08 March 2015

Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Sibelle Stone on HEART OF ICE

This week, we're welcoming author Sibelle Stone, whose latest title is HEART OF ICEOne lucky visitor will get a free copy of Heart of IceBe sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb. 

Will their passion for each other be a blessing, or fulfill an ancient curse and destroy them?

Lucinda Stafford is uniquely unqualified to serve as governess for the children of a handsome inventor. But, she’s determined to prove to her family she’s not a fragile, pampered heiress who can’t take care of herself. She didn’t plan to be attracted to the man who makes her furious one moment and whimper with desire the next. When danger threatens, can she save two innocent children from a terrifying nightmare?

Grayson Thorne has only weeks to prove his geothermal plant can generate electricity, or he’ll lose much needed funding. He’s desperate to hire a new governess, but shocked when his housekeeper returns home with a beautiful, educated female who awakens long dormant desires. She’s the perfect choice, if he can manage to keep his hunger for her kisses and fantasies of taking her to his bed under control. An ancient Icelandic curse hides in the hills, haunting the residents of Thornehús. Grayson and Lucinda may be swept away by passion, but they must face an unspeakable horror that threatens them all.

**Q&A with Sibelle Stone**

I’d like to thank Unusual Historicals for inviting me for this interview. I always enjoy reading about historical books with different settings and have discovered so many talented writers through this website.

How would you describe the genre of “Heart of Ice”?
The book is definitely a “Mash Up” of different genres I’ve loved, especially Gothic Romance. My grandmother adored those books, with the cover art of the heroine running from a scary kind of house. I decided I wanted to write one of those, but I also love steampunk, so I added some elements like the Traclac, airships and an inventor working on generating electricity from geysers. The great thing is all of that technology actually existed in the time period, or immediately after.

Why did you choose to set the book in 1910 Iceland?
I visited Iceland a couple of years ago on the way home from France. It’s an amazing place, starkly beautiful, filled with interesting geology like volcanoes, geysers, and waterfalls. I realized that the landscape and the light — and the long distances between places making them very isolated— would be a perfect setting for a Gothic romance.

Tell us about your main characters.
Lucinda is a well-educated heiress from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She’s been a companion for her Great Aunt, and on her way back to the United States from France she decides to answer an ad for a temporary Governess. She craves adventure, is interested in the geology of the country and wants to prove to her family that she can live as an independent woman.

Grayson is a widower and inventor working on a project that could have ramifications for generating geothermal electricity from geysers. His deadline for funding his research is approaching when the governess for this two children suddenly leaves. He needs to hire someone to take care of Mari and Niels, and he’s rather desperate.

What other books have you written?
I’ve written Western romance as Deborah Schneider, including Beneath a Silver Moon and Promise Me. As Sibelle Stone I’ve written a fantasy romance, Whistle Down the Wind and a steampunk romance, Prudence and the Professor. I’ve received a Molly award for “Most Unsinkable Heroine” and an EPIC award for Best Western Romance. I was also named an RWA Librarian of the Year.

Tell us about the library job.

I work for one of the busiest library systems in the country, as the Public Programming Coordinator. I’m responsible for creating programs and author events for 48 libraries near Seattle, WA. It’s been fun to meet so many great authors and talented performers over the nearly fifteen years I’ve been working there.

Where you can find Heart of Ice:

About Sibelle Stone:
Sibelle Stone is the pseudonym for award winning historical romance author Deborah Schneider. Sibelle writes sexy steampunk and paranormal stories, filled with mad scientists, dirigibles, automatons, and creatures that would scare the panties off Deborah. In her spare time Sibelle enjoys dressing up in Victorian ensembles, modding play guns into something that looks a bit more sinister and wearing hats.

Find Sibelle Stone on the Web

Website:
http://www.sibellestone.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/deborah.schneider.315?