Eternal Hope Scavenger Hunt! Interview with Frankie Rose.

Today is my stop on the Eternal Hope blog tour and scavenger hunt. I'm hosting an interview with Frankie and I am so glad she's finally been able to stop by. Don't forget to look for the mystery word. All the prizes are listed on the first and last blogs.

Welcome to Worlds of Wonderment Frankie!

Hi Jo-Anne thanks for having me! It’s awesome that I get to come ‘hang out’!

For potential readers, can you give us an overview of your books?

I’d love to! At the moment I have two books out, Sovereign Hope and Eternal Hope. The story follows a young eighteen-year-old girl called Farley whose life is turned upside down by a number of events, the first of which being the mysterious disappearance of her mother. On her mission to find her mother, Farley runs into Daniel, a snarky guy with a major attitude problem, and she finally learns a few home truths. Her father, the man she thought dead her whole life, is actually alive and he is on a mission of his own: to kill Farley before she can play her part in a prophecy she has been predestined to fulfill.

She is part of a bloodline of Reavers, men who steal the souls of others to gain power. Alongside Daniel and a cast of awesome friends and unlikely allies, Farley learns to fight and protect those she loves. There are a huge road blocks in her way, preventing her from finally being able to enjoy her relationship with Daniel, and we catch insights into each of the characters as we follow them through the events of the books. We watch them grow as people, as well as witnessing how their relationships with one another change dramatically along the way.

The Hope Series is a trilogy, what can readers expect from the books?

I really wanted to cover a bit of everything, you know? I wanted there to be heaps of romance, but I wanted there to be lots of action and drama, plus a pinch of horror thrown into the mix as well. I hope I accomplished that. I have to say, though, I am loving the romantic developments between my characters as the series progresses. It’s almost cruel torturing them sometimes, but then you get to give them the most perfect moments on the other hand as well.

What do you like most about Farley and Daniel’s characters?

 I like that they’re both real, in some ways. You’re probably questioning my sanity right now, but I don’t mean that I think they really exist. I just mean that they’re both incredibly flawed and have major baggage. They make mistakes and their relationship isn’t perfect.  In the past, I’ve been really frustrated and found it hard to connect with a story or empathise with its characters, because the male protagonist has been superhuman, beautiful and absolutely perfect in every way possible.  In the same vein, the female lead has been a simpering idiot who has no backbone. I wanted Farley and Daniel to empower each other with their strengths, but I also wanted them to admit when they were wrong and get mad at each other every once in a while.

Who is your favourite character to write?

I have to say Daniel. He’s so broken in some respects. I have a lot of love for him, because he was kind of a lost cause for a very long time, and so many bad things have happened to him. His mother’s treatment of him and his brother; Jacob and the other Reavers as he was ‘growing up’; the things that went down between him and Kayden, as well as his relationship with Aldan. It’s almost as though falling in love with Farley has given his character reasons to be hopeful again, and that’s definitely a big part of what Eternal Hope is about, especially at the end.

What sets your paranormal world apart from others?

I wanted it to be completely unique, and I wrote it with the intention that it would be completely different to anything else I’d read. I loved reading vampire/werewolf novels, but I got so sick of it after a while. I wanted to read something new and interesting, but then I thought…why not write something new and interesting instead? The world building in Sovereign and Eternal Hope was something I took time over. It developed over a period of time for me, and I made a conscious decision back when I started writing the first book that I wouldn’t dump the whole thing all at once on the reader. I didn’t want to info-dump, and there was a danger that would happen if I went all out and laid every single card on the table right from the start. I wanted glimpses of the Reaver’s world, as well as Daniel and his friends’ lifestyles, to be revealed in pieces over time.

The third book in the series, Lost Hope, will show a whole new aspect of the supernatural side of things, as well as Daniel and Kayden’s worlds. Knowing that Daniel was born in the UK, and that some serious stuff went down for Kayden there, it seemed like a natural progression for their story to end up there.

How did the idea for the Hope Series eventuate?

Well, again, I wanted to do something different. I spent a long time thinking about whom the bad guys were and what the initial conflict of the story was before things started to really build and take shape. I think, though, even before I got to that stage, I’d already planned out who Daniel and Farley were- what made them tick and how they would interact; who they would be for one another.

After that I got to thinking about logic behind a supernatural story, if ever there could be logic for something like that. I realised that realistically if there was an all-powerful being and they wanted to steal someone else’s power, they wouldn’t be going after blood. It would the soul they went after. The body is just a vessel, after all, and the soul is where our power truly lies.  I hadn’t read anything about soul reavers before, so I pondered on the subject and it all began to fall into place.

Why do you think YA is such a popular genre?

To me, it’s so popular because it gives us back our adolescence. First love, first opportunity to be independent, first chance to be who we really want to be. Nearly everyone I know loves reading YA, because it takes you on a journey where it’s okay to still believe in improbable and impossible things. It’s okay to immerse yourself in a fictional story where ghosts, vampires, fairies, and even soul reavers exist when you’re a teenager, and people don’t necessarily want to give that up just because they graduated from high school, or even college. Heck, why should we have to give that up at all, regardless of how old we are?

Is there anything you are currently working on that you could share with us?

Yes! I’m currently working on a new novel that is close to ready for its first round of editing. This book is a first for me on a couple of different fronts.  It’s my first foray into dystopia, as well as a new writing style. I’ve always written in third person, but this time I’ve elected to go with first person, which I have loved. I definitely don’t think I will ever go back to third now.

I’m keeping pretty hush hush about this book at the moment. I’d like to keep polishing it until it’s shining in its full glory before I share it with the world, but I will let you know that it’s a story about knife fighting. I’ve had SO much fun writing the romance for this new book, and the main characters are as close to my heart as Daniel and Farley are for sure. The female protagonist, Kit, is seriously kickass, as is Ryka, the male protag. There’s a whole lot of snark in the beginning of their relationship as they actually try to ascertain who out of the two of them is the most badass. That was really fun to write.

 Was there a specific reason as to why you chose to self-publish your books?

I had the opportunity to be published through a small press agency, but when I looked over their contracts I realised I wasn’t gaining anything through signing with them.  I knew that the amount of work ahead of me wasn’t going to change just because I paid out a huge wedge of my royalties to a company, and I couldn’t justify doing it. This way, I have complete artistic license with my stories, characters, cover art, release dates etc. I’ve had a great journey publishing the Hope Series. I’ve learned so much along the way. That obviously doesn’t mean that if I ever had the opportunity to sign with one of the big six, I wouldn’t grab onto it with both hands, though. With self-publishing comes a lot of hard work that leaves very little time for actual writing. It would be fantastic to have a team of people supporting you so you could focus on your art instead of marketing etc.

What is the last song you sang at the top of your lungs?

Oh, I’m so ashamed! It was The Voice by John Farnham. Please don’t judge me. I just can’t help it. I was trapped in the car and it was on the radio. It’s almost a compulsion, my need to belt out that song whenever I hear it.

Do you have a favourite book boyfriend? Why him?

SO HARD. Seriously. Gah… right now, I’m going to say my favourite book boyfriend is Cassel Sharpe of Holly Black’s Curse Workers Series. It’s an amazing series, and Cassel is just plain awesome. He’s all messed up but he’s incredibly smart, and there’s a certain something about con men and grifters that catches my attention. Maybe because they’re smoother than smooth and dangerous. Cassel’s definitely more than a little dangerous with those hands of his!

Book Information

Title: Eternal Hope

Series: The Hope Series, Book Two

Author: Frankie Rose

Published: October 10, 2012

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Synopsis:

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me

When your friends go missing and you don’t know if they’re dead or alive; when you tie your soul to the one you love; when you kill to protect and your family suffers, there’s only one thing you can do:

Move to Montana.

Farley Hope is special. She was prophesied to kill the forebears of her bloodline- a race of cold-blooded Reavers, men who steal the souls of the living to gain power. The Quorum had counted on Farley ending her own life in the process, but when Kayden came to her aid and helped save both her and Daniel, he undid their plans. Now the Quorum are displeased, not only with Kayden, but with Farley and Daniel too. Though her father is now dead, Farley’s troubles with the Reavers are far from over. An ancient Immortal, trapped for a thousand years, wants Farley for himself, and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

With secrets that lead to anger and pain, that turn friendship to dust, the group must overcome the problems within their own circle before they have a hope of fighting off the powers that threaten their lives.

Amazon | GoodReads

About the Author:

As a child, I was always accused of being bookish because I wore glasses- big, horrible, ugly ones with too-thick lenses. Those kids, the super smart ones who always know which tender insecurities to poke at in order to provoke life-long complexes, used to accuse me of reading too many books and that my eyes were going to rot out of my head (their words, not mine!)

The truth of the matter was a little more embarrassing: I used to sit too close to the T.V. That was the reason why I had to wear glasses, but kids don’t really care about small, insignificant details like the truth, and so I was labelled a nerd. The label kinda stuck, and after some sage advice from my awesome nana (nana, you rock!) I decided that if I was going to be abused for my supposed literary obsession, I might as well develop one.

I guess that’s how I got into books and reading at an early age. Since then, I’ve been ripping through books like they’re going out of fashion, which, thankfully, they’re not. Good thing, too, because I’m a writer now, and books are my business!

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me on my journey- look for your names in the acknowledgements! And a big thank you to you, the reader. I hope you’ve fallen in love with Farley and Daniel just like I have, and that you’ll join them in the next book, Eternal Hope!

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | YouTube

Excerpt – Written specifically for the Scavenger Hunt and cannot be found anywhere but participating blogs:

Farley felt her face redden, which was _________ inappropriate. Daniel and Kayden were _______ she was watching, and for once their sparring lacked the flashy showmanship they usually employed to _______ her. For the two of them, nothing _______ beyond the dimly lit parameters of the hangar. Beyond the lunge, beyond the parry, beyond the block.

This was how it would really go down, if they ever meant to do serious harm to one _______. Movements fluid and graceful, there was _________ primal about their circling. Quick _______ of calculating eyes, green and blue, preempting the other’s next move. Kayden’s hair was darkened with sweat, but both their chests rose and fell with __________ regularity. In and out. Slow and steady. The stern, focused expressions on their faces said ____ were in total control.

Farley let the darkness wash over her and kept her presence hidden. The confrontation was too ___________ to interrupt. Bare chests, muscled and tanned; silver flashes of metal as their blades sang through the air. Even Cliff would have been impressed. Farley bit her ______ lip as Kayden darted _______ in a sure leap, thrusting out with deadly precision towards Daniel’s throat.

The ______ would have been a killing blow. Would have been, if it had even ______. Daniel sprang back and duck-rolled over the dusty floor, crouching into a defensive pose. With his knife ________, his eyes lifted to fix on Kayden, but they _____ quite made it.

Farley’s heart leapt to her throat. Those eyes, piercing and sharp, fixed on her _______. She swallowed and braced against the wall behind her, trying to camouflage with the _______. Kayden shifted forward, ready to take _________ of Daniel’s distracted position, but the dark-haired boy simply lifted his hand. A wordless gesture:

____.

Kayden stopped.

Robotically, Daniel rose, his _____ suddenly vanished, and dropped the knife into the dirt. Kayden’s apparent confusion only lasted a second; the moment he ________ it - that she was there - was _______. One second he was ________ Daniel’s creased brow, the next he had spun around impossibly quickly and was staring, too. Blue and Green. Farley felt her throat closing up. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Daniel brushed a hand back through his slightly curling hair, his face trained into a nothing __________. There was ______ he could do to hide the war in his eyes, ______. “So you’re back.”

Silence flooded the hangar. Farley took a moment to _______, pretending not to ______ Kayden’s fist clenching repeatedly ______ the handle of his knife.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice _______. “I guess I am.”

Don't forget to check out the other blogs that also have tour stops today or you'll miss out on words!

November 28th –  Carmen @ Book Me! - http://www.bookmereviews.com

November 28th – Taneesha @ A Diary of A Book Addict - http://adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com.au