Dana Marie Bell

Welcome to UTC Dana. Congrats on the new (upcoming) release and thanks for sharing with our followers about yourself and your books. And you have many out there so we have lots of questions.
Thank you. I’m glad to be here.
But first lets get to know you a bit more. Who is Dana Marie Bell? Tell us five interesting things about yourself that readers wouldn’t know!
Aw, jeez. My life is an open book. I post about EVERYTHING, from my crazy cats to my AS, to my boys, whom I love to pieces and drive me insane. But…
1. I’m half Italian, half Irish. I argue with myself a lot.
2. I went to college, but didn’t finish my degree. Basically, I would have made a lousy doctor, because…
3. …I suck at math. And that whole needle thing.
4. It freaks me out when my cat stares at me for absolutely no reason. Especially when I’ve been watching ghost stories.
5. I can’t speak any other language than English, yet I have a habit of having characters that do.
ALL FOR YOU, the first book in The Nephilim series, is releasing in just a few days. The Nephilim is a son of Angels with wings of his own. Can you expand on the series concept a bit? How many books have you planned in The Nephilim series?
Once upon a time, God sent down His angels to teach mankind. But the angels, led by Shemhazai, lusted after the human women and bore children with them. These children were the Nephilim, the angel-born. Some were good, some were bad, but their antics nearly destroyed the world. God sent down Gabriel to bring an end to the Nephilim race by starting a civil war, but Gabriel saw some of them were good. He took them under his wing and fought the followers who remained loyal to Shemhazai. They became the Shemyaza, or Shem, their evil forever stamped on their features and in their auras, while Gabriel’s angel-born retained the name Nephilim, or Neph.
The civil war between the angel-born continues to this day.
So far the series is open-ended, with a minimum of nine books. It’s a concept I’ve been tossing around in my head for ages, about these descendants of angels who fight evil. Each one has unique powers. For instance, Seth is an Angelus, a winged Neph who can make himself invisible. Dante, one of his partners, is a Seris, a Neph who wields fire.
What attracts Seth to Abby and vice versa?
Seth loves her innocence and her fire. Abby loves that she feels safe with him, and that his sense of humor meshes with hers. They both want the same things out of life, but both have baggage the other has to help carry. I think they’re a very sweet couple, and I had fun writing them.
You are also going to be releasing The Hob next month. This will be the fourth book in the Gray Court series, which is about the fae. Can you tell us a bit more about Michaela? And where do you see this series going next?
Michaela is a pediatric RN who works in a fictitious Philadelphia hospital. She’s spunky, and short, and loves the color orange and the fictional character of Robin Goodfellow. She gives Robin a run for his money, especially when the Raven Lord, a strong Black Court fae, takes an interest in her.
As for the rest of the series… well. I give a teaser about that at the end of The Hob.
STRIPPED BEAR is the 2013 release in the Halle Shifters series. What can you tell us about Ryan and Glory’s story? What is next in that series?
I haven’t started writing it yet, so calling it the 2013 Halle Shifter release is a bit premature. Heck, I haven’t even outlined it yet! It’s next on my list to work on after The Fire Within, so I’m hoping to have it to my editor by the end of May. And for now, all I can tell you is a bit of Glory’s past, and why she’s been pushing Ryan away, will surface. As for the rest of the series, I can give you one promise: Dr. Jamie Howard WILL get an HEA.
Will fans get to read about Ben and Dave’s (Finding Forgiveness) wedding?
Hopefully, as it’s the last part of Mr. Red Riding Hoode. Cross your fingers my editor likes it! And yes, tulle does make an appearance.
You’ve written a handful of series already. What’s the key to keeping all the facts straight?
Spreadsheets and glossaries, and making sure your rules remain consistent. For instance, magic doesn’t exist in Halle, but it does in Heart’s Desire. Shape shifters don’t exist naturally in Heart’s Desire, but they do in Halle. Everything under the sun, however, is possible in Maggie’s Grove.
You can be totally honest here…Do you get any enjoyment out of torturing your characters? =)
Absolutely. Especially with Belle.
What book has got you wrapped around its finger lately?
Hmm. I can’t seem to stop reading Mary Calmes and Amy Lane lately. I’m hoping for another story involving Rand and Stefan of Timing and After The Sunset, possibly with them as secondary characters while Glenn finds what he wants. I would also love to see more of the world of Jin and Logan of the Change of Heart series, and more of the Warders.
I’m also a huge fan of Amy Lane’s Truth In The Dark. She actually managed to make me cry, and that’s not easy. I loved Bewitched By Bella’s Brother and the whole Knitting series.
We know you are also a gamer…What are you currently playing and what is your favorite?
I’m currently playing a lot of Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer with my husband and in-laws, but my favorite game by far has to be the Dragon Age series. Epic fantasy in the first one, snarky, voiced character and broody elven love interest in the second. RPG style games, where I get to be the hero of a well-told story, always manage to grab hold of me. It’s why I rate Dragon Age 2 higher than Skyrim, despite the flaws of reused dungeons and bad guys literally falling from the sky. Dragon Age just tells a better story, and that’s always going to be number one with me.
DMB_AllForYou-253x388
The Nephilim Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Coming December 24, 2012

Someone—or something—is stalking Abby Marcheson. Luckily, she has her brother’s hunky friend Seth to keep her safe. Abby falls easily into her protected life, with Seth constantly by her side, and when he asks her out on a date, she’s eager to accept.

But Seth is much more than he seems. A Nephilim, a son of Angels with wings of his own, Seth is bound to spend his life hunting the Shemyaza, evil descendants of Angels. He’s kept his wings hidden from Abby in order not to frighten her, but as her stalker becomes bolder, Seth begins to suspect that a Shem has Abby in its sights…

As their flirtation escalates into full-blown passion, Seth is torn. Should he reveal his true nature to the beautiful, trusting Abby? Will she accept him, wings and all, or will Abby flee her guardian angel and fall prey to the sinister force that wishes her harm?

Warning: This book contains explicit sex and graphic language.

About the Author

Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old. She attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts for creative writing, where freedom of expression was the order of the day. When her parents moved out of the city and placed her in a Catholic high school for her senior year she tried desperately to get away, but the nuns held fast, and she graduated with honors despite herself. She’s now a USA Today best-selling author with Samhain Publishing and Carina Press.

Dana has lived primarily in the Northeast with a brief stint on the US Virgin Island of St. Croix. She lives with her soul-mate and husband Dusty, their two maniacal children, an evil ice-cream stealing cat and a bull terrier that thinks it’s a Pekinese. She’s been heard to describe herself as “vertically challenged” and “a lapsed brunette.” Dana also suffers from ankylosing spondylitis (a progressive inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the spine), and can be seen walking with a cane or tooling around in her mobility scooter.

Her condition was the inspiration for Belle’s hip injury in Steel Beauty.

You can learn more about Dana at:

http://www.danamariebell.com

http://danamariebell.blogspot.com

 

Up for grabs is a PDF copy of ALL FOR YOU, courtesy of Dana Marie Bell. International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Books have the power to unite people and that is exactly what happened with us! Our love for books have brought us together and we’ve become good friends in a short amount of time. We “met” online through Goodreads and decided to share our passion of books with fellow book lovers. And that is how Under the Covers came to be.

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22 Comments

  3. I love Dana’s books! I can’t wait to read this new series! Also, I hope there are more books like Blood of the Maple coming soon in addition to the Halle Pride series!

    Reply

  6. Many thanks to UTC for interviewing Dana today. Dana is one of my favourite authors.
    I absolutely love her Halle Shifters, Halle Pumas and The Gray Court series!
    Please keep them coming Dana and Happy Holidays to everyone.
    *Hugs* from Australia <3

    Reply

  7. Hello Dana
    Thank you for taking the time to spend with us today, sharing such a Great Interview & a peak at your newly anticipated book, ” ALL FOR YOU”. The 1st Book in your Nephilim Series sounds like a Great Read & your Cover Art is Beautiful. I will be adding it to my to-read list. Thank you for the opportunity at this very generous Giveaway.
    Take Care, Merry XxxMas & Stay Naughty,
    PaParanormalFan (Renee)
    paranormalromancefan at yahoo dot com

    Reply

  11. WooHoo! I’ve been in love with Dana’s writing for ever! The Halle Shifters series especially – I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve read those books …lol…Congratulations to her on her new upcoming release!

    Reply

  13. Hey, Dana, you should check out Borderlands/Borderlands 2. It’s RPG meets FPS. I thought I’d hate it at first, but I kind of fell in love with it! 🙂

    Reply

  18. I’ve been trying to win a copy of All For You. I hope I’m lucky this time. The cover is beautiful. How many books are you planning? What is a typical writing day like for you?

    Reply

  21. Thank you for the interview and the book excerpt, I have added it to my TBR and I can’t wait to read it. Thank you for the chance to win 🙂

    Reply