Curling Up With A Good Book: Blog Tour, Interview, and Giveaway: The Guardians Book 1 thru 4 (Wendy Owens)

Sacred Bloodlines: The Guardian Book 1

Looking for the new cover? See here.
Tragedy has defined Gabe's short existence in this world. An ominous darkness lurked on the edge of his existence until one day in a subway, strange things start happening. A series of events lead Gabe into a new and fascinating life filled with angels and demons, but he isn't sure if he wants to be a part of it.
Gabe is thrust into the middle of this exciting world that is full of things he has longed for in his life but it comes with a price. This new life also promises constant terrifying dangers that Gabe fears he may not be able to survive.

Kindle Edition, 286 pagesPublished November 25th 2011 by Four Bean Soup Publishing

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Cursed: The Guardians Book 2

Gabe thought finding out that he was a Guardian Angel was difficult. Then he found out he is destined to be the great protector who will one day deliver the last prophet to either safety or death. If all of that is not enough Gabe must always be on guard since he is being hunted by the most powerful demon in the earthly realm, Baal.Gabe deals with these struggles because his new life includes Sophie. They grew closer over the summer and now every day seems unimaginable without her in it. Evil doesn't stop though just because Gabe has found happiness. Only this time the evil finds it's way to Rampart manor and Gabe will risk everything to try and stop it.

Kindle Edition, 150 pagesPublished March 30th 2012 by Four Bean Soup Publishing

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The Prophecy: The Guardians Book 3

Gabe has been on the run for five long years, since the night he left Rampart. During those five years he has gone through experiences that have molded him into a hardened man. After the world repeatedly disappointed him, Gabe manages to find peace in solitary confinement. Not only is he safe from Bale's minions, but he finds peace in his solitude.
He thought he had finally found what he so greatly lusted after, a quiet life, all by himself. Until a familiar stranger showed up on his doorstep, pleading for help. Even though Gabe thought he had escaped The Prophecy, things are not always as they seem.
Now Gabe has another chance at love. Choosing to follow his heart could prove to be not only the most difficult decision of his life - but perhaps the most dangerous, too. Just when Gabe thinks he might have it all figured out, he is given the most important duty in his life. If he succeeds it would mean a comfort he has never known and a joy he thought didn’t exist. If he fails it could mark the beginning of the end for all mankind.

ebook, 1
Published January 1st 2013 by Four Bean Soup Publishing

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The Lost Years: The Guardians Book 4

Gabe's world was forever altered by the people he came to know and love at Rampart Manor. Although, it wasn't only his life that was changed when he made the choice to leave them all behind. During his five year absence, they each had a battle with personal demons. Dina is faced with a moral dilemma, the path of good leading to certain heartbreak, or evil, and a possibility of happiness. Uri meets a mysterious woman who seems to have a lot of the answers that he has been searching for, and she certainly has a place in his heart, if he can only hold onto her.
Sophie is faced with choices she never knew would be so difficult. Thequestion now is: will the personal demons of the remaining Guardians of Rampart be too much for them to overcome?

Wendy Owens is a 34 year old author, born in the small college town, Oxford Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went onto a career in the visual arts. For several years she created and sold her own artwork. In 2011 she gave her true love, writing, a try. Her first novel flowed from her in only two weeks time, as though it had been fighting to get out. That moment was when she knew she had found her calling. Wendy now happily spends her days writing the stories her characters guide her to tell, admitting even she doesn’t always know where that might lead. Her first series, The Guardians, will be concluded with the fifth and final book in 2013.When she’s not writing, this dog lover can be found spending time with her tech geek husband, their three amazing kids, and two pups, lovingly nicknamed stinks and chubbs. She also loves to cook and is a film fanatic.

For more info on Wendy's young adult fiction visit http://wendy-owens.com/

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What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

Money, I decided I wanted to be a millionaire and this seemed like the easiest way. Seriously though now that I have you all laughing hysterically... I’m sure most of you already know if you want to be rich, don’t be a writer. I became a writer because it was a passion. I have enjoyed writing since I was a little kid and always dreamed of making it a career one day. My creative writing professor in college always encouraged me to give it a try, but it seemed like an impossible path. For many years I was self employed as a freelance visual artist, but I would always tell my husband that if I could do anything in the world, I would be a writer.

In 2011 he forwarded me an article about Amanda Hocking with a little note encouraging me to follow my dreams. I put my art business on vacation mode and jumped in with the full support of my family. I wrote my first book in two weeks. Amazing right? Now editing... that was another story, it took me four months to get the book to a place where I was ready to release it. What inspired me to write the Guardians series is a little unknown to me. The idea was bouncing around in my head for years, just looking for the opportunity to get out.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

Favorite is a hard thing to define because I like different characters for different reasons. If I had to pick one though, Uri has always held a special place in my heart. His snarky sense of humor makes me smile and he is my kind of handsome. The grittier the better for me when it comes to sex appeal and Uri is dripping with it. I love him so much I decided to add book four, The Lost Years, into the series. It explores what happened to him and the other guardians during a five year gap between book two and three.

Which came first, the title or the novel?

For me the novel always comes first. My books develop in an organic way, growing and reaching their own conclusions. If I created the title first I think I would feel like I was stifling the direction they may want to bloom.

What scene in the book are you most proud of and why?

In the guardian series there will be five books: Book 1 Sacred Bloodlines, Book 2 Cursed, Book 3 The Prophecy, Book 4 The Lost Years, and Book 5 The Guardians Crown (to be released fall 2013). This probably sounds insane, but my favorite scene out of all of these books is the opening scene in book 1, Sacred Bloodlines. Gabe meets Uri for the first time, we discover there is a magical and dark side to the world we live in, and after I wrote that scene I got this amazing rush of “wow, I’m really doing this. I’m a writer and this first chapter proves it.”

Thinking back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

As a writer I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out promotion and what readers want. What I learned is that while those things are important, the most important thing as a writer is to keep writing. You want people to find you? To read your work? Then write all the time. Keep fresh and solid content in the marketplace and write about what you love. Eventually the rest will follow.

What do you like most about the cover of the book?

The entire series covers were done by Claudia of Phatpuppy Art. Only four covers have been released up until now and at the end of this blog tour I will reveal the fifth and final cover (very mind blowing). The cover for for Book four, The Lost Years, though is my favorite (though book 1 and 5 are a close second). The way the elements wrap up and swirl around Seraphine’s body is captivating for me. And yes, after you read the book, if you weren’t sure, that is Seraphine on the cover.

What new release are you looking most forward to in 2013?

Darkness Kindled, the 4th in the Fire Spirits series, by Samantha Young. Ms. Young was nice enough to help me out when I began my career by giving me endless advice and encouragement. I soon became a fan of her fantasy work and have been devouring new work ever since.

What was your favorite book in 2012?

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover was a shocker for me. I had never read her work before and decided based on the reviews to give it a try. I normally stick to paranormal fantasy type books or dystopian tales. Boy am I glad I did give this book a try; for everything I was able to predict there were two other things that surprised me. I also really enjoyed her style of writing and will be watching for more of her work in the future.

What’s up next for you?

Of course I want to finish the guardians series and I will be doing that later this year, but I also have some other outlines in the works. A vampire princess Romeo/Juliet type series, a series about a dystopian future full of mutants, another installment in my zombie novellas, a thriller series about a serial killer and detective, and a book about a woman struggling with grief. All over the board, right? What will be the next thing I choose to write? I can’t say. I don’t like making a schedule beyond a couple books because I don’t know what will be inspiring me at that moment and I never want to force what I am writing. All I can say for sure in 2013 is you will see more from Ruination (cause zombies rock) and the conclusion of The Guardians.

Is there anything that you would like to add?

Thank you to all your readers out there who have taken the time to read my words. I would like everyone who has not discovered my writing to be able to try it at no risk so I have worked hard to make Book 1 available to everyone for free. Currently you can download Sacred Bloodlines on Smashwords, sony, B&N, and Kobo for free. At the time of this interview I was still trying to make the book free on Amazon but they had not yet updated the pricing. Hopefully that will be done soon. If you enjoy the book I would love for you to read the rest of the series and also leave me a review on Amazon. Reviews are the life force that keeps indie writers going!