Saturday, August 18, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rebecca Goings has always enjoyed writing stories. As a young child, she wrote stories and poems to stay sane through her parents' divorce and the lonely years ahead. Her stories not only became her therapy, but they became her safe-haven as well. Knowing that becoming an author was her dream, Rebecca entered her stories and poems into contests and won a few awards. She wrote her first inspirational romance as a junior in high school and shared it with friends, who encouraged her that it was good enough to publish. But Rebecca decided to have a family first before pursuing her dream. Her first contract was offered to her in October of 2004 from By Grace Publishing for her novel LEARNING TO LOVE AGAIN, of which she dedicated to her old high school friend, fulfilling a promise she made. She is now also published with Champagne Books and Samhain Publishing, writing both insprational and mainstream romance. Rebecca lives in Oregon with her husband, four kids, a cat, a dog, and a lizard.

Website: www.RebeccaGoings.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Book I of the Legends of Mynos series


BLURB:

She’s in danger from mysterious dark knights, she’s discovering magic she never knew existed, and she’s falling head over heels in love.

One night destroys Arianna’s home, wipes out her family and flings her into a world turned upside down.

He’s only kissed her once, but Arianna feels as if she’s always known Sir Geoffrey, the Wolverine knight who saves her life. She can hear his thoughts, feel his memories. One kiss, and they’re trapped in a bond they didn’t choose and cannot break.

Their world’s in terrible danger, their only hope the fabled crystal of the dragon, Mynos. However only a woman can touch the Crystal and survive...


EXCERPT:

Arianna awoke with a start. The moon had risen and it shone its pale light into her room. Was it her imagination or had she heard a faint tapping on her window? She didn’t dare move, not even to breathe. Whatever was outside might hear her. She’d almost convinced herself she was hearing things when the sound came again, this time, even louder.

Glancing around the room, Arianna was looking for some sort of a weapon when a voice called to her.

“Rose? Rose, are you in there?” a voice whispered.

Her heart stilled. It was the man from the marketplace. He’d come for the scroll! Without another thought, Arianna bolted out of bed. She stopped herself before she reached the window, picking up a brush to run it a few times through her hair. When she opened the window, a cool night breeze caressed her shoulders. Unprepared for the chill, she shivered.

Bathed in moonlight, he stood before her window. He no longer wore the robe she’d seen him in at the marketplace. Instead, a long billowing cloak and dark, loose fitting clothes covered his muscular body. She sucked in her breath at the sight of him and stared, awestruck by his beauty. The current of the breeze played with his blond hair and the edges of his cloak. Neither of them spoke for what seemed an eternity as he stared right back at her with his amazing blue eyes. Finally he cleared his throat.

“Do you still have the scroll?”

“Yes,” she answered. At that moment, she looked down and realized she wore nothing but her nightgown. He smiled as he must have realized it too. She blushed, the heat of it making her cheeks burn. “Please excuse me, sir,” she said, dashing from the window and yanking the blanket from her bed.

“Oh that’s quite all right,” he said through his smile as he watched her.

Arianna couldn’t stop gazing at him. He was so beautiful. She fought the urge to tell him so. She wanted to touch his face to make sure that he was real. She also wanted to kiss him again. The thought of it sent shivers up her spine.

“Please, milady, I haven’t much time. Give me the scroll and I’ll be gone.”

With a sigh and a nod, Arianna walked to the loose floorboard and pulled it up, all the while trying to think of a way to keep this man here with her. She could think of no such reason. There lay the rose he had given her. Without water or sunlight, the flower that had once been so beautiful was now dead and wilted. She lifted it out of its hiding place and gazed at it for a few moments with a silent sadness. She laid it back underneath the floor, intending to leave it there for a keepsake.

Arianna pulled the scroll out of the niche, perhaps slower than she needed to. Defeated, sighing to herself, she rose from the floor, trying to hold the scroll and keep the blanket closed around her at the same time. Reaching out through the window, she handed it to him.

“I kept it safe for you,” she told him.

“Thank you, Rose. You have done your king a great service.” As he took the scroll from her, he also grasped her hand. “I regret that we have met each other under these circumstances. I am forever in your debt. If ever our paths cross again, I promise you it will be on different terms. Until then, sweet Rose…” He kissed her hand, pressing his lips to her skin and making Arianna tremble at the contact. He lingered for a moment, his warm breath caressing her wrist while his thumb stroked her beating pulse. He looked into her eyes and gave her a tender smile.

Without warning, a sharp scream shattered the still of the night. It came from somewhere within the farmhouse, only to stop short. In one fluid movement, the stranger leapt through Arianna's open window and drew his sword, pushing her out of the way. The hiss of his blade from his scabbard made every hair on her body stand on end.

"Stay behind me, milady," he said, pushing her back.

Arianna widened her eyes. The man’s sword glowed a pale white, illuminating her room with a soft light. "What is happening?"

The man placed his fingers to his lips as he made his way to the door. The door flew open and Arianna's father stood in the hall holding his own rusty sword aloft. It glowed white—like the stranger's weapon.

Isaac stopped in amazement before entering, apparently shocked a man was in Arianna’s room. But a look of recognition passed over his face as he stared at the stranger.

"It's you!" her father cried in frantic disbelief.

Arianna only had a moment to be confused before a Dark Knight came out of nowhere, raising his sword behind Isaac.

"Father!" she yelled, watching the black blade pierce her father's side. "No!"

"Take her and run. Run!” Isaac bellowed, as he turned to face his attacker.

The stranger wasted no time, seizing Arianna and pushing her through her open window. Like a shot, he was right behind her, sprinting across the yard toward the hill. Arianna stumbled, gasping in pain from her bare feet. The smell of smoke permeated the air before they even reached the top of the hill. By the time they reached the old oak, exhaustion weakened her limbs. She didn’t remember the hill being so steep. Collapsing on the ground, she lay there for a few moments trying to catch her breath. Her heart pounded hard and she struggled for breath in the tall grass.

At that moment, Arianna noticed an eerie light fill the sky. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the reason for it. “Oh God.” Massive flames were consuming the farmouse.

“No!” she screamed as cold reality hit her. Meiri, her parents, everyone was in the burning house. “No!” she yelled again, starting to run back down the hill. The stranger pushed her down, landing on top of her.

“Rose, there is nothing you can do.” his familiar voice yelled in her ear. “They are gone!”

She tossed her head from side to side in denial. He sat up and held her to him, attempting to comfort her in her grief. Arianna hugged him back fiercely, not knowing what else to do.

“They are gone,” he said

“No! They can’t be. No. I don’t believe you! Mother! Father!” Arianna sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. “Meiri!”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” the man repeated as he cried with her. “I brought this on you, Rose. I will not rest until I have made it right.” Arianna barely heard him over her own wailing. The pain of reality was almost too much for her to bear. She cried so hard she couldn’t breathe.

The stranger hooked his arms under her knees and carried her to his horse, whose reins were tied to the oak tree. Arianna was only vaguely aware that he’d lifted her into the saddle. As soon as she was astride, he jumped up to sit behind her.

“We must put miles between us and this place,” he said in her ear. “Take one last look at your home, sweet lady. The only place you’re safe now is with me.”

Arianna stared at the gargantuan flames that licked the sky. She shuddered with grief and turned away, tears coursing down her cheeks.

“Please…” She couldn’t bear to see anymore. With a squeeze, he took the reins and turned his horse to leave.

“Do you know how to ride?” he asked. She did not answer him. His grip around her waist tightened. “You just hold on.”

Without another word, he kicked his horse into a gallop.


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've wanted to become a writer since I was 7 years old. Of course, over the years, more dreams emerged, as I also wanted to be an astronomer or an artist. But the astronomer dream dropped off the map when I realized how much math was involved. lol I always loved to draw and paint, but my passion was with writing. I never stopped writing, whether it be in a diary or poems or short stories. So that was the one constant throughout my young life. I just loved the "permanence" of books. I loved holding them in my hand and being able to read the same story again and again, being transported to another place. I wanted to write books and take readers on a similar journey.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I pretty much love everything I do as an author. When I sit down at the computer in the morning, I'm happy and excited to get going. I've never had a job that I was excited to do, but being an author definately gets me going. It doesn't matter if I'm writing a book or answering email, I love it all. If I had to pick one thing that I dislike, it's the constant promotion. Even when you don't have a new book out, you can't allow yourself to fall off the radar. So I'm always looking for new avenues to explore with regards to promo, and that can be very time consuming. However, I do enjoy it too, oddly enough. :)

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
There's supposed to be a balance?? :P Honestly, my computer time is whenever I have free time. In fact, getting me off the computer is a herculean feat in and of itself. A lot of writers do their thing from 9 to 5, but I'm online most of the day. I have four children and a large house and a bunch of errands to run, so every available moment I can, I'm checking email or brainstorming. I've even bought myself a few notebooks so that when I'm not in front of the computer (say at my kids' karate class or in sitting in bed) I can still write. I usually hate writing longhand, but lately, it seems that's the only way I can get anything done with my busy schedule.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
A lot of the time, the characters come first. A character will pop into my head and I'll daydream about them, and then a story will emerge. Sometimes, a plot will grab me and I'll invent characters for that specific plot. The creative process doesn't always stay the same, and that's what makes things interesting. And sometimes, I don't have a firm grasp on my characters until after I start writing. They like to reveal things to me throughout the story as it unfolds, so I'm not always "in the know" from page one. :P

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write paranormal, fantasy, historical, and contemporary. I write what interests me. I've always had a passion for fantasy, but always lamented that the fantasy novels I read didn't have *enough* romance to wet my whistle. So, I decided to write my own with plenty of romance. I write historical because I love the Western genre. The first romance I'd ever read was a Western, so they have a special place in my heart. I luv me some cowboys and Indians! :P My paranormal shifter series was written after a dream I had. I like to try and offer my readers something new and fresh with my books, and the idea I had about making shifters who were genetically created in a lab rather than in a "pack" really appealed to me. And that dream was the kickstart of a great series. Contemporaries are fun as well. My latest one came about after I had a chilling thought of my own. What would happen to me, the mother of four small children, if my hubby died, God forbid? Would I ever find love again? What man would want an instant family? The more I kept thinking about it, the more I felt I should explore that and write about it.

I've heard it said an author should "brand" themselves with one kind of genre so a reader knows what they're getting with you. But if I limited myself to one thing, I would get very bored very fast. I love the flexibility e-publishing gives me, and my fans like the broad set of stories I offer. I'm not a one-trick pony. LOL

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
No, I've never based my characters on real people. I never even went hunting for actors to "play" my characters until I started making my own book videos. And that's hard picking and choosing, let me tell you. When I write my characters, I don't have an actor in mind. They just look like I picture them. But my heroes do have a deep streak of my husband in them. My DH is a very loyal man, who protects what's his, and loves fiercely, so in that respect, my heroes reflect him because he's such a great model. :)

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Mynos the dragon. He's from my Legends of Mynos series from Samhain Publishing. I love him so much because he's been with me for so long. I've had the original idea for this series since I was 13 years old. So while you readers have the three books in the trilogy you can read as they're released from February to August (6 months), I've had Mynos rattling around in my head for about 20 years. He and I have gone on a LOT of adventures together, kinda like that kid at the end of The Neverending Story. :P Mynos is one of those characters that transends the series to become his own thing. The series is focused on the knights of the king, but the books are really about the dragons. You want to know what's going to happen with the *dragons*. :)

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I want people to be satisfied, to smile when they close my book. I want them to have a fun ride, I want them to get away from their life for awhile to step into my imagination and have a great time. I don't write for money or fame or validation... I write for entertainment. For myself and for my readers. If I've entertained them, then I've done my job.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Read voraciously in the genre you want to write. Pay attention to how other authors do it. Get an idea of pacing, point of view, voice, and grammar. Writing is both a skill and a talent, so no matter how much you learn, you'll still need to have the ability to string words together to make a compelling read. So study study study. And don't let anyone ever crap on your dreams. Yes, getting into the business is hard and promoting yourself is even harder. You're not going to become a bestseller overnight. So just be prepared for the long, uphill haul against all the other authors in the world. But you'll soon find your niche if you're determined enough. :)

What are you reading right now?
I'm reading NIGHTWATCH by Sergei Lukyanenko. DH and I saw the movie and loved it. Now, we're reading the book. It's much different than the movie, but still excellent. I'd recommend this series to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy. This one is not a romance, however. :) The next on my TBR pile is Johanna Lindsey's newest Malory novel, Drew Anderson's story, CAPTIVE OF MY DESIRES. It's been at the top of my TBR pile for a long time. I think I'm putting it off because I like knowing I still have an unread Malory novel lying around. LOL

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
I like my life, so I don't think I'd want anyone else's life. However, being as famous for my books as JK Rowling is for hers wouldn't suck. Imagine if people got as fired up over romance as they do with those Harry Potter books. :P I don't think I'd choose any other profession than writing books, because I truly believe this is what I was meant to do. Writing gives me so much joy. I'm even excited when I'm crunching to meet a deadline. When you find something you love, you should keep doing it. However, I do have to say if I was going to dream, I'd love for a movie studio to contact me about making movies from either from my Legends of Mynos fantasy series or my B*E*A*S*T* paranormal series--or both!! :D


REVIEWS:

"If there is a moviemaker out there this story is just crying out to be put on the big screen to rival Narnia, Eragon, the Lord of the Rings and all the other fantasia films that graced the silver screens."
~~ Raakhee Suryaprakash for The Road to Romance
www.roadtoromance.ca

"I was engrossed in The Wolverine and the Rose from the very beginning, and was not happy whenever I was interrupted. This story has it all. There is great romance, evil villains, magic, elves, and even a dragon who is one of the best surprises of any story I've read."
~~Kathy Andrico for Gotta Write Network
www.gottawritenetwork.com

"The Wolverine and the Rose was full of so much intensity that I was immediately drawn into the story. The scenery and landscape is so vivid it allows you to visualize all the imaginativeness of the setting. With a touch of danger and romance, this book is a page-turner. At times I found myself getting spine-chilling sensations like Arianna... Rebecca Goings has such incredible talent that it is hard to put one of her books down. She creates believability with in-depth characters. Ms. Goings writes with so much magnitude that the reader cannot help but be hooked. This is a tale that will bring a tear to the eye and have your heart leaping for joy. The Wolverine and the Rose is a true masterpiece of fine art and a most Recommended Read! It's also one that I will not soon forget."
~~ Linda L. for Fallen Angel Reviews
www.fallenangelreviews.com


The Wolverine and the Rose by Rebecca Goings
ISBN: 1-59998-432-6
Length: Plus Novel
Price: $6.50
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publication Date: 2007-02-13


To get a taste of Rebecca Goings' writing, feel free to download a free copy of the prequel at this link:
http://www.rebeccagoings.com/TheCrystalOfMynos.pdf

Purchase The Wolverine and the Rose by Rebecca Goings HERE!!