Hold Me If You Can by Stephanie Rowe (Character Interview/Giveaway)

 Good morning everyone and happy Friday! I am so excited to welcome author Stephanie Rowe of the Soul Fire series over who brought along a special guest today! 

 Without her passions, she has no magic…   It's unfortunate for Natalie that Nigel Aquarian is so   compelling. With his inner demons, his unbridled heat, and his "I will conquer you" looks, he calls to her in exactly the way that nearly killed her.             But losing control means losing her life…  That he's an immortal warrior and that her powers rise from intense passions would seem to make them a match made in heaven, but unless they embrace their greatest fears, they'll play out their final match in hell.

Today we are graced with a very delectable treat as the hero from my latest book, HOLD ME IF YOU CAN, has graciously volunteered to take time away from his art and saving the world to chat with us:

Stephanie: Nigel, can you tell us a little about your art?

Nigel: You know, Steph... Can I call you Steph?

SR: You bet. We're buds. It's okay for the world to know.

N (flashes sexy grin that make those dark eyes of his light up—oh, wait, I digress—back to the interview): Fantastic, Steph. So, I started drawing and painting when I was a kid. I didn't realize that would me so interesting to the world's most psychotic black witch, of course. Seriously, what kid thinks, "Hey, if I keep painting flowers, then Death's insane grandma will kidnap me and use me as the leading example to all her prisoners in the Den of Womanly Pursuits about how a manly man can draw blood at will with assorted lethal weapons and still be in touch with his softer side." Nigel rolls his eyes. I could have done without the 150 years of torture, but I do think it helped lend a deeper emotional impact to my art, and you know, it's all about getting in touch with your emotions.

SR: Isn't that unusual for a tough, badass, scarred warrior to be concerned about being in touch with his emotions?

N (casually sliding a glowing blade out of his palm and tossing it with deadly precision at a knothole 200 yards away): What are you trying to say?

SR (wisely deciding not to pursue that line of questioning): So, tell me about love. Do you believe in love?

N (laughs softly): Love is deadly. (Then he glances across the room at a certain woman in the shadows. His face softens.) All of us who were incarcerated in the Den are bad news. No woman who wants to stay alive should give us the time of day.

SD: What are you saying? Do you guys kill off those who love you?

N (face darkening): People have died from being near us, yes. People who shouldn't die. Not going to make that mistake again. None of us will.

SD: Do you ever wish you had another talent? Like Blaine, the hero of KISS AT YOUR OWN RISK, who finds relief in cross-stitching, or Jarvis, the hero of TOUCH IF YOU DARE, who is a knitter?

N: Jarvis sucks at knitting. He doesn't believe.

SR: Believe in what?

N: Knitting. He thinks he's some big badass, which, yeah, he is, but the dude needs to mellow out. He holds up his hands, which are currently charred with blackened embers falling off them from the skirmish he had right before he came in. See these puppies? They gotta get some lovin' or the bad shit takes over. The other guys don't realize that. He looks at me. We're not one-dimensional testosterone junkies, you know.

SR: Of course you aren't. You guys were ruthlessly tortured into becoming sensitive, poetry-reading warriors who can take down a demon blindfolded while weaving a silk tapestry at the same time.  

N (grinning): Yeah, that's true. Last week, when we went back into the Den for that rescue and the demons attacked us, I had a great time. There's just something about fighting to stay alive that gets the adrenaline going, you know? Nigel takes a water-color marker out of his jeans and begins twirling it in his fingers like a baton twirler whipping the silver rod around in the air. I decide not to point out the comparison.

SR: Would it be tough for you if you couldn't draw or paint anymore?

The marker goes utterly still in Nigel's hand, and his muscles go rigid with tension.

N: Not funny, Rowe.

SR (clears throat, and thinking now would be a good time to change the subject): So, is there anything else you'd like to share with your readers today?

N: Yeah. Don't get kidnapped by Death's grandma, and paint every day. It's the only way to survive.

SR: Great! Thanks so much, Nigel. Have a great day.

N (handing me a small packet of colored pencils and a hot pink notebook): You look like you're having a tough day, Steph. Try these. They'll help. Nigel gives me a little salute, then heads out the door, after taking another long look at the woman in the corner. Who is that woman? I need to find out…

Want to learn more about Nigel? Leave a comment and be entered to win a copy of his book, HOLD ME IF YOU CAN.

BIO: Four-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Heart® Award winner Stephanie Rowe is the nationally bestselling author of more than twenty published books with major New York publishers, including HarperCollins, Grand Central and Harlequin. Stephanie has received starred reviews from Booklist and high praise from Publisher's Weekly. Stephanie writes romance (paranormal, contemporary and suspense), teen fiction, middle grade fiction and inspirational non-fiction. A former attorney, Stephanie lives in Boston where she is actively working on her next projects, which include a re-release of her sexy Alaska Heat romantic suspense ICE (release date is TODAY!) and CHILL (Feb 2012) as well as the dark paranormal series The Order of the Blade, which will be launching in February and March with a trilogy. The next Soulfire book, SEIZE WITH YOUR KISS, will be out in Summer 2012. For more information on Stephanie, visit www.stephanierowe.com.

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Stephanie is giving away one copy of Hold Me If You Can to one lucky reader from the US or Canada. To enter, just leave a comment for Nigel on this post and then fill out the RaffleCopter below! Additional entries are available but not required. Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway