Friday, June 6, 2014

Author Interview with Sunniva Dee


 

Blurb for Shattering Halos 


He traded my death for love. I wasn’t given a choice. His decision has caught up with us, so now I am a living, breathing catalyst to war between Heaven and Hell.
 The violations he committed saved my life. Since the collision, he’s appeared everywhere. In my hospital room, my school, even my house. He shows up in my paintings, my drawings, in all of my art projects. I can’t stop thinking about him.

He says his name is Gabriel, and he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. He doesn’t know how I can see him or why he loves me in ways that should be impossible for a Celestial.

My obsession grows. I want him to hold me, kiss me—give all of himself. For every day he protects me, the consequences loom darker and taller. Soon, they’ll crash down on us. Yes, the war is about to begin.


Interview Between Me and Sunniva Dee 



Me: Where did you get the idea for your book?

I've always loved angels....not in the way Gaia does, of course, but still... you know what I mean! 
Then, I read Twilight 5 years after the hype and went—aww, she should write about angels! Then I thought, "No. I should write about angels the way I want them written." So that's how the New Adult Fantasy Shattering Halos started out.

Me: Who are your favorite characters in your book and why?

As a writer yourself, I bet you know what I mean when I say that it's hard to have one favorite. I didn't write a single character thinking I wouldn't love them with all their imperfections—and in the case of the angels—all their perfections. I think I started out with a slight crush on Gabriel as I wrote him. Then, Cassiel with all his sass and wicked wit was fun for me. But deep down, I think I enjoy Gaia the most, because she's just how a very unrepentant and real 20-yr-old is in my mind with her adorable, immature reactions. Obviously, being faced with actual angels vying for her attention, I love how she just does and says whatever the heck she feels like.

Me: What themes does your book present?

Themes. Boy. The first, big one is Good versus Evil. Then, there's Beauty. What beauty is. I hope that through the escapism that this novel is, deep down, the reader will find that there is beauty in everything and everyone. The Angel of Beauty, Yofiel, represents just that. And strange how I said these two first, when obviously this novel is all about love. LOVE, love. :)

Me: How many books do you have in this series?

I wrote Shattering Halos alone. It is a standalone. I don't want to tell you if it ends on a happy or a sad note, only that I was MAD as hell for a week after it was finished because I wasn't going to be hanging out with my characters anymore. Which is why I changed my mind. I've now finished Stargazer, the second and last book in the Halos series. You will meet everyone in Shattering Halos again, and NOT because I'm backtracking on their ever afters. No. There is a new couple brewing, and the "old" couple from Shattering Halos has their own, really important life-changing issues to deal with New-Adult style in Stargazer too.

Me: What makes you choose to write fantasy?

I started with Fantasy because it's what inspired me after I was missing that one angel book in the market. I had to write it myself, with the passion, the sass, the flaws from the human side, the way I wanted it. Thankfully, my publisher found it different enough to accept. As you will see both from Shattering Halos and Stargazer, my heart is in New Adult. It was a time in my own life that I lived to the fullest, with all the mistakes, the heartaches, everything that later formed me as a human being. Because of it, my Fantasy is college-inspired, i.e. New Adult.

Me: What authors influence your writing?

Easy: The passion, the depth, and development of characters present in Cheryl McIntyre's writing. S.C. Stephens' amazing talent for conjuring to life sexy-as-hell, beautiful men like Kellan Kyle, and Laini Taylor, my only Fantasy influence. She's an absolute genius with words, and I wish I could allow myself to even try to write with such fluid, lyrical beauty.

Me: Why do you think fantasy books are so popular?

Are they? If they are, it's because of writers like Laini. And Stephenie Meyer too. Everyone has an opinion about Stephenie Meyer, but the truth is, she wrote what the business calls "a category killer." It means that readers cross genres read her stuff and loved (or hated) it and that is absolutely amazing. For me, it was the first book(-s) of the kind I ever read. Wow, and did I just mention Twilight twice??? *blushes*

Me: How many books have you written?

I'm not counting former dabblings in my native language, Norwegian, so I've finished two (Stargazer is now at my publisher's, going through the motions of getting published) and I'm finishing my first draft of my third book, Pandora, Wild Child, which is a New Adult contemporary romance. The NA market is full of bad-boys, but Pandora is about a bad-girl and the boys who try to save her/change her/deprave her. I can't wait to get it out there for you to read. I'm planning on an October release—my first self-published book!! I will finally be Indie like my friends! <3

Me: Where do you see the fantasy book market 10 years from now?

Oh God. I have NO idea. I'm guessing it will still be there? If you mean the romantic branch of the Fantasy market, I'd say it'll definitely be there because just like horses appeal to young women, so do angels/vampires/anything supernatural that's sexier than teenage boys. Makes sense, right?

Me: What makes your book different from other fantasy books?

Well, finally an easy question! ;-)
It's because it's more geared toward the New Adult issues/level of passion/writing style than it is toward the Fantasy/Paranormal style. It's fresher, they tell me, hotter, and the dialog much younger. I think it's relatable to YA readers, but I'd say to be careful because the sex might be a bit much for below 17+.  Basically, if you loved Hush, Hush and Fallen, and Twilight... mmmm—gear it up a notch. I'm not saying the paranormal version of Fifty Shades, but without comparison to storyline—how about up the alley of Jessica Sorensen's Ember X? Really, I don't know of many authors in my particular niche, which has made it easy for Shattering Halos to remain on the bestseller lists since it was published in February. It is a New Adult Fantasy novel. 


 Excerpt from Shattering Halos 



"Why was she so upset with you, Gabriel?” I asked.

“I can’t read her mind.”

“Oh right, how silly of me.” I rolled my eyes. His thoughts were somewhere else, so my sarcasm didn’t register with him.

“I’ve never had to cloak myself before.”

“Oh, with your other humans, you mean?” My voice came out strange.

Gabriel turned fully and looked at me. His eyebrows lifted. “Right…”

“How many others have you had?”

“I don’t know, thousands.”

Holy. Crap.

I leaned my forehead against the window, trying to hide the flare of jealousy.

“Gaia.” A gentle hand reached around and pulled me back toward him. I couldn’t meet his stare.

“They were humans that lived before you.”

“Girls?” Why did I sound sulky? Oh, right, because I was a terrible actress.

Gabriel’s quiet laughter drizzled over me. “Babies. Some growing into women and others into men. Many never grew up.”

“Did they see you?” Did you kiss them?

Gabriel didn’t reply at first. Then the back of his hand traced my cheekbone down to my mouth.

“No, I didn’t.”

My breath hitched. I must have heard wrong. His eyes focused on my lips, and my gut clenched.
He let go of me too fast. An arm hid his expression as he fell back into his seat. I leaned over, my palm molding to his face. I needed him close.

When it slid down his neck, a muffled groan slipped from him. “Please don’t touch me, Gaia.”

“You started it.”

“I know—I won’t. We have to stop this.”

“Crap! You’re not making any sense—you know that? This is bullshit!”

Gabriel pushed his seat up and faced me, his irises shimmering like water. “Gaia. I don’t know why the archangels haven’t come for me, but humans and angels—” He cut himself off, then continued. “I screwed up. Since I’m still with you, they must have given me another chance.”

And just like that, I transformed into pure instinct all over again and jumped into his lap. Clearly I could not be trusted near this—this…angel.

The steering wheel jabbed into my back, but I barely noticed. The pain was just another reason to get closer, much closer to him. My fingers slid into his hair, tangling with it. I tugged him to me and pressed my mouth against his.

Gabriel reacted immediately. He crushed me so tight that my breath wheezed out. The seat lowered underneath him, and he pulled me with him, devouring my mouth.

“We can’t be together?” I panted.

“No, we can’t.”

“Never?” Desperate, my tongue found his. He shook his head against my mouth. My stomach burned with need.

One at a time, I forced the words out in clipped gasps. “I can’t ever touch you again?” Gabriel groaned. I could feel him under me. So male, so alive.

“No.”

I want him so much it hurts!

Gabriel’s eyes opened beneath me. He rocked me closer, and I moaned.

“Will you be visible to me?”

“Sometimes.” The tiny suckling noises as he feasted on my lips sent fire straight to my womb.

“Please, promise me you’ll be visible always.”

His hands moved up to my face and held me out from him. The kiss he gave me was too light on my lips, and I shuddered.

“No, not always. But I promise that you will see me every day.”

I absorbed the kisses, lucid enough to know they were the last ones I would ever receive from Gabriel.






Author Bio:

Originally from Norway, I moved to the United States twelve years ago.
The first awesome five years I spent in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, before moving to the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia.

I'm currently on my seventh year in the South, where my husband, son, and I are enjoying the heat, the humidity, as well as our crazy menagerie of animals better known as the petting zoo. The only one not here is my daughter, who returned to Norway for college.
I hold a Master's degree in languages, and for ten years, I taught at university level, before settling in as graduate adviser at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Writing is my passion, my joy, and my addiction. Shattering Halos is my debut novel. When I'm not writing, I read. A lot. :)

Shattering Halos - genre and such:
Genre: New Adult Fantasy - it is "Beautiful Disaster" meets the TV series "Supernatural"...if the brothers were angels and love made them lose their heads.

My website: www.sunnivadee.com 
Twitter: @SunnivaD

Amazon buy link: amzn.to/1dqfwt8 



Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)