Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, my name is D. V. Stone. I’m am an independent author with two books available and one contracted with Wild Rose Press to be released probably later this year. All different genres call to me as a reader, and that’s reflected in my writing. Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar is a fantasy/romance and Agent Carter and the Mystery at Branch Lake is mid-grade paranormal. Rock House Grill is a contemporary romance.
I work full-time in a medical office and looking forward to retirement in about a year and a half. I’m a lover of memes, emojis, and goofy pictures. What else do I love? My husband, definitely. My son and lovely daughter-in-law who have given me the best grands a woman could ask for. My mom, sister, and brothers. My dog, Hali. I tolerate the cat (just kidding, get a grip).
I enjoy camping, though some call it glamping. This body is too old to sleep on the ground and not have a bathroom. Fires in my chiminea or at the campgrounds we visit are high on my list. Sitting on the deck, watching birds and butterflies. Walking the above-mentioned dog. Music in its many forms. Classic Rock, Southern Rock, and Blues are interchangeable for my top spot. Oh, and Big band is way up there too. The Great American Songbook.
What do like the most and the least about writing?
I love creating characters and then learning about them while drafting the story. I love how the story often takes on its own life leading me where it wants to go. For instance, the first book I wrote, still a work in progress, went from the main characters being three sisters down to one, Haana, who embodied the three.
Editing used to be a chore. However, I’ve come to embrace it as a means of getting a great book. But on about the fifth round, it gets tedious.
Give us a peek into your latest published work?
One foolish thought. One brutal act. Instead of a peaceful alliance–war.
From the shifter nation of Dar, Felice carries a peace accord. A treaty will bind her sister to Abelard, Prince of Argatha–a human–and forge an alliance between Dar and Argatha. An attack by rogue soldiers sets off a chain of events, binding Felice to Abelard her sister’s betrothed. While her new Shield-Mate chips away at the walls around her heart, Felice struggles to maintain control over her life–something she and her inner Panther have fought hard to attain. Responsibility for the dying Emissary lies heavy on Abelard’s shoulders. Abelard is a good soldier, but not, he realizes a good man. Felice is the catalyst that brings him purpose. War comes, but not the one expected. An invasion from an old enemy, thrusts shifters and humans together–they must unite, or each may fall. Amid treachery and chaos, love blooms and Abelard and Felice must come to terms with the past if their love is to survive.
What’s next on the writing horizon for you?
I mentioned earlier Wild Rose Press contracted my contemporary romance, Rock House Grill. While Rock House is going through the process, I’m working on Jazz House, the second book in the Impact series. I also have other works in various stages of completion.
Is there anything you want to tell readers?
Though my work is considered Sweet Romance. I do deal with some difficult situations in most of my writing. Circumstances have damaged Felice, but what I try to convey is we all need help sometimes and need to make the choice to accept it. There is always hope.
Excerpt:
Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar
Thick fog muffled the horses' hoof beats on the final leg of their journey toward Sorota. The normal sound of city life was absent. An unnerving silence blanketed them as Felice’s bay mare followed behind Nolan’s dapple grey. There was no noise coming from the city. The hair on Felice’s neck stood up. “Lord Nolan, do you feel something amiss?”
He looked over his shoulder, a bland, patient expression on his face and said, “Princess Felice, we do not act on feelings. We act on learning and knowledge. Feelings should never enter into diplomacy.”
When they arrived in Sorota, humans escorted them down the narrow, cobbled street, toward the Overseer’s dwelling. Through the thick fog, gas lamps cast shuttered houses and shops along the street in an eerie yellow glow. Other than the soldiers who escorted them, there were no other signs of the population.
Outwardly she assumed a placid demeanor, but she couldn’t tamp down her instincts. The Panther in her hadn’t emerged yet, but Felice’s nerves clawed at her insides. Glancing from side to side, she kept a close eye on the men of Sorota. A bead of sweat rolled down the nearest, though the day was cool and damp. She could smell the anxiety in some of them.
Felice fidgeted, on edge. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to go wrong. Her mare pranced sideways and snorted. Whirls of vapor rose from the horse’s nose into the chilled air.
Nolan glared over his shoulder at her. “Control your emotions, Felice. They are affecting your horse.”
She sat straight in her saddle, focusing her eyes ahead and pushed down the worry. Felice tried to soothe the mare by stroking her neck. The horse’s ear twitched when she leaned forward and whispered, “Easy, Arundel, I feel it too. We will keep our eyes open.”
Nolan, who acted under the security of the king’s authority, never questioned the large contingent of guards when they entered the cavernous hall of Overseer Gedeon. The arrogance of Nolan’s position was their downfall. Not until they were behind the large, barred doors, did his brow furrow in concern. Still, he said nothing. But Felice loosened the strap on her knife and reached behind under her cloak to slacken her sword leather.
After being more herded, rather than led, Felice and Nolan were pushed through a door into the Sorotan’s meeting room.
“That is not Gedeon, but his brother Dunbar,” Nolan whispered into her ear. “Be careful, he is a very dangerous man.”
“Seize them!” Dunbar ordered, and before the Darrians could respond, Nolan was struck down. Several knives pierced his body. Regret was replaced with the glaze of death, and he muttered, “I am sorry, my lady.”
The men in the room turned to her. Their cruel eyes revealed no regard for her tender age when they moved toward her with raised weapons. Shortly after her torment began, Felice’s Panter erupted, and her life changed forever.
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3 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today 🦉
This was a great interview. Glad to know another author who has both published with a small press and on her own. The excerpt sounds intriguing!
Thank you CJ.
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