Curling Up With A Good Book: Blog Tour, Interview, and Giveaway: Darkness of Light (Stacey Marie Brown)

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Blog Tour, Interview, and Giveaway: Darkness of Light (Stacey Marie Brown)

A HUGE THANK YOU to RockStar Book Tours and Stacey Marie Brown for allowing me to be a part of this awesome blog tour!! Make sure and check out the tour schedule below to follow the other amazing blogs!!

Freak. Witch. Crazy. Schizo.
Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best circumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen to her, and having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.
When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for trouble teens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious. Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets that will not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading her down a path she never imagined possible.
Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledge are power and no one can be trusted. But her survival depends on finding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forced between love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differences between them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. At best, she will not only lose her heart but her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however, there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.

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Stacey Marie Brown works by day as an Interior/Set Designer and by night a writer of paranormal fantasy, adventure, and literary fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

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What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

Reading. I was reading three to four fantasy books a week for a while. I was completely addicted. In between the ones that left me empty and lacking to the ones that had me in tears (because their next book wouldn’t be out for another year), my own characters and story kept popping up. I’ve always loved to write and did a lot on my own, but this was different. They started “haunting” me. Finally I just had to get them out so they’d shut up!

Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel started first, but the name came quickly after. From the beginning and through all the MANY versions of the story, the title never changed. That was what it was named and nothing else fit it better. Just like my characters--it kind of named itself.

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

That’s a hard one because there are some scenes that were more fun to write, but proud of is different. Action scenes I find more difficult to write than other scenes so when I’d get comments from readers saying they loved them and felt like they were right there with Ember makes me so happy. I also feel pride when readers really “get” my characters, especially Eli and Ember and Ember’s sense of humor and outlook on life. I think I feel most pride, not necessarily in scenes, but when readers really connect to the characters and the relationships between them.

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

I have learned so much. Maybe one of the most important was the huge learning curve I went through when realizing not every word or character I wrote was needed. When I finally accepted that, the story was so much better. Not every word an author writes is golden or worth keeping. I had a hard time at first cutting characters or scenes I had grown to love. I loved them, but my editors made me see that other people might not. They didn’t move forward or add to the story. Once I got past that, my story became a well-oiled machine. Now I cut and edited characters/scenes right and left.

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

I absolutely love my cover. Dave from Woulds & Shoulds did an amazing job on it. He probably wanted to kill me because I had such a specific idea of what I wanted in my head. It came out better than I hoped. I love the eerie looking forest Ember bleeds into. And I love her two different eyes dominating the cover.

What’s up next for you?

I have just finished Book Two of the Darkness Series, Fire in the Darkness, which I am hoping will come out in Fall 2013. It's at the editors now. And as we speak I am beginning Book Three. It’s never ending for authors!

Is there anything that you would like to add?

Just a huge thank you for the support and love I have received so far. Seriously, it has blown my mind the response I've gotten to Darkness of Light. And to future readers--I hope you enjoy the story and let yourself go along for the ride. It’s not meant to be the book of the century, just a fun, enjoyable read—with lots of hot guys, sexual tension, adventure, and funny dialogue.