Today we're visiting with author Dina von Lowenkraft on his tour with Bewitching Book Tours for Dragon Fire. She'll be giving away 10 eBooks and 2 print books via the rafflecopter at the end of this post.
Why YA fiction? What draws you to it?
I love the themes of self-discovery, of first (true?) love, of questioning everything you have ever known, of knowing you have the power to change the world and that feeling of endless possibility that we all had/have as teenagers but that all too often people forget as they move on to their 20’s and 30’s and get caught up in their jobs, families, responsibilities etc. I never sat down and asked myself what I should write - it just came naturally that the themes I always write about are all YA whether I write fantasy or sci-fi.
What’s your favorite sweet treat?
One? only one? I have too many to choose one... basically I love desserts, especially ones with chocolate like a ‘mi-cuit’ or a ‘fondant’ (think brownie but even better - a little lighter, but just as chocolatey) or with cream (think tiramisu or creme brulee - or even just a good scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam) or anything with butter and sugar, preferably melted together (think crepes beurre sucre)... oh my, I’m getting hungry just thinking about all these things, hmm... which one should I make first?
Favorite hot beverage. Why?
One? Seriously? Or maybe I’m the only one who does multiple kinds of hot drinks, all day long? Since I get too wired on caffeine, I usually limit (real) coffee and tea to the morning - but will have decaf (one or the other) in the afternoon. And I love herbal teas in the evening - right now I’m having one of my favorites, a loose leaf herbal blend from Germany.
Ideal summer vacation.
By myself with lots of time to write on a snow-covered mountain by the ocean with my family enjoying the sun and surf. No? Doesn’t work? Why not? OK, OK - some of my (real) ideal/dream places are Cape Cod, anywhere in Norway, or right here in the fields of Belgium with our horses. With time to write and my family, cocktails in the lingering light of sunset with friends, dinner by a campfire on the beach, a hike in the woods or across a glacier, and a bunch of good books to read.
You’re stranded on a desert island—which character from your book do you want with you? Why?
Rakan.
1. He’s hot (my husband had better not be reading this!)
2. He’s resourceful
3. He could just shift us elsewhere - but we can pretend he can’t because, well, you know... answer number 1 still applies.
4. He’s a shapeshifting dragon and he takes care of the people he cares about
5. He can manipulate matter and create fire - could come in handy, don’t you think?
6. He’s hot. I already said that? OK, um... he’s kind and generous and I’m sure he’ll figure out how to either get us off the island or make the island a very nice place to be. And he’s... never mind... you know what I mean!
Favorite pizza toppings.
Cheese. Any kind of cheese. I love cheese. Lots of it. I don’t eat meat and here in Belgium there isn’t a huge veggie choice in pizza toppings, but in the US I love grilled vegetables. With extra cheese, of course!
Create an ice cream flavor. What’s it called?
One? why one? why always only ONE? so two, at least two... first one that popped up in my mind is YUM - a dessert I made up based on a Tiramisu recipe, but without the coffee dipped lady fingers. It is a creamy mascarpone and egg base that I top with raspberries. The ice cream version would be a creamy, rich vanilla base laced with raspberry coulis (a smooth, strained raspberry sauce). YUM.
The other one would be Matcha with pistachio (called Matcha Crunch?) - don’t ask, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the color... but I’d try it - and if it’s no good, well, I’ll just have to get another YUM!
You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?
I’d give it to Allan Savory to continue his work on fighting desertification and reversing climate change. If you haven’t heard of his work, check out his Ted Talk on ted.com.
Favorite class in high school. Why?
A literature class in my junior year - it was a pilot class and we would read a book from Monday to Wednesday (including heavy hitters like Dostoevsky), discuss it on Thursday and then hand in a 10-15 page paper on Friday. And start all over again the next week. I loved the class because it was challenging and exciting. I learned how to analyze what I was reading, write a paper and defend my ideas - all with a dozen other people who were just as passionate about literature as I was. It also got me over the fear of deadlines and over-thinking what I was writing - there was just no time to worry about it!
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
Dragon Fire by Dina von Lowenkraft
Genre: YA fantasy romance
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
BN * Amazon * ARe
Book Description:
Some choices are hard to live with.
But some choices will kill you.
When seventeen-year-old Anna first meets Rakan in her hometown north of the Arctic Circle, she is attracted to the pulsing energy that surrounds him. Unaware that he is a shapeshifting dragon, Anna is drawn into a murderous cycle of revenge that pits Rakan and his clan against her best friend June.
Torn between his forbidden relationship with Anna, punishable by death, and restoring his family’s honor by killing June, Rakan must decide what is right. And what is worth living – or dying – for.
Born in the US, Dina von Lowenkraft has lived on 4 continents, worked as a graphic artist for television and as a consultant in the fashion industry. Somewhere between New York and Paris she picked up an MBA and a black belt. Dina is currently the Regional Advisor for SCBWI Belgium, where she lives with her husband, two children and three horses.
website: http://www.dinavonlowenkraft.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dina-von-Lowenkraft/551209381555837
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7123641.Dina_von_Lowenkraft
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vonlowenkraft
Pinterset: http://pinterest.com/vonlowenkraft/
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