[Day Eight of 31 Days] SIGNED copy of Gossamer & SWAG Giveaway + Author Interview: S.L. Naeole

I am truly honored to have S.L. Naeole on my blog today for an author interview. I have read all four books of her Grace series (before there was this blog), and loved-every-word. I have to say that I never liked angel stories (not even Hush, Hush!), but the Grace series is an exception. But we are not talking about angels, we are celebrating fairies this month, and S.L. Naeole is starting a new series about fae.

And guess what? She is also giving away a Gossamer Prize Pack which includes:

One SIGNED copy of Gossamer

Gossamer SWAG

Oh, and this is INTERNATIONAL!

 Without further ado, please welcome S.L. Naeole.

S.L. Naeole has always loved the smell of books, the feel of books, and the destination that a book is guaranteed to take you. She knew from an early age that she was meant to write, to create those very same books she loved so much and vowed that one day, she would. Now, after getting married and starting a family, she has finally made her dream come true. As the author of Falling From Grace, she's found a venue with which to allow her dreams to become the reader's, and transport them to worlds and lives where fantasy and reality blend seamlessly. With several more books in the works, including three sequels to Falling From Grace, she's hoping to give to her fans the same desire and affection for the written word that she had as a child. S.L. Naeole writes from her home in Hawai'i, with her husband, four children, and cat by her side cheering her on and providing endless amounts of inspiration.

Stalk S.L. Naeole here: Twitter and Website.

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Welcome to The Fairytale Nerd! how are you today?
Feeling quite nerdish! How are you?

Haha! Nerds are awesome! They rule the world. I'm so happy you are here today! Anyway, for the first question, tell me about your book.
The first book in my Faeble series is called Gossamer. It's the story of a girl whose real life is more fantasy than she realizes. Only when she starts to let the fairy tale in do things start to change and her eyes - and her heart - begin to open.

Why fairies?
Because unlike other mythical creatures, the fae are unexplainable. They're ethereal, mystical, whimsical, naughty, good, evil, dark, light. A fairy in one story can be completely different from a fairy in another, with origins that stretch beyond comprehension. Fairies arethe womb from which fairy tales are born and I wanted to be a mother to a story that involved them.


What is the message (from your books) that you want to convey to your readers?
There are so many messages that each one of my books will convey. In the first Faeble Novel, I want readers to go through this journey with Sophia and see that sometimes the easiest decisions are often times the hardest. Despite the flowy title, Gossamer isn't a light book. It contains serious subject matter that I think too many people gloss over because it's not attractive or saleable. I wanted my readers to see that no matter what world it exists in, it's real, and people going through it are not alone.

What is the best part about being a writer? The worst?
The best part? Being able to see the worlds that exist in your head suddenly become real to others. The worst? Well...even with criticism that could boil one's skin off, there really is nothing that can be considered the worst. Writing is learning. You grow as you write, and as you write you grow.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
A sense of humor. You either have one or you don't. Everything else can be worked on.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be able to just paint. To put down color to paper and create magnificent pieces of art.

What is your greatest extravangance?
Sleep! I'm a mother of four. Nothing is more extravagant than that!


Who is your hero in real life? What about in books?
My hero in real life? Every single person who reads. There was once a time when some people weren't allowed to read; it was illegal to know how and illegal to teach certain people to read. Those who would now take it for granted are missing out on so much. If you're a reader, I can do nothing but applaud and admire you.
As for in book, that's easy. Alanna Trebond from the Lioness Quartet.

The man who loves you or the man you love?
I've always believed that it's better to be the one who loves than to bethe one loved. You can never choose when someone stops loving you, but you always have the choice to stop loving someone else. It's a powerful thing.

Hugs or kisses? 
Kisses! Lots and lots and lots and lots and... Well, you get my point.

Super strength or super intelligence?
Super intelligence. Being smart is sexy.

Viral epidemic or nuclear explosion?
Nuclear Explosion! Big bang baby!! Okay, it's not really all that great of an option, but at least once the holocaust is over, recovery is expected. Viral epidemics are nasty because viruses evolve; they mutate into something stronger and more horrible and I really hate taking medicine so, you know...THAT.

All or nothing?
All. You know the saying, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all"? It's pretty darn accurate. And with something as precious as that, you can't go into it just toes deep. You have to dive in, head first.

Deaf or blind?
Blind. I'd rather never see again than never hear. You can glean so much from the sound of a sigh, or a laugh. Also, I cannot imagine my life without music in it. I write to so many different artists depending on the mood of the story that I think I might feel naked without it.

Star wars or Lord of the Rings?
Lord of the Rings. You know why? Because Tolkein isn't coming back from the dead as a rabid zombie hell bent on wreaking havoc to his stories by "updating" them. Frodo is always gong to be Frodo, Gandalf will always be Gandalf, and Aragorn will always be hot.

Jack Sparrow or Will Turner?
Jack. Will is so...vanilla. He'll always do the right thing and let's face it, everyone loves the bad boy because they love seeing him redeem himself later. Jack Sparrow is the ultimate bad boy who always redeems himself, if only in the slightest, most selfish way possible. That and Johnny Depp Is.A.GOD.

Drunk or Stoned?
Drunk. I don't get the munchies while drunk, which means I don't wake up wondering who ate all of the butter mochi while picking food out of my hair.

Boxers or briefs?
Boxers. Briefs look too much like diapers and the last thing any woman wants to envision when looking at a man in his underwear is what he'll look like with an oversized pair of Huggies on.

Fantasy or reality?
Both, and always at the same time.

What's your next project?
I'm working on several projects, actually. I'm almost done with theoutline for the sequel to Gossamer titled Damselfly. This is the first public announcement of the title so yay! It'll be released next summer and will amp up the fae elements from the first book exponentially. I'm also working on a paranormal young-adult novel featuring dueling perspectives. I've posted the first two chapters up on my Facebook fan page for readers, something I do quite often. There's my online serial novel, which I've just begun the sequel to, that's available to registered readers. It's not paranormal at all, and teeters on the edge of YA because of the subject matter and language. There's a novella series that'll be coming out at the beginning of next year, as well as a historical retelling of a quite popular story, but I'm keeping that to myself for now.
Oh, and lastly, the paperback version of the last book in my Grace series will be available at the end of this month. So, as you can see, I've been quite busy!
Mahalo for this interview and thank you so much for choosing me to be a part of this awesome event.

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BUY

Gossamer 

by S.L. Naeole 

Sophia Blithe’s seemingly perfect life masks the scars of a past that’s left her cold and immune to emotion. She hides it well, and is content to live behind that mask for the rest of her life.
A zoning change a few weeks before the start of her senior year changes all that when Sophia is forced to attend Gossamer High. It’s there she meets Dex Sterling, the boy whose eyes haunt her dreams. He’s carefree, handsome, cryptic, infuriating, and he knows more about her than he should. He makes Sophia question the feelings she has whenever she’s around him and worse, whenever she’s not.
Then one fateful night, Sophia makes a decision that changes everything and, in the darkness that hides nothing, learns the dangerous truth about Gossamer, about Dex, and how he knows so much about her. Now she’s left to figure out what it is she wants and whatever her decision, it could end up costing her life.

So do you want a SIGNED copy of this book along with some swag?! You know the drill! Fill out the Rafflecopter Form for a chance to win!