****The contest is now closed. To find out who won, please visit this post.****
I’m so excited to bring you a glimpse of two very fun ladies, Bree and Donna. As Moira Rogers, they write books about “things that go bump & grind in the night.” In addition to telling us a bit about themselves, their own pop culture loves, and their books, they are also giving away one copy of Cry Sanctuary to one of our lucky readers. All you have to do is read the interview then post a comment between 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 22, and 6:00 p.m. Sunday, May 24 (all times Pacific). Of course, if you can’t wait until I pick a winner to read the book, you can find purchase info here.
Cry Sanctuary is the first in the Red Rock Pass series, and it introduces us to a werewolf culture that is steeped in war and old traditions. The second book in the series, Sanctuary Lost, is coming out June 9, so this giveaway is right in time for those of you who are looking for a new series to start off the summer. (Yes, technically, it’s not yet summer, but we all know Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial summer kick-off.)
But I’m going to stop talking now and let Donna and Bree take a few questions.
PCC: You write some hot paranormal romances. What drew you to that genre? Were you always interested in the supernatural?
Donna: I, for one, always have been. I love ghost stories and folklore and cryptozoology, all that stuff. I was reading paranormal romance before it became a genre of its own. I spent a lot of time, poring through blurbs at the bookstore, looking for hints of a paranormal storyline. LOL
Bree: In my teens I was much more into pure epic fantasy. I wanted princesses and wizards and magic swords and great destinies. That morphed as I grew older and started reading urban fantasy, which is one of my favorite genres still. I just enjoy speculative fiction in general, whether the basis is science, magic or a bit of both.
PCC: Werewolves seem to be your paranormal creature of choice. Are they your favorites?
Donna: I think what I like about werewolves and other shapeshifters is the very primal quality they have. It’s not the sort of thing all women like. That guy isn’t going to wax poetic about the shade of your hair or the way your eyes sparkle. He just knows what he sees is nice, and he wants it. I dig that.
Bree: Totally. Werewolf episodes are always my favorite on TV shows. Heart on Supernatural, Hair of the Dog on the poor, dead Dresden Files. And speaking of poor, dead TV shows… I love Wolf Lake so much.
PCC: When you are creating your characters, do you ever use celebrities as mental models? If so, who inspires you?
Bree: We do use reference models, though not always celebrities. Since there are two of us working on the book and the descriptions, it’s easier if we know we’re starting off from the same place. But I’m as likely to pick a random stock photo or advertisement as I am an actor. Sometimes the associations with a particular character can get in the way for me if it’s someone I’m used to seeing primarily in one venue.
Donna: Celebrity casting is something I would like to move away from, just because of those associations Bree mentioned, but I don’t know if we can. Being co-writers, we’ve got to have things straight in our heads, and it doesn’t get much straighter than, “Picture Robert Redford at forty.”
PCC: We just made it through the upfront season, when we found out whether a lot of our TV shows will be back next season. Was there a particular show you were rooting for?
Bree: I am so glad to see Chuck made it back. And Better off Ted, too! I have a well recorded love/hate relationship with Dollhouse, so I’m not sure how I feel about the renewal there yet… I suppose now Joss Whedon has another year to shock and infuriate me in turn, huh? (But I do give a big WTF to Scrubs coming back! That was an awesome finale! Close the book, man!)
Donna: Not many of the shows I watch were in trouble. I was rooting for Nathan Fillion to pull out a second season of Castle, though, just because the man has had too many cancellations.
PCC: A lot of us here at PCC participated in the Finale and a Footlong campaign to save Chuck. Have you ever been part of a fan campaign to save a show?
Donna: I almost sent some bottles of Tabasco sauce to the WB back when they were ready to cancel Roswell. The only thing that stopped me, honestly, was a crippling laziness.
Bree: The only reason I didn’t jump on board with the Footlong campaign was the fact that I missed the boat due to deadlines. Now if I’d thought Leverage was in danger this year I might have brought out the big guns. I loved that quirky little show.
PCC: What TV shows and movies have inspired you over your lives?
Bree: I’m a Firefly girl through and through. I think Joss Whedon has a lot to teach about dialogue and strong bonds between an ensemble cast. I also think Firefly is my favorite show because he avoided the terrible trap he sometimes falls into where he loves his lead character a little too much.
So cautionary tale and inspiration rolled into one: love your protagonist, but don’t LURVE your protagonist. I also think no movies will ever top The Matchmaker & The Cutting Edge for pure awesome when it comes to romantic banter.
Donna: I don’t even think I could narrow it down, honestly. There have just been tons of both. I was a huge X-Files fan, for one. And I love old movies.
PCC: Finally, tell us about the world of Red Rock Pass. How did you come up with it? Where do you see things going as the series progresses?
Donna: What we wanted to do was to create a world where werewolves weren’t living the best existence, but not just because they were battling outside enemies, though they are. We also wanted to explore the idea that being a certain type of creature isn’t going to make you more noble than the next guy, and you can have leaders, alphas, who abuse their power and make their packs miserable. But we knew there would also need to be sanctuaries where people tried to be better than that.
Bree: I loved exploring a little bit of cultural regression. In the Red Rock universe the werewolves were ahead of the curve when it came to finding your place in the world based on what you were good at instead of your gender. Now they’re worse off than the humans, and securing an enlightened future might mean taking a few steps back. Old traditions don’t have to be old-fashioned!
Donna: We also have a heroine who’s a witch coming up, which will be different. And a vampire lumberjack. LOL
Bree: We love the werewolves, but sometimes you have to spice things up. And while the arc exploring the characters of the town of Red Rock will come to an end (for now) with the fourth book, we’re looking forward to the chance to write other stories set in the universe!
PCC: Thanks for joining us today. And thank you for offering such a great prize for our readers.
****The contest is now closed. To find out who won, please visit this post.****
The boring stuff: The contest will run from 12:01 am Friday May 22 through 6:00 pm Sunday May 24 (all times Pacific). The contest is open to readers worldwide, and the author will ship the prize directly.
To enter, comment below. Make sure you include your email address in your entry, so I can contact you if you are chosen.
To receive a second entry, tweet about the contest–make sure you include @popculturecurm so I can verify the tweet–and then comment here about your tweet.
The winner will be selected at random and announced here Monday. The prize will be one ebook, available in multiple formats. The prize is non-transferable and may not be substituted.
These rules are subject to change or be modified without prior written notice. Contest is void where prohibited. By entering this contest you are agreeing to our terms of entry.
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Uncategorized | Jennifer C. Rodland | 
May 29, 2009 9:00 am | 
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