Today I have Crystal Collier here! Yay! She's answering some fun questions for me, then sharing an excerpt from Moonless! (How much do you love that cover, by the way?) But first, a bit about the book:
Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.
In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.
Among the many things to change for her that evening are: her physical appearance—from ghastly to breathtaking, an epidemic of night terrors predicting the future, and the blue-eyed man’s unexpected infusion into her life. Not only do his appearances precede tragedies, but they’re echoed by the arrival of ravenous, black-robed wraiths on moonless nights.
Unable to decide whether he is one of these monsters or protecting her from them, she uncovers what her father has been concealing: truths about her own identity, about the blue-eyed man, and about love. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with the man of her dreams and risk becoming one of the Soulless.
First of all, thank you so much for having me here to day, Rachel!
Of course! I'm glad you could stop by. :) The excerpt below shows when your character first notices her own transformation. With that theme in mind, here are your questions:
1. What's the biggest transformation you've undergone? Tattoo? Lip
ring? Hair dye? Nose job? ;)
Marriage. Or motherhood. Or both. I wasn’t one of those girls who
looked forward to having babies or her own house, so it’s been interesting. I
fall in love with my kids more each day and have decided motherhood is
something you grow into.
Oh, I love that answer!
2. If you were to dye your hair an unnatural color, what would you
go for? (Personally, I think I'd go dark blue.)
I think green would be the only color that might go with my
naturally olive skin. Dark green. Like a tree nymph.
3. If you could be a were-animal, what would you be?
A were-eagle. Yup. (Spread those wings, ladies!)
4. What is your favorite movie that portrays some sort of major
transformation?
...Zombieland? Okay, I'm not talking about people becoming undead. I LOVE Woodie Allen's character in the movie and not necessarily how he changes, but how your perception of this kick-trash zombie-bashing dude alters as you learn his backstory.
And speaking of Zombieland, two words friendies: double tap.
5. If you could transform one part of your life, what would it be?
(For me, I'd transform my house, add a couple bedrooms and a library.) :)
I’m constantly transforming my life. But seriously, we’re
talking dream-stock here, right? I’d either want to duplicate myself so there were two of me to get EVERYTHING done—but in
such a way Me 1 and Me 2 could share all the memories. That, or a time-stopper.
Ha! Good answer! That would certainly come in handy!
Thanks again for coming today, Crystal!
Check out the excerpt from Moonless below! And don't forget to add it on Goodreads! :)
Crystal Collier, author of MOONLESS, is a former composer/writer for Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.
Excerpt from Moonless:
A framed portrait hung opposite her. Two brass roses met at
the base of its circular surface, and at the center stood a young woman with
dark curls, jade eyes, gleaming skin, and pert pink lips.
Very lovely. And then she noticed the candle actively
flickering behind the girl.
Alexia turned. The candle’s flame danced behind her.
She looked back at the frame. The enthralling girl studied
her with a confused frown. She stepped toward the mirror, trembling. The girl
on the other side reached toward her with shaking fingers.
“Am I dreaming?” She watched the double’s lips move,
frightened the image would respond.
Somewhere beneath the glamorous layers hid the child who turned sixteen a month
ago, the young woman whose father hid her away because of an unsightly exterior, the girl who spent the better
part of her life in books.
“Impossible!”
