Blog Tour & Contest for IMMORTAL HOPE: The Curse of the Templars with Author Claire Ashgrove

Title: IMMORTAL HOPE

Series: 1st in The Curse of The Templars series

By Claire Ashgrove

Genre:  Paranormal, Historical Fiction,Romance, Adult

Publisher: Doherty

Imprint: Incorporated

Format: eBook & Print

On Shelves:  January 2012

Pages: 355

Read an Excerpt

Order: Amazon and B&N 

Overview

Centuries ago, Templar knights defied the archangels and unearthed the copper scroll that revealed the locations of the gates to hell. Cursed for their forbidden act, they now roam the earth, protecting mankind from evil. But darkness stalks them, and battles they fight bring them ever closer to eternal damnation. One promise remains to give them salvation—the return of the seraphs.

Embittered by his purpose, Merrick du Loire must honor an ancient pact and bring peace to his cousin’s soul, releasing him from the clutches of their enemy. When he stumbles upon history professor Anne MacPherson, he discovers that she possesses a sacred artifact that marks her as a seraph. Duty demands he set aside his personal quest and locate the knight she’s fated to heal. As Merrick struggles with conflicting oaths, Anne arouses buried hope and sparks forbidden desire that challenges everything he’s sworn to uphold.  

Anne has six weeks to complete her thesis on the Knights Templar. When Merrick takes her to the Templar stronghold, he presents her with all she needs—and awakens a soul-deep ache that he alone can soothe. Yet loving Merrick comes with a price. If she admits she is destined for him, her gift of foresight predicts his death.

Meet the Author

Claire Ashgrove is an author and a mother to two wonderful boys. In her copious spare time, she raises and trains Oldenburg, Thoroughbred, and Arabian horses.

Interview with Author 

Claire Ashgrove 

about her new release

IMMORTAL HOPE: The Curse of the Templars

Why do you write?

Because I can’t not write. 

I’ve been writing since I was small; I remember writing a poem for my grandmother around age 7.  It turned into passing notebooks with my friends in junior high and we all built on each other’s stories.  That turned into writing my first romance novel at 17.

I’ve spent time not writing, and I am a very unpleasant person to be around.  Right now, for the last month or so I’ve been working on the dual releases I have this month, and haven’t had much time for creative writing.  I feel the need gnawing at me, the demand to get creative words on paper.

Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

The research itself was the product of many years of studying both the Templar and the early Medieval era, so I can’t say that I recall one eye-opening factor in the research.  It happened over too long of a time span for anything to stand out.

But something startling did happen after the book was written and sold.  The local building I chose to house the Templars was, at the time of writing, just a creepy old local building with not much known or easily accessible history.  I learned right around the time I got a cover that it was actually owned by a secret society and housed the wives and orphans of those secret society members.

A fitting coincidence!

Do you have a favorite motto? 

This one stuck with me years ago – “If you dream it, you can become it.”  I believe it actually was on a ballet picture I purchased in my early twenties.  But I think it’s a very apt, very positive message, and I believe in it whole-heartedly.

Do you have a favorite fictional hero?  Favorite fictional heroine?

My heroine probably everyone knows – Jo March, from Little Women. 

Heroes?  Well, the first three immediate answers that came to mind, aren’t heroes.  They are villains:  Raistlin Magiere (from DragonLance), Durza (from Eragon), and Hannibal Lector.

But Heroes…  Julian Mayfair…no, he’s not a hero either.

Okay, Hamlet.  I think we can all agree he falls under ‘hero’.  Shew!  Boy, that was hard.  I think I’m drawn to the grittier, more morally ambiguous characters overall.  A good villain will really light up a fiction work for me and make it memorable.

 Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Don’t laugh – I’d love to spend a whole day with the characters from Beauty and the Beast, prior to their transformation.

On a more realistic, less childlike level…  I’d give my eye-teeth to hang out with Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.  Maybe I could convince him into fashioning that magic wand I’m always seemingly in need of.  One that will clean my house for me, do farm chores, cook, fix problems, and clone me so I can write twenty-four hours out of the day.

What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I am pretty darn fond of Cassandra Clare’s covers, all the way around.  They are so engaging, so beautiful, and always entice me to pick up the books, and at the very least, read the cover copy.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I’m not really sure, to be honest.  The thing most people blink about is when they learn that my degree is in IT and Technology, not something more right-brained.  I once interviewed for a job I really wanted, only to find out that the man scheduled the interview just to meet someone who was both an author and an IT professional.  Right and left brain – he didn’t know it was possible to combine creativity with the more linear, more logical programmer’s thought process.

What’s the strangest thing you have ever learned by Googling your name?

Nothing really strange about Claire Ashgrove, honestly.  Tori St. Claire on the other hand… evidently there’s a couple porn stars who have deviations of that name.  Which might explain all the odd, foreign hits I get on my website.  Hee!

If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose?  Why?

Backwards backwards backwards!  I would love to go all the way back to ancient societies.  Sure, it was a harder life in many, many ways.  But I am really partial to the simplicity that comes with a lack of modern devices and technology.

 Claire, please share with us more about your new series The Curse of The Templars and its first installment IMMORTAL HOPE released by Doherty Publishing (Tor Romance).

Well… IMMORTAL HOPE is founded on the question, “What happened to the Templars?”  It’s a dark, paranormal romance, in which Templar knights, cursed for defying the archangels, are locked in an eternal battle against the most unholy, Azazel, who is seeking to rise to the highest throne.  A feat that is accomplished with the acquisition of eight sacred relics.

The knights, however, are running out of time.  With each vile being they kill, darkness enters their souls, until they will eventually convert to a Knight of Azazel.  One promise remains to give them hope – the coming of the seraphs, who carry the light to heal their dying souls.

I think the back cover captures the romance far better than I can: 

CENTURIES AGO,

Templar knights defied the archangels and unearthed the copper scroll, revealing the gates to hell. Cursed for their forbidden act, they forever roam the earth protecting mankind from evil. But darkness stalks them, and battles they fight bring them ever-closer to eternal damnation. One promise remains to give them salvation – the return of the seraphs.

Embittered by his purpose, Merrick du Loire must honor an ancient pact and bring peace to his cousin’s soul. When he stumbles upon history professor Anne MacPherson, he discovers she possesses a sacred artifact that marks her as a seraph. Duty demands he set aside his personal quest and locate the knight she’s fated to heal. As he struggles with conflicting oaths, Anne arouses buried hope and sparks forbidden desire that challenges everything he’s sworn to uphold.

Anne has six weeks to complete her thesis on the Knights Templar. When Merrick takes her to the Templar stronghold, he presents her with all she needs—and awakens a soul-deep ache, he alone can soothe. Yet loving Merrick comes with a price. If she admits she's destined for him, her gift of foresight predicts his death.

Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

You know, I have never fully understood ‘voice’.  I mean… I know what it is, and yet, I… don’t.  Laugh.  How’s that for vague?  Given such, I have to go with story.  If the plot doesn’t grab me, it doesn’t matter how entertaining voice might be, or how lilting, etc.  I want meat and bones, grit and emotion.  If the writing is short and sweet, or long and descriptive, I don’t really care as long as the tone fits the plot and the plot keeps me wondering what might happen next.

Claire, please share with desperate readers where they can connect with you in cyber world. =)

I can be reached at:

Website: www.claireashgrove.com

               www.toristclaire.com

TWITTER: @ClaireAshgrove

Both websites have blog site links, and both blogs are active.

You can email me any time via my website(s) as well!  I’d love to hear from my readers more often.

 I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

Oh gosh—you’re right, that’s not easy.

Karin Tabke/Harlow, Shayla Black, Maya Banks, Steve Berry, Sylvia Day, Cassandra Clare, and Christopher Paolini.

What’s next in the works for you?  When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I have a lot in the works, actually.  Particularly given that I write under two pen names.

As Claire:

   In 2012 I will continue my Inherited Damnation digital-only series.

   The second book in The Curse of the Templars, IMMORTAL SURRENDER, will release in 2012.

   I also am working on a proposal that I can’t go into details on presently.

As Tori St. Claire:

    The first book in my Black Opals series, STRIPPED released Jan 3, and the second book, LIE TO ME, comes out in July. 

     I have another proposal sitting on my editor’s desk, awaiting comments too, and this is for a completely different type of project.

 Claire, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with Romantic Crush Junkies readers and myself; it has really been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. 

Thank you for having me!  Your interview really made me stop and think, which is a very nice experience.

And for those of you following my book tour, remember, I will be holding two random drawings for two separate $25.00 Amazon Gift Cards.  Leave a comment, and you’re automatically entered to win.  The more you follow the tour and the more you comment, the more chances you have to win.

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

Contest is open to ALL readers.

Contest runs until January 31, 2011.

 Claire Ashgrove will contact winners directly.