Cate: Faith Bicknell-Brown (AKA F.L. Bicknell, Azura Ice and Amber Redd) is
here to spread some holiday cheer! Faith, please tell us a little bit about
yourself.
Faith: Hi Cate. Thanks for having me on your lovely site! I write
erotic romances under several pseudonyms. A couple pen names are exclusive such
as Amber Redd for Dreamspinner Press. I’m repped by a great agent, too. As for
my personal life, I’m an Appalachian “hillbilly” and I’m happily married with
several kids as well as four grandbabies so far—my already big family is
exploding, LOL!
Cate: Oh, I can relate! :) What do you love most about Christmas?
Faith: I like the atmosphere, as in the lights and the music,
especially when there has been a heavy snowfall.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Faith: Yes, the biggest Christmas I’ve ever had. I was about 8 or 10 at
the time. I’m an only child and we lived by the skin of our teeth through the
70s Recession. When my dad finally found work that Christmas my parents went
all out. Imagine a li’l girl who had to climb over gifts to even reach the
tree! I’ll never forget that feeling when I stepped into the living room and
saw all those presents and a fat tree decked out with hundreds of multi-colored
lights.
Cate: So sweet! If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Faith: A home where I don’t have to pay someone rent. The coalmine and
a group of people in our area have been buying up everything the last few
years. It seems like the only places for sale is in towns, and the hubby and I
refuse to live in town.
Cate: What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so
special?
Faith: Nothing in particular. It was that one specific Christmas I
mentioned earlier that sticks with me. I’ve received a lot of nice gifts over
the years, but that one holiday as a kid had a special quality because my
family had been struggling for so long.
Cate: Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Faith: Well, I could share my hubby’s two recipes for Christmas ham or
turkey, but then I’d be in the dog house for the next two years, lol. He guards
his recipes fiercely!
Cate: Lucky you, that he's such a great cook!
Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it
online.
Faith: That would be When I’m
Gone under my exclusive Dreamspinner Press pen name, Amber Redd. It
releases December 12th, but readers can pre-order it now http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3442
When I’m Gone is the 2nd
book in the Stone Trail Series. Stone Trail is a southern mountain town with a
population of just over 5K. Strange things happen in this community, things
that involve magical wolves and evil werewolves. Here’s a brief blurb:
As New Year's approaches, a
grieving Richie Tatten collects his dead sister’s belongings from the
institution where she lived. The mystery of her suicide confounds him and adds
to his growing frustration with the disappearance of his life partner, Albert,
who vanished months earlier. Hoping to find answers, Richie heads to the small
town of Stone Trail,
but the unwelcoming citizens leave Richie reluctant to continue his search.
Then new information about his sister’s death gives him a lead on Albert’s
whereabouts—and thrusts him into the middle of a battle between magic and
werewolves.
This time I decided to give Stone Trail a holiday theme. It was fun
writing bits and pieces about a Christmas that had just passed and how the
characters prepared for the upcoming New Year’s while dealing with the
paranormal.
The 1st book, Chasing
the Mailman, is available here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2203
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Faith: Sure, here’s a brief excerpt where the mc, Rich, has an encounter
with his deceased sister, Nancy.
Relaxing into the soft leather, he finally allowed himself to dwell on
Albert, the smell of his skin, the sensation of his hard muscles pressed to his
as he pushed deeper into Rich’s body. Oh, how he missed him and how he longed
to lie quietly in his arms and listen to the sounds of the apartment building
as it grew quiet during the nighttime hours.
Tears welled and squeezed free of his eyelids. Angry at himself for
letting his guard down, he swiped at them and rose. He freshened his drink and
added another piece of ice.
As he turned to sit again, cold air swirled around his feet. He glanced
at the door, thinking maybe one of the inn’s employees had knocked and he
hadn’t heard it. The cool air grew stronger, its caress icier. It whirled
around him like he stood in the direct path of an air-conditioning vent.
A gust swept between the chairs and the fireplace. The flames wavered
and fluttered.
Rich set his drink down and wandered over to the windows but found no
air seeping around the seals. A familiar aroma assailed his nose.
White Diamonds.
Frowning, he checked the door and even held his hand over the ducts in
the floor in case someone downstairs had accidentally turned on the central
air. He returned to the sitting area and stared into the fire for a moment.
Shaking his head, he turned toward the chair, preparing to sit again.
“Where the hell is that air—?”
“Richie?”
Recognizing the voice, he spun on his heel and came face to face with Nancy standing between
him and the fireplace.
"F***!" He jackknifed over the furniture. His heel caught on the chair’s arm,
and he sprawled out flat on his back on the floor.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Faith: I’ve always been fascinated by lycanthropy. Werewolves go back
in history for centuries. In every legend there’s a grain of truth, so the
“what if” factor really gets my cogs to turning. I wrote a full paranormal
romance involving a werewolf curse (that my agent has) and enjoyed writing it
so much that when I decided to write for Dreamspinner, I was pulled back to the
same topic. This time I built an entire town around the legend; each book will
have a different set of main characters.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Faith: Just my links. I hope readers will visit my websites and join me
on Facebook and Twitter.
Cate: Faith has a giveaway!
Faith: Anyone who leaves a sincere
comment or a question for me will be entered to win a $5 amazon.com gift
certificate. I’ll draw the winner over the weekend. Readers, share this
interview link with your friends so they have time to stop by, too! Remember to
leave your email address in your comment.
Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope
you have a jolly holly holiday!
Readers, here's more about Faith:
F.L. Bicknell's work has appeared in a wide range of genres and publications such as: Would That It Were, Touch, GC, and Ohio Writer magazines as well as with publications in Canada and Turkey. Under her pseudonym, Molly Diamond, she was a regular contributor to Gent and Ruthie's Club and has had fiction published in Hustler's Busty Beauties, Penthouse Variations, and Twenty 1 Lashes. Ms. Bicknell is the author of several e-book and print titles, also writing as Azura Ice, Amber Redd, Cutter Phoenix, and Kiyara Benoiti. She has served as co-editor and managing editor for three different publishing houses. She is represented by TriadaUS Literary Agency.
