The Arrival by Nicole MacDonald - virtual tour and giveaway

Today we're welcoming author Nicole MacDonald to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her SFF romance novel, "The Arrival".

Nicole will be awarding a $50 Amazon or BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter on her tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win prize!

Nicole was kind enough to answer all my prying questions. Thanks!

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I like most genres but Fantasy has been my very favorite since I first could read. I love the idea of other worlds, of abilities, of fantastical creatures and stories so outside my every day life.

What research (or world-building) is required?

More than I ever expected! I’ve created an entire new world in the BirthRight Trilogy and its required research on all many of subjects, from the distance a griffon could travel in a day, to the striations in caves, to how phytoplankton works. And of course lots of research on weapons and mythical creatures.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Big battles require an extraordinary amount of patience. Nothing happens overnight and each little step gets you closer.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Friday the 13th is always my lucky day and I prefer to write when it’s stormy. The first scenes I wrote for the BirthRight trilogy were directly inspired by storms over the Wellington Harbor, in New Zealand.

Plotter or pantser?

Both. I need to do a good amount of plotting for certain sneaky threads that run through the story and usually pantser for the initial excitement of the idea.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

.. No one, but on my left my partner is cackling over Dragons Den Canada. He really doesn’t like Kevin.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

Two YA series and a stand alone black comedy about crazy old cat ladies… seriously *grin*

Four friends in the midst of a man drought cast a love spell on a whim, unexpectedly landing them on another planet.

Oops.

On a foreign and often hostile world, love teeters on the horizon while the threat of civil war looms thanks to the girls' surprising gifts. Will the girls master these gifts in time to survive a war in which not only are they the ultimate weapons, but also the ultimate prize?

Introduction

'Cat’s down!' hollered Sensei as he tracked the grappling pairs in the room.

I wrapped my legs around Nathan’s hips. The look of shock on his face amused me, even more so when I gave him a suggestive smile, arching my eyebrow.

Cheap shot? Not if he fell for it. He didn’t register what I was up to until his head connected with the mat. I smirked down at him.

Sensei had a wide smile as he called, 'Catherine wins.'

Nathan scowled at me.

'Get off, would you?'

I stood and sauntered to the side, joining Kassie as we watched the final pairs fight. Tonight I’d won all three of my fights.

Not quite as good as Loi. I watched as she brought Daniel down to the mat hard enough that he yelped in pain. Sometimes the two inch mats didn’t feel that thick. I felt a pang of sympathy for him.

'Laura wins, making her this evening’s champion,' Sensei crowed in triumph. Kassie and I hollered, clapping for Loi as she stood, ever graceful, and walked our way. Most of the guys in the room had rueful smiles as they joined in the applause.

'I can’t believe you’re letting yourselves get beaten by girls,' Sensei shook his head in mock distress. 'What will I tell the other sensei at the meet?'

'That you train Amazons,' Jason, the class smart ass, quipped back.

Actually that was a good description for Laura, though I didn’t think you’d see many Amazons with Scottish accents. Five foot eight, with a figure like a pin-up girl and thick black hair to her waist, Loi made most people look twice.

'What’s the magic word?' demanded a saccharin sweet voice, interrupting my thoughts.

The three of us, along with those sitting out, turned to look. There was Sian, the fourth of our quartet, with Grant beneath her tiny thighs.

For some reason Grant felt the need to be stubborn when tapping out with Sian. It may be due to her dainty appearance. Sian was the blond in our group and just adorable to look at. Dainty and precious, more like precocious, truth be told, she scraped in at just five foot like Kassie. But while Kassie had a curvy busty figure, Sian was petite in every sense of the word; except personality.”

Nicole MacDonald is the Independent author of The Arrival, and, Awakening, the first two books in the BirthRight Trilogy. Writing had never been a lifelong dream for her until she began The Arrival, but it now is an all-consuming passion.

A proud Kiwi (New Zealander) Nicole dreams that one day Peter Jackson will be in touch to option the film rights for the BirthRight Trilogy. When she's not daydreaming about that she's working on book three in the trilogy - Feel the Burn, available December 2012 - and planning future works.

Blog: www.damselinadirtydress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheBirthRightTrilogy
Twitter: @DmslinaDrtyDrss
Youtube link to book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKcn9LMrK30&list=WL994280763A299228&feature=mh_lolz

Amazon US - free: http://www.amazon.com/The-Arrival-BirthRight-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004HD5WAE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347750674&sr=8-3&keywords=the+arrival
Itunes US - free: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-arrival/id431517784?mt=11
Itunes UK - free: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-arrival/id431517784?mt=11
Kobo - free: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Arrival/book-fW1uiT1a2U27zweXd_D9jw/page1.html?s=m6zvEHUwuU6GCa6fCqs70A&r=1
Sony ereader store - free: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/nicole-macdonald/the-arrival/_/R-400000000000000340919
Smashwords (any format) - free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34874