Spotlight & Giveaway: Nature of Frost by Jus Accardo

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jus Accardo to HJ!

Hi Jus and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Nature of Frost!

 
Hi! Thanks for having me.
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

When an old nemesis resurfaces, a reluctant new ruler and a powerful druid are forced to seek aid with those they once called foe.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Today, I’m finally going to tell the truth.
Some of it, anyway.
From the moment Tania and I returned to the Winter
Court from Ventin a week ago, it’s been pure chaos. A
nonstop barrage of damage control to begin righting the
wrongs of my bloodline. Well, half of it.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• There are more deleted scenes in this book than any other I’ve ever written.
• I ate SO much ice cream while working on this book. I have no idea why. It just happened!
• The ending of the book changed twice, and the first three chapters, three times.
• While editing Nature of Frost, I had a dream that I was stuck in traffic with Tania. To be fair
  though, there was also a very angry kangaroo in the backseat, so I’m not sure what it all means…

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

It’s very much a case of opposites attract. Valen and Tania are so different, and in each other, they see the missing parts of themselves. As the relationship develops, and we see this a lot in the second book, you can see how their presence in each other’s lives has changed them.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

Complicated, passionate, forbidden.
 

The First Kiss…

They had their first kiss in book one, but the first kiss in this book is very much a stolen moment. It’s passionate and greedy and was so much fun to write.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

Its hard to pick a fave, but one of my top five is toward the start of the book, and it just perfectly showcases Valen and Tania’s relationship with their trademark banter.

She slides off the bed and bends to pull on her boots.
Her leathers are trashed and covered in blood, and she
winces with every move. The link is quiet again, and no
matter how hard I push against that invisible wall, there’s
nothing from her.
“Of course I’m okay,” she says. “It was only a few bites
and scratches. I’m hardly a baby—unlike some people.”
“Are—are you implying that I complain when I’m
injured?” I clutch my chest in mock horror. “I’m offended.”
“What else is new?” She tries to hide another wince.
When she shakes it off, she squares her shoulders and
stiffens her back. “It was just a few bites.”
“By magically animated plants,” I remind her. “Is there
any chance of infection? Toxins?”
Tania rolls her eyes. “I said I’m fine.”
“Well, then is there a possibility it will give you a sense
of humor? Maybe cure your inability to have fun?”
“You have enough fun for the both of us.” She stands
and sheathes her sword, then grabs one of the two daggers
sitting on the table beside the gurney.
“And you carry enough weaponry for the entire Winter
army.”
Her lip twitches. “That’s fair.”

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Speaking from a purely selfish perspective, ANY and ALL scenes with Daroose because, well, he’s just awesome.

Readers should read this book …

If they like fun banter, tense action scenes, and a good old fashion forbidden romance.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I have something in the works that I’m CRAZY excited about, but I can’t say much yet. The most I can tell you is that it’s a paranormal romance I’ve been dreaming up for a while now.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Digital copy of NATURE OF FROST by Jus Accardo

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Excerpt from Nature of Frost:

Today, I’m finally going to tell the truth.
Some of it, anyway.
From the moment Tania and I returned to the Winter
Court from Ventin a week ago, it’s been pure chaos. A
nonstop barrage of damage control to begin righting the
wrongs of my bloodline. Well, half of it.
I’m an Icekeeper—
and
a Frostreaver. Half royal
bloodline—half usurper. My uncle, Orbik Icekeeper, the
former Winter Lord, is gone. So is his wife, my aunt, Liani.
All that’s left now is me…and Keltania.
She’s sitting in the chair by the double doors that lead
out to the courtyard, sharpening one of the daggers I gave
her a few days ago. Her red hair is contained in a long braid
that hangs down her back, but several strands have fallen
loose. She blows at them absently, then picks a rock from
the sole of her boot. The set of leathers she’s wearing is new,
but the boots are the same worn pair she came here with
from Lunal when we first met. It seems like a lifetime ago…
“Will you please stop pacing?” she snaps. “You’re
making me dizzy.”
There’s a brief murmur of agreement from the others,
but I keep pacing.
Tania unsettles some of the Fae at the estate. Well, most
of them. She’s a druid. The enemy. Part of the Order that
worshipped the woman who helped enslave them for over a
thousand years. Right now, she unsettles me, too, but not for
the same reasons. It’s because she’s being so…
“Stop!”
…bossy.
I sigh and lean against the wall beside the door. If I
block it, would it stop Celpin, the current captain of the
guard, from dragging me out to the waiting crowd? Probably
not. But I bet it would piss him off. That’s my new favorite
pastime.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

Not so long ago, druid Keltania Tunne thought she knew the world—and her place in it. Magic was all but dead, and the kingdom torn apart. Then she was sent to the court of the Winter Fae and charged with the protection of Valen, the icily arrogant prince who some believed would bring about the destruction of them all…

Instead, he brought magic.

The greed for magic nearly destroyed their world, and its return could plunge them all back into chaos—or unite the estranged fae courts…if they move quickly.

Now Keltania and Valen must navigate the temperamental fae, their insidious secrets, and an enemy who would cleave the kingdom in two in the name of vengeance—all the while hiding the truth of their connection.

Its magic. Its remarkable power. And its ability to crush their hearts in two.

But no one knows that Valen struck a secret bargain with their enemy…and soon everyone in the land will face the consequences.
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Meet the Author:

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. But at the last minute, she realized her true path lay with action, not food.

Jus is the bestselling author of the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing, as well as the Darker Agency series, and the New Adult series, The Eternal Balance. A native New Yorker, she now resides in the Pocono Mountains with her husband and two very spoiled rescue dogs.
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