Interview & Giveaway: Savage by Willow Rose

Today we have the lovely Willow Rose, author of the paranormal romance, family saga Savage (Daughters of the Jaguar #1). Willow was kind enough to answer some of my probing questions, so don't miss the interview below. She is also letting me giveaway two copies of her book Savage. One is a paperback for a US winner and one is an eBook version for an international winner. So make sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win this amazing book.

Jennifer: Can you tell us about your book, Savage?

Willow: In Savage we meet Christian who is a young man torn between the world of science and the world of magic. He has left his country of Denmark and is going to Florida to go to med school. He meets Aiyana who is a spirit-filled girl living in a completely different world than he is. Her family is descendants from the Timucua Indians that lived in Florida before the Spaniards came. They live in a world of magic, music and laughter and Christian feels so drawn to them.  At the same time he has a violent encounter with a savage beast in the swamps of Florida, an encounter that makes him doubt everything he has always believed in.   I am planning on doing a sort of a family saga. In the first book the characters are in their twenties, in the next they will be in their thirties and in the third one they will have grown kids of their own. This way you get to know the characters really well and you'll want to because they are really likable. I am also planning on doing a book about the female main character's childhood and maybe one about her sister as well. They are so interesting people and I adore them so much that I simply have to tell their stories.

Jennifer: What were the best and most challenging parts of writing Savage?

Willow: The best part (and actually also the most challenging part)was to write about the jaguar and Christian's encounters with it in the swamps. I have fallen completely in love with this powerful animal and writing about it was a thrill and sometimes even made my skin shiver. This animal has the most forceful bite of all the big cats and kills with only one bite through the skull of its prey. Truly fascinating.

Jennifer: Can you tell us three surprising facts about yourself?

Willow: I have to get enough sleep or I'll get seriously cranky, I don't like coffee but love a cup of tea while I write, I never wear socks.

Jennifer: Do you like to listen to music while you write, if so, what was your playlist for Savage?

Willow: I have a thing for James Blunt. I always listen to him when I write. Never when I am not writing. It is weird. There is something about the intensity in his lyrics that makes me want to write.

Jennifer: If you could be any kind of supernatural being, what would you like to be and why?

Willow: I would love to be able to read minds. To always know what my husband and kids were up to would be great.

Jennifer: Who or what has influenced you the most in writing Savage?

Willow: For me a book starts with the characters. The characters and their story come to me. I like to say that they "pop up" in my head. That is the best way I can describe it. The characters are just there all of a sudden with their backgrounds and problems and then they start to do stuff and talk to other people and soon there is a whole story that I simply have to tell or else I will burst. The main character Christian in Savage is somewhat inspired by my husband. Back in '83 when he was 19 years old he was sent to Florida by his parents to live with a very wealthy family just like Christian in Savage. My husband's experiences coming from a small country Denmark to the big USA in the 80'ies are very similar to those of Christian, yet they do not share backgrounds.  Christian has lost his mother in a young age and that has had a huge impact on who he is and why he acts the way he does. He matures a lot throughout the book and love changes him from being a selfish self-centered boy into a young man.

Jennifer: Is there any writing wisdom/tips you have learned along your writing journey that you can share with us first-time writers?

Willow: Just keep writing. Never listen to what anyone else says - you can do it.. Don't compare yourself to others and don't be sad when you receive a bad review. It is part of the game. Everybody gets them it's just something you have to live with. And finally be patient. Everything about publishing books takes a long time.

Jennifer: If you could choose one character from your book to have dinner with, who would you choose? What would you two talk about?

Willow: I would have dinner with Halona - the youngest sister from the haunting family next door. We wouldn't talk much though because she never speaks and hasn't done ever since she predicted her older sister's death. But it would be fun watching her eat without touching anything since she does telekinesis and makes everything move by the will of her mind.

Jennifer: What project are you currently working on? Any news about the next book in the series?

Willow: I am currently writing the sequel to Savage and hope to have it out in September.

Jennifer: I can't thank you enough for taking time out to answer a few of my questions. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Is there anything else you would like to mention to my readers before we part ways?

Willow: Just that I love to write and tell stories and I hope my readers will enjoy them just as much as I did writing them.

Author Bio
Willow Rose writes Paranormal Romance, fantasy and mystery. Originally from Denmark she now lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. She is a huge fan of Anne Rice and Isabel Allende. When she is not writing or reading she enjoys to watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willowredrose

Twitter: @madamwillowrose

Blog: http://www.willow-rose.blogspot.com/

Booktrailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwzYsoUn2VY&feature=player_embedded

Purchase on Amazon / Barnes & Noble and Add on Goodreads

Summary
The year is 1983. Christian is 22 years old when he leaves his home in Denmark to spend a year in Florida with a very wealthy family and go to med-school. A joyful night out with friends is shattered by an encounter with a savage predator that changes his life forever. Soon he faces challenges he had never expected. A supernatural gift he has no idea how to embrace. A haunting family in the house next door. A spirit-filled girl who seems to carry all the answers. An ancient secret hidden in the swamps of Florida. One life never the same. One love that becomes an obsession. Two destinies that will be forever entangled.

Savage is a paranormal romance with some language, violence, and sexual situations recommended for ages sixteen and up.

Two people will win a copy of Savage, we have one paperback for the US entries and an eBook for international entries. Just indicate if you live in the US or if you live internationally on the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway