Thursday, January 12, 2012

Destiny's Fire Blog Tour ~ Character Interview and Giveaway

Welcome to today's stop on the Destiny's Fire Blog Tour! There is lots of good stuff going on at the blog. I have a wonderful treat for all of you today. I recently interviewed the lovely, brave, smart, kick-butt heroine of Destiny's Fire, Dez Harkley. She was lovely and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did. But first, for those of you who aren't familiar with Destiny's Fire, you can read the synopsis below.
It’s the year 2040, and sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind—part of a nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the Egyptian pharaohs. Her home and her secret are threatened when the Council lowers the barrier, allowing the enemy race to enter the Shythe haven.

As the Narcolym airships approach, Dez and her friends rebel against their Council and secretly train for battle. Not only is Dez wary of war and her growing affection for her best friend Jace, but she fears the change her birthday will bring. When Dez’s newfound power rockets out of control, it’s a Narcolym who could change her fate… if she can trust him.

Dez’s guarded world crumbles when she discovers why the Narcos have really come to Haven Falls, and she's forced to choose between the race who raised her and the enemy she's feared her whole life.
~From GoodReads                                                               
And now... Dez.


(Andrea): "I adored Lana, everyone needs a BFF like her. Which quality of her's is your favorite?"
(Dez): "I love Lana. She’s a blast, and more importantly, she’s a sincere friend. Even though she pretends 
like fashion and guys are the most important things to her, she put others first. Always. At times, she gives rare glimpses into her vulnerable side. Like with her relationship with Devon. That has to be my favorite thing about her. Her ability to love unconditionally, and to look hot while doing it."                                   

(Andrea) "I really liked Jace and Lana's brother Nick, the voice of reason and calm. But I really didn't get to know him too well. Will we see more of him in the future?"                                                                                      
(Dez): "Oh, Nick. The funny thing about him? He tries to act like he doesn’t care about the big stuff. When really, he’s the one who seems to know what’s going on with no one telling him. I think he has the hots for this Narco girl, but he’s a little freaked to tell Jace. So yeah, I think his drama will hit the fan pretty soon. Should be interesting to see him get some of Jace’s crap."                                                                                          
(Andrea): *giggles* "I can't wait to see Jace's reaction to that!"

(Andrea): "When exactly did you realize Jace, your childhood friend and protector, had turned into a hottie?"(Dez): *Groans* "The first time he put me on my back." *Looks around* "Wait! I didn’t mean it to sound like that. He’s so freakin’ serious when we spar. I just meant, I couldn’t help but notice how he’s changed when I was that close to him. It’s hard not to notice that smile when he’s got you pinned." *Groans* "Just scratch all that."
(Andrea): "Are you kidding? Not a chance, Dez!"


(Andrea):"Your first meeting w/Reese was very...interesting. What did you really think about him when you met him?"(Dez): "Reese really had way too much cocky going on when I first met him. I mean, I’m not blind. He’s a hottie. But that whole throw-me-up-against-a-wall thing? He’s lucky that punch to his face was all I got in. I was looking to take him down a peg or two after that. I still might."
(Andrea): *snickers*


(Andrea): "Do you think you would have been as drawn to Reese if you didn't share certain similarities?"
(Dez): *Bites lip* "I’d like to say yes. But truth, maybe not. I would have seen him the same way all Shythe do. I try not to focus on that, though. This is who we are. And we have a lot to get through before others even accept us. But there is more to us than what we “share”. He’s my other half in many ways. Maybe it’s that whole cocky thing."
(Andrea): "Name one thing about Jace that drives you crazy? One thing about Reese?"
(Dez): "Jace is easy. That damn pouty lip. God! I can be so angry with him. And he’ll pucker it out, and I turn to goo. Even while sparring. He has this whole pouty look that makes me…whatever."
Reese is easy, too. His stubbornness! I mean, okay. I know some things went the wrong way. But a week? Come on. I should have slapped him the first time he tried to ignore me and gotten it over with. But I know better now. I just don’t let him get away with it."

(Andrea): "Your life is full of adventure and conflict. If you had one day, all political and race drama aside, how would you spend it and with whom?"
(Dez): "Right off the rip, I’d like to say I’d spend it with Reese. But, we have a lot of time to ourselves now. Honestly, I’d like to be able to give Lana a birthday party. Things got so messed up around her change, and we never got to celebrate it because we were all shipped off to the Academy. I feel like a crappy friend for that. So yeah. I’d take her out dancing. And maybe even let her dress me in one of her mini-corsets."


(Andrea): "Your unique qualities set you apart, make you a target. Would  you trade your special abilities to be normal? To have your burdens removed?"
(Dez): "Huh. Ya know, if you’d have asked me that right after my birthday, then I probably would’ve said yes. I’d have traded in a heartbeat. But no. I’ve had to hide my whole life. And now that I’m finally figuring out what the hell is going on, I want to learn what I can do. I have a feeling it’s bigger than what even Reese thinks. I’m not sure if it will matter in the end. But if it means I can help the Shythe, my mother and my friends, I’m going to embrace it."

(Andrea): "What would you say to, or ask, your father if you had the chance?"
(Dez): "Why my mother? I’d like to know if something about our bloodline interested him. It’s part of my own research. He’s not around to answer, though."

Isn't she lovely? I just adore Dez.


Watch the gorgeous Destiny's Fire trailer.

The Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive an ebook of Destiny's Fire, along with a bookmark. You really, really want this one. Trust me. You can read my review at the bottom of the post to find out how much I LOVED Destiny's Fire.
The Details:
-You are NOT required to follow this blog to enter the giveaway.
-You must be 13+ years of age.
-You can earn one extra entry by liking the Destiny's Fire Facebook page.

The winner of the ebook/bookmark giveaway is: Pavan H! Congratulations!

The Grand Prize Giveaway
On January 18, A Tale of Many Reviews will be hosting the Grand Prize Giveaway.
The prizes will include:
  • An Egyptian Steampunk necklace
  • A paperbook copy of Destiny's Fire
  • A Destiny's Fire Bookmark
  • A signed bookplate


And last, my review of Destiny's Fire
What can I say about Destiny's Fire? This is the type of book that makes me so happy to be part of the blogging community, because I'm not sure that I would have ever found it otherwise. And I'm going to warn you up front, I have major love for this book.
From the opening scene; fun, action-packed, and heated, I was hooked. The world in Destiny's Fire is what I'm going to call steampunk-light (I don't know if this is an actual word/phrase, but I'll go with it). Sometimes I find Steampunk books to be overwhelming. All the gears and cogs and cranks and... you know what I mean. I like it, but I just don't follow. But, what I loved the about the world of Destiny's Fire is, while there some mention of gears and levers and such, actual steam is what powers this world. And steam, I understand. 
Author Trisha Wolfe described the world so succinctly and vividly that I could actually visualize all of the strange wonders as I read. The dance club, Cogs, the falls, the Academy, they all felt real to me. I was dancing in the club with Dez, I could feel the cool water misting over me , I was in the classroom at the Academy. It was awesome to actually feel like a participant in their world.
All great stories require a great main character. Dez is a girl on the brink of a life-changing transition. A transition all Shythe teens go through, but then again, Dez isn't the typical Shythe teen. She is brave without coming across as arrogant. She is kind without being a pushover. She has loads of responsibility raining down on her and while she may get a tad overwhelmed at times, she keeps herself together.
A girl like Dez is bound to draw the attention of a great guy, right? How about two guys? Jace and Reece help complete a tremendously written love triangle. A lot of people dislike love triangles, and I've been known to be one of those people occasionally. BUT, when you have a well-written triangle, featuring three strong, deserving characters, count me in. Jace, Dez's life-long friend is hot, protective, and a bit of a hot-head, always ready to fight to protect what's his. Reece, new in town and a member of a rival race, is hot, protective, and a bit of a hot-head, ready to fight to get what he wants. See a pattern? These two guys have a lot in common, not that they'd admit it. Neither Jace nor Reece, in my opinion, is a wrong choice. Sure, I have my preference (no, I'm not going to tell you!), but I wouldn't have been mad if, so long as she had a good reason, Dez had chosen the other guy.
I can't possibly begin to touch on every single reason I loved this book. Destiny's Fire was full of romance, action and intrigue; brilliantly paced, swiftly moving from one emotionally or action-packed scene to the next. From the opening sequence to the stunning end, this book is was inventive, riveting and left me begging for more!
Favorite Quote:
"He pulled back, his eyes scanning my face, and then pressed another light, tender kiss to my lips.
'From the moment I looked into your eyes, I've wanted to do that,' he said, and smiled.
'Could've fooled me.' I laughed breathlessly. 'I thought you either wanted to kill me or feel me up.'
'Well...' He chuckled. 'Both at first. All right, then from the moment you punched me, I wanted to do that.' He cocked his head. 'Like I said, when you're angry, you're hot.' "     (page 47, ARC)
Paperback, 159 pages
Expected publication: January 10th 2012 by Omnific Publishing
Where to find more about the author/book:

* I received an eARC of Destiny's Fire from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. *













4 comments:

  1. I have been hearing really awesome things about this book. Thanks for the character interview. I love reading interviews with characters and authors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the awesome interview and giveaway!!! I really want to read this book! :))

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not doing the giveaway because I've already read Destiny's Fire but I have to mention that I really love that interview! Dez is a really down to earth character!

    Karen,
    http://ireadtoescape.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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