Launch Party for Lori Corsentino's Destiny's Awakening

Today is the launch of Lori Corsentino's Destiny's Awakening, book one in the Tales of the Fey series from 5 Prince Publishing.  Join us today in celebrating the release.  Also leave a comment for a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card.

Lori’s love of reading has transcended to include penning her own tales of romance. She is experimenting with writing in several different genres, including paranormal – a definite favorite. “There is just so much you can do when you step outside the known world,” she explains “and creating a paranormal story allows you to take yourself and your readers anywhere your imagination wants to go!”

Destiny's Awakening is Lori's first foray into a planned paranormal romance trilogy. Spanning both the mortal and Fey worlds, be looking for the second novel to continue the legacy with Crown Princess Annora Ambrasia de Sha’mi’liari and Sebastian "Bas" St.
James in early 2013 from 5 Prince Publishing.

Visit her website at www.loricorsentino.com and follow her on Twitter @LoriCorsentino and
on www.Facebook.com/LoriCorsentino  

Men of the present weren’t able to hold archaeologist Evelyn Wright’s interest for long. Her passion lay with discovering the lives, loves, and legacies of men in the past. 

Five hundred-year-old Prince Alexander slumbers alone in an enchanted sleep.  Imprisoned by ancient Fey magic to stave off a civil war, he awaits the woman who is destined to awaken him. 

Thrown together by an unseen force, the career-minded modern woman and the aristocratic Fey Prince share a magical kiss that sparks more than mere romance. 

Together they will create a key to open their hearts to a true love that will thwart the plans of an evil Wizard and save their worlds. 

Excerpt of Destiny's Awakening

Evelyn Wright could hear her momma’s voice now, reminding her to think before she acted. “Evie,” she’d always say, “now don’t you be runnin’ so far ahead that you lose track of yourself.” She’d become familiar with those words through most of her early childhood. They weren’t necessarily a nag. Instead, they were more of a constant reminder to look both ways before she leaped.

She’d been an excitable, active child full of curiosity and a fierce desire to learn. Momma had told her once she’d often sat up after putting her to bed and cried. She’d been convinced her little Evie would never live to see five years old. The scrapes, bumps and bruises she’d accumulated during her early childhood life were legendary. When she reached her fifth birthday, then celebrated her sixth the next year, Momma said she’d breathed a sigh of relief. It was obvious her little girl was made of some pretty stern stuff.

She just might make it.

Today she was living proof of her heartiness. Happy and healthy, 26-year-old Evie had a bustling career as an archaeologist. The pay wasn’t spectacular. The hours were horrific. The industry was dominated by stuffy college professors and an over-abundance of male colleagues. None of that mattered.

She was living her dream.

She got to travel to exotic places. Egypt. Rome. Greece. She got to explore and discover new and wondrous things. Tombs. Chapels. Castles. Through her work, she pieced together clues from the past and learned about everyday lives long gone by. She was passionate about her work, well thought of, and successful.

And she was still impetuous.

Oh, her little character flaw reared its head from time to time. Most often it was when something truly out of the ordinary crossed her path. The sheer excitement of it all encouraged her to toss away rules and grown-up things. Her weakness whispered how amazing it would be to become a child again, with all its wonderment and the constant itch for more. It was at these times she invariably heard her momma’s voice suggesting caution. When she didn’t pay attention, she usually found herself in trouble.

Like now.

Today she’d jumped heedlessly off the wagon and strayed too far off her given path. She’d given in to temptation – and landed herself in a fix she had no idea how to get out of.

All because of a sword.

This morning had started out normal. Before dawn, she’d left her cabin carrying a picnic breakfast. She’d arrived at her mountain meadow right as the sun rose above the horizon. Surrounded by one of the most beautiful ranges in the majestic Rocky Mountains, the locale was one of her favorite places in the world. Teeming with life and the fragrance of wildflowers, her hideaway was encircled by a dense forest of pine trees and aspen groves. The lush verdant grasses and trees, in varying shades from lime to evergreen, were getting their first kiss of morning dew.

It was her haven. Her sanctuary away from the stresses of work and life. A perfect place to relax, eat, and have some time with nature. She refused to think about the day ahead. Instead, she enjoyed her meal. There was no need to worry. Reality would set in soon enough. She rose and grabbed her trusty walking stick. There was time to take a quick jaunt along her favorite trail before leaving nirvana. She knew it was going to be a long day at work.

A cluster of birds took flight. Evie raised her head to follow their flawless departure. She smiled and admired the beauty and grace of the winged creatures. She bet they were going out for breakfast. She was so busy admiring the scenery she didn’t notice what was in front of her until her booted foot met a heavy object strewn across her path.

The sword.

There it was. Lying there. In its scabbard. On a mountain path in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. What were the chances of that?

It was massive. Almost four feet in length, it was housed in an elaborately decorated metal scabbard. Evie, the archaeologist, admired its shiny, long length and the swirls of etching decorating the fine, polished metal. This wasn’t any old sword. Evie, the woman, was dazzled by the richness of the metal and jeweled hilt.

She was enchanted.

Without thinking, she set aside her walking stick and reached down with both hands to lift the weapon. The second she touched it, the blade emitted a thrumming noise and a low vibration. The metal seemed to sing. A pulse ran from her hands up her arms and into her shoulders. In the next second, the scenery around her faded and everything turned to black. Every scrap of oxygen seemed to vanish, leaving her only what was in her lungs. Gone was the forest path, sprinkled with bits of sunshine filtering through the fragrant pines. Two seconds later she landed on her ass in a fancy enclosure of some kind, sword still in hand.

Sales Links for Destiny's Awakening: (as the links become live I will post them)

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble (coming soon)

Smashwords

All Romance eBooks

iTunes (coming soon)

Contest: Please leave a comment for the author.  One winner will be randomly drawn for the $10 Amazon gift card.  This contest is sponsored by 5 Prince Publishing and Books, LLC.  The prize and/or denomination can not be changed.  Winner will need to leave contact information or check back in with the site to contact Bernadette Marie to receive their prize.  Entries after 11:59pm MT on 6/28/12 are not eligible.

Guest Blogger Lori Corsentino

I am thrilled to have Lori Cosentino blogging with us today.  Lori's debut novel is part of the Finding Ms. Wright anthology, from 5 Prince Publishing, which will launch next week.  Welcome back, Lori Corsentino!

As a reader, I always wondered how authors developed their characters. In the books I truly enjoyed, the characters seemed to walk of the page, sit down next to me, and tell me their story. As I read, I would find myself totally associating and sympathizing with the heroine, and, of course, falling in love with the hero. I would root for both of them to overcome whatever it was they needed to overcome, and would sigh with relief, and satisfaction, at the happily ever after.

Wow – seeing it spelled out that way it all seems quite sappy. But I’m a romantic, and that’s what I love. A sappy, happy ending.

Evelyn and Alexander introduced themselves to me at different times during my writing journey. Alexander, I’m going to call him Alex, even though he really dislikes that, was first. He walked right in one morning and started telling me all about how he was waiting for his love, The One, to awaken him. And could I please get a move on, because he had things to do, namely capturing an evil Wizard and stopping an inter-world war.

I got moving!

Evelyn came soon afterwards. I was working with my critique group at the time when she finally noticed I’d been calling for her. She strode over and immediately introduced herself, saying, “Hello. I’m Evelyn. Evelyn Wright. But you can call me Evie.” Looking over my shoulder she watched me write notes. “What are you doing?” she asked.

And so she was born.

Getting these two together was quite interesting. I had a basic idea of where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to so, and once I put it in motion, they just picked everything up and ran off with it! It’s been quite an interesting ride, with many twists and turns.

I’ve discovered that Evie is a true study of contrasts. She’s hesitant, even suspicious at first, but once she embraces something, she gives it her all. She is strong, independent, and willful, except of course when has a weaker moment and needs to be held and comforted and surrounded by love. To me, she sounds like a typical woman.

Alex, on the other hand, is strong, steadfast, and true. He knows exactly what he needs to do, and how he needs to do it. He’s hard working and not above getting his hands dirty. He’s loyal to his people and not above doing whatever it takes to protect those who he considers his, namely Evelyn and his two sisters, Annora and Analiese. He’s also regal, arrogant, and haughty, but what else would you expect from a Prince? So, I supposed in his own way, he’s also a study of contrasts.

The chemistry between these two began immediately. As soon as Evie set eyes on her Prince, she was enchanted. The story of how he came to be in the chamber where she found him fascinated her, but she was sick with the thought that maybe she was the one and only person in the world that could help him. There was such responsibility associated with the whole thing. But he was just so hot, and there was much at stake, how could she say no? In true Evie fashion, she pondered and questioned, then made up her mind, took hold of it all, and ran with it.

For Alex, it was love at first sight. She had rescued him from the purgatory he’d endured for almost 500 years. How could he not love her? Being totally attracted to her was just a bonus. He loved everything about her - her thoughtful periods as well as her manic. He admired her independence and her strength, and adored her vulnerability and emotions. In true Prince Alexander fashion, he captures her in a very large net that gives her the illusion of freedom, but keeps her close to him. He always opens the net when she sees it and freaks out, but she never quite leaves it. She’ll walk to the opening, turn and see him waiting for her within the net, and goes back to him.

Now that’s love!

Together, these two can do anything. I hope they touch my reader’s hearts as much as they did mine.

Enjoy!

Lori

Lori CorsentinoLori’s love of reading has transcended to include penning her own tales of romance. She is experimenting with writing in several different genres, including paranormal – a definite favorite. “There is just so much you can do when you step outside the known world,” she explains “and creating a paranormal story allows you to take yourself and your readers anywhere your imagination wants to go!” Her debut novella, Evelyn, will be published as part of the Finding Ms. Wright: Three Tales of Extraordinary Love anthology available from 5 Prince Publishing in November.

Coming November 15th in eBook and November 25 in paperback Finding Ms. Wright: Three Tales of Extraordinary Love 

Three men, each on a crucial mission to save their way of life, seek their true soul mates -women who unknowingly hold the key to their very survival.

Interview with Lori Corsentino

Today I am pleased to have paranormal romance author Lori Corsentino join us.  Lori's writing debut is coming up quick!  Her novella Evelyn is part of the Finding Ms. Wright anthology from 5 Prince Publishing. So let's dig in.  Welcome Lori Corsentino!

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

I’m very curious and observant, so being able to do something with all the creative ideas running around in my head is great fun.

 What genre(s) do you write?

Right now I’m working on a paranormal series. I also write historical, romantic suspense and contemporary.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Finishing it! I’ve got two things going against me and two things going for me. I’ve always had a problem finishing things, but at the same time I LOVE to be able to check things off of a check list. I’m a recovering perfectionist that, if I let my inner editor have her way, would tweak Chapter 1 forever, but I’m learning to push through to the end and that perfectionism is highly overrated and kills the soul.

So in a round-about way, I’m finding my writing stride. Hopefully the hardest things about writing the next one will be COMPLETELY different!

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a combo of the two. I like to call it a Planter. I need some outline and structure to flesh out, but too many rules and hard core plotting kills my muse, and lets out the evil inner editor...

What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?

The same sense of fun, excitement and wonder that I had when I was writing it. Also, a strong desire to find more of my books!   :  )

 Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

That there can be a true partnership in a relationship, even with an Alpha male! Also that it’s OK to be a strong woman. Men secretly dig strong women.   : )

 How long have you been a writer? 

I’ve been doing writing in one form or another most of my life. I’ve done journaling since I was in junior high, and dabbled in some poetry in high school. Shortly after college I tried to co-author a book with a friend. We never did finish it (see what I mean about finishing stuff?). I’ve been fiddling with writing novels for the last 10 years. I joined my local chapter of RWA about 3 years ago to see if I had what it takes. I’m still here, and I’ve been writing pretty seriously for the last year.

 How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published?

Well, as I mentioned I’ve started a lot of books but never finished them. I completed my first novella, Fire Season, last year at Halloween. Evelyn is my second novella. I started writing her story in June of this year.

  

What other careers have you had?

I was a Secretary once long ago, and have been a Technical Writer specializing in User Guides and Online Help systems for software development for the last 15 years. You know, just your average everyday geek stuff.

 Do you write under more than one name? Why?

Nope – just the one name for right now. I mean isn’t Lori Corsentino just a great name for a romance novelist? If I branch out into something completely different I’ll likely take on a pen name.

  

Are any of your characters based on real people or events?

Of course they are! But, I wouldn’t say that any one person could ever recognize themselves in one of my characters. I take different traits from the many people I know and combine them to make my characters. I guess you could say I’m my own Dr. Frankenstein when it comes to characterization!

What books or authors have most influenced your life?

Linda Howard has absolutely influenced me. I love her work. She introduced me to the Romantic Suspense genre – which is one of my favorites. I’ve fallen in love with more of her heroes that I probably should. She does such a great job. Nora Roberts is also a great influence. She broke so many stereotypes and barriers for romance authors. I’d love to be called the “Next Nora Roberts.”

How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?

My family and friends are all very excited and supportive. I have several female work friends that are looking forward to the release date. I also have more than a couple male work colleagues that are also excited about the release of this book. It does give me just the slightest pause knowing that these guys are going to be reading my novella. I just hope they don’t do it in the lunch room!!!

  

Where are you from?

I’m a Colorado native, born and raised in Denver. I love to travel but Denver will always be home to me.

 How do you come up with the titles?

That’s a really good question! Most of my work starts out as “Untitled” with a date. It’s usually when I’ve been working on it for a while that a title will come to me – and it usually comes out of the blue! Evelyn was a bit easier because I was collaborating with my fellow authors M.L. Guida and Hillary Seidl – we came up with a title almost from the very start.

 Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?

Not yet! Someday I want to be able to bury my toes in the sand on some tropical beach as I type my new bestseller into my laptop.

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?

I’m definitely a multi-tasker! I get bored and rebellious if I’m forced to deal with one thing at a time for too long a period. If I can have a little something on the side, it helps me to keep my focus. I guess I need to have a little “affair” to keep my main writing tasks on track!

  

When not writing, how do you relax?

I love to read, of course. I also enjoy making jewelry, specifically working with metal, semi-precious stones, and minerals. It’s just something about working with my hands and my right brain side to create a tangible thing of beauty that really appeals to me. I also dabble in digital photography.

  

Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.

1) I’m a reforming pack rat. Its tough, because it’s in the blood – on my mothers side!

2) I’m a rock-hound! I have a rock collection that, which not overly impressive, is kind of cool. I mean how many people do you know has a hunk of volcanic obsidian as big as your fist, a chunk of lava from a volcano in Hawaii, and a nice piece of specular hematite?

3) I’m a night person. I get that from my mother’s side as well! My Dad used to tease me that I was part vampire.

4) I’ve seen the Grand Canyon twice. Both times were from the air, and both times were at sunset. Some day, I’ll see the Grand Canyon from the ground and maybe stay a couple days to make sure I get enough pictures!   : )

5) I love looking at the world through the lens of a camera. It gives you a completely different point of view. I really should get a camera that takes great night shots. That’ll go great with my nocturnal tendencies!

 Lori, what else are you working on?

 I’m currently working on another paranormal – the sequel to Evelyn titled, “And the Fairest of Them All.” It’s a full length tale featuring Annora, Alexander’s sister. I’ve also got another in the same series planned for Analiese, Alexander’s youngest sister. That will nicely round out a trilogy. I do love writing a series!

I can be found on facebook at Lori Corsentino and twitter at loricorsentino.

My website is www.loricorsentino.com

Here’s an excerpt. It’s a little more than 400 words – hope that’s OK!  : )

Evie set her jaw and crossed her arms in a defensive gesture before looking at Reginald to gauge his sincerity. What she found there told her he was serious.

The very thought of kissing Mr. Hottie Prince fascinated her, but it wasn’t exactly something she was prepared to do. She looked back at Reginald. “What if I’m not The One?”

“Then nothing will happen.”

“But what if I am The One?” Sweat broke out on her brow and upper lip. The very thought of having that much responsibility quickened her breath, so much so she began to get light headed. She was freaking out.

“Then my Prince will awaken.”

Through her frantic haze, Evie saw there might be something there. If the Prince awoke...he could send her back home. Even Reginald said that. She could get out of this place and return to familiarity and safety of her own home. While her life was anything but fascinating, it was hers and she wanted to go back to it. It was all fine and well to visit other places, even crazy-ass places like this, but there was no place like home.

“And I just have to kiss him?” She might be able to do this. Kiss him, get him awake, and go home.

She’d already determined he wasn’t dead so it didn’t really creep her out too much anymore. It was as if he’d been on a major bender and now was sleeping really hard.

The benefits seemed to outweigh the risks. Evie shrugged and then relaxed her shoulders as she gave in. “If I kiss him and he wakes up, he can he send me home, right?” The desire to get the hell away from this whacked out wonderland gave her encouragement.

“My Prince does have that power.” 

Evie frowned. Best case scenario was she would kiss him, he would awaken, and she’d be on her way home. Worse case would be she would take advantage of an unconscious man and kiss his mouth, and perhaps linger a bit to nibble on that full bottom lip. Evie eyed his mouth, unable to tear her gaze away. It seemed to beckon her, begging for the touch of her lips.

Evie dragged her teeth along her own to keep the temptation at bay. It was too perfect.

“OK – I’m game.” Evie nodded. “How long before we know?”

“I am sorry Madame,” Reginald shook his head. “I am a simple Aide-de-Camp. I do not know.”

“Well,” Evie acted before she lost her resolve. “Let’s give it a shot.”