Aloha to Larissa Ione and ETERNAL RIDER

Have you noticed three is a magic number in publishing?  Today's guest has three accolades to her name - Air Force veteran, Coast Guard spouse, and NYT's best selling author of paranormal romance!  Please join me in welcoming the incomparable Larissa Ione!  From her website,

Her name is Larissa and the fate of mankind rests on her powerful shoulders. If she falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too.

Kim:  Okay, I manipulated the first sentence of the promo material for ETERNAL RIDER.  When you served as an Air Force meteorologist, you did have the fate of mankind on your shoulders - Global Reach cannot be accomplished without accurate weather. What did you learn/experience in the Air Force that has helped you in pursuing your writing dreams/career?

Larissa:   Heh...I love the manipulation of the Eternal Rider sentence. Anyway, I think that what I learned in the Air Force amounted to, "If I can get through Basic Training, I can get through anything." Which means that although there were times I felt like giving up before I was published, I would eventually get back on the horse and try again. The Air Force really taught me to face my fears and defeat them.

Kim:  Being a military veteran and even a military spouse is all about successful partnerships. How did you and Stephanie become partners as Sydney Croft?

Larissa:  We met in a crit group and found that we really meshed, and we loved each others' writing. I kept telling her that we needed to write something together, and she thought I was kind of crazy. But then, while I was running from Katrina and going through the cleanup, she felt really helpless, and she started writing a paranormal scene about a Navy SEAL who was running from his own hurricane...something he attracted. Problem was, she got to the end of the scene and didn't know where to go with it. So after my son and I had settled in Washington state with my mom (we were homeless because of the hurricane,) I was pretty defeated and not writing. She sent me the scene and told me to write the next one. I had no idea what to do. She'd left the scene with the hero finding a strange woman in his shower. Stephanie had no idea who the woman was...she said it was my job to figure it out. So I wrote the scene. She took it from there, and in two weeks, we had a proposal to send to her agent. The proposal, which was for 3 novellas, turned into a 3 book deal, and Sydney Croft was born!

Kim:  I enjoyed reading your blog entry, Thickening Skin and Review Scars.  What was/is tougher - basic training? relocating after Katrina? breaking into publishing? fulfilling expectations once you made the NYT's best seller's list?

Larissa:  Yikes. All of those things have been tough...just in different ways. But I think that Basic Training toughened me up and has allowed me to handle everything else better. So Basic was probably the toughest thing, but probably because it was my first true challenge. Katrina was personally devastating, but I had a lot of support, so I didn't get through it alone like I did with Basic Training. The NYT thing...well, I have to say, it's extremely stressful.  And maybe just a little tougher than Basic...because Basic was a test of my abilities, and *I* determined whether or not I made it through. The NYT is completely out of my hands and out of my control. So it's definitely tough!

Mahalo, Larissa, for joining us at SOS Aloha!  Mary Gramlich, The Reading Reviewer, posted a review of ETERNAL RIDER:

If the fate of the world rests on your shoulders do you have time to find love?

ETERNAL RIDER is Book 1 in a new series, Lords of Deliverance:
They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

Four Horsemen of Lego
flickr.com

Mary is giving away her review copy to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about a challenge you overcame and succeeded (mine was graduating on time as an Air Force ROTC cadet and moving to Boston!)

2. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Comments are open through Saturday, March 26, 10 pm in Hawaii, to enter the giveaway. The winner will be announced on Sunday, March 27, during the Weekly Winners announcement post. I also contact the winner if I have winner's email address.

3. If you are new to SOS Aloha, please make sure I know how to contact you. If your Blogger profile does not provide your email address, please send it to sos.aloha@yahoo.com. (I have several unclaimed prizes because I do know how to contact the winner).

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Larissa is participating in Operation: Auction to raise funds for Fatin, a long time romance blogger whose husband was tragically shot in his store.   He is survived by Fatin and four daughters.

Larissa lists her goodies on her blog:

~ Coffee or Drinks with NYT Bestselling Authors Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler (AKA Sydney Croft) at the RWA Conference in NYC in July (conference held June 28 – July 1,2011). Time and location to be decided upon at a mutually agreed upon time with the authors and the auction winner. You can ask about writing / publishing or just talk books! Includes a bag of goodies and a signed copy of Sydney Croft’s Taken By Fire!

~ Larissa Ione will let the winner name a minor character in an upcoming book, will dedicate the book to the winner, and will send the winner a signed copy of finished book. Includes a phone call to discuss the character and names.

~ Complete set of ACRO books signed by Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler, to include ARC (if available, if not, finished copy) of Taken By Fire (6 books total)

~ Scrivener prize package. Winner will receive a copy of Scrivener (for Mac), a romance novel template, and Larissa will call or video conference winner with a tutorial. Winner will also receive a WIP of Larissa’s to see Scrivener in action.

The auctions will begin March 27th on this Ebay link.  Other authors, editors, agents, bloggers and readers are offering fabulous stuff, including me.  So if you are hankering for a Hawaiian gift basket, bid on it!


The five horsemen are surfing ....
horsechannel.com