Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Secret of the Wolf by Cynthia Garner (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Today I would like to welcome paranormal romance author, Cynthia Garner, to Reading Between the Wines. Cynthia is joining us with her recent release of  Secret of the Wolf, the second book in the Warriors of the Rift series.


I have been enamored of things that go bump in the night since I read Bram Stoker’s Dracula years ago. So when I began writing for publication, paranormal creatures insisted on being part of the stories. Not just part, but the main attraction. And since I’m a sucker for happily-ever-afters, most of my creatures are the good guys. Well, they can be bad, but in a good way. The best way.

For the last couple of years I’ve been hearing in the publishing industry that werewolves have been done to death. That if an author was going to write a paranormal romance with werewikves, there had better be something that hadn’t been done before or no one was going to buy it. So my brain started working. How could I put a fresh spin on such an old topic? Then a news blurb about a meteor shower (or maybe it was about a comet, I don’t recall the exact news item) made the wheels turn faster. And I asked the basic question… “What if…?”

And through all the what-ifs that followed, I came up with the idea that a comet (named after the members of my critique group at the time) passes by Earth every 73 years and, when it does, it rips open a rift between our dimension and another.  Inhabitants of the other dimension who’d been deemed undesirables by their governments—the criminals, political dissidents and religious heretics—are stripped of their bodies and held in containment fields, awaiting their final punishment. When the rift opens, their holding cells are opened and they get sucked into our dimension. With an instinct for survival that’s too strong to ignore, they come down to Earth and take over the first human body they come upon. The species they were in the other dimension dictates the reaction their hosts will have to the invasion. Some become shapeshifters (including werewolves), some vampires, some demons, etc.

That touch of sci fi, along with the paranormal aspects, just wouldn’t let go of me, and this idea popped to the surface of all the others roiling in the back of my mind. That’s how my Warriors of the Rift series was born. The first book, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, was followed up by SECRET OF THE WOLF, which just released a couple of weeks ago. I hope readers will enjoy spending time in this new world with these characters as much as I enjoyed creating them.

So let’s chat: about my books, about paranormal romance and urban fantasy, vampires, werewolves and other creatures of myth. One lucky commenter will receive a signed copy of Secret of the Wolf and other swag.




Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world–or send it spiraling into chaos.
As a werewolf liaison to the Council of Preternaturals, Tori Joseph is used to straddling the world between humans and immortals. She plays by the rules and always delivers justice, no matter the cost. But after a string of increasingly brutal attacks results in humans turning into werewolves, Tori doesn’t reveal her horrifying suspicion: Someone very close to her might be responsible.Investigating the paranormal violence, no-nonsense detective Dante MacMillan believes Tori is hiding something. His search for the truth draws him into greater danger as he gets closer to the dark realm of the immortals—and to the sexy werewolf who stirs his primal lust. Now with evil closing in around them, Dante must convince Tori to trust him . . . before her deadly secret destroys them both.




Author BIO:
Cynthia Garner discovered her love for making up stories at the age of twelve when her teacher told her to write a story that started “It was a dark and stormy night…” But she didn’t think about making it a profession until 2005, when she began entering—and winning—writing contests. Under her alternate ego Sherrill Quinn she has three Kensington Brava paranormal romance books and a novella as part of the Belong to the Night anthology, as well as several erotic romance novellas published electronically with Ellora’s Cave and Amber Heat. Her writing has been consistently rated with 4 and 5 stars and called “thrilling”, “imaginative” and “fresh.”

By day she’s a mostly mild-mannered Human Resources Manager for a non-profit organization. She’s originally from northeast Ohio and fled the snow over ten years ago to live in the heat of southeastern Arizona. You can follow her online at http://cynthiagarnerbooks.com; Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter - @cynthiagarner. 






~*GIVEAWAY*~

As Cynthia mentions above, she is giving away one signed copy of Secret of the Wolf and some swag to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment on her post above and then fill out the rafflecopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck! 

47 comments:

  1. Hi Cynthia,
    thank you for the chance at such a great giveaway. i love the cover of the book, it's gorgeous and the book sounds like it is right up my alley.

    now i just need to read book 1 really fast so i can make sure i haven't missed anything. :D

    tammy ramey
    trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com

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  2. Hi Cynthia,
    Great interview and giveaway. The books look great.
    lorimeehan1@aol.com

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  3. Tammy, thanks for stopping by! I love the covers that Grand Central has done for me.

    Thanks, Lori! Good luck.

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  4. Oooh, I am so excited! I have not yet read these and they look really good, what a premise! I need to add these to my book list RIGHT NOW!
    Thanks!

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  5. I have the first book and I can't wait to read it!

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  6. Sounds good. I like books where I have to think it out and this seems like it will be one of those type of reads. Thanks.
    vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. lavendersbluegreen, thanks! And good luck. :)

    JoAnna, I hope you enjoy KISS OF THE VAMPIRE!

    Victoria, thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I love the highly imaginative world that you have created. It is so different than anything else I've read and I can't wait to see what happens next. I do have a question for you. Will there be more after Heart of the Demon or will Finn's be the last book in the series?

    Thanks for the opportunity!
    xmelaniexthomasx(at)aim(dot)com

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  9. Mel, thanks so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed the series so far. I am working on a proposal for a 4th book in the series, but until/if it gets accepted all I can promise is that the series goes at least through Finn's story. Sorry I can't give you more.

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  10. Thanks for the intriguing post. I remember all the noise about werewolves being over but as I've said before, there will always be someone to read the books. Great covers. This book sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read it to see more of Tori and Dante.

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  11. I would love to read these books. They sounds very good. Thanks for the awesome giveaway. Tore923@aol.com

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  12. Oooo...interesting premise! How brilliant to come up with such a thing. Now to get my hands on book 1 & fingers crossed to win bk2!!

    There's always room for a well written werewolf stories!

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  13. You're a new author for me. Love the covers. I love paranormal romance and happy endings so I can't wait to read it.

    mythic021@gmail.com

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  14. I love the sci-fi twist to the origin of paranormals, brilliant!
    Carin mawmom(at)gmail(dot)com

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  16. Loved the first book, Kiss of the Vampire! Would love to win this sequel with Tori!

    Thanks,
    Leanne

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  17. It must be really fun to write sci-fi/paranormal books and just let your imagination fly!
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  18. I also have a love for the paranormal and I'm always looking for new view points on the subject so your series sounds just what I'm looking for.
    RomancebookjunkiesdanielleATyahooDOTcom

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  19. Joanne, Tore & Linda, thanks for stopping by. Good luck!

    Vanessa, Grand Central did great with my covers, I agree!

    Carin, I've always liked sci fi, too. I'm a nerd from way back. LOL

    Leannessf, I'm so glad you liked Kiss of the Vampire! Thanks. :)

    Di, it's great fun to write paranormal and sci fi. It's a great escape, because even a book set in contemporary times is different than our reality.

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  20. First Off I Have To Say I Love paranormal romance and urban fantasy, vampires, werewolves And Angels And Demons. This Book Is So Me I Cant Wait To Read It.

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  21. I love all things paranormal so this book is being added to my TBR Pile. Thanks For Sharing

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  22. Interesting spin on the paranormal, add in some scifi. Not a bad idea. Sounds like a hit to me. I'm a big fan of both genres, so that makes these books a definite add to my to read list.
    thanks for introducing them to me.

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  23. I love paranormal. I especially love vamps and werewolves. I really fell in love with them when I found laurell k hamilton and jeaniene frost. I loved kiss of a vampire and am dying to read scent of a wolf. I love that alpha wolf. Very sexy. Thanks for the great giveaway.
    Christinebails@yahoo.com

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  24. I have found myself reading a lot more Paranormal Romance. Writers are coming up with mind blowing concepts that incorporate legend & imagination.

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  25. Congrats on the release of the next book! The cover is fabulously yummy.
    I'm looking forward to learning more about the Secret of the Wolf.
    Thanks for a great prize.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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  26. Congrats on the new release. I love paranormals because each one can be totally unique, and I love the sound of this series. I don't think that paranormals will ever go out. No matter how many series/books are written featuring vampires, shifters, demons, etc, each author creates their own world & characters so it is fresh and different. Nothing is impossible, and I love unique reasonings for the creatures.
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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  27. This sounds so interesting! Werewolves have sort of been done to death, but it's more that there are too many generic stories with them, so yours sounds good. And I have a partiality for a little bit of sci-fi.

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  28. howdy...
    is this internationmal giveaway ?
    please count me in :)

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  29. This series has been on my TBR mountain! But I think after this interview? It just got bumped to the top! Thanks for the great interview!

    jlkg102961 AT yahoo DOT com

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  30. April, you're a girl after my own heart! LOL Thanks for stopping by.

    Thanks, Anna!

    Lisa, I love both genres, too. Thanks for stopping by!

    Christine, thanks for letting me know you enjoyed Kiss of the Vampire! I'm so glad to hear it. :)

    Marybelle, I love it when I find authors who take myths/legends and twist them, or use them as a basis for their worlds.

    Julianne & June, thanks so much for stopping by! I think paranormals will be around a long time, too!

    Jess, thanks for stopping by!

    Nurmawati, this is open to non-US readers. Good luck!

    Thanks, BlackwaterMama! Good luck.

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  31. Despite what folks say, a werewolf book, if written well, is still read! Now that doesn't mean that it won't be picked up to be published! I love your unique idea though about a rift and will be checking out your site for more details!

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  32. Love your take on the supernatural, with the rift and the different species. Looking forward to reading about a strong Shifter woman, =) love those that can take care of themselves but still can take help from a loved one (at least in the end =))

    best wishes, Linda xo

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  33. books4me & Linda, thanks for stopping by! Good luck. :)

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  34. I have to agree with the other commenters and say that all it takes is one well written story the rejuvenate a topic like vampires or werewolves, no matter how much publishers or the industry says that something is played out. Your books sound fabulous and I can't wait to read them!

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  35. wow the book look great and the cover are great
    can i ask you question are the men on the book the asmae and then they are great cover

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  36. Thanks, Molly! Good luck. :)

    desitheblonde, the men on the covers are different. And they are great covers, aren't they? :)

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  37. These books sound terrific. I love books that mix up all the different paranormals. It keeps things fresh and fun.

    I also agree that the covers are fantastic!

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  38. I love reading PNR and UF despite the fact that they are sometimes overwhelmed by certain characters or topics. To me it doesn't matter if a character is a vamp, a wolf or whatever the case may be... if it's a character with a strong story and plot that doesn't just hinge on the kind of character they are...

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  39. Well despite the fact I disagree with the publisher about done to death, I am glad this helped you find inspiration for a new twist. You really gotta love a little something new now and again. I think your work looks great and I will be looking forward to checking these books out more :)

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  40. Maria, justpeachy & Denise, thanks so much for stopping by! Good luck!

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  41. I think the books look just like something I would like to get my hands on and sit down for a long, long, read. Thanks for the opportunity. sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com

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  42. Hi Cynthia,
    Great interview and giveaway. The books look great. i luv vampire, demons and any shifter especially werewolves..

    thanks ^^
    sunshine_pinkystar(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  43. I dont think any paranormal has really been done to death yet. the great thing about paranormal is that the myths they are based on are all so variable and allow the authors so much flexibility in creating their worlds.

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  44. It is a fascinating and slightly scary world that Cynthia has created.

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  45. SdyLion, thank you for stopping by! Good luck.

    Olivia, thanks. I write what I love to read, so I'm with you!

    Donnas, I do agree with you. As long as things make sense, a writer to create just about any kind of world/creature.

    Maureen, I hope it's slightly scary in a good way. ;)

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  46. great interview! I love paranormal romance!! Wonderful contest, thank you so much!

    carol.byles@yahoo.com

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  47. I have not had the pleasure of reading any of your books yet, but they are right up my alley. Very excited to start Kiss of the Vampire. thx

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