Q&A with Marie-Claude Bourque & Giveaway

Exclusive never seen before deleted scene below!

WARNING!! This book contains explicit sexual content and should be read by adults only!

Click on the picture below to pre-order. Release date is May 25th.

May 25th 2010 by Love Spell (first published 2010)

Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Interview

In your own words, what it The Priory of Callan series all about?

The Priory of Callan is a brotherhood of immortal sorcerers and alchemists who are said to be reborn souls from an ancient Celtic tribe. Their soulmates were lost to them through tragedies (most inspired by known songs, poems and legends) and they are now looking for them reincarnated in modern time.

Why did you pick witchcraft as your subject for this series?

I actually picked magic as the subject because I am a big fantasy geek. There are two kinds of magic in the ANCIENT series. One is wizardry, a sort of Harry Potter magic without wands, or like the wizards of Dungeons and Dragons. This is the magic the male heroes practice. Then there is the witchcraft, which is what the heroines and their High Priestess Morag practice, although I wrote a teenage male witch as a secondary character in the second book. I have been studying modern witchcraft for about 8 years now so it came up naturally to me in the book. This sort of magic is “prayer to a deity” based and can also be compared to D&D clerics or the magic practiced by the priestesses of Avalon in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s novels.

For those readers who think of witchcraft as being only dark and evil can you explain what witchcraft means to you?

For modern witches and myself, witchcraft is just like a prayer. It is a way to focus energy and intention in order to make things happen for the good of all. There are many ways to do this: either with very complicated rituals with tools or just simple meditation and clearing of the mind. Wishing upon a star can be thought of as doing magic. Witches usually use various deities to help in their focus, sometimes as an outside manifestation and sometimes just as an archetype to represent what the spell is about. And for many, it is a spiritual journey to better ground us with the world around us and within ourselves.

How much research did you do for your books?

I did recheck my magical rituals to make sure they were as close to reality as I could, but the research I did most was with Acadian history. I knew some, because my ancestors were Acadians and were deported just like Evangeline and Gabriel were but I wanted to make sure that what I wrote made sense and was as true to history as I could make it.

What was your inspiration behind your characters?

My heroes are all inspired straight from old poems, songs and legends. Gabriel and Lily (and Evangeline) are inspired from Longfellow’s poem Evangeline. Phoebus and his soulmate are inspired from a real life medieval French knight called Gaston Phoebus, who is legendary in French culture. Loic’s story comes from the ancient poem Abelard and Eloise. Roan is inspired by Tennyson’s poem Highwayman and Keira is from an old French song called King Renaud, which I learned from my father and which has also perhaps Welsh roots. I’m making sure all my characters have or could have Celtic roots: French, Welch, Scottish, Irish.

I see you have book #2 Ancient Secrets (Phoebus’ story) and book #3 Ancient Shadows (Loic’s story) in the works. When can we expect those in the bookstores?

I finished the first draft of book #2 and I am about to tackle book #3. I am waiting to hear from my editor to know what we will do with those, so I can’t tell you anything right now!

While reading Ancient Whispers I noticed there is a soul-mated couple (Renaud, who is one of The Priory of Callan sorcerers and Keira, who is, as of now, lost to the evil Theuron) that do not get to reunite in this book. Please tell me there will be a book about them soon. If so when can we expect that one?

Yes, there is a book for Keira. I couldn’t let her be lost forever to Theuron. That would be too cruel. I have her planned for book 5. I want to tell Phoebus, Loic and Roan’s story first. Keira is planned to appear as a secondary character in the next books after WHISPERS though, before she gets her own happy ending. She is sort of both good and lost to darkness at the same time.

How long do you plan on this series being?

The coven Morag leads has thirteen priestesses, so I have planned 13 stories. I am hoping one or two will be told in novellas but I am not sure yet. At the moment I have solid premises for a total of 7 stories and I have a total of 10 couples from old legends picked already. I am still open to suggestions for the last three!

Is there any deleted scenes you can share with us?

This is a scene that my editor loved but that we just could fit anywhere. Gabriel is with Morag in her library and he remembers what it was like to meet the brotherhood of sorcerers for the first time. He had run away from them as soon as they made him immortal and they had come back for him a century later. (I haven’t posted this anywhere yet. So you are the first to read it!)

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He examined Morag, now an old gray-haired lady, her light tartan around her shoulders.

How different she’d looked that day when the Priory had come to claim him back, years after Evangéline’s death. That faithful day sometime in the mid-nineteen century. They had come for him, in the harsh icy land of Labrador.

Morag had been imposing, oblivious to the cold in a sweeping long black velvet dress, her fiery hair down her back. She’d mounted a huge ebony horse and had lain apart from the Priory Sorcerers.

And the sorcerers. Gabriel shook his head.

They’d all come for him. All thirteen of them, twelve men, and one woman. The men tall and broad, most wearing their long black oilcloth coat, their faces hidden under large black hats. Tara had been superb in her knee-high boots, a thick braid sweeping down to her backside. They hadn’t seemed real as they’d held him under their deadly stares, a broad air of danger about them.

One had finally dismounted, Iain. And he’d walked straight to Gabriel. “It’s time,” he’d said.

Gabriel had barely recognized him. No longer in Acadian garbs, Iain had worn his battered brown-leather armor, daggers tied across his chest, their hilts carved in evil-looking designs.

Ian’s silver hair had been loose, partly contained in many small braids brushing his shoulders. Steel crowned his head, a thick band embossed with strange symbols. A rich fur coat had covered him down to his boots. Red Fox, Gabriel had noticed.

How awed he’d been of them all. How much he’d wanted the power they’d represented. He’d had nothing to live for. He couldn’t persist in trying to escape them anymore. And he’d seen that accepting their brotherhood would be his only chance to find Evangéline again.

Now filled with angst, Gabriel returned his gaze to Morag. He couldn’t be fooled, though. She was anything but fragile. All her Priory stood for was control and selfishness.

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Do you have any other books or series in the works?

I do have the first book of another series all written up. I sold ANCIENT WHISPERS, which is my first manuscript so quickly that I never had a chance to submit this second one anywhere. It’s a paranormal romance about immortal medieval knights fighting demons in the Paris catacombs in modern time. The knights are hot and the demons are “Dante-type” bad. This one too has gothic undertones to it. I am not sure what to do with this series at this point. I want to focus on writing the ANCIENT series before getting into something else. But for fun in my spare time, I am also writing a steampunk urban fantasy series. I am really into everything steampunk right now, so I’m letting it all on the page to see where it leads!

Thank you so much for having me I am so glad you enjoyed reading the book!

Giveaway

Marie-Claude Bourque was generous enough to give away a signed copy of Ancient Whispers to one lucky commenter. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment below. Marie will be stopping by to reply to comments. Last day to enter will be next Saturday 5/29/10 11:59pmCST

I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Marie-Claude for sending me her book to review and agreeing to do this interview and giveaway. 


You can find my review of Ancient Whispers here and if you have a blog you can join the ARC Tour here.