Spotlight & Giveaway: Omen of Ice by Jus Accardo

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

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

 
Hiya! Its so cool to be here!
 

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

A young druid gets more than she bargained for when she arrives in the Winter Land to protect a Fae royal with a secret that could save the world–or destroy it.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Magic is a funny thing.
It can be infinitely powerful yet, at the same time, as fragile as the most delicate bloom. All it takes to lose it is a single sacrifice.
Or a single mistake.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The idea of Derriga has been bouncing around inside my head from back before my first book was published. When I started out, I wanted to write fantasy, but paranormal was the big draw and I was advised to focus on that. I did, and my love of fantasy kind of got shuffled to the side. I cannot tell you how exciting it is to finally be able work in my all-time fave genre!
• I got a peek at my cover before our final edits were done. While I can’t say exactly what (it will be obvious to anyone who reads the book) I will say that when I saw the cover, on our final pass, I went in and made a change to one of the characters.
• My time playing World of Warcraft (since right after beta!) had big impacts on the book.
• The first few drafts of the book were actually enemies to lovers.
• In a VERY early draft of the book, Valen was a twin (his brother, Nor, was deleted in the second draft)

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

Their relationship starts out a little rocky. They irritate the crap out of each other at first. But, eventually they become friends, each admiring qualities in the other that other people don’t seem to see. They each have reasons to keep their true selves hidden from the rest of the world, but with each other, they learn to be vulnerable, bit by bit. It’s that small bit of vulnerability that blossoms into something far deeper than either of them could have imagined.
 

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

Complex, intense, forbidden, playful, deep
 

The First Kiss…

Steamy, impulsive, fun, complicated, amusing.

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

I have so many… But one scene that comes fairly early in the book, as Valen and Tania are still trying to figure out how to navigate things between them…

“I know you don’t want me here, but I’m going to grow on you. Just wait.”
I close the door and groan, then head back to my bed and flop down like a dead weight. “Yeah. Like fungus, maybe.”
Footsteps echo, and a moment later, her face hovers above mine. “You know, there are actually quite a few beneficial fungi out there.” She’s grinning, and it’s impossible not to notice the way the right-hand corner of her lips tilts at an odd angle. It gives her face character.
Makes it interesting…
I hate myself for noticing.
“Good night, Valen.”
“Good night, Fungus.”

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

There’s a scene very early in the book that, in my eyes, really kicks off the back and forth that becomes the quirky bond between Valen and Tania.

I stare at the coins in his hand, blinking several times to make sure I’m not hallucinating. “Pay me to what?”
“To leave. Buy a boat. Sail around the world.” He grabs my hand and dumps several coins into my palm. “Purchase your weight in cheese or ferrets. I don’t care what you do, as long as you don’t do it here.”
“You want to pay me—”
“Yes.”
“To leave?”
He quirks a brow and winks. “You pick things up quickly. Are all Aphelians as smart as you?”
“Wow…” This isn’t happening. Maybe it’s a joke? Some weird hazing ritual everyone forgot to tell me about? Whatever it is, I’m done.
“Impressed by my negotiating skills?” He laughs. “You’re not the first.”

Readers should read this book …

If they like…
1. A slow burn
2. Role reversal (the girl protecting the guy!)
3. Witty banter
4. Friends to lovers
5. Oodles of twisty surprises

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

I’m working on the second book in the series, Nature of Frost, which comes out next year. Aside from that, I’m also playing with an urban fantasy that I hope to be able to talk more about very soon!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A print copy of Omen of Ice by Jus Accardo to a US-based winner

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Two choices: You can be a Fae without magic, but have a super long lifespan, or a druid with magic but a human lifespan. Which would you pick?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Omen of Ice:

I choke back a laugh, but I can’t help smiling. Valen brings me from anger to hysteria in a few short words, and a part of me enjoys it. “You’re not my type.”
“Well, then spill, please. What is the mighty druid Keltania’s type?” He’s still holding my hand, and a whisper in my head says to pull away, yet something just a bit stronger tells me not to.
“Someone humble, for starters.”
“Bah. Humble is boring.”
“Also, my ideal match would have to be selfless.” He drops my hand and lifts a low-hanging branch as I pass under it.
“Hero complex. Gotcha. Overrated, if you ask me.”
“And definitely someone who understands the value of common sense.”
He snorts. “How is that a desirable trait?”
I shrug and step onto the bridge. “It’s desirable because it would mean less time spent having to save his sorry ass from his own bad decisions.”
“Sounds to me like you have your priorities mixed up.”
“It doesn’t surprise me that you’d think that.”
“You’re, well, I hate to say it, but a bit…bland. You need someone exciting and energetic to balance that out. Someone who’s not afraid to throw caution to the wind. Someone with a sense of humor.” He winks. “It might rub off on you, and let’s face it. That could only be considered a win.”
“Oh, and let me guess—this someone would be a lot like you, right?”
“Well, I am all of those things. And then some. But, no. Not me. You’d never be able to handle me.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Keltania Tunne has spent her whole life training to become a bodyguard for a Winter Fae. It’s the highest of honors for a druid…only when Tania arrives at the Winter Court for the first time, nothing is what she expected.

Her assignment is the heir to the throne, Valen, and he doesn’t want her protection. In fact, he wants her gone. Yesterday. But Tania will not compromise, even if he is the most arrogant jackass she’s ever met—because something isn’t right in the Winter Court.

Everyone has secrets. From the Winter Lord to the kitchen maids to the rising faction that wants the prince dead—no one is who they seem. And now it’s up to Tania to keep her sacred oath and protect Valen, even when his smart mouth makes her skate the razor-thin edge between love and hate.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes his secret is the biggest of all—and might just get them both killed.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

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 fiction, 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 lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and 12 angry chickens.
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