Welcome Wendy Delsol! AND A GIVEAWAY

Today I welcome Wendy Delsol, author of the STORK series! Plus there will be a giveaway at the end!

STORK

FROST

FLOCK (released 9/25/12)

If you want an awesome paranormal series that uses Norse mythology to drive the stories, then this is for you! Plus Wendy is made of much awesome and was my last minute roomie in NYC when we were both there for BEA in June. Until that point, we knew each other only through blogging on YA Outside the Lines. But soon we were tromping through NYC, drinking wine, eating pasta at cool Italian restaurants, hamming it up in Times Square and taking pictures with the Obama look alike at BEA. Plus she snuck me into a party. (Shhhh. I didn't say that).

 Here's what Amazon has to say:
The climactic conclusion of a supernatural romantic trilogy starring a savvy, sharp-tongued heroine who taps into ancient Norse secrets.

After surviving her (shall we say) intense adventure in Iceland, Katla is psyched to be back for a blissfully uneventful senior year of homecoming and fashion explorations. But her hopes of dodging unfinished business are dashed by the arrival of two Icelandic exchange students: Marik, an oddly alluring merman-in-disguise, and Jinky, a tough gypsy girl. It seems Katla not only enraged the Snow Queen by rescuing her boyfriend, Jack, she also was tricked into promising her frail baby sister to the water queen — and Marik has come to collect. What’s worse, Katla doesn’t dare confide in anyone lest she endanger them, so even her soul mate, Jack, is growing suspicious. And now Katla’s stork dreams, her guide for matching babies with mothers, have become strange and menacing as well. Hold on for a thrilling finale as the heroine of Stork and Frost calls on her wits (and her wit) to protect those she loves and face a final mythic disaster.

I recently chatted with Wendy about her series and here's what she had to say:

Joy: Why Norse mythology? What drew you to it?

Wendy: Norse mythology evolved out of setting. I wanted my character to be the new girl in town. I had recently moved from L.A. to Iowa, so a West Coast to Midwest relocation made sense. In a deliberate effort to heap the discomforts upon my character, I took her from a sunny climate to one of the coldest in the U.S., northern Minnesota. As soon as I decided upon Minnesota, the communities of Scandinavian settlers came to mind—as did Norse mythology.

Joy:     How did the Stork trilogy develop out of that?

Wendy: Katla’s magical gift—the ability to pair hovering souls with a mother on earth—predated the books’ setting. Once location sparked the use of Norse lore, I was able to borrow their cosmology, a belief in nine realms.

Joy: Tell us about writing the third book of this trilogy: Are you sad to see the story end? What was the process for tying everything together for the final book?

Wendy: I was, of course, sad to see the series end, but I feel good about where I left the characters. The process for tying up all the various plot threads was the biggest challenge of ending a series. I can sum it up in two words: enormous concentration.

Joy:  You live in Des Moines, IA now. Tell us about the life of a writer in Iowa.

Wendy: Because writing is such a solitary pursuit, I imagine a writer’s daily routine in Iowa is fairly similar to anywhere else. We do have a network of Des Moines-area published writers, who meet several times a year to network and share information. That aspect of a smaller metropolitan community is nice.

Joy: What’s next for Wendy Delsol?

Wendy: Well, unfortunately, shoulder surgery. As a result, I’m not sure how much writing I’ll get done before the end of the year. I am working on a new YA manuscript and look forward to getting back to it with a stronger right arm and shoulder.

And some fun questions:

1.     Twizzlers or Kit Kats?

Kit Kat. Chocolate makes all the difference.

2.     Buffy or Edward?

Edward.

Favorite autumn beverage?

 Pumpkin ale.

3.     Guilty trash TV pleasure?

Survivor is a longstanding favorite. But I also like anything with “alien abduction” in the title.

4.     Zombies or Unicorns?

Unicorns. Those Zombies just don’t seem very personable.

For more on Wendy, check out her website!

PLUS!!! Wendy is in the holiday spirit and is doing a giveaway of FLOCK!! Want to win? Comment on the blog and say hi to Wendy and you'll be in the running!

Contest will continue through Wednesday 11/28.

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