I turned around he was doing something that…

1.      Put him in the middle of the action and in heaps of trouble.

2.      Made me blush. (He is naughty with a capital N in the bedroom!)

3.      Cracked me up. I really love his sense of humor. 

Needless to say, there is never a dull moment when Mac is around. And Tania (his love interest) wasn’t much better. If I wasn’t scrambling to keep up with Mac, I was hauling a** to keep up with her! Okay, so I loved every minute of it, but man, I was exhausted when I finished writing the Fury of Seduction!

4.      Who is your favorite dragon thus far?

Coreene Callahan: You know, I can’t decide. I love them all for different reasons. But I think, like most writers, my favorite is always the one I am writing at the moment.  Right now, Wick has my heart.

5.      Who is your favorite heroine so far?

Coreene Callahan: Myst. No…Angela.  Wait…it’s got to be Tania.  Ah heck, I can’t pick a favorite. Each one engages me on a different level and honestly, if they were real people I’d want to be friend with these girls.

6.      You have a new series coming out in December. What can we expect from this new series?

Coreene Callahan: Oh, I’m so glad you asked! I’m really excited to share the first in my paranormal historical series, KNIGHT AWAKENED (A Circle of Seven Novel, book 1), with you. I so enjoyed writing this book. It took me back to my love of history and gave me the opportunity to set a story in an interesting time and place.

The Circle of Seven novels are hard-hitting stories about a group of elite assassins and the magical order they eventually come to protect. Marked for death by the leader of their old order, they are not only fighting to survive, but to find new purpose in the world. There are dragons in this series too, so get ready for the fallout!

Here is a taste of what KNIGHT AWAKENED is about:

In AD 1331, warlord Vladimir Barbu seizes control of Transylvania. But in spite of his bloody triumph, his claim to the throne remains out of reach. The king of Hungary opposes his rule, the Transylvanian people despise his brutal ways, and the high priestess needed to crown him has vanished without a trace. But Barbu hasn’t come this far only to be thwarted by a woman. He unleashes his best hunters to track her down and bring her to him—dead or alive.

For Xavian Ramir, killing is the only life he has ever known. Torn from his family when he was a child, he was trained from an early age to be an elite assassin. But now he longs for something more, vowing to start anew after one last job. The bounty on his target’s head is enough to set him up for good—if he can resist the long-dead conscience that stirs to life when he meets his beautiful mark.

Afina Lazar never wanted to become high priestess, but the brutal murders of her beloved mother and sister leave her no choice. Now she is running for her life, desperate to protect the magical amulet entrusted to her care. But when Barbu’s assassin comes for her, she realizes her only chance of stopping the warlord’s rise to power is to convince this enigmatic—and handsome—hunter that she is more valuable alive than dead.

Dramatic and fast-paced, Knight Awakened is a stirring love story between two people searching for a second chance in a magical world of assassins, warlords, unearthly beasts, and nonstop adventure.

7.      Which series is the most fun to write?

Coreene Callahan: I’m lucky.  Both series are fun to write…with an added bonus tacked on. I never get tired of either series, because I switch between the two. I write a book in the Dragonfury series, and when its finished, I start the next book in the Circle of Seven series.  No time for boredom with a writing schedule like that!

8.      When did you start writing? What made you start writing?

Coreene Callahan: Looking back now, I see that I was always storyteller. I might have been six or seven years old when I first started telling stories to my siblings and friends. But honestly, that interest didn’t develop into writing until the beginning of high school. I remember writing some really bad poetry during that time, but then I didn’t write much of anything until after I finished college.

So what started me writing again? In a word…kids. After working at a busy interior design firm, I found myself at home with a newborn. Now, here’s the thing you need to know about newborn babies…they sleep a lot (well, at least, my firstborn did) so I needed to fill the hours with something that fulfilled my creative drive and engaged my overactive imagination. I turned to writing and that’s how my first book got written.

9.      What’s the biggest compliment you’ve received so far on your writing?

Coreene Callahan: Wow, that’s tough one. I think, though, that when a reader wants the next book in the series NOW (no way they can wait…they just need it sooner than soon), that’s the best compliment. To me, that means I’ve done a good job creating a world that readers can escape inside of and enjoy at the end of a busy day.

10.  Do you write at a desk or do you have a writing nook?

Coreene Callahan: A desk in a really humble space.  

Picture this: a 9 x 9 foot room nestled under the curve of my basement stairs. As you cross the threshold, you notice a couple of things. One, it doesn’t have a window. And two, twin closets jut out from opposing sides of the room: one is home to a sump pump, the other, a hot water tank. Both have folding doors on them (thank goodness!), and the room is decked out with glossy white baseboards and door trim. The walls are painted a pale green and the furniture is a collection of hand-me-downs and salvaged pieces. Well, at least, all but my desk. The maple-topped beauty was designed by me and made by my husband. He grimaced when I painted the base my favorite color (turquoise), but has since gotten over the shock.

Doesn’t sound like much, does it? But I love it there. Humble meets homey, it’s like a beautifully appointed cave. And when I turn the corner into my office each morning, my imagination takes flight and stories come alive in the space.

11.  What do you want your readers to get from your stories?

Coreene Callahan: That love is the answer to every question. No matter how bad things become, love can lift a person up, inspire and give a wounded heart a soft place to fall.  Always.

12.  What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

Coreene Callahan: One thing? Hmm…for a private person, that is a difficult question to answer.  I guess, maybe, I’d like readers to know that I care and hope the stories I write transport them to new worlds full of people and places they can fall in love with. I’m a regular escape artist, disappearing inside books written by the authors I love to read, and I hope my books help them do the same.

Lightening Round:

1.      Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate...hands down.

2.      Truck or sports car? Sports car.

3.      Jeans or skirts? Depends on my mood. I like and wear both.

4.      Backyard BBQ or Fancy Dinner? Backyard BBQ.

5.      Romance Movie or Comedy? Neither. I’m a hardcore action junkie! If there’s a love story included between explosions, car chases, and fight scenes, I’m even happier.

Thank you so much for spending some time with us today. We can’t wait to read more from you!

Coreene Callahan: Thanks so much for having me. It’s been a blast! If you have a chance, please visit me at www.coreenecallahan.com. Anytime. I always love hearing from you!

Fury of Seduction is released November 13

Knight Awakened is released December 

a Rafflecopter giveaway