The Fantastic Voyage: A Look into the Mind of Author Keri Stevens

During a recent RWA chapter workshop, my wonderfully talented friend and personal moral booster, author Keri Stevens emails me. (Yes, I was caught checking messages when I should have been paying attention to some great info…again.)

Keri: So am I guest blogging for you tomorrow? (Of course she’s written it on her calendar of things to do and is completely organized with her marketing ventures unlike moi!)

Me: Crap, I forgot!… I’m sorry!

Keri:  No problem.  Give me three questions and I’ll do this.

Me (to myself) GAW, I love this woman!

So really, it gives me great pleasure to have her here and quest blogging about her soon to be released novel, Stone Kissed.  

Just read and enjoy what tumbles out of this woman’s mind. I always do!  And don’t you just love her cover?!

In which Gabriella Edwards tries to pry deep, dark secrets from Keri Stevens:

Today, I’m pleased to welcome Keri Stevens on her very first stop ever, on her very first blog tour ever, for her very first novel ever, Stone Kissed. I asked her three questions about her book. Watch how she tries to weasel out of answering them…

GE: Is Delia a manifestation of an alter ego?

KS: Delia is as unlike me as I could have made her. She’s small, birdlike, quiet, dogged, no-nonsense and much younger than I am. While I would find the ability to talk with statues a constant source of delight (and probably attempt to make a career out of it), she finds it a mixed blessing, at best.

But when it comes to core values and desires, we’re probably more similar than I want to explore or admit…next question?

GE: Come on. Throw me a bone, here.

Okay—we both put on the oldies and dance around while we clean. It’s the only way to dust.

GE: What about your succubus? Did you base her on someone you know?

Don’t you love her? I just love her. In many ways, I found her much easier to write than Delia. Hmm…I wonder what that means…

GE: Who is Grant? Share that story with everyone.

Grant’s seed was planted (and that is not a metaphor) when I was a teenager. I met a guy from Scotland who was and is the cover of every Highland romance ever written. Tall, dark, and rocking the plaid shirt with the rolled up sleeves, the acid-washed denim with carefully-shredded holes on his thighs and…pardon me. I need a minute.

GE: Here. Have some estrogen…

Anyway, he was the first guy I ever saw who had me thinking, “You are so far out of my league we’re not even talking the same sport.” As a result, we were good buddies for a few minutes. I was one of the few girls not actively seeking his attention, so he could relax with me.

I’d like to tell you that, in classic teen-romance fashion, Mr. Brawbraes realized his “little buddy” was the girl of his dreams and we had a sweet, chaste teen-lurve. But alas, he got away.

And, fortunately, so did I.  Grant shares many of the finer aspects of his character with my own real-life romance hero, Dr. Stevens. And none of the annoying ones.

GE: None?

KS: Is this going out on the ‘net?

GE: Yeah.

KS: Then no. None.

GE: ROFL!   Thank you, Keri! See?  What I tell ya?  This is all Keri and her story is simply amazing! Do yourself a favor and download it. It will be available December 27, 2010.

If you’d like a taste of Stone Kissed, Keri has brief excerpts up right now! http://keristevens.com

Read on for more about Keri and Stone Kissed.

STONE KISSED ISBN: 978-14268-9101-4

When Delia Forrest talks to statues, they talk back. She is, after all, the last of the Steward witches.

After an arsonist torches her ancestral home with her estranged father still inside, Delia is forced to sell the estate to pay his medical bills. Her childhood crush, Grant Wolverton, makes a handsome offer for Steward House, vowing to return it to its former glory. Delia agrees, as long as he’ll allow her to oversee the restoration.

Working so closely with Grant, Delia finds it difficult to hide her unique talent—especially when their growing passion fuels her abilities.

But someone else lusts after both her man and the raw power contained in the Steward land. Soon, Delia finds herself fighting not just for Grant’s love, but for both their lives…

KERI STEVENS was raised in southern Missouri and has lived in Germany, Arizona, North Carolina and Kentucky. Along the way, she acquired degrees in writing and German, a romance hero of her very own, three sons, and a mutt who licks her when she speaks German.

Her husband gave Keri her first romance novel to read, which unleashed a passion. Several years and a couple thousand novels later, Keri took up her laptop and began writing her own books.

By day, she is a mild-mannered yoga and Oriental dance instructor. By night she creates mayhem and magic in small-town paranormal romance novels like her award-winning debut, Stone Kissed, coming 12/27/10 from Carina Press.

To find Keri online, please follow @KeriStevens on twitter, fan Keri Stevens on facebook or visit her at www.keristevens.com.