28 December 2011

Review! Lady of The Drake

Hello, hello, and welcome to another day on the blog! Today, I'm hosting J.V. Altharas for an interview and review of Lady of The Drake.

Enjoy!

Interview:


Welcome aboard! Tell us a little about yourself, please.

I’m an author, singer, podcaster and sex educator with a penchant for smut and fantasy fiction. I’ve always been a storyteller in one way or another, and I’m really glad I started writing fiction again.

What about your latest release?

Lady of the Drake is a genuine fantasy novel that’s also a smokin’ hot erotic romance. Dragons have always been my favorite paranormal characters, and I really tried to envision them in new and exciting ways for this book. There are classic elements like shape-shifting, but I wanted the rest of their magic to be as much a part of who they were as things they could do.

Lana and Alaron were both fun to write, and I hope this book does well enough to turn it into a series. I didn’t have room to do nearly as much as I wanted with a lot of the supporting characters, and I’ve got a lot lined up for them if I get to write sequels. So far it’s gotten a lot of great reviews, so I‘ve got my fingers crossed.

Ok, let’s get down to the fun stuff. If you were stranded on a lush tropical island, and all of your basic needs were met, what two items would you have with you? What person would be with you? Remember, you’re stuck there for an indefinite period with only each other to occupy the time.

The person is easy…I’d take my submissive, Shara. I can’t imagine better long-term entertainment. If all my basic needs were met, I’d also take a chess set and a bamboo rake to turn the beaches into giant Zen gardens.

If you could play opposite any of your lead characters, which one would it be and why?

Lana, from Lady of the Drake. She’s the first female lead I’ve written who’s absolutely fearless and absolutely shameless. She doesn’t know how to live at anything less than full-throttle, and I had a great time writing her.

If you could lead any of your secondary characters, which one would it be and why?

Celeste, also from Lady of the Drake. She’s a lot more complex than I had time to show in this book, and she needs some time in the spotlight.

You’re locked in a closet with Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, three paperclips and a string. How do you get out?

-Tie the string into a lasso.
-Slip the lasso under the door and into the next question, snagging myself a pencil.
-Use said pencil to eliminate Johnny and Colin, for being unable to get out of a closet without help from an author. Also, I don’t like the way they’ve been flirting with Kate. Coincidentally, my competition for her attention has also disappeared.
-Twist two paperclips into lock picks.
-Rub the pencil on the door frame until there’s enough graphite to lubricate my half-assed lock picks.
-Pick the lock, freeing Kate and I from our imprisonment. We’ve really bonded over the course of the ordeal.
-Show Kate what else I can do with a pencil.

Name five things you can do with a pencil.

-Open an envelope
-Stir paint
-Draw on a naked body for the sensory stimulation
-Clitoral massage with the eraser
-Get out of a closet
  
Who’s your favorite character from your book(s)? Why? Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

Ariel, one of the slaves from the Tales of Aeodar series I’ve just started releasing. I’ve only published one teaser short so far, but I’ve written a lot of her and she’s a really dynamic, interesting character with a deep understanding and acceptance of her own submissive nature. She’s also first-slave to one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, which comes with its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. I can’t wait to finish up a few more of the pieces I’ve got going and share more of her with my readers.

Where can we find you around the vast interwebs?

Ending the Sexual Dark Age, our (warning) gleefully explicit and brutally blunt sex education podcast: http://www.sexualdarkage.com
  
What about your books? Where are they being sold at?

Ravenous Romance (best prices, all digital formats): http://ravenousromance.com/authors/altharas_j_v/

Thanks for dropping in! Any last words?

Thanks for having me as a guest, I had a great time with some of these questions. Hopefully I’ll be back in 2012 to talk about a sequel.

Review:

Lady Of The Drake is a story of love found in the most unexpected places.

We meet Lana, a midwife and healer for her small village, as she treks into the mysterious forest in search of a cure for a plague hounding her friends. She meets Alaron, keeper of the forest, and we're immediately introduced to their incredible passion for each other. As their story progresses, we see the bond they form clearly and share in Lana's distress as she's separated from her love, and the life changing decisions she must make in order to be happy.

I found this to be an enjoyable story, with lots of wonder interspersed into the lines. The author creates a world easy to escape into, and the love scenes are fantastic. Overall, I give this one four stars.

A good read for a quiet weekend.


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