This giveaway is over.
Update:
The lovely people at Fiction Express are expanding the giveaway to include 4 runners up who will win one e-book (10 credits) each!!!
Swinging by WORD today is Sharon Gosling, author of the rather interesting Remy Brumel and the Ocean of Light.
No-one performs on the circus trapeze like sixteen-year-old Rémy Brunel. But when the circus closes for the night, Rémy leads another life, as a cat burglar and jewel thief. Forced by the evil circus owner Gustave to attempt the theft of one of the world's most valuable diamonds, Rémy thinks it will be just another heist, but when she meets determined young detective Thaddeus Rec, her life changes forever. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel from Rémy’s nimble fingers? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?
N: Welcome to WORD, Sharon! The main character of your story, Remy, is a jewel thief and a circus performer. Where did you come up with that?
Sharon Gosling: I wanted a strong female character who could be feisty and independent but still believable within the confines of the era in which I wanted to set my story – the late 1800s. Circus life, especially high-wire acts from that period, have always fascinated me. It seems very glamorous, the idea of living on the road and performing amazing feats for crowds every night, but it was a very deprived, difficult life. You had to be able to look after yourself to survive. So making Rémy a high-wire performer instantly gave her an interesting – and tough - background. From there, it wasn’t much of a leap to imagine that she might use her skills to supplement her income in nefarious ways!
N: Now, you used to write for Stargate and Battlestar Galactica! What was that like?
SG: I didn’t write for the shows themselves – that really would have been cool! I wrote tie-in books about the series, and also wrote some audio dramas based on Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis for a company called Big Finish. That was great, because I got to write for the characters I’d watched on screen for so many years.
N: You wrote a paranormal romance under a pen name. I won't ask what story - but have you read any paranormal YA romances you really liked?
SG: I like mysteries, spooky stuff and adventure stories rather than straight romance – and if there’s a bit of romance mixed in, that’s brilliant! My favourite YA author is Graham Joyce – Do The Creepy Thing and Indigo are both excellent. His adult novels are great, too.
N: In your bio, you're surrounded "by books and Daleks." Doctor Who fan much? Who's your favorite Doctor?
SG: My husband is the Doctor Who fan! To be honest, I’m hoping that at some point I can swap the Daleks for a cat, although I imagine I’ll probably have to settle for both. I never really liked Doctor Who... although I’m slowly coming around. Matt Smith, the current Doctor, is great. My favourite Doctor would probably have to be David Tennant. I liked the relationship between the Tenth Doctor and Rose.
N: I'm a Matt Smith fan meself! Speaking of Daleks and Doctor Who - what's your favorite part of living in London?
SG: I love the history of it – the fact that it has been here for so long, and has so many stories of its own. The city is a character in itself. I also love the fact that there are so many mysterious things that have happened and are still happening beneath London. Did you know that there was a miniature train that ran right under the city from Paddington to Whitechapel? Construction started in 1915 – it was built to carry mail, but they did actually try putting passengers in it, too. It was so small, it must have been like lying in a coffin! The most amazing thing about it, though, is that it operated (on and off) from 1927 right through until 2003!
N: Oh, that would have been fun - and terrifying - to ride. Back to your story! Who is your favorite side character?
SG: I love J – which is interesting, because he only came into being because of the way the readers voted. It made sense for Remy to have an ally in the East End, and suddenly, there was J. It was as if he’d just walked up to my desk and tapped me on the shoulder. I also love Claudette – I’d like to explore her story more. I think she’s had quite a mysterious past, that one.
N: If you could, would you become a circus performer? (Or, er, a jewel thief?)
SG: I’d give it a try – well, the circus perfomer bit, anyway!
N: If you had to hunt and kill an animal (real or mythical) with your bare hands to protect somebody you loved, what animal would it be?
SG: I’m not sure I’d be much of a hunter, whatever the circumstances. I wish dinosaurs still roamed the earth, though, and if they did I’d have to be able to defend the people I love. I can just imagine me going ten rounds with a T-Rex!
And the lovely people at Fiction Express have offered a great giveaway to one lucky reader - the ability to download 5 free e-books of their choosing (that's 10 FE credits) from their website! All you have to do to enter is fill out the form below.
Quick Recap:
[5] e-books/[10] FE credits up for grabs
[1] winner
[4] e-books/10 FE credits up for grabs
[4] winners
ends September 20
How To Win:
[mandatory] fill out the form below
