Wednesday, December 19, 2012

All Roads Lead to Hell Blog Tour: Interview and Giveaway

Please welcome Author Gracen Miller into the Sector 13 Zone.  Gracen Miller is the author of the Road to Hell series, which is one of my personal favorite series of all time. We are celebrating the release of the third and finale book in the series, Genesis Queen!

Now, let’s have some fun and see if we can get Gracen Miller to reveal any secrets that would make her a suspect of Sector 13. LOL

Relax, keep your hands and feet in the blog tour until it comes to a complete stop and enjoy interrogating Gracen Miller with my top five questions. :)




1. Genesis Queen is the last book in your Road to Hell series. How hard was it for you to type those last words?

I’m not emotional when I write. I never cry, rarely laugh. I’m often surprised when people tell me they cried or laughed in a scene because I just don’t feel those emotions. I try to convey them with my writing, but I never “feel” them. But when I wrote the last sentence to Genesis Queen I cried and was sad for several days. I felt like I had said goodbye to beloved family members. I’ve been writing on this series since 2008, so it’s taken up several years of my life. So that final sentence was very bittersweet.


2. You created a character that is the epitome of evil. Your readers should not like Micah, yet you wrote him in such a unique way that your readers fell in love with him. How hard was it for you to choose between Micah and Nix?




Ha! Very hard. My girlfriend and I talked about it a lot. I’d say Madison’s gotta pick *insert name*. We’d talk about that decision and by the end of the conversation I’d change my mind again. But I kept going back to the original ending that she’d talk me out of that ending over and over again. By midway through the book, I went to her and said *insert name* is who Madison has to choose and these are the reasons why. That was the only time she didn’t disagree. It was really a great test-run to make sure I crossed all my T’s and dotted all my I’s.


3. The Road to Hell series has many beloved characters. Zen is one of my personal favorites. Any plans to write spin off titles?





Oh, yeah, definitely. The next book in the series is After the Fire, which will detail what happens in the five years after Genesis Queen. Then comes Zen’s book in Immortal Deceiver—which picks up five years after Genesis Queen. There are readers who want books for Amos (the son of the heroine), Kur and even the other bad boy, Elias. I might give them all a book, but I have no idea at this point.



4. What do you find to be the most difficult about writing a series? 



Keeping up with all the minute details. Book three still has to tie in with book one. If it doesn’t, a reader will call me on the discrepancy. And I have to make sure I don’t stray from the series “rules” I’ve already set.



5. What are you currently working on?


I’ve got Taboo Kisses in the editing phase and it’s an erotic ménage. I’m writing on another erotic ménage titled Demon Spelled. Neither are for the faint of heart.




Thank you for joining us, Gracen Miller, and for sharing your talent. I'm totally in love with your world. Although, I'm behind and haven't finished GQ yet! I'm a bad... bad Hellhound. I'll look forward to my Micah punishment. :D








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Praise for Madison’s Life Lessons:
I loved it! Gracen has a natural talent for bringing her characters to life. I literally felt like I was right there watching and experiencing everything.”
~ Tich, Loves AllThingsBooks Book Reviews

"Madison's Life Lessons"
Prequel Novella - ROAD TO HELL series
(NOT required reading before beginning the series)
BUY LINKS



Fate can mark one early for a particular future.

Madison Wescott’s life is Hell on earth. Her father, a Baptist Preacher, convinces her she’s morally corrupt when men notice her blooming beauty. She strives to be unnoticeable, but nothing satisfies her condemning parents.




And sometimes fate has nothing to do with one’s potential.

Temptation rears its head when Micah Dominus visits her father’s church on Christmas morning, but she is unprepared for her physical reaction to him. Frightened by her own emotions, she is grateful she’ll never see him again. But when he shows up again at a friend’s funeral, and at other times in her life, she’s swayed by his charisma. Micah becomes her white knight through the good and bad, but can they create the perfect life together? Or has she just located the beginning of the Road to Hell?


Supernatural forces more powerful than fate can claim one’s destiny…






Madison’s Life Lessons Excerpt:

“You’re morally damned, Madison Grace Wescott!” Bruce Wescott screamed the outraged whisper into his daughter’s face. “It shames me to recognize you as my daughter.”

Madison shrunk further into the corner of the church bench, wishing she could shrink out of sight. Maybe if she were out of Daddy’s sight, she’d be out of his mind too, she thought as she blinked back the stinging tears. A hurried peek around the church sanctuary confirmed no one else witnessed her setback.

Unsure what she’d done to receive his censure this time, she offered a weak, “Yes, sir, I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Not that an apology ever appeased him.

“It’s not me you should be apologizing too, young lady, but the Lord,” he snapped drawing to his five-foot six stature. “If you don’t repent and alter your ways, God’ll see you burn in Hell.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.” She hoped she sounded meek enough to suit his temper or she’d find herself on her knees after church service praying for her soul. Depending upon his mood, she could pray for hours without a restroom break or a knee break. And boy, oh, boy, could her knees suffer brutal agony in that position.

It would be great if she knew what to repent so she could avoid the burn of Hell. She didn’t want to burn any more than he wanted her to burn. A typical complaint centered on her appearance. Her hair was too blonde, her eyes too blue, her boobs too big and her figure too lush for her too-tall frame. At fifteen she was already three and a half inches taller than him. All these complaints apparently forced men to sin against God by lusting after her. Not that she encouraged men to lust after her, mind you, but on the off chance that they did, it was still her fault in Daddy’s eyes.

“Brother Wescott,” Becca Slayter said with her hand extended to her father, cheap red lipstick smeared outside the lip-line of her saggy mouth. The over-abundance of lipstick did not give her the appearance of fuller lips. Reminded of another one of her father’s complaints—her lips were too full and sensual—Madison pinched her lips together. “I wanted to extol how much your sermon last Sunday enriched my life this week. Why I was telling Cynthia Jones…”

Madison stopped listening to Becca Slayter’s conversation with her dad because she didn’t much like ‘Sister’ Becca or her high-pitched annoying voice. And she was old, like thirty or thirty-five, and all Sister Becca ever did was brag about some new object she’d received.

She peeked around the sanctuary and took special care not to openly snag the gaze of any man. Opening her worn leather-bound Holy Bible to the Gospel of Luke, she began to read and mentally pray God would forgive her for whatever sin she’d committed. If she were lucky, by the time Daddy finished his morning sermon he would forget all about her morally damned soul. She sure didn’t want to spend the afternoon praying on her knees.


~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~









Praise for Pandora’s Box
“Gracen Miller has definitely added spice and intrigue in to a genre that can somewhat be monotonous with the same story lines about demons, angels, succubi, and other paranormal creatures.”
~ Kathryn Grimes, Tsk Tsk What to Read




"Pandora's Box"
Book 1 in ROAD TO HELL series
(MUST BE READ BEFORE READING HELL’S PHOENIX)
BUY LINKS
Print - Amazon / Print - Barnes & Noble


Where does the road to Hell begin?


What happens when your son turns homicidal overnight and your husband disappears on his way to work? Do you cower in fear or fight for your life? Madison Wescott fights against the odds. Distrustful of a God she doesn’t believe in, she finds herself face-to-face with a world she didn’t know existed and discovers her own soul is darkened with demonic connections.


With good intentions? Or by demonic design?


Phoenix Birmingham bursts into Madison’s life in a whirlwind of sarcasm and sexual appeal. A hero for the masses—and for her jaded heart—but few will ever know the sacrifices he has made or the sacrifices to come. Discovering her entire life has been influenced by multifaceted paranormal beings, Madison is determined to defeat the apocalyptic blueprint fate has decreed, but only one man dares to challenge the supernatural forces manipulating them. Even with Phoenix’s aid, can destiny be denied? Or will demonic design prevail while they pay the crucial price with their souls?

In a small, sleepy Alabama town the battle for mankind’s liberty has begun...


Pandora’s Box Excerpt:
“May I?” He held up the medical supplies.
She nodded and watched as he doused gauze with antiseptic. “Dr. Nix at your service,” he said with a grin, two adorable dimples charming her where words failed.
Madison rolled her eyes, and tipped her head to the side to give him better access. He brushed her hair off her neck, back behind her shoulder. Such a simple gesture, yet it felt terribly personal. The air grew thick and sticky with her awareness of him. She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs.
Madison stared into his eyes. Green, she thought, his eyes were green, gorgeous and intense, with ridiculously long eyelashes women would fantasize about. If they didn’t, they should. A flicker of compassion, concern, and something else she couldn’t identify flashed in his eyes.
“Ready?” he asked.
The husky tenor of his voice forced her gaze to shift to his mouth. Nice, sexy lips, designed for kissing. She gave a mental shake but couldn’t resist wondering how his mouth would feel on hers.
“Madison?” Humor deepened his voice, a touch of a smile tilted the edges of the lips she’d been fantasizing about, and she realized she still stared at them. “You ready?” he asked again, and her eyes widened in embarrassment over her foolish stupor.
She swallowed hard. “Yeah.” She whispered past the lump in her throat and forced her vision to lock on the wall over his shoulder. Good God, what was wrong with her? Her pulse throbbed like crazy, and she felt woozy. Loss of blood! Must be why she reacted that way. No other explanation made sense.
Even though the antiseptic stung like hell, the gentle touch coming from such a gruff man surprised her. “It’s not bad,” he said, dabbing the blood away. “Just a nick.”
Well, she could nix the blood loss theory. Exhaustion and stress were the only other excuses she could come up with. “I’ve suffered worse.” Her voice sounded off, kind of hoarse. She tried to clear her throat delicately, but he must have noticed her unease, because his perceptive eyes met hers. Again, she thought she caught the edge of concern reflected in their green depths.
“This isn’t the first time he’s attacked you?”
“No. It’s the first time he’s tried to seriously kill me, though.” She sighed as she closed her eyes, ready to give up fighting, the sudden tears threatening to fall. Okay, woozy and acting strange because of strain…not because of him. Seriously, as far as first impressions went, she wasn’t impressed.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Praise for Hell’s Phoenix
It blows J.R. Ward out of the water!”
~ Dawn Hagan, I Love Books



"Hell's Phoenix"
Book 2 in ROAD TO HELL series
BUY LINKS
Print – Coming Soon



Hell’s become more than just a playground for the wicked…


Going to Hell was supposed to save Madison, but knowing she’s dead because of his failure leaves Nix with only one thing to live for. Revenge. With Micah’s help he learns to use his Messianic power. Anything for Mads has become his mantra, even if it means killing innocents to gather the power he needs to succeed. A tsunami he unleashes on a Gulf Coast city is stopped with magical interference, and Nix is more than surprised to feel Madison in the opposing magic. Can he and Micah set a trap to lure her out?


Pandora’s Box…once you open it, there’s no turning back!


Madison has done the unthinkable, opened Pandora’s Box to save Nix from Hell. And failed. She’s willing to risk her own life to rescue Nix, but she worries about the welfare of her accomplice in the mission and leaving her son behind. Following up on a lead, she’s ambushed by Nix and Micah. Shocked and hurt to discover Nix has become a willing participant of Hell, she’s more certain than ever she won’t escape the demonic fate her husband outlined for her. While in Hell, she discovers denying the emergence of her succubus is futile, which means getting Nix out of Hell after embracing her inner demon just became a very real dilemma…






Hell’s Phoenix Excerpt:

“You’ll heal her promptly,” Micah growled, shifting back into his human persona, as he offered his legs as a pillow for her head. She’d have pushed him away if she could’ve managed to contort her body to that angle.
Madison gaped at the blood darkening her jeans and spreading down her thigh. “That hurts way worse than I thought being shot would.”
“I need to get your pants off, Mads, to heal you.” Nix’s fingers went to the snap of her jeans.
She knocked his hands away. “You’ll heal the others first.”
“He shot the main artery in your thigh, Madison. You’ll bleed out before he finishes with them.” Micah compressed his lips together and spoke as if he ground his teeth together. “I’ve lost you twice. I will not lose you again.”
“Death would at least grant me freedom from you!”
Micah’s mouth flattened in displeasure. “Phoenix, I would ask you to do as she requests.”
“Goddamnit, Mads, I swear I’ll heal them immediately after I take care of you.”
Madison glared at Nix. “E kawoja ciok tauqelv.” I refuse your healing. Nix spewed curses in Xapil. “Impressive, you’ve learned how to curse in demon.”
Nix scowled. “Stubborn.”
Madison clenched her teeth in silent mutiny. Nix cupped the back of her head, tugged slightly and kissed her hard on the lips. Excitement zinged through her system. Her attraction to him always presented itself at the most inappropriate moments.
“I find that stubborn trait sexy, baby.”
“Flattery gets you nowhere, Nix.” She winced at the tug against her wounded flesh as he rested her against Micah’s thighs.
“What does?” Nix jerked the hem of one pant leg up and tugged the blade strapped to her ankle out of its harness.
“Good deeds.”
He brandished the knife he’d given her for her thirtieth birthday and grinned. “Does healing them count?”
“No.”
Nix rolled to his feet and leveled her with his stare. “You’re a hard woman to please.”
“Cease the flirtations with my wife.” Micah’s grip on her shoulders intensified. “Heal those bottom-feeders, and then heal her.”

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~


"Genesis Queen"
Book 3 in ROAD TO HELL series

BUY LINKS



Victory is hollow when fate maneuvers one as a pawn.

Madison’s mission is complete. Nix is rescued from Hell and her son safe from his dark destiny. But as she rests in the safe harbor of Nix’s love, her demonic husband warns of a murderous plot. Can she trust that it’s the truth and not another scheme to claim her for Hell’s throne?

                 Sometimes internal conflict can house our biggest demons.

With allies divided and prophecy heralding defeat, Madison gambles on Micah’s tenuous honor to keep their son protected. Torn between her heart’s desires and her dark requirements, Madison worries her hellish fate cannot be avoided. When betrayal comes from an unlikely direction, all their futures may be damned. In the darkest hour of Madison’s life, an undeniable providence will transpire. Who can she trust? And how far will she fall to defeat her foes?

Amid the rubble of defeat, will Hell’s Genesis Queen dawn?

Genesis Queen Excerpt:
“I like the way you move, kitten.”

She took a deep breath, like she needed the extra oxygen to deal with him. “Did you square away the angels in Hell?”
 
“Yes.” Details weren’t necessary when they both knew he’d instituted a brutal torture regimen for all of them. “Dance with me?”
 
“To this music?”
 
“You didn’t appear to be having any problem.” He held his hand out toward her.
 
She stared at his palm. Her expression was reminiscent of an individual confident selling their soul was a reckless choice but entering the deal anyway.
 
“I don’t bite.”
 
Her gaze felt like an impact against his. “You did in Hell.”
 
He wrangled the grin under control. “Then I won’t bite.”
 
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Micah.”
“Why?”
A casual shrug when nothing about her body language suggested she felt relaxed. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Nix says my idea of dancing is sex with clothes on. He couldn’t tolerate it and if he couldn’t….” She trailed off and gaped at him as if she’d just realized she’d been about to insult him.

Micah grinned. “I haven’t lived as long as I have without executing restraint.” He stepped closer to her. “I’ve controlled myself with you more than any other.” Because she is my woman and deserves my respect.

Madison allowed him to pull her arms free of their defensive fold. Holding her gaze, Micah coaxed her into his embrace…left hip to left hip, his leg thrusting between her knees, gliding upward and parting her thighs.

She bit her bottom lip. Her breathing grew shallow. The heavy beat of the music thumped around them. His pulse throbbed faster.
 

Hell’s delights, she felt fantastic against him.
 
“Relax,” he said when she remained inflexible. A soft wind would break one of her bones. “I only want to dance with you.” Like when they’d been married, just a different manner of movement. This one more intimate than what they normally partook.
 
Her focus locked on his jaw, and she sharply inhaled when he slid his palm down her back and settled on her hips. He executed the first moves and she followed. As if magnetized, they gyrated in perfect synchronicity.


~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~


 About the Author: Gracen is a small town girl who was transplanted to the big city almost ten years ago. She describes herself as a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a “normal” person in Southern society. When not writing, she’s a full-time basketball/football/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband. She’s addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels and movies, Alabama football and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She is convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and blending coffee and writing generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her stories are spawned from these coffee highs. To learn more about Gracen and her writing or to leave her a comment, visit her website at www.gracen-miller.com.

Want to stalk Gracen Miller? Try one of the links below.

Facebook
Road to Hell series FB Fan Page 
Website
 Blog
Decadent Publishing 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


PRIZES:



GRAND PRIZE WINNER:
Signed copy of Pandora's Box
Signed copy of Hell's Phoenix
Road to Hell Bumper Magnet
Hellhound Magnet
Madison's Life Lesson's Magnet
Pandora's Box Magnet
Hell's Phoenix Magnet
Pandora's Box/Hell's Phoenix Postcard sized Magnet
Road to Hell book thong
Hellhound Rubber Bracelet
Hellhound Luggage Tag



2nd PLACE WINNER:
Signed copy of Madison's Life Lessons
Road to Hell Bumper Magnet
Hellhound Magnet
Madison's Life Lesson's Magnet
Pandora's Box Magnet
Hell's Phoenix Magnet
Pandora's Box/Hell's Phoenix Postcard sized Magnet
Hellhound Rubber Bracelet
Bracelet (donated by Kathryn Grimes at Tsk Tsk What to Read)



3rd PLACE WINNER:
Road to Hell Bumper Magnet
Hellhound Magnet
Madison's Life Lesson's Magnet
Pandora's Box Magnet
Hell's Phoenix Magnet
Pandora's Box/Hell's Phoenix Postcard sized Magnet
Hellhound Rubber Bracelet

Bookmark (donated by Kathryn Grimes at Tsk Tsk What to Read)
Tour Schedule:
12/14/12 Gracen Miller (Day in the Life of Madison)
12/15/12 The Secret Sanctuary of Books http://thesecretsanctuarybooks.blogspot.com/
12/16/12 Kristina’s Books and More http://kristinasbooksandmore.blogspot.com/
12/17/12 Tich Brewster  http://lovesallthingsbooks.blogspot.com/
12/18/12 Delphina Reads Too Much http://www.delphinareadstoomuch.com/
12/19/12 Tina Carriero http://tinacarreiro.blogspot.com/ 
12/20/12 Candace Pages http://www.lifebetweenthepages.com/
12/21/12 Steph C Brentson  http://starrynightbookreviews.blogspot.com/
12/22/12 Tsk Tsk What to Read http://tsktskwhattoread2.blogspot.com/
12/26/12 Tammy Middleton http://tamssbookblog.blogspot.com
12/27/12 Forbidden Reviews http://www.forbiddenreviews.com/
12/28/12 Chastity Bush http://chastitybush.blogspot.com 
12/30/12 Melissa Keir http://www.melissakeir.com/blog.html
1/3/13 United by Books http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/
1/4/13 Mary of Book Nerds Across America http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/
1/6/13 Intoxicated By Books http://intoxicatedbybooks.blogspot.com/ 
1/9/13 Earth’s Book Nook http://www.earthsbooknook.blogspot.com/
1/10/13 Jennilinh Dinh Bitten By Love http://www.bittenbylovereviews.com 
1/11/13 Simply Sexy Stories http://www.simplysexystories.blogspot.com 
 

 

3 comments:

  1. I LOVE MICAH! :)

    GREAT INTERVIEW!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic interview and THANK YOU for no spoilers :) I'm not caught up with the series yet! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for hosting me, Tina!!

    Huggles,
    Gracen

    ReplyDelete