Sunday, June 17, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Born in Virginia and later raised on a sailboat, Angela Caperton has traveled extensively and has grown up to appreciate the world in all its forms. Always looking for the next adventure, she continues to travel as fate permits and writes fantasy and erotica to keep her wanderlust in check. Currently she has two works available, Inspiration, an erotic novella set in Renaissance Florence, and her erotic fantasy, Woman of the Mountain, just released from eXtasy Books. Visit her website at: www.angelacaperton.com





ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

The fate of Corsinium depends upon Adita's passion.

Within her mountain temple, Adita, High Priestess of the goddess Zenthe, presides over orgiastic rites of love and desire, but only the bravest of suitors dare approach her, for those who try to please the priestess and fail will meet a terrible fate.

And while Adita must bear the burden of her position, plots swirl within the halls of the temple, and in far reaches of Corsinium. Rivah, the insatiable, defiant priestess, conspires against divinity itself, and in the outlying lands, the power of another god grows. Sul Tarkus, the avatar of Kahmudj, is rising as a prophet, aiming to take Zenthe's fortress and Adita's body, by force if he must - to bring Adita pleasure with the irresistible power of Sul's master.

Meanwhile, Casmin, handsome captain of Zenthe's soldiers, balances between his love for Adita and the deadly allure of Rivah's lust, and stands alone against the power of the Kahmudjans.

But, unless Zenthe is fulfilled, by an erotic rite powerful enough to shake creation itself, desolation and destruction may claim them all.

A unique and explicit fable of sensuality and sacrifice, Woman of the Mountain is a new kind of fantasy novel, combining action, sex, and romance to tell an epic tale of love that spans a world.


EXCERPT:
(Warning: Story contains strong sexual content.)

"What happened to your husband?" Sul asked his voice warm with compassion.

"He was taken by the desert men," she replied, sorrow giving weight to her words.

Sul's ears burned with her story, one heard so often in the villages beside the desert. Desperation and slaughter had thinned the ranks of the warrior tribes until they turned to raiding the towns for slaves to fling at their foes. The towns grew hard as beaten iron beneath the assaults and, in time, they would turn to fighting to survive. Then in three seasons or four, there would be nothing, only sand in the weathered halls of their houses, white bone in the noonday sun. He smiled at the woman, letting her feel the magic of his gaze. "Come here," he compelled her.

Her full lips parted and he saw the tip of her tongue. Her breasts rose and fell with a quickening of her breath as she took two steps toward him. He captured her arms and embraced her.

Letting the power of Kahmudj ebb into her, Sul prayed for serenity in her heart, even as his hand found the sweet curve of her hip, full and warm even beneath her tunic and skirt. Her head rested against his chest and he stroked the fall of honey tenderly, and caressed the tight line of her back.

Kahmudj's gift flowed through him and he heard her breathing change again as she tilted her head up to him, brandy eyes shining, her lips seeking his, her body like fire against him.

His hands drank from her; impatient with the tunic and the skirt, he pulled one aside and the other up. He caressed her legs, long and firm-muscled, and easily removed the undergarment she wore. In a fluid movement, he turned her so that he stood behind her as she faced the simple table.

He stroked her side and breast and whispered through the honey veil into her ear. "Lean forward, Selete."

She obeyed him, palms down, her head thrown back, neck arched. Sul gathered her skirt in his hands and raised it, baring her round, smooth ass. He lifted his own white robe and thanked Kahmudj for all his gifts. Sul's prick rose, hard and red and almost as long as his forearm, the scepter of the Allfather's power.

Selete's eyes were closed as if she had fallen under a spell, her breathing already like a woman in the last throes of passion although Sul had hardly touched her. He took her thighs in his hands, marveling at the silken heat of them, and pushed them apart. The gates of pleasure opened before him.

“Praise Kahmudj,” he said and reveled in the sensation of her flesh against his . . .


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I became a writer because I think it is what I was meant to be. Growing up, I had a very vivid imagination, and as long as I can remember, there has always been something of a running narrative in my brain, stories wanting to be told, the play of conversations, and the desire to accurately express what my senses experienced. As I read more and more, I developed a passion for wordplay. It wasn’t a stretch to find myself desiring to try my hand at crafting worlds through writing – not that I didn’t have my moments of resistance to the idea, but once I stopped fighting the “voices in my head”, I’ve not regretted one word I’ve put down on paper.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love exploring all realms of possibility. I enjoy the art of creating worlds and love exploring all types of relationships. I love the challenge of bringing the stories I envision to life on paper. There is that magic moment when I write when the computer screen fades away and I am in the world of my imagination, and then, with the muse upon me, there is no other sense of place. And when the words are flowing and the story is pouring onto the screen, there is definitely a sort of manic high that accompanies the experience. It’s quite addictive.

My dislikes of writing are few. As much as I love what I do, sometimes it’s really hard getting started for the day. Suddenly, there are toilets that need cleaning, a closet to organize and a dog that needs to be walked - again. And of course, the times when the muse is being stubborn and the words just aren’t flowing can be quite a downer, but I’ve come to the conclusion that both my dislikes are symptoms of scenes that are not ready to be written. Usually the need to sterilize my house or to beat the muse into submission passes quickly and when I am relaxed and ready, the scene I’ve struggled over practically writes itself.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
When I moved to my current home, I didn’t do a very good job of balancing my writing and my personal life. I was working full time and my very tight knit family lived in close proximity to me (my sister and her family live next door), so there was (and still is) always something going on – dinners, shopping trips, outings to various events, etc. Writing is a very solitary endeavor and for some of my family members, my reclusive behavior was difficult to understand. It took some time, a lot of talking, and more then a few tears, but eventually, a balance was found. I now write when the muse is upon me, and still enjoy being with my family on a regular basis.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
I really don’t have a set pattern for writing. Sometimes it is a character that is the kernel of a story – and not necessarily a main character – and from that character a world grows. Often though, it is a theme or some incident that inspires a story. Woman of the Mountain started with the viewing of a Japanese movie that centered on a warrior quest. I know that may seem quite a stretch from a wild martial arts film to a sexual, sensual erotic fable, but the themes run a close parallel. I do outline my stories, but the outlines are pretty loose. Basically, I write what is in my head, keep my hands light on the reins, and see where it takes me.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I currently write fantasy and erotica. I write fantasies because, as I said earlier, I like to explore all realms of possibilities, and all manner of relationship. With my erotica, I enjoy writing about intimacy and sex as part of a greater world, without inhibitions. I think that well-written erotica is beautiful and I learn from writing it.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
I like to think of my characters as all mine – pure figments of my imagination – but I know that is not 100% accurate. As a writer I am something of a voyeur – I watch people and how they act, eat, walk, talk, sleep, work, fight, etc., and those observations inevitably end up in my stories and in my characters.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Just one favorite? Hmm… I love to write about characters with serious personality flaws – whether they’re just as mean as a wet cat, or a guy just trying to get to the end of a long day who seemingly can’t get out of his own way! In that context, I’d have to say my favorite character of my current published books would be Rivah from Woman of the Mountain. She has her own agenda, an elevated sense of her own worth and is completely self serving – not to mention vicious, beautiful, and ready to screw at the drop of a hat! I had a ball writing her scenes.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
My hope is when a reader finishes one of my stories that they walk away with a sense of having experienced something unique, fun, and thought provoking.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
I think the most important things a new writer can do are to write, read books by favorite authors, and most importantly, listen to the voice inside your head. No matter the story, or character or setting, how the story is told is completely dependent on your writer’s voice. It’s only a whisper at first, but with time (and writing) it gains volume. That voice will dictate such things as word choice and sentence structure and will make whatever story told uniquely yours as a writer.

What are you reading right now?
Well, my reading stack is pretty eclectic. I’m nearing the end of Michael Chabon’s new novel The Yiddish Policeman’s Union and I’ve slowly been working my way through an old German horror novel called Alraune, by a writer named Hanns Heinz Ewers. I like graphic stories too and I just read a wonderful graphic novel called Berlin, by an amazingly talented artist named Jason Lutes.

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
Well, I’m working on that right now. I very much want to become a full time writer, and in time, will be! I don’t think I’d want to be anyone other then who I am, and honestly, as a writer, I can already chose to be anyone I wish through my stories.


Woman of the Mountain by Angela Caperton
Pages: 356
Electronic ISBN: 1-55410-793-8
Flame Rating: 4 Flames
Genre: Erotic Fantasy/Romance
$6.99 from eXtasy Books


Purchase "Woman of the Mountain" by Angela Caperton HERE!!