Interview:
I live in central Ohio with my husband, three daughters, four dogs, and three cats. I love to write, (of course) watch movies, bike ride and generally hang around the house. I’m a homebody, and enjoy nothing better than spending an evening with the family talking around the dinner table.
2) How long have you been writing?
Technically I’ve been writing fiction since I was in middle school. I used to write episodes of the Bionic Woman. But then I didn’t write much after that until after the birth of my first daughter. She’ll be turning 23 soon, so about 23 years…or 35 years depending on which you count as a starting point.
3) Do you have a favorite place to write?
I love writing on my back deck next to our pool. When the weather is nice and the birds are chirping and the sun is sparkling off the water, it’s very relaxing and I can really focus. Normally though I write at my desk in my office. The walls are bright yellow so it gives me a happy feeling to be in there. (Plus I can see the pool from my window.)
4) Why did you decide to write Heaven and Hellsbane?
HEAVEN AND HELLSBANE is the second book in my Hellsbane series. I really love the characters, Emma Jane, Eli and even Dan. Emma is on a journey and I hope that readers want to see where it will lead her as much as I do.
The series came about because of The Book of Enoch. I’ve always been fascinated by the biblical stories about angels taking human wives and producing these giant children. There’re only vague mentions of them in the accepted bible, and despite being a trusted biblical figure most of Enoch’s writings about angels and fallen angels were excluded. No worries though, he totally went there in his own book. According to him it was the philandering fallen angels and their half breed children (nephilim) that really brought about the epic flood. Anyway, after reading it I thought how cool would be if these angels were still doing it, but over the eons had figured out a way to make their children seem just as normal as any human. Then these children, these nephilim, would be living among us, not even realizing themselves the true supernatural power they possessed. The entire Hellsbane series grew out of that premise. Depending on your beliefs it could all be very possible…and I love that!
5) Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
Eli. He’s just so gosh darn sexy…and forbidden. Doubly tempting!
6) How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
Dan. He’s an obstacle in the way of Emma Jane’s happiness. He doesn’t mean to be. He loves her and she loves him, but he’s in the way and that bugs me.
7) Do you proofread/edit your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
I read over the first draft first and catch as much as I can, while I polish up the writing a bit and then I have a wonderful proof reader (just graduated college) who goes over it with a magnifying glass catching everything from bad grammar to continuity screw ups. She’s awesome!
8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I’m a home improvement freak. I have huge projects all over the house that I love working on. When I’m not doing that, I read, bike, watch TV go to the movies or just hang out with my family.
9) Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I LOVE reading! Anne Rice will always hold a special place in my heart. Her vampire series is what made me want to write in the first place. But auto-buys for me are writers like, Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, Laurell K. Hamilton, Christopher Moore, actually there are a lot of them.
10) What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Write it out here, then answer it.
Do I believe in angels?
Yes. I do. But I think they may be something completely different than what we expect.
Hellsbane Series,
Book Two
Paige Cuccaro
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62266-887-8
Print ISBN: 978-1-62266-888-5
ASIN: B00BFQANJG
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 97,000
Cover Artist: Karen Phillips
Book Description:
Someone’s killing angels and turning the half human, half angel illorum warriors against their angelic supporters. If the supernatural baddy behind the attacks isn’t stopped soon, Heaven itself could fall victim. The Council of Seven has called in the best they’ve got to find the killers, and no one’s more surprised than Emma Jane Hellsbane when it’s her phone that rings.
But when her own angelic mentor—and off-limits hottie—Eli is targeted, Emma takes it personally. With Emma hot on the trail of the growing army of assassins, though, hackles start to raise around her. Everyone wants to know if she’s in it to protect all angels or just one in particular. The Council has their suspicions…and so does Emma’s boyfriend.
Now Emma isn’t just fighting off demons, rogue nephilim, and Fallen angels, but she’s defending her honor as well. The problem is even Emma Jane isn’t sure of her motives. One thing she does know: if she doesn’t figure out the killers’ identities soon, she may not live long enough to know what, or who, she really wants.
It’s all in a day’s work as Heaven’s ultimate bounty hunter.
Excerpt:
I used to think feeling others’ emotions was some sort of freakish gift. I’d even turned it into a pretty successful moneymaker as an Intuitive Consciousness Explorer—otherwise known as a psychic. I knew now it was just one of the many quirky side effects of being the bastard offspring of an angel. Yay me.
Dan turned his gaze back to Eli. He couldn’t let it go. “This is a date, man. Private time. But you knew that, didn’t you? You knew we’d been planning this for the past week. You knew the last time we tried this, too. And the time before that.”
“Emma forfeited her private time when she picked up that sword,” Eli said. “She’s a warrior for our Father now. She’s never off duty.”
“Bullshit,” Dan said, then glanced around and lowered his voice. “She’d have private time—time alone with me—if you’d stay away long enough for her to take a breath.”
I followed Dan’s gaze, scanning the faces at the nearby tables, worried we were drawing attention. No one looked our way. No one had even noticed Eli’s sudden arrival. But humans weren’t meant to notice the comings and goings of angels. As beautiful as they were, angels were like extras in a movie, part of the background and easily overlooked.
“C’mon, Dan,” I said. “You know Eli’s not doing it on purpose.”
Dan glowered at me, frustration still tight across his face. “You sure about that?”
“Yes,” I said, but I couldn’t blame him for doubting it. Eli had been a near constant presence in my life since the moment I met him a year ago. He’d been the magister of a dear friend, an illorum like me, Tommy Saint James. It was Tommy who’d brought me to him, introduced us. But even Tommy had been concerned about Eli and me working together.
And with good reason.
Eli was everything angels were supposed to be: tall, broad shouldered, with a strong, athletic build. He had the looks that could steal a woman’s breath, keep her speechless for seconds. His silky black hair hung in soft waves over his forehead, enhancing his startlingly pale cloud-blue eyes.
But I’d gotten used to his looks a long time ago. It was the man inside the pretty wrapping that played havoc with my good sense. He was my friend and so much more. I trusted him with my life. But there was nothing romantic between us.
There couldn’t be.
I reached across the table to touch Dan’s arm. “This is my life. It sucks. Believe me, I know. But I don’t have a choice, and neither does Eli. If it were up to me, nothing would get in the way of spending time with you. You believe that, right?”
Dan’s warm maple-brown eyes met mine, his anger softening at the corners. “Yeah. Of course I believe you. But him…?”
About the Author:
Writing was never a foregone conclusion for me. I once had dreams of being a psychologist, a pediatrician, a school teacher, a photojournalist, a bartender, and/or an EMT. And then I met my husband and my world came into focus. Being wife and mother are my highest priorities and greatest joy. But escaping to the fanciful, sexy worlds twirling through my mind is an absolute necessity. Putting those worlds, and the cornucopia of characters that people them, on paper is just plain fun.
Paige lives in Ohio, with her husband, and three daughters. When she’s not writing she can be found doing the mom thing with a book in one hand and a notepad and pen in the other. Ideas come without warning and the best way to stimulate your imagination is to enjoy the imagination of someone else.
Tour Wide Giveaway
The grand a $50 Amazon gift card a print copy of each of the first two books (Hellsbane (book1) Heaven and Hellsbane (book2) )and an electronic copy of the prequel Commencement.
Second prize a print copy of each of the first two books and a Hellsbane Ouija board.
Third prize electronic copy of the first two books and the prequel.
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