Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Virtual Tour and Giveaway: Return of the Legacy by K. H. LeMoyne

Today we're welcoming author KH LeMoyne to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her paranormal romance, "Return of the Legacy".

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Additionally, she'll choose two randomly drawn winners of the Dragon Rider’s Gift eBook (A Portal Tale), due for release May 1, 2012. 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 a GC!

I asked the author to share some things we'd never guess about her .... take it away, Kate!

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NEVER GUESS ABOUT ME

I’d like to thank you for hosting me on It’s Raining Books. It’s really a pleasure to be here and talk about the secret me. Just kidding on the secrets, but there are a few things that I think most people wouldn’t expect from me.

First, I’m a tarot card collector. I own about forty sets of tarot cards. These run the gamut from the more commonly known Rider-Waite to a fun Dragon Tarot pack. The Shapeshifter Tarot actually provided some inspiration for a story I wrote. While I understand the basics behind the suits and cards, it’s the artwork and my fascination with the tiny sets that holds my interest. Several of the accompanying books are rather good, especially those that evolve outside the standard for tarot readings. Most people may not realize that tarot cards didn’t actually come into popularity until after the fourteenth century and while many of the current sets cards are fairly new there are cards from almost every corner of the world. A number of the packs have incredible design and artwork and, like books, many are put out through publishers. As a writer, I enjoy using visuals to stimulate new ideas and extend creativity. These are great fun.

Second, I’ve researched and grown herbs for many years. Granted, my garden has fairly typical and recognizable culinary herbs. While there are many esoteric herbs, the ancient uses for some herbs you might recognize like Foxglove (originally the basis for the digitalis used in heart medications, though I believe this is no longer the case), Feverfew (having obvious links to reducing fevers but linked to treatments for migraines and headaches as well), and Frankincense (not surprisingly, has its roots in religious purification, protection, and exorcism) might be of interest. I do not use these herbs and would caution against that. But I do create scenes based on their history or presumed magical properties. There are a number of sites now for information on the Internet but I usually go to Gerard’s Herbal, The Earthwise Herbal, and several other sources to add details for stories. As a writer, this expands a scene with layers and symbolism as well as authenticity.

Third, I’m a corgi lover. My husband and I have owned three Pembroke Welsh Corgis: Merlin, Lady, and now our third, Bella, the Diva that rules the household. I considered including a corgi in a story, due to their mythic history as use for fairy steeds, but I held back. I’ve collected a number of corgi memorabilia over the years as well.

Fourth, I cook international dishes to relieve stress. I enjoy cooking but writing doesn’t usually allow time for complicated recipes. When I get to the end of a book or have a break while a manuscript is with an editor, I like to try new things. It’s cathartic and since new recipes require my entire attention, I can’t drift off worrying about a story. Or at least that’s what I like to pretend. Not to mention that my husband loves to try anything new. Most recently, I tried a wonderful recipe for Cuban pork roast. This was a two-day marinated leg of pork in spices and mojo sauce that cooks at a low heat slowly for several hours. Yes, mojo is a real sauce –there are several purchasable varieties. I highly recommend them for pork, chicken, and beef. This particular recipe went very nicely with black beans and rice. For a short while I was on an Indian menu kick. Very fun but a little time consuming: grilled tandoori chicken, Machali Ke Tikke (marinated salmon), Kofta in Yogurt (spicy meatballs), basmati rice, Masaledar (spicy green beans), Pool Gobi Aur Aloo Ki Bhaji (cauliflower with potatoes), and cucumber raita…among other dishes. This was a wonderful way to experience new flavors and aromas, though sometimes they do linger for a few days in the house. I apologize if I butchered any of these names because, truly, they were wonderful dishes!

Last, and perhaps this is easy to guess, house cleaning is the last thing on my to-do list. Ever. I choose writing over everything else so the dust bunnies and cobwebs in my house can almost claim their own paranormal series. And while some people are organized enough that they can raise the kids, work ten hours a day, write, and clean the house—I’m not one of them. The truth is, I have no interest. I used to work ten hours a day in a technology field, commute, and raise a child. The house didn’t rank then either. I like to think I’m consistent!





Three magical dimensions…Two mystical bloodlines…One undeniable destiny.

Born a magical empath, Logan MacKenzie has spent his life protecting his family from discovery. Evil has found them anyway. What begins as Logan’s search for answers on Earth becomes a race for survival in the magical dimension of Loci.

The battle to save those he cares about will reveal his true lineage—the bloodline of the Makir, one half of a pair of sentinels chosen to guard the mystical portals between dimensions. The price of his acceptance: a love he never imagined possible and a heartbreaking choice.

Her family attacked, her home destroyed, and now stranded on Loci, Briallen of Tir Thar, descendant of a magical race, has only to summon the power within her to return to her own dimension—or so she had hoped. Unfortunately, her powers aren’t cooperating, and the sorcerer bent on her family’s destruction will stop at nothing to possess her.

Raised without knowledge of the portals, the Makir guardians, or her own destiny, Bri takes a leap of faith in an alliance with Logan. Embracing an uncertain power and accepting his goals as hers offers her the only way home. If they fail, the consequences of allowing the portals to fall to evil are unthinkable—the destruction of every magical dimension throughout space.

Warning: This is a fantasy romance, containing magic, love, and courage. The omission of vampires and shapeshifters is intentional.


A former technology specialist, KH LeMoyne now writes romance fulltime with series in urban fantasy, high fantasy, and scifi/futuristic. She lives in Maryland with her wonderful husband and corgi. Much to her dismay, she rarely encounters supernatural beings other than on paper.

Visit her website: http://www.khlemoyne.com/
blog: http://fantasypoweredbylove.com/
Links:
Purchase locations - Available in ebook & paperback from: Black Opals Books, Amazon, B&N, All Romance/OmniLit, Smashwords
facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kh.lemoyne
twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/khlemoyne or @khlemoyne

7 comments:

  1. Very interesting facts! What's your favorite international dish to cook?

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  2. I enjoyed reading your list of 5 things. Who does like housework? I'm not with you on the cooking though. For me cooking is such a chore.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  3. I love cooking too. What a fascinating collection of dishes.

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  4. Thank you to the ladies at It's Raining Books for hosting me today.

    BN, usually my favorite is the one I've just done though I sort of shift with the season. The pernil (cuban pork roast) was wonderful. There's a very good recipe by Ingrid Hoffman on the foodnetwork.com. The roast is great right out of the oven but it works well in later meals on tortillas or with tomato/cucumber/cilantro salsa or with the red beans and rice topped with a bit of sour cream. Some of the Moroccan dishes have some exotic spices (for me) and they're fun as well.

    Mary, I tend to find having to cook every night at the end of a long day a chore, too. It has to be special (not rushed) for me to enjoy it. So I segment my bigger efforts to once or twice on the weekend and then reuse with fresh veggies or some side dish or freeze a lot of things. I'm a big one for homemade soups and have a bunch of Pyrex bowls of frozen soup in the freezer. Each bowl holds two to four servings each. They microwave enough to release from the bowl in a few seconds and then I let the big soup ice cube melt over low heat. There are wonderful frozen french rolls these days, so a few of those make a quick meal. Jeez, that sounded like a class - sorry! :-)

    Jane, I bet you also have a wonderful collection of cookbooks and printouts from various places? I love that the foodnetwork and the cooking channel have all the recipes. I've found the reviews very helpful, too.

    ~Kate

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  5. A Tarot Card collection? Have you picked up cards in any foreign countries? Are they popular in other countries? Interesting...

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  6. Just popping in to say HI and sorry I missed visiting with you on party day!

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So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?