Interview with Coral Moore and Brand + Giveaway

Introducing...

Coral Moore!

About Coral

Coral Moore has always been the kind of girl who makes up stories. Fortunately, she never quite grew out of that. She writes because she loves to invent characters and the desire to find out what happens to her creations drives the tales she tells.

Prompted by a general interest in how life works, her undergraduate schooling was in biology. She follows science news and enjoys conversations about genetics and microbiology as much as those about vampires and werewolves. Coral writes speculative fiction and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Writing at Albertus Magnus College.

Currently she lives in Connecticut with the love of her life, who offers both encouragement and kicks in the tail when necessary. Also in residence are two mammals of the families Canidae and Felidae.

She released her first novel, Broods of Fenrir, in November 2011. Her next release, Elements of Rebellion, is due out in spring 2012.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+ | LibraryThing | Shelfari | Twitter


And her novel:

Broods of Fenrir!

The Blurb

Shapeshifter Brand Geirson was raised to rule the Broods of Fenrir, but he refused his birthright. Instead, he killed their brutal leader–his own father–and walked away.

For hundreds of years he’s avoided brood society, until a werewolf kills an innocent human woman and Brand finds himself dragged back into the violent politics of the shapeshifters. When the two brood women who mean the most to him come under threat, he must take up the throne and risk becoming the kind of vicious bastard his father was, or let the broods descend further into chaos–taking the friend he swore to protect and his lover with them.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
(See my review HERE)

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CYP: Hey guys, thanks for coming to the blog!

I'll interview your creator first, so you two can lovey-dovey together for awhile.:) Haha, *turns to Coral*. Coral, tell me about yourself, say, in 1 sentence.

Coral: I am an unapologetic coffee addict and science geek who writes speculative fiction.

CYP: All that caffeine!! Haha, what do you like to do when you're not hard at work writing the very exciting - albeit a little gory, brutal and romantic - life of Brand and Dagny? *snickers*

Coral: Mostly, I like to watch movies and read. I picked up crocheting recently which is interesting, but I’m terrible at it. I also like to bake and draw.

CYP: Hey, I got obsessed with knitting and crocheting a few years back, so I went on youtube to learn how. :D Bit you have so many hobbies! Has your dream always been to be an author?

Coral: No, I’ve wanted to be dozens of different things. When I first met my husband he joked about how I wouldn’t be happy until I had a different job every week. Choosing writing is good for people like me, I think, because you get to experience different worlds and jobs every day.

CYP: Lol, what were your previous dreams?

Coral: Architect, Veterinarian, Artist, Marine Biologist, Computer Programmer, Animal Trainer, wait how long a list did you want? *grin*

CYP: Err...... Lol, so many!! So what was the hardest part in your path to becoming an author?

Coral: Getting over the belief that everything I write is crap. It’s harder than you would think.

CYP: What age did you start penning down all those crazy ideas of yours?

Coral: The first time I wrote down a story was high school. I did a lot of dabbling with writing then, but I’d been making up stories in my head for a few years previous to that.

CYP: That's cool. It shows that this path has kinda always been there in your life. Is Broods of Fenrir the first novel you ever wrote? Any that didn't get published?

Coral: Broods is actually the third novel I finished. There is one I finished second called Elements of Rebellion that will be out this spring, and the first one will never see the light of day. It was really terrible. *shakes head* Really, really terrible.

CYP: Aww, better luck with that one! Maybe you could try other publishers? Don't give up! You never know what will happen if you keep trying. :) Anyway, I am quite curious, what is the inspiration behind those two's *nods at Brand and Dagny* creation?

Coral: The inspiration for Brand specifically I don’t remember, he was floating around in my head for few months before I ever wrote a word. I can tell you that the first words I ever wrote about him were a 1800s era story taking place in the Canadian wilderness. He was escaping from a party of humans who had discovered he was a werewolf and wanted to hunt him down because they thought he’d killed a woman in their town. I still hope to publish that story at some point because I liked a lot about it.


Dagny’s introduction is even more convoluted. She originally started out as a minor character, but once I’d thrown her and Brand together in a tense situation, I realized they complimented each other too well for me to write her out.

CYP: Yeah, they ARE really compatible. Both strong in their own ways. Did you base any of your characters on real life people/experiences? Brand the big, menacing, intimidating alpha male; Dagny the strong and fiery heroine; Alice the weak, yet smart and very compassionate victim who's the best friend of our big alpha male over there; Erik the very testosterone-y best who almost fought with Brand when Brand saved him?

Coral: Not really, no. There are aspects of every character that are ‘me’ in one sense or another, but I don’t base my characters on people. I know my characters much better than I know any real life person for one thing, because I’m not only in the character’s head, I made their head.

CYP: Is what they are now what you originally thought about them? What changed?

Coral: Oh no. Brand’s been in my head for a couple of years now, and he started out quite a bit different. He was actually much more like Erik turned out at first, very over-Alpha and reactive. Over the course of writing I figured out a few things that happened in his past and how that would have shaped who he is now.

CYP: Mm, but I do like alpha males.. Haha. Why such a cold, brutal world? Why not hearts and daisies?

Coral: I’m glad you asked this! For me, I find a dark world more interesting than one that with hearts and puppies. I also like to make my characters overcome terrible things. The worse the world around them, the harder they have to try to win in the end. That makes a more rewarding story when the characters triumph in the end, I think.

CYP: Yeah, that makes sense. And yes, it was very sweet how Brand and Dagny were together in the end. *Turns to Brand and Dagny*


Hey guys, so how're you feeling today? About the interview? Did Coral drag both of you down today against you will? (haha, kidding!) How's Gunni and Erik?

Brand: Erik is a bit more testy than usual. He’s always had a short fuse, but these days he lashes out at everyone. Bera’s pregnancy is freaking him out, I think. Gunni I’m concerned about, he still hasn’t come out of wolf form.

Dagny: (takes Brand’s hand) He’ll be okay.


CYP: So, um, Brand, you're the star of Broods of Fenrir, tell me what's it about?

Brand: (shrugs) It’s about my life.

Dagny: (laughs) I think she deserves a better answer than that. Let me. (pats Brand’s leg) It’s about his struggle against the barbaric nature of our society and his attempt to convince the powerful among us that fear is not the only way to inspire leadership.

Brand: You’re giving me entirely too much credit.



CYP: So modest, huh, Brand? Haha, I'm just messing with you. Looking back, it's been quite a journey. So much blood shed and so much heartache, but with sprinklings of romance and joy. How do you feel about everything so far?

Brand: I’m angry.

Dagny: (sighs) Sorry, he’s not normally this difficult. (Brand grumbles and she turns to him) Well, you’re being snippy. We’re here to answer questions.

Brand: I’m no good at self-reflection. Why don’t you just take those questions?

Dagny: (nods and returns her attention to the interview) What makes him mad is that so many are depending on him and he feels like he’ll let them down.


CYP: What are your thoughts about your life being published, about people reading about you and yours and Dagny's stolen moments together? What about you, Dagny? What do you think?

Dagny: It’s tough for him. He’s very private. The idea that people know the turmoil he deals with bothers him more than anyone reading about what happens between us when we’re alone.

Brand: (grins) Actually, I think that part is kind of hot. Does that make me an exhibitionist?

Dagny: I think it does.

*Everyone LOLs*

CYP: I assume both of you have settled down already (considering all the bad boys have been eliminated), what are y'all doing with all your free time? And where do you plan on settling down? Wanna make a brood of your own with each other *wriggles eyebrows*?

Brand: I’d like to stay in Denver, but I’m not sure that’s practical. Erik’s brood is one of the best, and if I’m really going to change our society I need to go to the ones that are the worst. That means we might be traveling for a while before we can settle in one place. (turns to Dagny) You want to take the second part? (Dagny shakes her head) We both have ample reason not to want to bring offspring into the world we currently live in.



CYP: Aww, but imagine miniature Brands and Dagnys! Anyway, just for a brief introduction, Brand, heard you're quite the tough guy around here. Your wolf's pretty strong and you are constantly having trouble containing it. How does it work? I mean, is it like a separate entity? When it takes control, are you still in control of your body? What is it like for you, Dagny?

Brand: It’s a bit like what human psychologists call multiple personality disorder. There’s another being inside of me. He’s irritable and has poor impulse control. Most of the time the wolf just rides around in my body and I barely notice, but when I get scared or angry he tries to take control to protect me. I think that’s what humans have a hard time understanding. The wolf isn’t evil, he’s just instinctual.

Dagny: Females generally have less trouble controlling our wolves, but it’s really a factor of the strength of that wolf spirit rather than gender. I have more trouble with mine than most females. Usually when the wolf takes over I can still sense everything going on around my body, I just don’t have control of my body anymore. Sometimes when the wolf takes over we black out and can’t remember what happened, but that’s pretty rare.


CYP: Why do y'all usually fight in human form? Why not shift into wolves which have a lot of natural advantages like keener senses and sharp claws?

Brand: A couple of reasons. Shifting takes time. On the full moon it takes only a few seconds, but more than a few days away it takes longer and can be quite painful.

Dagny: The two of us can shift at any moon phase, but most of the brood can’t shift at less than half unless Called.

CYP: Woah, I never knew you could shift at any moon phase too! That's just too awesome...

Brand: (nods) The other issue is one of control. It’s much easier for me to maintain control in human form. In wolf form if I get upset it’s almost impossible to get control back. The wolf can fight, but he’s not much of a strategist. I’d rather be able to think my way out of trouble than rely on my claws.

Dagny: Those who have a hard time shifting can also get caught. If they get hurt as a wolf they can’t turn back until they’ve recovered somewhat. Nobody wants to get stuck in wolf form longer than necessary because you can lose yourself.


CYP: Let's move on to the fun part of this interview! What were your first impressions of each other? When y'all first met at such an unpleasant scenario?

Brand: From the moment I first saw her I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

Dagny: (blushes) Well, I wasn’t in a very good place when we first met. I thought he was a domineering ass, just like the other males I’d known. Now I know he’s a very sweet, domineering ass.

Brand: (laughs) She always talks about my ass, everywhere we go.

Dagny: It is your best feature.

CYP: Lol?-.-


CYP: What are the most memorable memories that both of you have? Does not have to be from Broods of Fenrir.

Brand: The night we were mated. We spent the night in the snow under the moon. It was as near to a religious experience as I’ve ever had.

Dagny: (smiles) That’s a good choice, but I think my favorite memory came later. The second time we shared a wolf dream. That time we didn’t hunt.

Brand: (clears throat) I’d like to change my vote.



*Turns to face Coral, Brand and Dagny* Now, it's time for the rapid fire questions:

Favourite food?
Coral: Pizza
Brand: Venison
Dagny: Peanut Butter (grins sheepishly)

Favourite movie?
Coral: True Romance
Brand: Fight Club
Dagny: Underworld
Brand: She has the worst taste in movies. I mean, vampires?
Dagny: Seline is a tough female. I like her.
Brand: I might change my mind if I get to see you in a pair of those pants. (winks)
Dagny: You’re impossible.

Belgium chocolates or M&Ms?
Coral: Belgian. Yum.
Brand: I don’t think I’ve had either one…
Dagny: You’re such a man. (swats him playfully) M&Ms, but they have to be the peanut butter ones.
Brand: You and your peanut butter. (moves away from another swat from Dagny)

Favourite color?
Coral: Purple
Brand: Gray
Dagny: Blue
Coral: (rolls eyes) I’m not sure if that’s sweet or nauseating. You do realize they just picked each other’s eye color, right?
CYP: I'd go with corny.

Favourite person in the world? (*Hint hint*)
Coral: My husband, Ryan
Brand: Dagny
Dagny: Brand (laughs) We’re just a bunch of saps, aren’t we?


CYP: Okok, enough with the teasings and cheesiness. Any parting words to all those good readers out there, you three?

Coral: I’ll let Brand have the last word. I do so much talking for them.

Brand: Take advantage of every minute with the ones you love. (pulls Dagny into a snuggle against his side)


Thanks again for coming!:D

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Giveaway Time!!

Coral is so kindly giving away 2 ecopies of BROODS OF FENRIR to two lucky commenters! Following is not mandatory, just leave a meaningful comment and your name's in the ballot. :) Giveaway is international and will end in one week's time on 2/12.