Postcard For Reader

Interview: Andrew Cremer (& Giveaway)

This giveaway is over.

Guess what!? Today is a SUPER EPIC AWESOME DAY.

Not just because it's one day closer to Halloween! No, it is because the lovely Andrea Cremer is stopping by today!

Andrea is the (super nice) author of Nightshade, one of the most sought after books this season - and not just because of it's jaw-droppingly gorgeous cover. It has some kick ass characters and a pretty good plot!

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Read under the cut to learn about why Andrea loves Halloween, which character is her favorite, and to enter the giveaway!

N: Welcome to Book Spooks, Andrea! Do you have a favorite character in Nightshade?
A: One of my favorite things about Nightshade is the variety of characters who populate the book. The way they all interact and react to each other is essential to the story – I love them all and it’s much too hard to name a favorite.

N: What is your favorite part about writing about werewolves?
A: I’m a wolf girl, but a real wolf girl. I grew up so far North in Wisconsin that it’s practically Canada. Wolves roamed the forests of my homeland. I also loved National Geographic specials even more than cartoons. So by age 9 I could rattle off biological and ecological info like a pro. Wolves to me were beautiful, intelligent, social, and graceful.

Werewolves seemed to be none of these things. The werewolves I’d encountered on page and screen were hideous – half man/half beast, usually ugly, often unintelligent, driven only by rage or bloodlust.

And worst of all: they didn’t want to be wolves. Lycanthropy occurs as a curse, or a disease. The endgoal of most werewolf tales was to kill the wolf or free the affected person of the wolf curse.

I couldn’t come to grips with that idea. If someone asked me – hey wanna turn into a wolf? I’d say “heck, yeah!” Wouldn’t you rather be a wolf? From what I know of wolves, the answer is indisputably YES.

Nightshade’s Guardians are my way of coming to terms with my love of wolves and my trouble with classic werewolf tales. Calla – the alpha female who narrates Nightshade – is powerful and revels in her life as a wolf.

Her troubles arise not from her ability to shift, but from the ways in which her masters try to limit her power, to restrain her freedoms.

N: I'm with you. If somebody asked me to be a wolf, I'd say hell yeah, too. What do you think of your cover?
A: I LOVE it! Writers generally have little to say about their covers and just keep their fingers crossed that they don't hate it. That absolutely WASN'T my experience. My editor called me very early on to tell me what they were envisioning. When they asked Suza Scalora to photograph the cover I was thrilled. She is incredibly talented and a lovely human being (I got to meet her when she was on her own book tour in Minneapolis). At each stage in the process they sent updates and asked for my input. Being included in the process was fun and wonderful, but Penguin had a phenomenal vision from the start and I pretty much just kept saying "that's fantastic!" along the way.

N: You teach history at a liberal arts college. What is your favorite era to teach?
A: I specialize in the early modern period, 1500 – 1800. The colonial era is particularly fascinating to me because so many new worlds and ideologies were being created.

N: Ooo, my second favorite period. Now, onto the Halloween stuff! What is your favorite thing to dress up as?
A: I came up with my favorite costume just after a bad break-up. I dressed up as the Queen of Hearts by taking a former ball-gown style, black and white prom dress and taping red hearts to it. I also wore a tiara and carried a meat cleaver. It was very cathartic.

N: Do you have a favorite Halloween book or movie?
A: I love watching The Craft at Halloween and all the Simpsons’ Tree House of Horror episodes.

N: Halloween is often associated with candy and other yummy, sweet foodstuffs. Which is your favorite?
A: York peppermint patties and Reese’s peanut butter cups.

N: Halloween is a fantastic holiday because...
A: ... it’s all about the mystery of shadows and the bounty of harvest. I adore carving pumpkins, the chill in the air, and the fantasy of creating costumes. It’s my favorite holiday!

Thanks for stopping by, Andrea! Now, onto the fun stuff. HERE is a giveaway! Just read all the information and fill out the form. It's easy, right?

And you can check out these reviews of Nightshade, posted fresh today!

  • Harmony's Radiant Reads
  • Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks
  • The Book Cellarx
  • Candace's Reading Blog

Quick Recap:
[1] copy of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
[1] winner in the U.S. & Canada only
ends October 31

How To Win:
[mandatory] fill out the form below