Author Interview & Giveaway: Freeze by Michele Barrow-Belisle

About the Author: 

A dreamer at heart, Michele Barrow-Belisle has always lived with one foot in this reality and one foot in another, one of her own imagining. So it follows that she would grow up to write about the characters from those enchanting worlds she knows and loves so well. A fan of all things romantic, her young adult novels are populated with scintillating witches, vampires and fey.  Her bestselling debut book series Fire and Ice (Faerie Song Trilogy) was optioned for a major motion picture this year. Michele resides in southern Canada with her hubby and son who indulge her never-ending obsession with reading, writing and most importantly… chocolate.

Website:  www.michelebarrowbelisle.com

Blog:  www.michelebelisle.blogspot.ca

Facebook Author Page:  www.facebook.com/authormichele

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/3059577.Michele_Barrow_Belisle

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/MicheleBelisle

Pintrest:  www.pinterest.com/micheley26

Instagram: www.instagram.com/michele.barrow.belisle

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Do you plan everything or just let the story flow? 

I tend to plan out the key elements of the story. Main plot points and the main character’s overall arc, but other than that I like to let the story flow. I find getting too caught up in planning the details ruins the fun of writing the story for me. I tried it once and then set the story aside for over a year, and still haven’t been able to finished it. Moral of the story…writing by the seat of my pants works much better for me.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story? 

Only all of the time, lol. But you have to find a balance between giving them their airtime and not letting them completely take over. That’s why I love writing novellas, like FREEZE, to accompany a series. It gives me a chance to more fully explore and delve into another character’s story and point of view.

What is your favourite food?

Chocolate. Is that considered food? If not, then I’d have to go with pizza. Or maybe lobster. Oooh, wait, steak..… No, it’s chocolate. Definitely chocolate.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a morning person. Post caffeine that is. ;) I do most of my best work in the mornings and it’s my favorite time of day to write.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I’d love to go to New Zealand and tour the set where they filmed Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. And if I could actually move into Bilbo Baggins’ house in Hobbiton, I absolutely would. I’d also love to go to Scotland and Ireland. There’s something breathtakingly magical about those places and I can’t wait to explore them for myself.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Most of the places in my books are fictional. I decided early on that is was just easier to invent places that fit my rules and descriptions than it was to try to take real places and bend them to fit. Plus there’s something very freeing about creating a whole new world or realm from the ground up.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Some of the time I do. Once I’ve put together a playlist for a book, I tend to play those songs while I’m writing. But when first starting out with a new story, I like to write in quiet so I can gather my thoughts more easily without distractions.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release? 

This new book is called Freeze, and its part of the Faerie Song Trilogy. The series which originally was meant to be three books, has now grown into six. Possibly seven, if my readers get their way. It’s the story written from the point of view of Zanthiel, the dark shadow faerie who the main character Lorelei is entangled with. He unexpectedly became the fan favourite after the first two books came out and I thought it would be fun to delve into his life to see what makes him so compelling. So that’s where this story originated, but it’s really a continuation of the series from where the second book leaves off, only told from Zanthiel’s perspective.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started? 

I’ve learned the whole process takes way more time than I originally anticipated. Lots of waiting after submitting to agents and publishers. And I also learned it pays to be patient and persistent. You can’t ever give up, no matter how long or hard it may seem, because success is literally just round the next corner. And that very next submission could be the one!

Is there anything you would do differently?

Not really. I would have been more patient I think, had I known how long things took. But even though things didn’t go according to my specific plans I’m thrilled with the way they’ve turned out so far and so I don’t think I’d want to change much, if I did it all over again. And I’ll get to experience different aspects of publishing with future books.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I’ve always loved stories for as long as I can remember. I Ioved them as a child and I love them still. Fantasy has always been one of my favourite genres which is why I write it. I honestly believe everything I’ve ever read, watched, lived and experienced, in some way, touches my writing, because it’s touched my life. It would be impossible for who you are not to have some influence on your writing.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Start, and then don’t stop. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it takes, no matter what anyone else might tell you. Just keep going, because your dream-come-true is waiting for you to come knocking on just one more door to find it!

What are three words that describe you? 

Imaginative. Compassionate. Free-spirited.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

That’s almost as hard as picking my favourite food, lol. There are so many books I love, too many to count really. But I guess I’d have to say that my love of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books and Tolkien’s Hobbit, are what steered me toward the books I love reading, and writing, today.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book:

FREEZE: A Faerie Song Trilogy Novella
In a twisted game of following impossible clues to ceaseless dead ends, The Shadow Faerie Zanthiel is forced to search for the girl he'd let go. Lorelei may be out of his life, but she’s never far from his mind with the prophecy pulling them together. They both feel it, yet they both have reason to fight it. He might not be able to have her, but no force in this world, or any other will stop him from saving her. Time is running out, and Zanthiel has only a fraction of it left to find her, before those hunting her find either one of them.







List of previous books if any

Fire and Ice
Amazon.com Paperback www.amzn.com/1493620401  
Kobo: www.store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/fire-and-ice-2
Barnes and Noble:  www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire-and-ice-michele-barrow-belisle/111592250

Bittersweet
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Bittersweet-Faerie-Song-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00UDL4X1S
Kobo: www.store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/bittersweet-71
Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bittersweet-michele-barrow-belisle/1121504752?ean=2940151347266

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Freeze
Faerie Song Trilogy 
Book 2.5
Michele Barrow-Belisle
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Astraea Press/ Cleanreads Publishing
Date of Publication: September 1, 2016
Word Count: 70,000
Cover Artist: AM Designs

Book Description: 

In a twisted game of following impossible clues to ceaseless dead ends, The Shadow Faerie Zanthiel is forced to search for the girl he'd let go.

Lorelei may be out of his life, but she’s never far from his mind with the prophecy pulling them together. They both feel it, yet they both have reason to fight it. He might not be able to have her, but no force in this world, or any other will stop him from saving her.

Time is running out, and Zanthiel has only a fraction of it left to find her, before those hunting her find either one of them.

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Excerpt:

PROLOGUE

My blood froze to ice in my veins when I saw her.

Lorelei.

Lying there broken. Bloodied. Bruised.

I'd kill whoever did this to her. Then I'd slaughter their entire family line. My steps hurried, but I could not reach her quickly enough. She was pale. Weakened from the loss of too much blood, and too much cold, and too little hope. Her light was fading from this world and all others.

"No. No. NO. I will not let you die. I forbid it, do you hear me?" My voice rose as I scooped her into my arms, barely any weight at all, which set my fears even deeper. Live. You must live. Live. For me.

I had to get her help, but I feared there wouldn't be anything left of her to save once I had. My powers were useless against whatever treacherous magic this was, but there was always an undoing. A workaround for nearly all spells, even a curse or hex. Something had to be able to change this, reverse the effects and restore her life. A cure existed—I wanted to believe that. It just meant finding it.

This was my fault. Things of beauty are never meant to be broken. But I did this. I allowed her into my world, into my life, and I broke her. I deserved to suffer the same fate. Worse than her fate. I never intended to be her nightmare, only her savior. And I failed. Vows signed in blood, giving me ownership of something no one deserved—her body and her soul.

Flames ignited from within, consuming her whole, ‘til only her ashes remained. Like a breath of snow and ash they fell gently upon subtle winds—air and shadow carrying both in equal measure to their final resting place. To love someone is to grieve them. For it thrusts you into a black hole—an abyss from which you can never escape.

She was worth fighting for. This time, I would fight for her, until my last breath.

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I awoke with a sharp gasp, ripples of fear tensing every muscle in my body. It took several breaths to realize it had been a dream. No, not a dream. A dream implies something unreal. Wild imaginings of the mind. This was something else. It was a foreshadowing. A glimpse of what may come to pass. But why was I seeing it? By now she'd be leagues from here, safely back in her own world. There should be no cause for what I'd witnessed. Pain and suffering were not supposed to be her future. I'd rather it was mine.

I pushed off the fur pelts and climbed from of the wilted mattress stuffed with dry leaves. I was grateful to the Dwarf Tilak for allowing me to stay in his home. A hovel really, but shelter nonetheless. I was still being hunted by Queen Mab's armies. I'd deserted her and the marriage agreement I'd entered into, and word would have spread by now. Thankfully, Lorelei was safely back in her world, with the elf Elf Adrius. I could almost hear her chastising me for not using his name. And I knew it well, for we were friends once.

The human world was her home, but it could never be mine. I did not belong there. Each visit was the same as the one before, and it was only her presence that made those visits tolerable.

Humans—you could smell their weaknesses. Their needy desires. Their constant craving for more. Their eternal fear. Like a toxic cloud that hovered over their land. It sickened my stomach with each inward breath. I'd hold it for a moment. Then another. Then gasp for air when I could hold it no longer. Ignoring the stench, I'd searched for her. For her face. Her smile. Her eyes that shone in the dimness of her world. The fear strangely mixed with curiosity when she would set her eyes upon me. And without fail, she’d smile.

No one else would see me but her. I was careful. For to break that code would mean my death. Her father was specific in his orders. "Watch her. Keep her safe. But remain unseen by the humans." But she wasn't human. Not fully. She was part fey, like I was. And from the very first moment I saw her, she stole my heart away.

I shuffled to the wash basin, splashed icy water over my face and dried it on my sleeve. My hand slid across the uneven surface of the mirror. The cracked glass scraped my palm, but I kept it there, watching the blood drip down the surface before it froze to crimson slush.

Leaning in, I stared at the reflection, at the steely eyes glaring back at me. Full of accusation and blame.

I lost her.

No, I didn't lose her. I threw her away.

She was my protégé.

We were never supposed to be together. Never meant to fall in love.

I was careless.

She got hurt.

And now she was gone.


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