Magic Thursday Winner

Thank you to everyone who popped by on Magic Thursday! The first name out of the hat to win a copy of Archangel of Mercy and some gorgeous swag is...

bn100!

 Congratulations! Please contact me so I can organize the book and swag to be sent to you :-) 

Magic Thursday - Genesis of an Archangel

 Destined to fall... destined to love...

Writers are often asked where they get their ideas from, and it’s not always an easy question to answer. At least, I don’t find it easy because most of the time I have no clue where they come from!

But the spark that ignited the world of my Archangels is very clear in my mind, and dates back to well before we had the Dark Side blog. In fact there were only a handful of us in the Paranormal Group at the time when Eleni Konstantine announced that Harlequin were setting up a new line—Nocturne Bites.

Yes, I did say it was a long time ago :-)

For a reason I still can’t fathom, the image of a tortured Archangel flooded my mind (you knew he would be tortured, right?) He was on the outer edges of the universe being all moody and Alpha and it took me forever before I could get him to open up enough to allow me a glimpse of his story.

I wrote the novella, and something just didn’t click. It finally occurred to me the reason it wasn’t gelling was because Gabe had wings. But he was an Archangel, and Archangels have wings. How could he not?

Well, apparently this Archangel didn’t. And until I got that fact straight in my head Gabe wasn’t saying another word. And so I started over.

It soon became clear that a novella was never going to be long enough to get to the heart of what made the Archangel Gabriel into the immortal he was today. In fact it took me more than four years of writing, ripping apart, sewing back together and finally ditching a novel length book and starting again before his true depths were revealed. It was also some time during this process that an important secondary character was unveiled. And the inspiration for this character’s name is, once again, our very own Eleni :-)  I so owe her a big drink at the next conference!

So although the published book is very different from the original short story I first imagined, its core remains the same. An Archangel whose heart was shattered millennia ago and who is emotionally crippled with grief and survivor’s guilt.

And, of course, the woman who captures that damaged heart and heals his soul.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Archangel of Mercy

by Christina Ashcroft

Giveaway ends December 02, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Between an angel and a desperate woman comes salvation-

and a raw passion that challenges them at every turn… 

When Aurora Robinson attempts to open a rift between dimensions to embrace her true heritage, an arrogant Archangel is the only one who can save her from the jaws of hell. And while she owes Gabriel her life, she’s determined not to fall at his feet-despite the desire she feels whenever they’re together.

After his wings were brutally destroyed millennia ago, Gabriel has no compassion for humans like those who ruined him and betrayed the ones he loved. But when he inexplicably finds himself defying ancient protocols to rescue a woman from a fate worse than death, he is shocked by the searing attraction he feels for a mortal.

As the ancient forces that seek to punish Aurora for her actions close in, Gabriel offers the tempting woman protection at his private sanctuary. But as they both succumb to their desires, they discover an even deeper connection-one that threatens to consume them.

Excerpt

Christina Ashcroft’s Website

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Christina Ashcroft is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in Western Australia with her husband and three children. She is owned by three cats who graciously allow her the occasional spare moment to write hot paranormal romance for Penguin/Berkley Heat.

Christina also writes hot historical romances as Christina Phillips for Berkley Heat and Ellora’s Cave

I have a copy of ARCHANGEL OF MERCY and some gorgeous swag to give away to one lucky commenter – just leave a comment on this post or let me know whether or not you love a tortured hero—and why!

The contest is open internationally to wherever The Book Depository delivers.

A Bite of...Archangel of Mercy

This week, I'm proud to present the lovely Christina Ashcroft, with A Bite of... Archangel of Mercy!

Can you, in less than five words describe your book, Archangel of Mercy?
Bad ass Archangel, girl-next-door, eternal love (maths is not my strong point!)

What inspired you to write it?
A chance remark from our very own Eleni (pop back tomorrow for more on this!) The more I thought about writing an archangel book the more the idea appealed to me. It took me years of rewrites and shoving the half-finished manuscripts in a cyber drawer before I managed to get to the heart of Gabriel and discover why, despite my first vision of him flying at the edge of the universe, he didn’t possess wings. Once I understood that essential element, he began to slowly open up. The final spark of inspiration came from my editor who was keen for me to write an erotic archangel book. I took up her challenge J For some more details on the inspiration behind the world of my archangels, have a peek at the recent post I did for the Enchanted Orb segment.

And without further delay, here's the excerpt!

He was gorgeous. He knew it and had no compunction in using it to his advantage. She hitched in a deep breath, tore her gaze from his and glared at her clenched hands. To her relief the hypnotic imperative to plaster her body against him and offer herself like a sacrificial slave crawled back into the murky depths of her libido.

His sexual pull was frightening. Lethal. His past was probably littered with broken hearts and broken promises and if she didn’t get rid of him soon she’d willingly be his next conquest.

She almost had been his next conquest. She couldn’t quite figure out whether she was sorry or relieved she’d pulled back earlier. But no matter how much she still fancied him, the moment for mindless gratification had passed.

So long as she didn’t look back into his eyes.

“I think we should go back to the house.” She kept her gaze on her hands. “Then we can make plans on how you can get home.”

He didn’t reply. Didn’t move. Eventually she couldn’t stand it any longer and risked looking up at him. There was an odd expression on his face, as if he was attempting to process her words and finding it beyond him.

Somehow she couldn’t imagine there was much he found beyond his capabilities.

Still he didn’t respond. The silence stretched between them, taut and strangely brittle, as if the slightest wrong word might shatter the pervading peace.

“Don’t you think so?” She tried to ignore it, but his silence was unnerving.

“I think,” he said, looking at her as if she was a particularly exotic beetle he’d discovered crawling over his foot, “I could do with that whiskey.”

“Right.” Aurora refused to be insulted by the expression on his face. “Good idea.” She could definitely do with a stiff drink or three, that was for sure. She grabbed the framed flower, pushed herself upright and mentally winced when her knees began to shake. She hoped he didn’t notice. “Come on then.”

He shot her a look that suggested he wasn’t used to people telling him what to do. For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to move, but then he expelled a pained breath and stood in a sensuous, graceful movement without needing to brace his weight on his hands at all.

Desire curled deep in her belly. Standing, she could admire his sculpted pecs and taut abdomen to their best advantage. As if fully aware of her furtive scrutiny he stretched, panther-like, biceps flexing as he linked his hands over his head. Dark gold hair dusted his chest, arrowing toward his unzipped jeans, and Aurora swallowed a groan of pure unadulterated lust.

He could probably taste the sexually charged pheromones radiating from her deprived body. But even that mortifying thought wasn’t enough to stop her visual feasting.

The corner of his mouth quirked, as if he was fully aware of her regard, and he rolled his shoulders, muscles bunching and relaxing as if he was deliberately trying to tempt her.

Mindless gratification hovered on her immediate horizon, assuring her the moment could too easily be recaptured, and it was more than tempting. Mesmerized by the allure of his body she watched, helpless to tear her gaze away, as he turned to face the woodland that bordered the property.

Her ravenous gaze licked over his powerful shoulders and froze, unbelieving. Two deep gashes ran from his shoulder blades down the length of his back. Her breath stalled in her throat, unnoticed. Good god, what the hell had happened to him?

It looked as if an acid-drenched axe had sliced through to the bone, eating the flesh, distorting the muscle. Although the wounds were now healed and looked ancient, the passage of time hadn’t disguised how horrific the injuries must have been, or how agonizing.

Slowly he turned toward her, and despite how she tried to hide it she knew the shock ricocheting through her blood was clearly reflected on her face.

He caught her gaze, held it and she watched his mesmeric eyes darken with comprehension. And then he took one stride toward her.

Thank you for sharing Christina!

If you're interested in reading more, click below on the buy links.

The Book Depository

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Additionally, you can find Christina and discover her other books below.

Webpage: http://www.christinaashcroft.com

Blog:        http://christinaphillips.blogspot.com

Twitter:    http://www.twitter.com/ChristinaAsh_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinashcroft?ref=hl

Have a great Wednesday

 

Enchanted Orb - Christina Ashcroft Inspired

Welcome to the Enchanted Orb for September. Today Christina Ashcroft has graciously agreed to talk about what inspired her to write. While she's focussing on archangels at the moment, you should also know that she also writes hot historical romance. So settle in, and I'll let her tell you about where her ideas come from.

Take it away, Christina!

         

The Inspiration behind the World of my Archangels

Unlike many of my author friends, my mind isn’t overspilling with a thousand different story ideas. I don’t have twenty different heroes battling it out in my head, demanding that I write their story next. My process is painful in the extreme and I suffer from huge panic attacks that this book is the last one I will ever create.

But luckily, as I approach writing the final third of the current book, another hero or heroine takes up residence with my Muse and over the next few weeks make themselves very much at home. I have this superstitious fear that if I try to analyse where my ideas come from they’ll vanish, so if I can possibly help it I just kind of let it all bubble away doing its own magical thing. But since I’ve been asked where I find my inspiration, I’ve tried to nail it down!

My new series for Berkley Heat is about fallen Archangels. The first inkling for this idea came from a random comment several years ago by our very own Eleni (and I’ll be talking more about that in a couple of months!). From nowhere this archangel invaded my mind and I was instantly hooked, despite having no idea who he was or why he was rampaging through the universe.

 

A few years later, after encouragement from my editor, I revisited this moody, Alpha Archangel in the hope he’d be more forthcoming with his story. But this time, a couple of other things began to stir into the mix.

I’ve always been fascinated by the myths and legends of a lost continent. What’s not to love about the idea of an ancient civilization that we know next to nothing about? This fascination was fed more than twenty years ago when I read something that pointed to evidence that the pyramids and Sphinx are thousands of years older than we’ve been led to believe.

Add to this my morbid delight with the whole Mayan calendar legacy and suddenly the world that my Archangel inhabited in his wild, untroubled youth unfolded before me.

It was the spark I needed to illuminate the dark side of the Archangel Gabriel. And while I still don’t have a thousand stories hammering in my mind demanding to be told, I do have a fabulous world with a multitude of archangels, demons, vampires and various other immortals. I might not know their stories yet, but I’m sure that when they’re ready to share they’ll let me know.

Christina Ashcroft writes about bad ass Archangels and the women who capture their hearts for Penguin/Berkley Heat. Her first book in this series, ARCHANGEL OF MERCY, is out on 4th December 2012. Hopefully the Mayans got it wrong…

Between an angel and a desperate woman comes salvation-

and a raw passion that challenges them at every turn… 

When Aurora Robinson attempts to open a rift between dimensions to embrace her true heritage, an arrogant Archangel is the only one who can save her from the jaws of hell. And while she owes Gabriel her life, she’s determined not to fall at his feet-despite the desire she feels whenever they’re together.

After his wings were brutally destroyed millennia ago, Gabriel has no compassion for humans like those who ruined him and betrayed the ones he loved. But when he inexplicably finds himself defying ancient protocols to rescue a woman from a fate worse than death, he is shocked by the searing attraction he feels for a mortal.

As the ancient forces that seek to punish Aurora for her actions close in, Gabriel offers the tempting woman protection at his private sanctuary. But as they both succumb to their desires, they discover an even deeper connection-one that threatens to consume them.

Archangel of Mercy can be found at:

The Book Depository

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Visit Christina’s website for more info: http://www.christinaashcroft.com