Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Determination is Cadence Hamilton’s middle name - "Pillars In Time" A chat with Author Erin Pryor Mar 15 - 18

 Congratulations to Dalila G. for winning a copy 
of Pillars in Time!

We are very excited to have Erin Pryor visit with us today. Erin is here to promote her debut release "Pillars In Time" and tell us why she loves writing. 

Determination is Cadence Hamilton’s middle name. She sets her sights on a lofty goal in a man’s profession: to be the most sought after architect on the West Coast. When she hears of the chance to draft the renovation of a 14th Century Scottish castle, she jumps at her dream job…never expecting to be whisked away to the century itself.


Nicholas Kincaid, sole heir to Dunmaben castle, is in a horrible predicament: marry or forfeit his lands. But the woman who visits his dreams keeps him from falling into wedded bliss. With the clock ticking, he follows duty to marry to avoid losing his beloved home and will do whatever it takes to ensure the security and safety for all, both in and outside of his walls. Except the woman, who beholds secrets he seeks, becomes his distraction….


Neither Nicholas nor Cadence anticipates the threats close to home, or the lives that will be lost in the process. As their relationship is tested and unknown enemies revealed, will their love conquer all? Even the boundary of time?


Wow, romance, time travel, a strong heroine and hero! Let's welcome Erin to find out more.

Reader’s Haven: Tell us a bit about yourself  that our readers might not know.

Erin:  I love to quilt and figure skate. I grew up figure skating and my grandmother taught me how to quilt when I was twelve.

Reader’s Haven: You look like a princess in this photo. What made you want to become a writer?


Erin: It’s the creative side in me. I’ve always loved a good story and thought “what if” I could do it. Instead of just thinking “what if”, I transitioned into actually accomplishing my dream.

Reader’s Haven: Please share a bit about your new release Pillars in Time without giving away any spoilers.

Erin:  Pillars in Time: Determination is Cadence Hamilton’s middle name. She sets her sights on a lofty goal in a man’s profession: to be the most sought after architect on the West Coast. When she hears of the chance to draft the renovation of a 14th Century Scottish castle, she jumps at her dream job…never expecting to be whisked away to the century itself.

Reader’s Haven: Do you write under a pen name?

Erin:  Nope. I prefer to keep it simple. That way my friends can find me.

Reader’s Haven: What types of hero or heroine do you like best?

Erin:  Headstrong and independent people, yet at the same time, willing to depend on another person when the situation calls for it.

Reader’s Haven: Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.

Erin:  Well, I work full time. So trying to fit my writing into my daily life can tend to get difficult. I try and write for at least one hour a day, in the morning, before I get going doing anything else. My mind is clear and focused on the story at hand.

Reader’s Haven: Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

Erin:  Home is where the heart is. It doesn’t matter where you come from or where you believe you’re heading, that love can guide you in ways you never imagined.


Reader’s Haven: How long does it take you to write and then edit a story?

Erin:  Full time? Three – Four months. Part time? Eight – Ten months.

Reader’s Haven: Do you have to be alone to write?

Erin:  No, but I prefer it. I have two little ones at home, and the four year old has a knack for interrupting right at the most important moment. I choose to remove myself from my house for several hours at a time, go to my local coffee spot, park in a seat, put my headphones in and just write.

Reader’s Haven: How do you go about naming characters?


Erin:  I think about their generation and where they come from. I try and stay true to a name that’d be given in that person’s century and region of living.

Reader’s Haven: Is it easier to write about the characters if you find pictures of them before you write or do you write then find character pictures?

Erin:  No. I like to start writing the characters first, and then find pictures of them. I want to form them in my mind un-intruded before I put an actual face to a character.

Reader’s Haven: How do you pick locations for your stories?

Erin:  I absolutely love Scotland. No, I’ve never been, but cannot wait to go. There is something about the country that draws me in and calls to me. Coupled that with my love for all things medieval, I decided to write time travel.


 Reader’s Haven: Erin, thank you for visiting with us the rest of week. Readers, you can find Erin on her Blog, Facebook and Twitter. And there's a giveaway of a copy of Pillars In Time to one lucky commenter. Please leave your email address so we can easily contact the winner.


You can find Pillars In Time on Decadent Publishing and Amazon.


~Excerpt~

“Tell me, Miss Hamilton, what do you see? I know what your vision looks like both on paper and in a scale version. But sitting here, what do you see? Close your eyes and describe it to me.” His soft, unexpected request tugged at her heart strings.

After a few silent moments, Cadence realized she wouldn’t get away from this encounter without indulging him, if only for a moment. She let her eyes drift shut again. It didn’t take long for her mind to resume where it’d left off.

“I’m sitting outside of the kitchen watching small children run from the door into a building on the other side of the bailey.” Pots clanged in the distance. “A hundred yards off from the kitchen sits a quaint church, a single large cross at its peak, beckoning all from afar.” A cool breeze tousled her hair and tickled the nape of her neck. “A garden, booming with fresh vegetables and herbs, sits behind the church.” She inhaled and could smell cooked carrots and a roast on the fire.

Cadence put her hands over her rumbling stomach to silence its protests.

“What else?” he asked in a melodic tone.

Her vision panned out to give her a bird’s eye view. People entered and exited the main gate, all dressed in medieval attire. Sounds of laughing children, men giving orders, and the jingle of horse’s tack filled her ears.

Cadence couldn’t ignore the second gurgle of her protesting stomach. She pulled back from her daydream and lifted her lids.

But the vision remained. Confused, Cadence closed her eyes, rubbed vigorously, and then opened her lids once more. Everything stayed the same.

Strong, tall walls stood off to the side. White plumes of smoke billowed out of a chimney fifty feet away. Where’d the building come from? It hadn’t been there two minutes ago.

After the fifth failed attempt of righting the world around her, Cadence pushed off of the bench, ready to walk out of whatever weird alternate reality she’d unknowingly stepped into.

“Ow!” She forgot to look up, a bad habit she needed to break one of these days.

Hands clutched her upper arms. “Who are you and what are you doing in my bailey?” A hard, male voice demanded in Gaelic.

What the…?

The owner of the hands cutting off the circulation in her arms wasn’t Collin, but an unknown man with a broad chest, his face shadowed by the glaring sun. What had happened to Collin?

Run! her body screamed at her.

“I…uh…I….”

“Well, gel, spit it out!” he demanded, again in Gaelic, before releasing her.

Cadence moved and let her feet fly.



BIO:
Erin Pryor is a very hard-working wife and mother to two. When she isn’t busy pounding away at the keyboard, she spends time going on dates with her husband and hanging out with the kids. Her favorite hobbies are reading, quilting, and figure skating. Erin’s books are inspired by her passion for Medieval Scotland. She’s always wondered ‘what if’, motivating her to explore the boundaries of time travel.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Erin,
    Thanks for visiting with us this week. I love the cover and premises of Pillars of Time. Readers, let Erin know what century you would like to time travel to. I would love to go back to the med evil era; knights, dragons,taverns. LOL I would probably end up being a beer wench since I used to be a bartender. ~Brenda

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  2. Thanks for having me! It was fun answering the questions. You all did a beautiful job on the blog!

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  3. Hi Erin!

    Great guest blog post, thank you for sharing with us today!

    I also have to agree with AARH, you look like a princess in the photo.

    Figure skating! How awesome!
    I have no such talent, I always end up on my butt 95% of the time. Gave up at the age of 7 along with roller skating. LOL!!

    Your book, Pillars In Time, sounds like an interesting read. I would like to get my hands on it, I need to see what happens to Cadence.

    I really do not read time-travels, mainly I'm a BIG historical romance reader. This book sounds like I can get very comfy reading it in my favorite chair with a cup of tea.
    I am spreading my reading to other genres and this is going on my list of new to me authors.

    Scotland is definitely a place I would LOVE to visit! It is on my wish list of travels. I can get lost there and never worry about coming back! LOL!

    Wishing you the best!

    Thank you for the giveaway!

    DNodrog3(AT)aol(DOT)com

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  4. Dalila, you won a copy of Pillars in Time. Congratulations! Erin will be emailing you for your choice of eBook. Thank you for stopping by! ~Brenda

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  5. Thank you Brenda!
    Thank you Erin!
    Looking forward to reading PILLARS IN TIME! :-)

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