Q&A with Gabi Stevens & win WISHFUL THINKING

First, a request. If you have read Royal Street and haven't already done so, please go to the Amazon link Here and scroll down to leave a customer review. Doesn't have to be much, but only after a certain number (I think 40) of reviews are logged will Amazon add the book to some of its "recommended" emails. Yeah, even if you hated it :-). Thank you!


Also, today I'm over at author John Scalzi's blog taking over the  "Big Idea" column and talking about the challenges of writing about Hurricane Katrina. Stop by and comment if you get a chance! http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/04/24/the-big-idea-suzanne-johnson/


Now, today I'd like to welcome to the blog author Gabi Stevens, whose Wishful Thinking comes out today! Want to win a copy? (If you aren't familiar with the series, you also can request the first book!)

ABOUT GABI: Gabi Stevens was born in SoCal to Hungarian parents. After spending time in boarding school, college, and studying abroad, she spent seven years in the classroom trying to teach eighth graders the joys of literature. An award winning author, Gabi writes in New Mexico where she lives with her robotics engineer husband, three daughters, and two dogs. She loves to play games, has a wicked addiction to reading, avoids housework and cooking, and doesn’t travel nearly as much as she would like to. Visit Gabi Stevens at www.GabiStevens.com; at her blog, www.GabiStevens.blogspot.com; Facebook, facebook.com/gabi.stevens; or Twitter, twitter.com/GabiStevens

ABOUT WISHFUL THINKING:

Free-spirited artist Stormy Jones-Smythe was raised by two talented Wizard fathers but never showed the slightest hint of magical abilities. Which is why she’s totally surprised when three famous fairy godmothers show up at her door to tell her she’s one of them. Surprised, and none too happy.  The godmothers are fugitives, framed for treason, and the last thing the magical Council wants is another fairy godmother going rogue. Hence Stormy’s new full-time Guard, Hunter Merrick. Stormy quickly realizes she’s not going to escape Hunter’s watch…and before long, she’s not sure she wants to. But her freedom depends on her ability to expose the plot against the godmothers, and that means getting control of her magic. Despite the growing chemistry between them, Hunter is fiercely loyal to the Council—and duty-bound to keep Stormy from doing either of those things. But he didn’t count on Stormy’s irrepressible exuberance and passion for life. Before long, even Hunter isn’t sure which side he’s on, and he can’t contain Stormy either way.

Welcome, Gabi!

Give us the “elevator pitch” for WISHFUL THINKING: 

In Wishful Thinking, free-spirit Stormy Jones-Smythe discovers she next in line to be a fairy godmother, when a threat to the Arcani tests her loyalties and those of her rigid and strict Guard, Hunter Merrick.

What was your inspiration for the book? 

When I first decided to write a paranormal novel, I knew I wanted something different. I’ve always loved the Grimm fairy tales—I even studied them in school—so naturally I turned to them for inspiration. Fairy godmothers were just the right subject. The number three is one of the magic numbers in the fairy tales (as are seven and twelve), so I knew I wanted three stories about three women. And one of my favorite themes is doing the right thing no matter the cost. And there you have my plot. Okay, it wasn’t quite that easy, and I didn’t write to the theme; I just told the story, and that’s the major theme that came out of the story.

Favorite scene: 

When Stormy and Hunter decide which side of the conflict they’re on. There’s another one, but I’m not saying anything about that one. (I’m one of those infamous readers who always reads the end of novels first, but I hate giving anything away to others. I protect the story—it’s up to an individual to ruin it for themselves.)

Oh, and the scene with the whale. (Yup, that’s all I’m going to say.)

Hardest scene to write: 

Same as the scene I mentioned above—the one I’m not talking about.

What’s on your nightstand or top of your TBR pile? 

Right now it’s Karen Marie Moning’s Shadowfever, but ask me again in a couple of days. It’ll be different. I read fast and really don’t have a TBR pile.

Favorite book when you were a child: 

The Oz books...Encyclopedia Brown...Half Magic...A Little Princess...Grimm’s Fairy Tales... The Chronicles of Prydian...oh, did you want only one?

Your five favorite authors: 

Mark Twain, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, and number five is a 168 way tie that I won’t subject you to.

Book you've faked reading: 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Book you're an evangelist for: 

Lamb, the Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Chirstopher Moore

Book you've bought for the cover: 

The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn

Book that changed your life: 

Captive Bride by Johanna Lindsey (my very first romance novel)

Favorite line from a book: 

“I dare say death will be a lobster, too, and I can come to terms with it.” From Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Book you most want to read again for the first time: 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling.

Most horrifying moment while reading a book: 

In The Kite Runner, the scene with the child rape. And the end was not satisfying for me either.

Favorite book about books or writing: 

On Writing by Stephen King; Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Dave King and Renni Browne

What’s next? 

My agent is shopping around the start of a series about a town in the Rockies whose inhabitants are special, and currently I’m working on a manuscript that combines my two favorite genres, historical and paranormal. I also have one epub book out (a backlist title), Temptation’s Warrior, and working on getting a second one up very soon.

Want your own copy of Wishful Thinking (or the first book in the series, The Wish List)? If you had one wish from a fairy godmother, what would it be? (I'd wish for an unlimited supply of wishes!) Leave a comment for one entry; extra entries for a blog follow; Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson; and a Tweet or Retweet.