I've had the pleasure of reading a few of this author's stories. One thing I've always noted is that she writes deeply strong and interesting characters! For our blog tour stop for the Curse of the Phoenix Bundle, Rachel Firasek talks about the strengths and weaknesses of her characters. She has a few questions for you down below.
The Ying to Your Yang
Every perfect couple should complement each other. Right?
Hmmm…well, it’s an author’s job to find those perfect compliments even when the
reader thinks that there is no way a couple will ever get together. Ever. Even
if the couple gets along and everything seems fine, it’s our job to make sure
at some point you doubt that they’ll survive the long haul. But the beauty in
that is we know it’ll happen and we love our jobs, so we want you to see that
beauty. Making any sense? Here are a few examples:
In The Last Rising,
I have two independent and strong characters:
Ice/Isis: Had a family that she adored, but lost it all.
Doesn’t want to feel. Is strong willed. Won’t forgive herself. But… she loves
her fellow phoenixes and wants the best for them. She understands sacrifice for
your children. She wants to be whole.
And then you have her hero…Turner: Turner has a child, but
he’s a busy business man that sometimes neglects his duties. He’s been burned
by a woman before, so he’s not as trusting as he thinks he is. He doesn’t take
no for an answer. But…he can love Ice like no one before her. He’s easy going
and patient enough to work around her strong will. He knows that forgiveness is
the first step at being whole.
See he’s the Ying to her Yang.
In The Last Awakening:
Greyson is a war vet that has a ton of issues including
PTSD. He’s a borderline alcoholic. He trusts no one. And he’s teetering on the
brink of madness. But, he loves his best friend Turner. He is a protector. He
will never leave the one he loves.
And then you have his Arabella/Ari: She’s a little spice
from the south. Voodoo priestess and a century of self-loathing for a spell
gone bad. Sadness seeps from her every pore until she meets the one person even
more depressed than her. She is sturdy enough to take Grey’s insults. She won’t
back down from his condescension. And she will always do what’s right for her
friends. She is pure light to his black heart.
And she is the Ying to his Yang. (Oh, and Ari is the goddess on the bundle
cover.)
And finally, The Last
Beginning:
Here we have Sadie—a mess of rash and bold decisions. She’s
like the toddler of the Phoenixes and is passionate in everything she does.
This can be both her strength and weakness.
And I gave her Osiris. He’s ancient. A god. And totally
ready for anything she can dish out…except when she’s sick. Osiris is arrogant.
Meddlesome. And doesn’t bend. But for Sadie. To heal her? He’ll bow to all the
gods and even exchange his soul for hers. He’s that dedicated to those he
loves.
He is the Ying to her Yang.
All in all, I think I’ve managed to throw together an
interesting cast of characters with complementary strengths and weaknesses for
you to hate and love. At least, if I did my job right, you will. *winks*
Thanks for having me and I hope you check out The Curse of
the Phoenix Bundle.
Oh, and I’d love to know, what are your strengths and
weaknesses? Do you have a Ying and Yang kind of relationship? Do tell!
Book Title: Curse of the
Phoenix Bundle
Author: Rachel Firasek
Book One: The Last Rising
After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris,
world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her
own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides
her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a
sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will
be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.
Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a
wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious
Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing
Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive
herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.
Book Two: The Last Awakening
For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one
meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris gifts the
phoenix her mortality and long-gone voodoo magic with a warning that she must
save her next soul within a week without using magic, or she’ll lose her power
forever.
Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed
from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him. Confronted by a waif of a woman
who forces him to face the truth about his past, he runs fast and hard,
fighting the need to prove himself worthy despite his perceived failures.
When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder,
the weak will find strength and the strong will fall. One will have to give up
everything so the other can have peace, but will love’s magic withstand the
loss?
Book Three: The Last Beginning
Though she’s always hated being a phoenix, Sadie has to
admit immortality has its advantages. She’s seen and done more in the last 150
years than she’d ever dreamed of, but she can’t get past the fact that Osiris
has done nothing but manipulate her and her fellow phoenixes.
Or that, when her last incarnation as a phoenix comes to a
fiery end, the fire slowly begins to consume her body.
Sun god Osiris is ashamed of his role as ruler of the
Underworld, but he unless he can figure out how to save Sadie, that’s exactly
where she’s going to end up. Permanently. Terrified he’s going to lose her, he
takes her on a hunt for The Book of the Dead, which is the only way he knows he
can save her—even if it means she’ll hate him forever.
Goodreads:
Buy links:
Author Bio:
Rachel Firasek spends her days daydreaming of
stories and her nights putting the ideas to ink. She has spent a dull life
following the rules, meeting deadlines, and toeing the line, but in her made up
worlds, she can let the wild side loose. Her wonderful husband and three
children support her love of the written word and only ask for the occasional
American Idol or Swamp People quality hour. She has a philosophy about love. It
must devastate or it isn’t truly worth loving. She hopes that you all find your
devastating love and cling to it with all your heart. After all, romance on the
edge is better!
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