"Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase... someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target."
Pages: 296 pages
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: November, 2011
Form: E-book (review copy through the tour for an honest review)
Series: Goddess Rising #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Amazon: Buy / $15.07 (paperback)
Barnes&Noble: Buy / $4.99 (nook) / $13.85 (paperback)
The Book Depository: Buy / €9.77 (paperback)
Excerpt: Chapter 1
Their power gives them strength...and makes them targets.
Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase. She runs a consulting business and her father's bar, serves on the board of the ancient Society for Goddess Education and Defense, and yearns for Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector and the soul mate she can never have.
But someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target. With the world thinking Nick has gone rogue ( whatever that means ) and that Quinn is influenced by "family ties" she didn't know she had, keeping themselves safe while working to find the enemy proves harder each day.
But not as hard as denying their hearts...
The plot was very interesting, when goddesses come to their powers at 21 they have a source of power be it flower water or rain or in Quinn's case the Moon. Suddenly two goddesses turn up drained of power, and her protector when the moon is new is coming to her weeks too early to protect her. Together they start to find out what happened to the goddesses even though her help is not wanted because of her family-ties, she knows they aren't talking about her adopted family so Quinn sets out to find out about her biological parents. But some things are better not known. I liked the intensity of the whole book, a lot happens and having the love triangle going on with Sam, Quinn and Nick is interesting to read.
The characters are all flawed, but then again it makes them interesting. Quinn suffers for what she's put Sam through with energy charging ( read, having sex ) and Sam torn in his love for Quinn, Nick and Quinn try their hardest not to have any feelings for each other but 15 year courtship, danger and threat but them in the path where they can't ignore what's between them any longer. Interesting characters indeed!
The only thing that bothered me a little while reading this was Quinn's "moon lust" ( read, energy charging ), I get it's how her relationship with Sam got so complicated, but it threw me off in the beginning of the book, but as the book moved forward and focus was shifted on the actual adventure things perked up considerably. I also very much enjoyed the little twist that there were only Goddesses left that all the Gods had taken themselves out of the questions!
You'll like this if... you are into urban fantasy with a paranormal romance twist, if you love love-triangles, and like your romance low burning, building, until someone just has to give in!
Rating :
Niina : Welcome to Natalie J. Damschroder, author of “Under The Moon” to For The Love of Reading! and thank you for stopping by and chatting with us!
Natalie J. Damschroder : Thank you so much for having me, Niina! Your holiday layout here is gorgeous!
Niina : Thank you! Can you tell us a little about the book and five fun facts about yourself, so we can get to know you a little?
Natalie : Under the Moon is about Quinn Caldwell, a modern-day goddess determined to stop a leech from stealing power from her fellow members of the Society for Goddess Education and Defense. She's assisted by her protector, Nick Jarrett, and her assistant, Sam Remington, and along the way learns a lot about herself and the people she loves.
Hmmm, five fun facts about me... I always fail at this. They all sound boring. LOL Let's see what I can do.
1. I won a 1st place medal riding a horse named Teacher's Pet, which was poetic because that's always what I was.
2. I was a teacher's pet because I was shy and very obedient. No one believes I'm still shy, though usually adults are labeled "introverted" instead. :)
3. I worked at Sarett Nature Center in Michigan one summer, and in Under the Moon, Quinn owns a cabin along the edge of Sarett's property.
4. I'm magic. When someone's computer isn't working properly, or they can't figure something out, I go stand next to them, and before I say a word, it works or they get it. It's equally effective on electronic glitches and homework confusion.
5. I am a huge believer in Mercury Retrograde, and wish there was something we could do about it, because I'm really tired of everything being messed up four times a year.
Natalie J. Damschroder : Thank you so much for having me, Niina! Your holiday layout here is gorgeous!
Niina : Thank you! Can you tell us a little about the book and five fun facts about yourself, so we can get to know you a little?
Natalie : Under the Moon is about Quinn Caldwell, a modern-day goddess determined to stop a leech from stealing power from her fellow members of the Society for Goddess Education and Defense. She's assisted by her protector, Nick Jarrett, and her assistant, Sam Remington, and along the way learns a lot about herself and the people she loves.
Hmmm, five fun facts about me... I always fail at this. They all sound boring. LOL Let's see what I can do.
1. I won a 1st place medal riding a horse named Teacher's Pet, which was poetic because that's always what I was.
2. I was a teacher's pet because I was shy and very obedient. No one believes I'm still shy, though usually adults are labeled "introverted" instead. :)
3. I worked at Sarett Nature Center in Michigan one summer, and in Under the Moon, Quinn owns a cabin along the edge of Sarett's property.
4. I'm magic. When someone's computer isn't working properly, or they can't figure something out, I go stand next to them, and before I say a word, it works or they get it. It's equally effective on electronic glitches and homework confusion.
5. I am a huge believer in Mercury Retrograde, and wish there was something we could do about it, because I'm really tired of everything being messed up four times a year.
Niina : Yeah tell me about it... What made you write about Goddesses, did something spark the idea?
Natalie : I've always liked paranormal stories with people who had special powers. I wanted to write something with that kind of heroine, but not something that had already been well done by dozens of authors ( like with vamps and shapeshifters, for example ). I was intrigued by the idea of goddesses, women who'd inherited their abilities, not been imbued with them by something radical like eclipses or radiation or aliens.
Niina : Where are you planning to take the series?
Natalie : This is such a hard question to answer without giving too much away! There are a couple of things mentioned in Under the Moon that spawned the events of Heavy Metal and Sunroper. Heavy Metal, which has already been written (though not yet revised, so some things might change), heavily features Quinn and Nick, though they aren't the main characters. Some of the unresolved situations in Under the Moon are dealt with in Heavy Metal—like what happens to the power taken by the leech. In Sunroper, Marley finally finds herself, just as she truly begins to lose herself.
Niina : Why do you write romance into a story?
Natalie : I can't NOT write romance into a story. LOL But honestly, I think love raises the stakes of anything. Yes, it's one of the driving factors of most people's lives, whether they seek it or not. But when characters' goals are life-threatening or even world-threatening, love makes it personal, and that makes us, the readers, care more.
I also love the emotions of falling in love. I'm incredibly lucky to have met my perfect match in college, and we just celebrated our 19th anniversary. So I'll never have that rush of giddy joy again—there's no substitute for new beginnings. Writing and reading romance lets me live it over and over again. :)
Niina : Well said, I agree as a married woman on that! Which character in your book became your favorite?
Natalie : I always say Nick and Sam. I can't put one over the other because I love them both equally. :) For a long time writing that first draft (which I did in 29 days during National Novel Writing Month), I wasn't sure who Quinn would end up with, I loved both guys so much. The book has changed quite a bit from that first draft, but my feelings for those guys haven't.
Niina : Now little on how you write… How do you write, chapter here and there or follow from beginning to an end?
Natalie : I'm definitely a linear writer, starting at the beginning and writing straight through. That doesn't mean I don't jot down ideas ( I keep a spreadsheet AND an ideas document for every book ), and once I wrote the final chapter when I was only about 2/3 of the way through the book. But I don't plan a lot in advance, so that makes it harder to hop around.
Niina : What chapter did you most enjoyed writing and why?
Natalie : The chapters changed on every revision. But the scene I most loved writing was the first one in the cabin, when Quinn, Nick, and Sam arrive battered and weary, and Nick doctors Quinn's injuries. I was really proud of the emotions and sensuality in the scene, and can only hope they come through to the reader the way they play out in my head.
Niina : What's the best part about being an author? And what’s the worst?
Natalie : The worst part is rejection, whether that's a publisher saying no thank you, a reader wanting their money back, or a reviewer trashing everything you love about a story. There are a lot of best parts, though. At the top are the moments when everything is flowing fast and furiously and you just KNOW you nailed the scene. Having readers and reviewers love the same thing you loved about the book is right up there, too. And just being able to make some kind of career out of something you're passionate about is fantastic.
Niina : What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Natalie : I don't think I really have any. I'm pretty mundane. I guess the closest thing to a quirk is getting ideas or solutions in the shower, and doing the mad dash through the house to write them down before I lose them. But I know I'm not alone in that one. :)
Niina : How many jobs did you have before you became a writer? What was your first job?
Natalie : I think I had 8 jobs before I became a writer. My very first non-babysitting job was working the counter at a dry cleaner/laundromat my senior year of high school. In college I demonstrated pizza ( handed out samples ) in a grocery store for a while, and sold shoes the rest of my college career. My favorite job was an internship at National Geographic Society. No, wait, favorite was working in a concession stand on the beach! Yeah, that was a good one.
Niina : Now for its time for some fun! I you could only read 5 romance books for the rest of your life what would they be, and why?
Natalie : Oh, lord, only 5?! Why are you so cruel?! LOL
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Most wouldn't call it a romance, but Harry falling for Ginny, something I'd seen coming since he first boarded the train at platform 9 3/4 in the first book, is something I can and do read over and over.
2. The Suzanne Brockmann book where Jules and Robin finally get together. I can't remember which of her Troubleshooters books that is, but I loved it!
3. Collide by Megan Hart, her most recent Spice book, because the heroine is amazing, and the relationship is so untraditional, and I love untraditional.
4. Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereux, because it was the first time I remember reading a romance where the heroine didn't wind up with her hero, but had a happy ending anyway.
5. Blue Silver, a collection of short stories I was part of with Megan Hart, Ellie Marvel, Jacki King, and Penny Dawn, because I love the band members so much, especially Seth and Julian, and every so often I need to be back in their world.
Niina : Your current Top 5 dangerous bad boys in literature? (and why?)
Natalie : Wow, this one's even harder. Bad boys aren't really my thing, though the term has slightly different definition for different people. Roarke is on the list, definitely, from JD Robb's series, because he'll do so much for Eve, including not be bad. I'll add Ranger from the Stephanie Plum books because he's mysterious and hot and intense and I love intense guys. Ooh, Reyes from Darynda Jones' reaper series. He's the son of Satan! Also intense and mysterious. Tod from Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers, though that might be cheating because he's so very good. And then Kale from Jus Accardo's Denazen because it was never his fault that he was bad.
Niina : Oh yes, Roarke. ;) If your book were made into a movie who would you cast as the leads?
Natalie : Finally, an easy question! LOL Quinn is the trickiest, because I can't really think of an actress who's the right age and attitude. Emma Stone would be great if she were 10 years older. Sam would have to be played by Jared Padalecki, and Nick by Jensen Ackles.
Niina : Good choice for the boys! Now, who is currently your “book boyfriend”?
Natalie : Morrison in CE Murphy's Walker Papers! :)
Niina : Now, can you tell us five fun/quirky things about Nick, that we didn't learn from the book?
Natalie : 1. Nick would totally ride a motorcycle if it were practical, which it's not because he has too much gear he has to transport. (That's why it's okay that he's on a motorcycle on the cover but never rides one in the book. LOL)
2. Nick loves sushi, but he'd never admit it to anyone in a million years. Especially Sam.
3. Every Christmas, if he's not working, Nick secretly drops food, toys, and other stuff at the homes of needy kids and adults he's come across while traveling.
4. Nick is totally addicted to talk radio. He'll argue with the talk show host for hundreds of miles.
5. Though Nick is currently the only member of his family to carry on the protector legacy, he's grooming a few of his nieces and nephews to take over when they grow up.
Niina : If we could ask Nick and Quinn what has been the single most outrageous night out for them, what would they answer?
Natalie : Nick just snorts at the question and Quinn looks wryly sad, because nothing has ever been "normal" for them. They've never had a night out, never mind an outrageous one, unless you count their night on the run in Boston.
Niina : Now before we sign off and finish up here are some Quick Fire Questions:
Cats or dogs? I used to think both, but learned it's definitely cats.
Coffee or tea? Mostly tea (regular black tea with cream and sugar), but I love a mocha with whipped cream
Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Dark, definitely! Preferably with nuts or toffee in it.
Rocks or flowers? I love flowers, but rocks are definitely more suited for me. LOL
Night or day? Night! I'm a big night owl. I hate to go to bed, and I hate to get up in the morning.
UF (Urban Fantasy) or PNR (Paranormal Romance)? Both, as long as the UF has romance in it. I like how UF can explore things in further depth over time or even feature dueling heroes, but PNR is satisfying in the short term.
Bad boys or good cops? Good cops pretending to be bad boys.
Brunettes or Blonds? Totally irrelevant. :)
Vampires or werewolves? Neither.
Romance or erotica? Romance. I write graphic sex and have nothing against it, but it has to be tightly intertwined with the love story.
Mystery or Thriller? I lean slightly toward mystery, being more cerebral and not really liking to be too scared.
Men: Alpha-male or submissive? If those are my only choices, alpha male, but I prefer a guy who's more complex than that.
Beer or Wine? Hard alcohol in a mixed drink!
Pizza or Restaurant? Depends on the circumstances. Pizza delivered after a long day, restaurant when we're out and about.
Cake or Donuts? Donuts!
TV or DVD? TV wins for the amount of time I spend watching, but I do like DVDs, too.
Movies: Romantic comedies or Action/Adventure? Again, both! But only well-done ones.
Halloween or Midsummer? Halloween. October is my favorite month!
Times New Roman or Courier? TNR, but I like Garamond even better
Crayons or markers? Crayons. They allow for more nuance in shading.
Pens or pencils? Pens, though pencils are important at certain times.
Books or e-books? I like both equally, but read more on my Kindle now because of the convenience.
Kids or pets? Other people's? Not too big on either. Mine? The kids are much better behaved than the pets.
Niina : Thanks for visiting the For The Love of Reading, Natalie, it was fun to have you come by!
Natalie : Thank YOU, Niina, for making me work so hard in this excellent interview! I loved it!
Natalie J. Damschroder came to writing the hard way - by avoiding it. Though she wrote her first book at age six (My Very Own Reading Book) and received accolades for her academic writing (Ruth Davies Award for Excellence in Writing for a paper on deforestation her senior year in college), she hated doing it. Colonial food and the habits of the European Starling just weren’t her thing.
She found her niche - romantic fiction - shortly after college graduation. After an internship with the National Geographic Society, customer service for a phone company just wasn’t that exciting. So she began learning how to write the books she’d loved to read all her life. Now she struggles to balance her frenetic writing life with her family, the most supportive husband in the world and two beautiful, intelligent, stubborn, independent daughters (the oldest of whom has become a writer). She somehow also fits in a day job and various volunteer positions in and out of the writing industry.
Learn more about her at her website, www.nataliedamschroder.com, follow her on Twitter @NJDamschroder, or friend her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nataliedamschroder
