Guest Author, Denise Rossetti with Giveaway!
by sue on Nov.11, 2009, under Book Chat
Thief of Light by Denise Rossetti
Setting: The sword and sorcery world of Palimpsest
Subgenre: Fantasy
Hero: Erik Thorensen
Heroine: Prue McGuire
One sentence summary: In a world where the gods play and black magick lurks in the shadows, a singer with an irresistible voice meets the only woman in existence strong-willed enough to challenge his extraordinary powers of persuasion.
Scene you like most and would never cut: I love the scene in which Erik proves to a skeptical Prue that seelies really do exist. (We would feel the same about unicorns.) They’re small, blue-furred marine creatures with long snouts and expressive bulgy eyes. The elegant canal city of Caracole is built on the mile-wide leaves of a gigantic titanplant. In a cave under a Leaf, the walls glowing with phosphorescence, he calls the mythical animals with his beautiful voice. Not only do the seelies join in Erik’s song, they dance on the water like dolphins.
It’s a magical moment, in every sense, and it leads to a tender, sensual scene between Prue and Erik.
Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Prue would never say, “Hey, girlfriend, let’s head down to the mall! I want a killer pair of stilettos, with velvet bows and stratospheric heels. Red ones.”
The poor darling is far too sensible and responsible to do something so extravagant and impulsive. She’s the original ‘good girl’ - until she meets Erik, and then the sparks really fly! And anyway, there are no malls on Palimpsest. It’s a fantasy world. Duh.
Scene in the book moved you the most as you wrote it, or made you the most happy?’
There’s a scene toward the end, in which Erik finally confesses to Prue about a terrible crime he committed as a boy. He knows they have no future together unless he tells her, but he doesn’t expect forgiveness so he’s in despair, sure he’ll lose her forever. Prue’s furious all right, but not in the way Erik expects.
After everything Erik goes through, it gave me enormous satisfaction to write that scene. I even shed a tear. It confirmed for me that Prue was his perfect match, the right woman for him in every way. When I type ‘The End’, I need to be confident the hero and heroine belong together. With these two, I was.
Have you learned or found any bizarre facts while doing research?
I’ve done some reading about Near Death Experiences (NDEs) for the Four-Sided Pentacle series. What’s fascinating is the consistency of the reports – the sensation of hovering near the ceiling, the bright tunnel, the presence of another loving Being. But the most bizarre fact I’ve come across in my research is about wings. At the time, I was writing a book for Ellora’s Cave called Tailspin, with two drop-dead gorgeous heroes with magnificent wings and wicked feathery tails. Did you know that in order for a human being to be able to use wings to fly, his or her chest would have to be six feet thick with muscle? It’s plain physics, but I squeezed my eyes shut, invoked artistic license and ignored it.
Ancillary character you had the most fun with: I know I’m awful, but I really love villains. I had a lot of fun with the Technomage Primus, a brilliant scientist, whose personality disintegrates bit by bit. Although she finishes up quite loopy, she retains her cold logic and incisive intelligence. All spookily good.
What is one thing in your history that has influenced your writing, whether it’s a character, your work habits, or your favorite plot conflict? It’s so hard to pick one. I’ve had a job for many years in academia and that has definitely affected the way my mind works. But I think the single greatest influence is my love of language. I simply adore words, too much I fear. I have a range of favorites, the current ones being discombobulate and transmogrify. I’m trying to work out how to include them in a manuscript without frightening my long-suffering editor.
Your hero’s favorite hobby: Music in all its infinite variety. Music and more music. Erik’s also partial to sex, in all its infinite variety.
What you think readers will like best about this book: Honestly? Beyond the slum kid, the seelies and an endearing mongrel dog, I have no idea. I know I hope they’ll enjoy the sizzling chemistry between Prue and Erik and the colourful world I’ve built for them. I try to write as vividly as possible so the reader feels as if she’s right there – for the adventure, the terror, the humour, the sex, the love – the whole gamut of human experience.
The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: I already have readers asking me for Florien’s story. He’s the slum child who first appeared in a bit part in The Flame and the Shadow and insisted on a larger role in Thief of Light. He’s a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered urchin with no manners and an aversion to soap and water, but somehow, he’s managed to wind his grubby little fingers around my heart. Readers too, apparently. *smile*
What’s next: The Laced with Desire anthology will be released in February next year, a follow-up to Unlaced, with stories by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey. W. Hill and myself. The theme is corsets! My novella, Rhio’s Dancer, is set in the Four-Sided Pentacle universe. The hero is a secondary character from Thief of Light, but it can be read as a stand-alone.
My editor has the proposal for Book #3 in the Four-Sided Pentacle series now. The hero is the swordmaster, Walker, an earth shaman who appears in Thief of Light as a secondary character. He’s all dark and brooding and deadly.
His heroine may well be the most unusual character I’ve ever attempted. Deprived of touch and affection from babyhood, she has never learned about normal human relationships, so she’s essentially ‘empty’. She cannot interpret facial expressions and body language, has no idea of what empathy means, let alone sympathy, and little understanding of conventional morality. Yet she has a childlike innocence and curiosity that’s extraordinarily endearing. Put her together with the deeply reserved Walker and the conflict is going to be luscious. All being well, it’s slated for release about this time next year.
I also hope to complete the next in my Phoenix Rising series for Ellora’s Cave next year. Day job? What day job?
Question:
Like Prue and Erik in the cave under the Leaf, have you experienced the magic of a special place? Somewhere you will never forget? I remember sitting on the walls of Rothenberg, many years ago, watching dusk come down over the Tauber…
I’m delighted to offer a prize to one commenter. Either The Flame and the Shadow (Book #1) or Thief of Light (Book #2). Your choice.
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November 30th, 2009 on 1:17 pm
bordersblog.com has become a favorite sunday point for me
November 12th, 2009 on 9:44 pm
Hi Victoria!
Yes, aren’t the covers gorgeous? The artist is Jim Griffin, and he’s awesome - plucked the images right out of my head. You’ll find when you read the books that the respective covers really do portray Cenda and Erik.
Your grandmother’s place sounds beautiful. And had you thought, it’s not just the sunsets, the fresh air and the food, but the love as well? *smile*
November 12th, 2009 on 9:40 pm
omgosh! the cover is super yummy! lol i haven’t read this books yet but they sound great..I am diff going to read these.
I guess i would have to say my place to be is at by grandmas house in Mexico outside of a small town. the air is fresh, the sunsets are great and so is the food.
November 12th, 2009 on 9:23 pm
Hi there, Collette!
Delighted to hear of an EC reader! *beams*
That’s definitely a ‘woo-woo’ story about the Chinese warrior. Stuff happens to all that we can’t explain. I’d be the most non-psychic person on the planet (though I still have aspirations) and My Beloved is the least imaginative of men. When we were at Culloden in Scotland, the site of a savage battle where thousands were brutally slain, we both got so spooked we had to leave. Not like us at all.
November 12th, 2009 on 9:18 pm
The cover is definitely ‘whoo’, Biki. The artist told me the model is real - as in alive and walking around somewhere. The whole concept is even more ‘whoo’ IMO! *g*
Best of luck with your travels. You’ll make fabulous memories.
November 12th, 2009 on 9:16 pm
Estara, I remember Cambridge vividly. What an exquisite place. We went to evensong in King’s College and the memory of the voices of the choir in that magnificent space still raises the hair on the back of my neck.
I’m sorry you had to register with yet another publisher to get my EC titles - but I’m so delighted you did! *beams* Thank you!
November 15th, 2009 on 4:06 pm
@Denise: And I’ve just read Gift of the Goddess and enjoyed it (I only thought the heroine gave into the guys’ prowess a bit too quickly at the beginning). One downside for me is that I can read your books only at home, because they really get me hot which is rather uncomfortable when interacting with the outside world ^^.
A distinct advantage of having an ebook reader is that there’re enough non-erotic books to read when waiting at the doctor’s.
November 12th, 2009 on 9:10 pm
Hey Cybercliper!
I love that you loved TFATS! That’s so soothing for my fragile writer’s ego. Thank you.
I get what you mean about Alaska. That awe-inspiring sense of the vastness of the icy landscape. Real ‘call of the Wild’ stuff. I really liked it, though we were there in summer. The sun came out a couple of days in a row and the locals were ecstatic. Hmm…
November 12th, 2009 on 9:05 pm
Hi Carol,
Thanks for the kind words. *smile* The Scottish Highlands are beautiful but - ahem - ‘bracing’. That’s what the British call cold weather. I’d say it was flippin’ freezing! *g*
November 12th, 2009 on 9:01 pm
Hi Estella,
I’ve heard Oregon is simply beautiful. Another place on my ‘to-do’ list. Though with my thin sub-tropical blood, I’ll have to be sure to pack the woollies.
November 12th, 2009 on 9:00 pm
Hi Raelena,
There’s something magical about a beach at night. Especially if there’s full moon. That ‘ladder’ effect on the water. Aah…
November 12th, 2009 on 8:58 pm
Hi Jody,
I’d love to go to Lake Tahoe. Sadly, I’ve only seen a little of the West Coast and that was only last year. It was wonderful too, I enjoyed it all so much. Loved San Francisco. So much to see, so little time… And of course, there’s the money too…
I’m so glad you’re enjoying Shad. He wasn’t easy to write, but I still had a ton of fun with him. *smile*
November 12th, 2009 on 6:30 pm
I own some of Denise’s Ellora’s Cave books and really love them.
The most memorable “place” experience I ever had was on a visit to China. We were walking on the Sacred Way after visiting the Ming Tombs. I walked by one of the warrior statues and felt some weird kind of connection–as if I knew him. Not a typical experience for cynical me at all!
November 12th, 2009 on 5:14 pm
The cover is –whoo!–. I would really love the chance to win either books.
I haven’t gotten the chance to find the place that calls to my heart and soul just yet, but I’m hoping to get to travel a bit more to recognize it.
November 12th, 2009 on 2:03 pm
Walking through Cambridge in the morning light in spring and summer, when the golden light hits the walls of the colleges. Or going punting on the Cam and looking at Cambridge from a completely different perspective. The photos I took there are probably the best I’ve ever taken - everything was so right out of a history novel ^^.
I wish we’d had digital cameras in 1991 - I don’t think scanning the pictures in will bring out the beauty, I’m not good with image manipulation as such.
Well, whether I’d be chosen or not I’m definitely getting Thief of Light as I really enjoyed The Flame and the Shadow. I bought her Ellora’s Cave series on the strength of that alone (had to register at another publisher site
- couldn’t find the titles anywhere else).
November 12th, 2009 on 1:20 pm
Love, love, love The Flame and the Shadow and can’t wait for Thief of Light….my special place…the Alaskan outback…standing there with no one for miles, the animals, the raw beauty - a breath taking experience…
November 12th, 2009 on 9:11 am
Hi Denise,
You are a new to me Author and I’m so happy I found you here.
I love the series you have written and look forward to reading it. It’s now on MTR list.
Any place I can sit in solitude and feel the wind blowing through my hair or listening to the waves crash on shore.I’ve dreamed of visiting the Scottish Highlands.
Carol L.
Lucky74502aol.com
November 11th, 2009 on 10:47 pm
Any beach on the Oregon Coast.
November 11th, 2009 on 8:42 pm
my special magical place is the beach near where I live at night.
November 11th, 2009 on 7:36 pm
I am reading The Flame and the Shadow right now. I love Shad!
My magical place is Lake Tahoe, we try to go back every year.
November 11th, 2009 on 7:08 pm
Hi JC,
There’s something about a treasured childhood memory, isn’t there? You are so lucky you can return to the spot to relive it.
November 11th, 2009 on 7:06 pm
Hi Chelsea,
Thanks for that. *smile* I’ve had a ton of fun writing the Four-Sided Pentacle series, I can tell you!
Love the sound of your rooftop pool, close to the stars.
November 11th, 2009 on 7:05 pm
Hi Lisa,
The ocean is so…’there’, isn’t it? Always rolling, oblivious of us humans and our petty concerns. And it smells so fresh and salty too. Food for the soul.
November 11th, 2009 on 7:03 pm
Hi Steph,
I’ve many times that we humans have a deep need for Nature. No wonder you felt so relaxed on your deserted beach!
November 11th, 2009 on 7:02 pm
Oh Virginia, that sounds sublime! You can feel your soul slow down to a contented purr, can’t you? And to share it with the one you love is beyond special.
November 11th, 2009 on 7:01 pm
Eureka Springs, Linda? I love it for the name alone!
November 11th, 2009 on 7:00 pm
Hi Karen,
I have a copper Roman coin - a VERY small denomination - I bought years ago. Like you, it gives me the shivers to rub my thumb over it, thinking of where it’s been and whose lives have touched it.
As for the model, the cover artist assures he’s REAL. Can you imagine, he actually exists somewhere? He’s walking around, stepping over the bodies of the women who throw themselves at his feet…
November 11th, 2009 on 6:57 pm
Hi there, Scorpio!
You should write a Gothic novel. Your madman’s estate sounds perfect! Dark horrors in the night, crumbling mummies… Oooh…
November 11th, 2009 on 6:54 pm
Marg, I envy you so much. I’ve never been to Spain and I hear Barcelona is extraordinary, let alone the rest of the country. When I hit the NYT Bestseller list…
November 11th, 2009 on 6:52 pm
Hi Michelle,
The Cover Fairy has been VERY good to me. I must have been positively saintly in a previous life! And yes, I love Prue. She tries so very hard to always do the right thing. It’s wonderful how Erik completely derails her! *evil chuckle*
There’s something eternal about the ocean, isn’t there? I always think of how it will always roll and on, regardless of me. I love that.
November 11th, 2009 on 5:10 pm
There’s this place at a camp I work at. They have a small pond, and in one place there’s a rock on the water’s edge with a pine tree creating a little “world” As a child I’d love to go there and just sit, imagining that there were sea dragons and mermaids under the water.
So magical through imagination, I suppose.
November 11th, 2009 on 5:04 pm
I love the cover to your books, and they all sound great! Loved the interview!
And for me, theres this 16 story hotel that has a pool on the roof and beautiful rock surrounding the edges. I love going up there at night when I stay there.
November 11th, 2009 on 2:32 pm
What a fun book! I love the cover. I have seen some beautiful places in my life: The Colorado Rockies, The Grand Canyon, The Beautiful Scenery of the Ozarks. I get more inspirations from the ocean no matter which one it is. The waves crashing against the rocks, seagulls crying, sand between my toes as I look for shells. I love the breeze blowing on my face, the calmness that overcomes me when I’m there and the way I feel just being there…at peace.
November 11th, 2009 on 1:42 pm
A beach on the Oregon coast. It was sunny (which was amazing by itself!) and empty. So relaxing.
November 11th, 2009 on 11:47 am
My very special place is close to home. I live in a beautiful mountainous area adjacent to a state park with a lake and waterfalls. The love of my life and I would park at the boat dock of the lake and watch the sunset on the water with the mountains framing the image on either side. Magical times : )
November 11th, 2009 on 11:45 am
I think my special place would be Eureka Springs Arkansas. I spent my honeymoon there and my daughters both got married there. It’s a beautiful place. I love going back there to visit.
November 11th, 2009 on 10:46 am
I’ve been fortunate to visit many places that are special since I love history. As a child (Air Force brat) in Turkey, we visited an ancient Roman bath and early churches carved into the sides of mountains with bolt holes for escaping. Just to be in a place where people lived thousands of years ago and touch the same walls gives me the chills. I actually wish time travel was real so I could drop in on older civilizations and see how they really lived. But I’d want to be able to return to indoor plumbing!
I love the cover of Thief of Light–he is gorgeous!
November 11th, 2009 on 9:46 am
A secret magic place for me would be a place surrounded by history, of the world or of someone’s life, it could be a large museum with ancient artifacts or touring an old estate of a madman.
Thanks for sharing your writing experience.
November 11th, 2009 on 4:09 am
I have had the Shadow and the Flame on my wishlist for ages. As for special places, I would say spending time wandering in Barcelona. Wish I could go back!
November 11th, 2009 on 1:34 am
the cover is definitely HOT!! Prue does sound like an interesting character going with her background alone. i’d love to read her story.
i live in hawaii and definitely feel the magic whenever i am standing on a beach with the water lapping at my feet, the wind blowing through my hair, listening to the sound of waves and smelling the smell of salt, ocean, and seaweed.