Interview & Giveaway with Stephanie Julian

Hi Stephanie, Welcome back to Anna's Book Blog! It's great to have you here. To start off can you tell the readers a little about yourself?
SJ: I’ve always been a writer. I got a job as a reporter and feature writer for a daily local newspaper right after college graduation and worked city-side then edited the Weekend section. When I left to freelance after the birth of my first son, that’s when I began to write towards publication. Since I’d always been a romance reader, that’s where I put all my energy.

What A Goddess Wants is your latest release, can you tell us a little about it and the series?
SJ: What a Goddess Wants is the first in the Forgotten Goddesses series. Tessa is the Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn whose job was usurped by the Roman’s Aurora, that cow. Now, Tessa needs a hero because the Etruscan God of the Underworld is looking for her to consume her powers. Tessa needs a hero and fast. She finds one in Caligo, a legendary Cimmerian warrior, who’s sick of being a sucker for a pretty face. Tessa, however, gets under his skin, steals his heart and becomes the woman he can’t live without. But may not have the strength to save.

What is your writing day like?
SJ: Get up around 7, stumble to my desk to clean out email then write, write, write. Five days a week. Sometimes, if I’m behind, on the weekends too. I really try to keep focused but I’m easily distracted. Email and the internet is the bane of my existence. I would get so much done if I would just shut it off but I can’t. It’s a disease. I try to write at least 2K a day though I wish it could be more.

When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read?
SJ: Paranormal romance, the hotter the better. Lora Leigh, Nalini Singh and JR Ward are auto-buys but I love Virginia Kantra, Eileen Wilkes, Stacia Kane and Jim Butcher too. If I’m in research mode, I can lose myself in books called Etruscan Religion and Cryptozoology A-Z for days.

Since becoming published, what has been your favorite part of the process?
SJ: Definitely getting covers. They’ve been beautiful. I’ve been so lucky. Favorites include What a Goddess Wants, the upcoming How to Worship a Goddess (which I don’t have a copy of yet but it’s just so pretty), Grace in Moonlight, and my very first EC cover for Seduced by Magic.

What are 3 things that are "must haves" for you when you sit down to write a book?

SJ: Junior Mints. I’m a confessed addict. I must have a clean email box. And Henri the Gargoyle must be sitting in front of my screen. He’s become my guardian angel.

What inspired you the most when writing What A Goddess Wants?

SJ: Etruscan Roman Remains by Charles Godfrey Leland. This was the first book I found when I started researching the Etruscans and it provided such a wealth of information. It’s not a scholarly work but it’s more a look at the magical folk traditions of the Italians. I’m constantly pulling this book out to look for little tidbits of information for my Etruscan stories.

You write four different series, do you find one series easier to write than the others?

SJ: No. You would think they’d get easier as you go along but that’s not true. There’s so much you have to keep track of. Actually the hardest story to write was Size Matters, which is a short, funny, paranormal novella. You’d think because of its size that that would be easier but comedy is hard! I loved writing that story and I’m heading back into that world very soon but it’s so hard to write that short.

What type of research did you do for the book/series?

SJ: Lots and lots. I immersed myself in Etruscan research for several months, read loads of books on Etruscan religion, lifestyle, language, anything I could find.

If you can, tell us what is up next for you?

SJ: Actually, Grace in Moonlight, Book 5 in the Lucani Lovers series releases today! This is Grace and Kaisie’s story. After that I’m hoping there will be a new Fringe story this fall before How to Worship a Goddess releases in December.

WHAT A GODDESS WANTS 

BY STEPHANIE JULIAN

IN STORES JULY 2011

In his arms, her magic powers are on the rise…
Tessa, Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn, is desperately fighting off a malicious god, but her powers are weakening. She needs a hero and fast, because only sexual energy can give her strength. So she seeks out Caligo, whose sexual prowess is legendary…

And she’s the only one who can bring him into the light…
Caligo is a fabled Cimmerian warrior determined to stay away from spoiled goddesses who trample heart after they’ve had their fun. But there’s something irresistibly hot and inviting about Tessa, and he knows he’s her only chance to escape the encroaching darkness…

Where to buy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Sourcebooks | The Book Depository

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Julian is the author of three erotic romance series with Ellora’s Cave. She is a member of RWA and Valley Forge Romance Writers and is a freelance entertainment and lifestyle feature writer. Stephanie lives in eastern Pennsylvania, where she is working on the next two books in the Forgotten Goddesses Series: How to Worship a Goddess (December 2011) and Goddess in the Middle (July 2012). For more information, please visit http://www.stephaniejulian.com.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Sourcebooks I have two copies of What A Goddess Wants to giveaway. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. & Canada. The winner will be announced on July 25th. Good Luck!