behind-the-book-with-candace-and-alex

Due to the constraints of her blog tour–Candace let her latest heroine Alex Caruthers answer some questions for us.  Feel free to chime in with comments or questions and Candace will be stopping in to answer them!

1.  So Alex, I understand you Caruthers sisters are pretty special? Could you explain for those not “in the know” what a Guardian is and how many of you are there?

Well, it’s kind of a secret, but since you promised to keep this to yourself and you know we’ll have to kill you if you leak it out, I guess it’s okay to share. (I’m kidding of course. Sort of…) My sisters, Gillian, Mira, Claire, and myself, are Guardian Keys. We keep beings from other worlds, from causing harm on Earth. I’m in charge of keeping the dragons at bay. It’s a dirty, disgusting job, but someone has to do it. Of course, everyone on Earth thinks I’m some club-owning socialite. If they only knew…

2. It must be pretty exciting to have your own story, and I love the title, “Dragons Prefer Blondes”. Tell us about that. Did you get to give any input say, in the title or cover, or the actual writing or was this all Candace?

Our editor, Anne Sowards at Berkley, came up with that title. She’s quite brilliant that one. She kept Candace from trying to take over my story, and allowed me to tell it in my own words, which was very important to me. I wanted people to know the struggles of a Guardian Key. I will say that once I had her under control, Candace was quite good at helping me to dig deep and talk about the things that really mattered. Oh, and the title is a little inside joke about my hair color. When you read the book, or if you read my sister Gillian’s book, The Demon King and I, you’ll see what I mean.

3. So do you actually hook up with a Dragon in the book?

Ugh, as if. I kill dragons, I don’t sleep with them. Though, if I were tempted in that regard, that annoying warrior dragon Ginjin isn’t exactly hard to look at. And he does make an interesting offer, which I discuss in the book. There is a romance, and you’ll learn why I’m absolutely in state of adoration with the man in my life, Jake. Mmmm Jake. Sorry, um, what was the question?

4. If you were to describe yourself in two words, off the top of your head, what would those be?

Independent warrior.

5. I heard a rumor that you are big on giving people second chances. Is that true?

Sigh. I think most of us wish we could have a do-over in some part of our lives. I do have a habit of picking up strays, but they usually turn out to be the most loyal people in my life. They appreciate the opportunity to prove themselves, and I’m seldom disappointed.

6. I also heard a rumor about wedding bells. Are you getting married?

(Cough, cough.) No. At least not any time soon. (Not that I would exactly be disappointed if a certain someone happened to ask me. Are you listening, Jake?) I think those bells you heard about are for my crazy friend Aspen. Planning her wedding almost caused me a nervous breakdown, and you can read all about it in Dragons Prefer Blondes.

Dragons Prefer Blondes goes on sale July 7 from Berkley Trade. You can pre-order from Amazon.com, BN.com or Borders.com

A little more info on the blog tour:

From June 15 — Aug 1, Candace is doing a blog tour and you can check out the various sites on her media page. She’ll be talking about her books, writing and what’s going on in her life. All you have to do to be entered to win is post a message. This is also a great chance for you to discover new authors and other books! And if you keep up with the daily blogs you can enter the next contest.

Contest 4: The Treasure Hunt!
On Aug. 2, Candace will post a list of questions on her myspace/livejournal blogs. You can find the answers on the various blogs she’s visited the two months before on the tour. The first two people with all of the correct answers will win an Amazon gift certificate and a Grand Prize.