The time it was about the Renaissance

I've been lucky to get arcs of both Venom and Belladonna by Fiona Paul.  I'm going crazy from wanting book Starling, especially when Fiona tweets out little teasers about things...

Anyhoo. When I finished reading Belladonna, I DM'd Fiona, flailing all about the plot, swoons and ending. [Damn you, second books in a trilogy! *shakes fist*] Somehow, I got Fiona agree to take the time to do an interview. 

But, before we get to her answers, let's check out Belladonna.

In the second in the stunning Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he’s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose—the only evidence that will prove he’s innocent.

So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order’s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.

Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time? Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.


Sounds good, right?

1. Where did you get the idea for The Secrets of the Eternal Rose series?

 

The Eternal Rose books were developed in collaboration with Paper Lantern Lit. The development company heads, Lexa Hillyer and Lauren Oliver (yes, that Lauren Oliver), came to me with the idea for a murder mystery set in Renaissance Venice. I had recently traveled to Venice and am a major art history nerd so I was excited to work on something so glamorous and fun. Together we developed the initial concept into something more complex and sinister (with lots of kissing, of course). I know a lot of readers wanted to find out more about The Order of the Eternal Rose in Venom, and I did too, but all of my attempts to incorporate the Order (including an epilogue that was cut but might resurface as part of a blog tour someday) felt inorganic and forced. After finishing the draft, I realized that Venom is its own story and also the inciting incident for the rest of the trilogy, and I'm okay with that.

2. I love how Cass is so strong and sure of herself, until it comes to Falco. And I have some theories about Falco too.  How did they both develop as characters?

 

Sometimes I think that Falco comes from the parts of me that I like and Cass comes from the parts of me that I don't like. I definitely found Cass difficult to write at times. She can be such a follower, and I'm a big believer in strong female characters who blaze their own paths. However, Cass is a product of her environment and it's not fair to judge her based on present day. She's pretty tough for a Renaissance chick, and yet still maintains a sense of loyalty to her family that I find endearing. Cass continues to step it up in each of the books so that by the time we get to the end of book #3 she's really grown up, and I'm proud of her. Falco was pure bliss to write. I just let him say all of the cocky, sarcastic stuff that popped in my head and softened him over time as his feelings for Cass developed into something deeper than physical attraction.

3. Speaking of Falco, would you ever consider writing something from his POV? 
 

Paper Lantern Lit owns the rights to the characters so anything from Falco's POV would have to be with their blessing. I spent a lot of my formative years hanging out with guys and I definitely feel comfortable writing from a male POV. One of my contemporary novels that I'm not allowed to talk about yet is written from the POV of a slacker boy and I had a lot of fun with it. Of course I gave it to some slacker boy friends to critique and they pointed out a couple of issues, but for the most part they were impressed by my mastery of the Y-chromosome and its inner-workings ;)

4. Did you see the ending of the series right away?

 

OMG, no. I mean, obviously if you have an evil Order and a love triangle you are going to have to deal with said evil Order and resolve your triangle (at least in my world, you are. I am not a fan of the super-open 'hey reader, you fill in the blanks' ending) but I did not know who Cass would end up with or how one foofy-dress-wearing Renaissance girl and her friends could possibly face down a powerful secret society. But the beautiful thing is, now that it is all finished, I realize it could not have happened any other way. Everyone ends up exactly where they belong. Cass becomes the woman she's meant to become. All is right in the Renaissance Venice universe, for now anyway.

5. Will there be kissing in book 3?

 

I know there are all kinds of deep, insightful books out there that don't have kissing. I applaud these authors for tackling important issues, adding to the literary canon, and changing the world and whatnot. But dude, sometimes I get to change the world at my day job. At night, I write the stories I want to read and I want fun, sexy, exciting books with KISSING. If they happen to change the world too, then great. If not, I'm okay with that. Plus my Penguin editor is a total kiss-a-holic, maybe even worse than me. I sometimes joke that she has me on a makeout scene quota. So hellz yeah, there will be kissing :)

Speed [ish] round:

1. What's your go to guilty pleasure thing to eat?

 

I consume mad quantities of Fire Jolly Ranchers when I'm writing, but I wouldn't say I feel guilty about it. Maybe those Totino's party pizzas? Those pack an impressive 60% of the recommended daily allowance of both saturated fat and sodium in one pizza. As an RN, I should know better, but they're so tasty and convenient.

2. What are you reading right now?

 

I'm on a contemporary bender. I just finished The Spectactular Now by Tim Tharp and Uses For Boya by Erica Scheidt and I'm starting Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert. I also have Stay With Me by Paul Griffin queued up and I am salivating for Game by Barry Lyga.

3. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

 

Jonah Griggs from Jellicoe Road. Cole from the Shiver trilogy. Ash from Black City. Do these have to be book boys? There's always Iron Man or Logan from Veronica Mars or Mal from Firefly or Nathan Fillion in real life. Also, I swoon for Henry Rollins. Hopefully he won't hunt me down and kick my ass for saying that ;)

4. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

My mom loves when I tell the story of how she invited my fave author from my high school days, Dean Koontz, to my Venom launch and he had to politely decline but he sent both of us autographed books. Then, of course, I had to write him and thank him for being totes awesome to my mom, and he wrote back again with the kindest words of writing encouragement. #1 NYT bestseller Dean Koontz had time for little old me, twice! Yeah, if I ever get rich I'm giving lots of money to golden retriever charities in honor of the Deanster. He rocks :) I have also sent embarrassing fangirl tweets to Libba Bray and Sarah Dessen and think (like most people) that JK Rowling is made of 100% awesome.

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Huge thanks to Fiona for taking the time to answer my questions and always answering my emails, regardless of what they're about.

Go find her on her website, Facebook page or Twitter! And definitely add all of her books on GoodReads!

Now.  In honor of Belladonna's book birthday, I've got one up for grabs.  Plus, some signed bookmarks!

Rules for the giveaway are listed under the "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was about Ash & Natalie

I got my hands on an arc of  Black City and instantly fell in love with the story and the charactes [Ash? *swoooon*].  Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on an arc of Phoenix as well. After begging asking Elizabeth for ownership of Ash [which I share with Fiona Paul], I also asked her for an interview and she was more than willing!

But before we get to the Q&A, let's look at Phoenix.



Weeks after his crucifixion and rebirth as Phoenix, Ash Fisher believes his troubles are far behind him. He and Natalie are engaged and life seems good. But his happiness is short-lived when he receives a threatening visit from Purian Rose, who gives Ash an ultimatum: vote in favor of Rose’s Law permanently relegating Darklings to the wrong side of the wall or Natalie will be killed.

The decision seems obvious to Ash; he must save Natalie. But when Ash learns about The Tenth, a new and deadly concentration camp where the Darklings would be sent, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. Unable to ignore his conscience, Ash votes against Rose’s Law, signing Natalie’s death warrant and putting a troubled nation back into the throes of bloody battle.

Sounds good, right?

1. Where did you get the idea for Black City?

 

It all began with Ash. His character came to me one night, while I was watching a movie. I was fascinated by the idea of a drug-dealing, supernatural boy who gets a heartbeat when he meets his true love, so when the movie finished I grabbed my laptop and wrote the first scene. The idea of the Boundary Wall, which is very important to the story and world of Black City, came to me a little later. I started writing the book around the time of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, and I kept thinking: what would it be like to live in a city divided, with all your family on one side and you on the other? Then, wouldn’t it be worse if the side you were stuck on happened to be with the very people who wanted to kill you? That where the idea of the wall came into place, and everything came together after that.

2. You have a lot of elements in your story: vampires, war, religious cult-like people, a disease and just general unease among the townspeople. Did you plan on all of it or did it come while building the world?
 

It came together organically while building the world. There are a lot of elements, but I’ve always preferred stories with plenty of things going on, as they keep me guessing! I never know what to expect. I like to be surprised. Also, although there is a paranormal aspect to the book, I think putting it in a dystopian setting and addressing issues that are relevant in today’s society, as well as from our recent history, grounds the characters / story in reality more, and makes the Darklings more relatable.

3. You write in Ash and Natalie's POV. Which one is easier?

 

Ash’s POV was easier to write in Black City, because his character came to me fully formed before I started writing the story, while Natalie took longer to work out. She slowly revealed herself to me (not in the sex way. Get your mind out of the gutter, Stacee ;-p). However, I found Natalie very easy to write in the subsequent two books. I really love her. She grows up a lot in the series.    

4. The endings in both Black City and Phoenix were [in my opinion] shocking. Without spoiling anything, did you plan those sorts of endings or did it just happen?

 

I planned them. I'm a bit of a pantser when it comes to plotting books (shh, don't tell my editor), but I always know the ending. I like to shock readers, but not just that, I like to surprise my characters and keep them on their toes. I don't ever want then to feel safe. Anything can happen to them at any moment. They always look at me with a wary eye, especially if I'm in a bad mood.

 

5. Will there be kissing in book 3?
 

Oh yes! There will be lots of kissing in book 3!

Speed [ish] Round:

1. What's your go to guilty pleasure thing to eat?

 

I love Belgium Buns, particularly the super naughty kind with whipped cream and lemon curd in them. Om noms. They’re really tasty and also make me giggle, because they look like boobies.

2. What are you reading right now?

 

I’m reading Shades of Earth by Beth Revis, the last book in the Across the Universe trilogy. It’s awesome. I’m a huge fan of Beth and the series.

3. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

Oooh, at the moment it would be Four (Divergent), Elder (Across the Universe) and Falco (Venom). So, so dreamy.

4. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

Definitely! JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Beth Revis, Stephen Fry, Anthony Horowitz, and Marissa Meyer.

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Huge thanks to Elizabeth for taking the time [and giving me Ash!!].

Find her on her blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts. And go add all of the books on GoodReads!!

Now.  To celebrate the book birthday of Phoenix, I'm giving away a hardcover copy of Black City and some signed bookmarks!

Rules for the giveaway are listed under the "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was all bookish mail -- 2

Book mail is the best mail and this post is all about signed things I've recently received!

When the Breathless Reads tour was announced, I knew I would be ordering books for the authors who were on the east coast.  I had been talking with Fiona Paul and Elizabeth Richards a lot on Twitter and those conversations led to what could be the greatest inscriptions I've ever gotten.

With Fiona, we talked about our mutual love of The Crow.  We may or may not have quoted lines to each other a few times.  When it came to my order of Venom, she told me that if her signing line was slow, she would fill her time with writing quotes from The Crow all over my book.  I said I was expecting it. 

With Elizabeth, I had just finished Phoenix and in my flails, I may have begged asked for Ash. Fiona jumped into the conversation by saying that we had to share him, and I could only have him a few days a week.

And when I opened my books, I almost died...

 

At the same signing, I was able to get Shades of Earth by Beth Revis. I met Beth last year on the Breathless Reads tour and while I'm bummed I didn't get to see her, I'm happy to complete the signed series. And I can't wait to see how this trilogy ends!!

Kimbery Derting and Lisa Schroeder did a signing at Powell's in Oregon and thankfully, Jennifer was willing to get some things signed for me. I am super excited to see what happens in The Essence and I'm thrilled to have another author to cross off the list of the Dear Bully contributors. 

  

When the Dark Days tour was broken into two different legs, Jennifer and I split them up so we could have signed copies from all of the authors.

Jennifer got me things from Lauren Oliver, Dan Wells and Claudia Grey...

  

And then at another event, Jennifer also got me a copy of Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.

Who's a spoiled brat? Oh yah.  It's me!

The time I was part of a blog tour

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the Breathless Reads boxed set when they came out.  Right away, I fell in love with the cover of Venom.  And after reading it, I couldn't wait to meet Fiona and get a finished copy of the book.

Towards the end of September, Paper Lantern tweeted that bloggers who were interested in participating in the online tour should send an email.  Obviously, I'm not a reviewing book blogger, but I sent in an email to see if I could participate.

Lo and behold, Beth was more than happy to let me promote the Twitter party!! Also, below is an excerpt of Venomous, the prequel to Venom.

But first, the information about the Twitter party!! 

It’s a LAUNCH PARTY!! 
 

Join me at the #VenomReleaseParty

October 30^th,6-8pm
(1800 to 2000) CST

Hi everyone! Fiona Paul here, dropping by my favorite book junkie’s digital space to invite you to a party! See, VENOM is going to have her book birthday soon, and rather than a traditional launch where I start the evening awkwardly tapping a microphone, sweat for an hour,and then end the evening awkwardly realizing the hem of my skirt has beentucked into my pantyhose all night, I figured I would have a party on Twitter!No mics. No sweating. No uncomfortable clothes. There will probably still be awkwardness because, you know, I’m going to be there, but the best thing about this launch party is that by having it on the interwebz everyone from Alaska to Zimbabwe can come. (Note: The timing of the party might be a tad late if you live in Zimbabwe. Sorry).
 

So why do you want to come to this party? See the above line about how I’m going to be there. Oh, also, there will be prizes.

Lead-up prizes: from today (October 23rd) to October 29th, I will be giving away 2 autographed Venom hardcovers.  All you have to do for a chance to win in change your twitter avatar to the Venon cover, conveniently located at the top of this post, and follow me @FionawritesYA. Basically, I will log on, say "The first person to respond to this tweet with Venom as their avatar wins an autographed copy." It doesn't get any easier than that.

 

But Fiona, I use a pic of my dog Snufalufagusas an avatar, and if I change it he might get mad. No worries. You can still win lots of great stuff!Like the…

Attendance prizes: All you have to do is show up at the party, AKA follow the #VenomReleaseParty hashtag and wait for me to announce giveaways. I will probably do some sort of trivia, like “First person to respond to thistweet with the place where you can find this [famous Renaissance work of art]wins [an awesome ARC].” I reserve the right to change my mind and do whatever Iwant, because it’s my party. But I will give all five of those galleys away, even if the only person that shows up is my mom.

The attendance prizes, generously provided by Penguin Teen:

1.     ARC of The Madness Within by Maureen Johnson

2.     ARC of Prodigy by Marie Lu

3.     ARC of Orleans bySherri L. Smith

4.     ARC of Out of the Easy by Ruta Septys

5.     ARC of Rise by Andrea Cremer

 

There is a good chance I will be adding additional prizes to this already awesome list! :)

 

But Fiona, what if I can’t make it to your party in real time because I do live inZimbabwe and I have to go to sleep before 0100?

Well, that brings us to the…

Bigger prizes: Anyone can win.  All you have to do is tweet a pictures of yourself in a mask or Halloween costume to me anytime between October 23rd and 2359 Central time on October 29th. Important!! You must tag this picture with the #VenomReleaseParty hastag.  No tag. No entry.

 

The pic can be you in a mask. It can be you in makeup. It can be you from twenty years ago. It can be you with Snufalufagus’s head Photoshopped onto your body. It can be a drawing. The idea is to generate some fun pictures, not to stress anyone out. If you have changed your avatar to the Venom cover when you tweet this picture, I will give you a second entry. Maximum of two entries. One posted pic per twitter handle please.

 

 The bigger prizes:

1.     A Penguin Teen Breathless Reads slipcase including Origin, Black City, The Innocents, Falling Kingdoms and Venom, with the Venom ARC autographed if desired
 

 2.     An autographed hardcover of Venom and 5 Venom bookmarks

3.     A $25.00 gift card to barnesandnoble.com

The fine print:

*Stacee is promoting my party/awesome giveaway because she is rocks, not because she is in any way affiliated with me or Penguin Teen or Paper Lantern Lit. I will try to keep up with comments here, but please direct all questions to me via twitter or my email fionapaulbooks at gmail dot com.
 
*All prizes are open for everyone. I will ship anything internationally.

*Sorry, but you cannot enter without a twitter account. Now’s a great time to make one!! :)

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Venomous

A Secrets of the Eternal Rose short story

By Fiona Paul

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The year is 1600 and the streets of Venice, Italy are ripe with intrigue and danger. In this introduction to the world of Venom, eighteen-year-old Mariabella has recently elevated herself from the rank of common prostitute to the status of courtesan, a respected high-class escort for those men in Venetian society who can afford them. Mariabella steps out to attend a party on the arm of her powerful new patron, certain that the night will be filled with glamour, secrets, and adventure.

If you missed the last part of the story, check it out on The Elliott Review.

--

We leave the taverna and head toward the shore. The rushing sound of the watercomforts me, but my chopines sink into the sand making it almost impossible towalk. I slip them off and carry them in one hand, my other hand tucked insideBatista’s.

The beach is littered with pebbles and driftwood and dotted with patchy clumps oftall grass. I bend down and pick up a flat heart-shaped stone. “I dare you tothrow this rock so far out into the water that we don’t even see the splash,” Isay. It’s a game we play. I don’t even remember who came up with it. The dares start out small and escalate until someone refuses.

Batista takes the stone from me and cups it in one hand. He rears back his arm andthrows the rock out into the waves. I don’t see it land.

“My turn.” Batista takes my chopines from my hand. “I dare you to let down your hair.”

It’s improper for any woman to go wandering around with her hair hanging loose, but we’re alone, and for once I don’t have to be proper. I reach up and pull out the pins, flinging them down on the sand, sighing as the blood rushes back intomy scalp and the tight coils of hair tumble around my shoulders. The wind streams it out behind me like a flag. It feels so good. So freeing.

Batista drops my chopines. He pulls me in close, looking down at me as he cradles myface in his hands. “You are so beautiful,” he says. “So perfect.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and tilt my head upward. “I dare you to kiss me,”I say.

Our lips touch. Soft, and then harder. Warm, and then hotter. Batista’s hands rake through my hair, his fingers tangling themselves in my dark curls. My hands caress his back. His kisses alternate between tentative and hungry, as if he can’t quite decide who he’s supposed to be. When he eventually breaks away, we stand pressed so tightly together that not even a slip of parchment could fit between us.

            Batista is quiet for a few moments, looking out at the bank of mist that has rolled in, blotting out most of the stars. The wind snaps the fabric of my skirts like a sail. Ringlets of dark hair whip around my face as the damp air swirls around me. I shiver, only now realizing that I left my cloak at Palazzo Domacetti.

             “We should get away from the water,” he says.“You’ll get chilled.”

            But San Domenico is so small that the whole island is near the water. I wrap my arm around his waist as I point this out, nestling into the warmth of his body.

            “Come. This way.” He points at atall black fence crowned with sharp spikes. The gate groans as it swings backand forth in the wind. Beyond it, I can barely make out the edges of a building crowned by a steeple. A crumbling old villa sits on this side of the fence, the glow of a candle penetrating one of its windows.

            “What is it?” I ask. “A church?”

            “And a cemetery,” he says. I make a face, but Batista pulls me toward the fence. “Don’t be afraid. At least it will be sheltered from the wind, and you won’t have to worry about anyone seeing us together.”

            Reluctantly, I let him lead me into the church yard. It has both crypts and a small plot of underground graves, but the area is thick with high grass and thorny vegetation as if no one visits the place anymore.

            But if no one visits, then why was the gate left open?

            “Are you scared?” Batista asks. He’s still holding my hand, but he walks several steps in front of me, more certain than I am of the uneven ground.

            “No,” I lie. I try to pick my way through the weeds without soiling the hem of my dress. It’s the nicest gown I own, embellished at the bottom with lace trim. Joseph promised me new clothes,but I haven’t even gone for a fitting yet. It will be weeks before I have anything new to wear.

            “Look.” Batista points at a crypt with a large angel perched on the roof. “Someone has left the tomb unlocked.”

            I squint. I barely make out the word carved over the door: Greco. Sure enough, the padlock lies in the grass and the door to the mausoleum is slightly cracked.

            “Come inside with me.” His voice isthe lightest it’s been all evening. “I dare you.” Excitement dances between his words.

-- 

For the next part of the story, visit The Book Smugglers tomorrow, 10/24

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For those of you who don't know, here are the details on Venom and the delightful Fiona Paul:

From the Penguin press release: Venom has all the makings of a novel that will top readers' must-read list: sexy characters; high society; midnight trysts; and a murderer on the loose - all set in Renaissance Venice.

Fifteen year-old Cassandra Caravello is a girl born into the elite world of the privileged few.  Though Cass recognizes her good fortune, she longs to be freed of her boring life that is mapped out before her, including her engagement to Luca, her long-distance fiancé.  When Cass stumbles upon a dead body one night, her life quickly takes a turn for the macabre. 

Soon she is swept up in an unfamiliar world of mystery, wild romance, secret societies and danger.  She meets the enigmatic Falco, who quickly becomes the object of her desire - however wrong it may be.  Forced to examine who she is and what path she wants her life to take, Cass much also now question who can be trusted as she realizes that she, too, is in the killer's path.

Fiona Paullives in the Midwest but travels a lot since she can’t breathe if she spendstoo much time away from the ocean. She graduated from Washington University inSt. Louis with a major in psychology and spent a year teaching English inSeoul, Korea while she was deciding what she wanted to be when she grew up.

 

Answer: everything. In addition to being a teacher and a writer, she’s alsoworked as a sauté cook, sporting goods manager, veterinary assistant, andregistered nurse.

 

When she’s not working, you can usually find her kayaking,reading, or helping turtles cross the road. Her future goals include divingwith great white sharks and writing more books, not necessarily in thatorder. 

Venom is her first novel.

http://fionapaulbooks.blogspot.com/
 

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Huge thanks to Fiona and Beth at Paper Lantern Lit for letting me be part of this!!