Thank you so much, Bob, for hosting me here today. I’m thrilled to share with your readers.
Bob: Tell us what inspires you.
Gerri: Anything and everything. I find myself asking the question “what if” a lot. I didn’t discover until quite recently that Stephen King does the same thing, so I think I’ll just continue to follow his lead.
Bob: What were your aspirations as an author and have any of them come true?
Gerri: I suppose every author dreams of being on the New York Times Best Seller List, and hopefully one day that will happen for me. I have only just begun my writing career with two books published and a third tentatively set to release in July. I think I’ll just keep quiet and keep writing and see what happens.
Bob: Now that you have a feel for the publishing world, would you do anything different if you had to do it all over again?
Gerri: No. I think every author’s journey to publication is unique. I also believe everything happens for a reason and exactly as it is suppose to. I will continue on my journey and hopefully it will continue to be successful.
Bob: What genres do you normally write in?
Gerri: Historical Romance. My first novel, A Pirate’s Ransom, takes place in 1718-19. The second novel, According to Legend, is a time travel so that goes from present day back to a Native American tribe (before the 1600s and the appearance of white man). My third novel, To Kill a Monarch, takes place in 1811.
Bob: Is there a genre you haven’t written in that one day you’d like to tackle?
Gerri: Yes. Actually there are two. YA and Steampunk. I’m so intrigued by Steampunk, yet when I sit down to write … I got nothin’. I’m actually working on a YA right now. Trying to squeeze it in between promotion for Legend and my next historical romance.
Bob: Now for some quickies. Reading or TV?
Gerri: Depends on my mood. I enjoy both, but must say there is nothing like curling up with a good book.
Bob: Hand written letter or Homemade meal?
Gerri: Homemade meals eaten with my family and good friends.
Bob: Swimming pool or Hot tubs?
Gerri: Hot tubs.
Bob: Dog or Cat?
Gerri: I have both and I enjoy their differences equally.
Bob: Flowers or Chocolate?
Gerri: I do adore chocolate, but flowers are calorie free.
Bob: Steak or Lobster?
Gerri: If I can’t have surf and turf I guess I would pick steak.
Bob: Satin or Lace?
Gerri: Why can’t I have both?
Bob: Hot or Cold?
Gerri: Weather? Food? Drinks? Autumn is my favorite season. I don’t care for humid heat. Food, hot. Drinks – Coffee-hot, water-room temperature, martini-cold.
Bob: Fireplace or Bonfire?
Gerri: Fireplace. I have one and don’t think I would want to live in a house without one.
Bob: Finger paint or Body paint?
Gerri: Neither. Too messy.
Bob: Camera or Canvas?
Gerri: I appreciate both, yet I’m not talented in either.
Bob: Denim or Leather?
Gerri: Denim. I live in my comfy jeans.
Bob: Talking or Texting?
Gerri: Although I admit to doing my fair share of texting, I would rather talk to someone. Some things get lost in a text message.
Bob: Tell us a little bit about According to Legend.
Gerri: Legend has it that when the spirit of the tribal princess is born again and she holds the enchanted stone in her hands, the lovers will be reunited … even through time.
Would you like to have an excerpt?
Without turning on any of the lights, I went into the living room and sank into the oversized chair in front of the dark, cold fireplace, exhausted. The sound of thunder rumbled low in the distance.
I put my hand in the pocket of my jacket and touched the dream catcher. Feeling its magic tingle on my fingers, my mind became clouded as I was drawn toward sleep. My eyelids were so heavy. I grasped onto the edge of consciousness.
“Takshawee . . . come to me . . . I am waiting for you.” His deep voice beckoned as I drifted off to sleep.
Bob: Why did you take up writing romance?
Gerri: I think that I dreamed about romance my entire life. Love, after all, makes the world go around.
Bob: When you start a romance, a common question is always – do you begin with a character, or a plot.
Gerri: Sometimes it’s a character and other times it’s a plot. With A Pirate’s Ransom it all began with Captain Edmund Drake. That handsome scamp was nagging me to get the story out. According to Legend began as a dream and To Kill a Monarch began with plot first. Hey, I’m not proud, I’ll take a good story line any way I can get it!
Bob: Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Gerri: Crush – no, but there are a lot of historical figures I admire greatly, such as Abraham Lincoln and Ben Franklin, but I can’t say I have a crush.
Blurb
According to Legend, when the spirit of the Tribal Princess is born again and she holds the enchanted stone in her hand, the lovers will be reunited . . . even through time.
Pam Hastings, an advertising agent, lives a boring life until she comes into possession of an enchanted dream catcher, which through her dreams, draws her back in time and into the arms of the handsome Warrior Chief, Moheeladeck.
Pam discovers the stones entwined within the dream catcher hold special powers and are also the key to a secret cave, rumored to contain untold riches. When Pam is followed and her house broken into she realizes she needs protection. That is when she meets the handsome and charming dog breeder, David Conner, who gives her Half-Breed. But Half-Breed is no ordinary dog, and has secrets of his own.
With the village burning and the tribe under attack, Moheeladeck is torn between his duty to protect his tribe in his time and his desire to protect the woman he loves in hers. David is torn between his love for the same woman and the destiny he was born to fulfill . . . her destruction. Pam finds herself caught in a love triangle between these two men; a love triangle that spans into both realms of time. With rivals in both the past and present pursuing her to control the power of the stones and the treasures in the cave, who is really behind it all? Who can she trust? With two warriors who profess their love for her, who will capture her heart? We find out only in her dreams.
Excerpt:
“I would rather not leave it,” I said, extending my hand to reclaim my prize. For some unexplained reason, I just couldn’t bear the thought of parting with the stone. She was practically drooling over my dream catcher.
“Do you happen to remember the names of the tribal Chief and his Princess?” I asked.
Mrs. Warren reluctantly handed the dream catcher back to me. Her expression softened and became melancholy as she smiled, a sweet smile as if she were a million miles away remembering another time. “Ah,” she said. “One of my fondest childhood memories.” Her unfocused gaze stared somewhere over my left shoulder. “Chief Running Wolf, which in the Aloscotay dialect is, Moheeladeck,” she said as she closed my fingers around the artifact in my hand.
The instant my fingers closed around the catcher, its magic enticed me toward it—toward him.
Takshawee . . . come to me. The deep timber of his voice, a whisper in my mind. My head spun and fog swirled as I felt drawn. I tightened my grip on the catcher. It’s luring me to him. My breathing quickened as its magic beckoned me. I attempted to deny its pull. Try to focus on what Mrs. Warren is saying. The old woman’s voice sounded so far away.
“His love was called Princess Loving Doe, which in Aloscotay is . . .” She stared into my amber eyes as her voice trailed off to a hoarse whisper. “Takshawee.”
Takshawee . . . I am waiting for you. My Warrior’s whisper swirled through my mind, tugging at my very soul.
Unable to resist his call, I collapsed.
~~~~~
Where can my readers get your book?
On Amazon. Here’s the link. http://www.amazon.com/According-to-Legend-ebook/dp/B00BP7HL1S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364862729&sr=8-1&keywords=according+to+legend.
Bob: Please tell us more about yourself.
Gerri: Well, I was born and raised in Connecticut and attended Central Connecticut State University, majoring in English Literature. Although I lived on the west coast for several years, I relocated back to my roots and birth place of Connecticut, where I presently reside with my two pugs, Mimi and Milo and my cats, Louise and Harry.
As a young girl growing up in Waterbury, I spent my summers writing stories and often times, together with neighboring girls my age, would present original plays for an audience of our parents. When I moved back to Connecticut, I took a job that required me to commute 4 hours a day by train to and from work. After a year of reading a book a week, I decided to make the time work for me, when one night after a strange dream about a dream catcher, I was inspired to write my first book.
Lest you think all of my time is spent in contemplative pursuits, freefalling out of airplanes gave a whole new meaning to the word “adventure”. Yes, I’m a former skydiver who chose to retire from the sport, but can assure you that freefall is totally exhilarating and one of the most amazing and thrilling experiences anyone can have.
For more information about Gerri and her upcoming releases, check out her website at www.gerribrousseau.com
