Do you have a special formula for
creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning
to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain
time periods or regions?
I write
paranormals, so I think of the country (or in some cases, one of the countries)
where that creature originated from. Then I go online and find a name from that
culture that has a meaning appropriate to the character (yes, I realize that
online sources can’t be trusted so some of those names don’t mean what they say
they do, but that’s okay). I do try to make sure to pick a name that I think
readers will either have a good guess on how to pronounce or that can be
pronounced phonetically and still sound all right. I know it can be hard for
readers when authors use names that they can’t say, especially if there are a
ton of characters, because it makes it harder for readers to keep track of
who’s who.
Was one of your characters more
challenging to write than another?
Etienne was a
little tricky. At first he was supposed to be cursed too, and he was going to
be searching for a way to become human. But he didn’t like that idea. That’s
actually why it’s a series instead of a stand alone, he decided to be a Blood
Prince and if I have a Blood Prince werewolf, then naturally I need a vampire,
a demon, an angel, and a god…
Is there a character that you
enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
I almost always
enjoy the pixie the most. Pixies are snarky little know it alls with kind
hearts, and I adore them.
What is your favorite scene from the
book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
She walked out of the kitchen door into the
garden. A few yards away, a pumpkin rose out of the pumpkin patch and floated
in the air to land on the other side of the fence. Loupe’s breath caught in her
throat as the vines and leaves curled into large circles, turning white as they
spun. The pumpkin itself lightened until it was the palest orange she’d ever
seen. It grew and grew until it was as large as the royal carriage. Small
windows appeared in either side so Loupe could look right through it to the
other side.
“Oh, Loeg,” she said softly. “It’s
beautiful.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
She turned to see Loeg eyeing the
wand like he’d never used it before. She opened her mouth to ask him why he was
looking at it like that, but he jerked his head up and the question died on her
tongue.
“Oh! One more thing.”
He whistled and a second later a
tiny horse flew up from the leaves of the raspberry bush in the corner of the
garden. Loupe gasped. It looked like a floating star in the shape of a horse
and its whinny brought a smile to her face.
“He’ll pull your new carriage. You
don’t need to harness him, the pumpkin will hold on by itself.”
Loupe raised her eyebrows at the
tiny horse, then glanced over at the large carriage. “He must be much stronger
than he looks.”
She tentatively reached out a hand
to pet the small creature and squealed as it abruptly grew in size. It
continued to grow until it stood before her—a full man-sized horse.
“Amazing,” she breathed. She gently
stroked the silky fur of the horse’s nose. It whinnied and nudged harder into
her hand, apparently eager to be petted. A thrill went through Loupe. It had
been a long time since a horse had not shied away from her.
“What a good boy you are,” Loupe
cooed. “Yes, you are. You are such a good boy.”
“It is shameful the way he’s
throwing himself at you,” Loeg groused. “That miserable glue pot would as soon
swallow me as give me the time of day!”
Loupe’s eyebrows shot up as the
horse whipped its head around and bared its teeth at Loeg. Its eyes rolled
until they were white orbs without pupils, glowing with a faint red light. Loeg
growled back and it swung its head back to her, its eyes once again a watery
blue. Loupe patted its nose. A fairy
horse.
“You can keep the beast,” Loeg
snapped. “I’ll be stomped if I’m going to keep the ungrateful creature around
me.”
“Oh,” Loupe breathed, eyeing the
horse again. It nudged her with its huge head, almost knocking her off her
feet. “I couldn’t take your horse from you.”
“What do I need a horse for?” Loeg
asked. “I’ve got wings, remember?”
“But…then why do you have a horse?”
His eyes narrowed. “What, I’m not
allowed to have a horse?”
One
could make a study out of how to avoid arguing with a fey, Loupe decided.
She glanced down at her dress and then back to the horse. But dealing with them is still incredibly worth it.
Can you tell readers a little bit
about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from
our normal world?
I chose
mythological places as the names of the kingdoms in my Blood Prince series (Sanguenay,
Dacia, Nysa, Meropis, and Mu). If you’ve ever seen the show Merlin (the one
where Anthony Stewart Head is the King), then it’s sort of like the “five
kingdoms” he’s always mentioning. The kingdoms are the major players of the
world, though there are a few outlying countries (i.e. Midguard, the country
the evil stepmother and stepsisters hail from).
The humans in my
world are aware that fantastical creatures exist, but they don’t necessarily
know who is a fantastical creature. It’s a superstitious world, much like our
own world was at one time. For instance, the people of Sanguenay don’t know
that the royal family are lycanthropes, but the people of Dacia know that the
royals are vampires. The reason the people of Dacia are so enlightened, is
because the royal family was slaughtered in a coup and then rose again as
vampires. It’s a rather famous historical “oops.”
With the book being part of a
series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere
other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as
stand alones?
There is an overarching story that goes through the series
(it deals with the five Blood Princes and the World Tree prophecy). This is
mostly dealt with in the prologues and epilogues. If you read one of the books
individually, it may ruin some of the series’ story arc, but the individual
story would work fine as a stand-alone for the most part. A few cameos may be
less meaningful, but it won’t ruin the book.
Do you write in different genres?
I write paranormal
romance, fantasy romance, and sci fi romance. Some people consider those all
separate genres, but I tend to look at them as different flavors of the same
genre.
What are your guilty pleasures in
life?
Swerving while
driving to splash through large puddles, bubble wrap, and buying gargoyle and
dragon statues.
Other than writing, what are some of
your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
I’m a huge Alice
Cooper fan, I love to cook, and I’m a D&D geek.
What can readers expect next from
you?
Book two in the
Blood Prince series will be One Bite, a snow white fairy tale infused with
vampires.
Where can readers find you on the
web?
You can find me at
www.jenniferblackstream.com If
you join my mailing list, you will receive an alert when a new title becomes
available. You will also be automatically entered to win a free copy any time I
have a new release.
Would you like to leave readers with
a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
“Ah, it seems that my mother had the servants
prepare a bath,” he observed.
“Oh thank goodness!” Loupe trudged
over and dunked the muddy wolf pup into the large tub, holding him with one
hand while she used the other to scrub his fur. The wolf yipped and struggled,
but she held him firmly. Etienne stood in the doorway, staring in frank
amusement.
When he didn’t speak for a minute,
Loupe looked up.
“You look like you’re trying not to
laugh.” She furrowed her eyebrows and briefly halted her scrubbing. “What’s so
funny?”
Etienne cleared his throat. “Ah, I
believe the bath was meant for you.” He gestured to the clean nightgown lying
folded on a chair.
Loupe turned red from her neck to
the tips of her ears. “Oh. I see.”
Etienne couldn’t help it. He
laughed, a booming sound that set the pups in his arms to barking. Loupe
frowned.
“No, it’s all right, Loupe, truly,”
Etienne assured her, reining in his amusement. “I’ll have the servants bring up
another bath.”
“No, don’t be silly, I don’t need
another bath.” She pulled the pup out of the tub and wrapped him in the large
towel that had been provided. The pup’s growls were muffled as she vigorously
rubbed him dry. Amusement tugged up the corner of Etienne’s mouth as the pup
staggered out from under the towel and across the floor. She grabbed the sponge
that had also been by the tub and dipped it in the bathwater.
Loupe looked down at her dress. The
bodice wasn’t terribly low-cut, but it did give a hint of cleavage. Loupe
scrubbed the mud from her skin. The smile died on his face. Etienne’s blood
heated as her motions drew his attention to the smooth mounds of her breasts.
Every vigorous scrub made the tempting globes of flesh bounce in the most
mouthwatering display. He took a step forward.
“There,” Loupe announced. “My dress
is a bit damp, but I’m sure it will be dry by morning…” she trailed off as she
turned to find him staring. He took another step and her eyes widened.
Something of his less than pure
thoughts must have shown on his face because her blush returned with
reinforcements and her gaze bounced around the room like a bee in a field of
tempting flowers.
The wolf pups hopped around on the
floor, tumbling around Loupe’s skirts. An image hit Etienne so hard he swayed
on his feet. Loupe sitting in a chair in his bedroom, wolf pups playing on the
rug at her feet and a baby in her arms…
He shook his head, struggling to
gather his thoughts. No one in his family had the gift of future-sight. The
image wasn’t a premonition, it couldn’t have been. He was just tired, under too
much stress from the witch’s blessing.
Without meaning to, he’d crossed the
room and now stood only an inch or so away. Despite his brain’s ramblings, his
body seemed to be perfectly clear in its goals. Loupe titled her face up, her
wide green eyes locked on his like a frightened deer watching a predator.
And he did feel like a predator. For
the first time since the witch’s blessing had cursed him, Etienne felt primal,
animalistic. His body moved on instinct instead of rational thought as he
raised his hands, slowly sliding them around Loupe’s waist. The desire to grab
her and throw her down on the floor filled him with tension and he had just
enough sense to grit his teeth against the urge. He didn’t want to scare her.
He just had to taste her.
August 12 Interview
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The Insane Ramblings of a Crazed Writer
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Musings From An Addicted Reader
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August 20 review
R.E.A.D. Read Everything and Discuss
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Brooke Blogs
Before Midnight
Blood Prince Series
Blood Prince Series
Book One
Jennifer Blackstream
Genre: Fantasy Romance/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Skeleton Key Publishing
ASIN: B00DPYZZXA
Number of pages: 180
Word Count: 45k
Cover Artist: Elaina of For the Muse Designs
Book Description:
Loupe always dreamed of getting married. She yearned for a caring husband who would take her away from her servant-like existence at home with her stepmother and two stepsisters, a man who would love her forever. Those dreams ended the day she was bitten by a werewolf. Now she’s a mindless beast on the night of the full moon—a condition that forever prevents her from sharing a marriage bed. Not even the attentions of a handsome and endearingly strong prince can convince her that the life she wants is still possible.
Etienne is a prince in need of a werewolf. A werewolf himself from birth, Etienne and his family have protected their kingdom with tooth and claw—literally—for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the spell of a well-meaning witch is slowly turning him human. Only the bite of a cursed werewolf, one who was not born with the beast inside, can save him from becoming human. He has no time for anything that will not lead him to a cure for the cure. Not even the beautiful maiden whose gentle nature soothes his soul can take his mind from his goal.
Love cares little for the best laid plans or the impossible. A grand ball. The stroke of twelve. A magic “slipper.” All kinds of things can happen when you don’t leave the ball…Before Midnight.
Etienne is a prince in need of a werewolf. A werewolf himself from birth, Etienne and his family have protected their kingdom with tooth and claw—literally—for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the spell of a well-meaning witch is slowly turning him human. Only the bite of a cursed werewolf, one who was not born with the beast inside, can save him from becoming human. He has no time for anything that will not lead him to a cure for the cure. Not even the beautiful maiden whose gentle nature soothes his soul can take his mind from his goal.
Love cares little for the best laid plans or the impossible. A grand ball. The stroke of twelve. A magic “slipper.” All kinds of things can happen when you don’t leave the ball…Before Midnight.
About the Author:
Jennifer Blackstream is a psychology enthusiast with both a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. Her fascination with the human mind is most appeased through the study of mythology and folklore as well as all of Terry Pratchett’s novels.
Jennifer enjoys listening to Alice Cooper, trying new recipes (to which she will add garlic whether it calls for it or not), watching television with her family, and playing with her woefully intelligent four year old son.
Jennifer spends most of her time drinking coffee from her X-Men mug and desperately trying to get all her ideas written down before her toddler can find that all magical button on her laptop to make all her work vanish.
Website: http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/
Mailing List: http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/contact-me.php
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