elingregory | Today I have a guest

This gorgeous cover is a good match for Dianne Hartsock's latest work - Nathaniel - a story of adventure, political shenanigans, family differences and a exciting tinge of magic! There's a .PDF copy up for grabs too - just comment below with your favourite fantasy author.

Thank you, Dianne, for agreeing to come here and talk for a bit about your work and influences.

~~~

The Lure of Fantasy

Hi everyone! Elin, you asked me once what draws me to writing fantasy. Goodness, my love affair with the genre started way back in my early teens. Tolkien, of course. But like most teens, there was a dark patch in my life where the fantasy of Ursula K. LeGuin gave me the escape I needed. So did Anne McCaffrey’s ‘Dragon Riders’ series. And then I discovered C.J Cherryh, and I was hooked for life. Her heroes are so wonderfully flawed, brave and shy and powerful. They’re gentle people who are made into heroes by circumstance rather than desire.

I wanted to do that. I wanted to create worlds where readers could lose themselves, leave reality and enter the realm of fantasy and adventure and romance. Find worlds filled with enchantment and courage and magic.

The first fantasy world I created is like the one you’ll find in my current story, Nathaniel. It’s a world very much like our own, with a touch of magic and awe that lifts you out of your every day life and sets you in the midst of a battle between will and destiny. Which will conquer? It focuses on a race of people destined to go insane with power, but can they save themselves by learning to control their passions? This novel length book is currently sitting on a publisher’s desk, but it will be another month before I hear if it’s been accepted or not.

It’s the waiting that kills me.

With Nathaniel, I wanted to take this world one step further. Sure, there’s magic, but I wanted my hero, Taden, to be completely enchanted by my magic user. Nathaniel is beautiful and sensual and possesses powers far beyond anything Taden has encountered before. Taden is bewildered and captivated by him, falling hopelessly in love despite his better judgment. The story focuses on their love affair, weaving Nathaniel’s magic throughout the pages until Taden surrenders to his charms. This is an m/m erotic romance, after all!

Currently, I’m busy writing an m/m contemporary romance and also a stand alone fantasy story involving gargoyles and witches. But never fear! I have the outline plotted for a sequel to Nathaniel, which will be my next project. I hadn’t planned on doing a sequel, but now that Nathaniel is out, I miss him and Taden, Miranda and the gorgeous, deadly Corin. I find myself being lured back into the realm of fantasy, where everything is possible.

Thank Elin for having me as your guest today. Fantasy is a wonderful genre to lose one’s self in. I highly recommend it!

Feel free to contact me any time.

Dianne Hartsock
Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/
FB: http://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock

Nathaniel
Etopia Press: http://etopiapressblog.wordpress.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nathaniel-ebook/dp/B007FTX0EC/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330637479&sr=1-6

From the moment Taden rescues Nathaniel from the Sutherlin soldiers’ torture, he finds himself caught in the gaze of the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen; amazing eyes that hold him thrilled and confused. The Sutherlins are planning to invade the beautiful Tahon Valley, but as Taden secrets Nathaniel from their reach, he finds himself drawn to the young man. Not only does he feel the urge to protect him, but he feels an ache he hasn’t felt in many long years.

Nathaniel claims to be a traveler from a distant continent, saying he comes in peace. True or not, the youth has powers beyond anything Taden has seen—control over men and animals and the very weather. Taden falls hard for the strange traveler, protecting him not only from the Sutherlins but from his own mistrustful people, who don’t understand Nathaniel’s powers and accuse him of being a witch…

Excerpt:

Taden’s scalp prickled, a shiver running through him. He twirled, hand on his belt knife, and found Nathaniel standing inches from him. They were almost touching, and Taden watched, fascinated, as Nathaniel’s green eyes darkened under his stare. The heat from Nathaniel’s body wrapped around him, caressing him in that intimate moment.
“Miranda’s finally asleep,” Nathaniel told him shakily.
“That’s good. She appeared exhausted.” Taden didn’t ask who she was. At that moment, he didn’t care. He touched Nathaniel’s gold-flecked curls, as silken as he’d imagined them to be. Enthralled by the dimple at the corner of Nathaniel’s luscious mouth, he impulsively cupped his cheek, stroking the alluring hollow with a gentle finger. His pulses hammered at the contrast of pale skin and his own sun-darkened hand, picturing the exotic tangle of their bodies.
He slid an arm around Nathaniel’s waist as desire seared him. “Come with me,” he said huskily, aching to love Nathaniel as gently and tenderly as he could and drive the anxiety from his lovely eyes. Nathaniel lifted his shoulders but didn’t resist as Taden urged him into the trees.
Nathaniel remained silent as Taden spread the blankets on a fragrant carpet of pine needles. Taden gave him a close look. With a pang he realized that the young man stood passively, waiting for whatever Taden chose to do with him. As much as he hungered for him, Taden didn’t want Nathaniel like that, unresponsive. He reached for Nathaniel’s hand and pulled him down beside him on the blankets.
“I would never hurt you,” he said as he leaned into Nathaniel’s body and slid his tongue over his full lips. He played with the laces of Nathaniel’s tunic, loosening them further. Fire licked through him as Nathaniel’s chest rose on a quick breath. Taden slipped two fingers inside the soft fabric to stroke the lean muscles of Nathaniel’s chest.
He nudged Nathaniel’s lips wider and groaned as the young man’s tongue darted into his own mouth, jolting him with lust. He caught the tongue with his lips, sucking, wanting to swallow Nathaniel whole.
Taden lingered over his kisses, slowly undoing the rest of the ties on Nathaniel’s tunic. He shifted on the blankets and thrilled at Nathaniel’s sigh as he bared his chest. Taden slid his tongue along Nathaniel’s chin with a fond murmur, savoring the saltiness of skin and the prickle of unshaven hair. He kissed the slim column of his throat and paused to suck gently on a vein pulsing in the heated skin.
He glanced lower and suddenly leaned on an elbow, his eyes ravaging the intoxicating sight of small nipples sitting like jewels on white skin. A single mole, innocent, utterly provocative, lay within kissing distance and drew his lips. Taden teased it with his tongue, smiling slyly when Nathaniel made a startled sound and gripped his shoulders.
Taden circled each hardening bud with his tongue, tenderly kissing the fading bruises. He slid a hand across Nathaniel’s abdomen and felt his muscles tighten. He slid a finger along the edge of Nathaniel’s pants, then moved his hand upward to brush his thumb over a sensitive nipple. Heat slammed through him as Nathaniel arched his back with a guttural cry. Unable to resist the temptation, Taden dropped his lips to the free bud, flicking it with his tongue, nibbling and nursing on it until Nathaniel was panting, a pleading note in the sound.
The tone changed suddenly to panic, and Taden jerked his head up in surprise, clashing with eyes wide with fear and arousal. He watched a trickle of sweat follow the curve of Nathaniel’s cheek. Surely the Nathaniel wasn’t afraid of him?
“I won’t hurt you,” Taden assured him again. Unexpectedly, Nathaniel gave him a tentative smile and touched Taden’s hair. The shy, heated glance undid him, and he had to fight the urge to strip Nathaniel then and there and thrust his arousal deep into the enticing body.
Taden dropped his head on Nathaniel’s chest. “Give me a moment,” he whispered hoarsely, concentrating on control. He wanted their joining to be perfect. It was hard when Nathaniel continued to thread his hands through his hair. With a growl, Taden straddled him, pinning the wandering hands over his head. “Careful, or I can’t promise to be gentle.”
Nathaniel’s eyes were hooded, and Taden watched, enchanted, as the tip of his pink tongue slid across pale lips. “Do anything you like,” Nathaniel invited.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I love your influences - you can't do better than Tolkien and Ursula LeGuin :) The idea of a people fighting to save themselves from destined madness sounds fascinating!

Hi Alex! I had the privilege of meeting Ursula two years ago at a writers' conference. Amazing women. I babbled incoherently when she signed my copy of 'Earthsea'. :)

Wow! I would have done too. I want to be her when I grow up!

I'm way past grown up, and I still want to be her! :) Have you read 'The Left Hand of Darkness'? It's scifi, but an amazing book.

*g* The Left Hand of Darkness ties with The Lord of the Rings for "best book ever" in my own personal list of books I love. Ha! I considered having "If this is the royal music, no wonder the kings of Karhide are all mad," tattooed on my arm. I still may, one day :)

That's one of the few books that actually made me shout at it. It's such a slim volume but ounce for ounce packs rather more of a punch than LOTR.

Yes, I hated the end. I felt that the end was a bit of a cheat - a mean trick played on the reader to maximise the emotional impact. These days, however, I'm a bit more familiar with politics and I'm now not so sure that the good resolution could have come about without something that dramatic happening to shock the respective countries into playing nice, so I'm becoming reconciled to it.

Of course, I was horribly in love with Estraven, (and thought Genly Ai was a shortsighted idiot) so it was the beginning of a lifetime of falling for the characters who are destined to die.

I don't really think LotR is going for a punch, though. LotR is something that sits with you quietly and gently over a long time and helps form your habits of thought. It's a long day spent on a riverbank, fishing and musing about life. LHoD is a ski slope with fireworks at the end, and much less philosophy than it thinks.

I can like them both equally because they're doing such different things they can't even compete with each other.

I can like them both equally because they're doing such different things they can't even compete with each other.

That's a very good point. I feel the same about films of books. They are 2 different animals.

I wasn't so much in love with Estraven, though he was pretty luscious, as with the society. I loved the idea of never knowing what you'd be next time.

LOL! And I loved the idea of not having to bother with any of it at all, most of the time. A world without sex and without gender seemed like a paradise to me.

Why did I not figure out I was asexual years ago?

I've just spotted this (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/174928.html?mode=reply) on Sam-Storyteller's Dreamwidth - Loki out tricked by someone even trickier and I thought I'd share. :)

Oh, thanks for the heads-up. I love Sam's Jack/Ianto stuff. I must check this out :D

Okay, Alex! Random.org picked your number as the winner of 'Nathaniel'. ;) What address would you like me to send it to? And it's very nice to meet you!

Oh wow! I'm an inattentive reader because I didn't even realise that was a possibility. What a great surprise :) alex@alexbeecroft.com is good. Thank you! And it was good to meet you too. I don't know many of the writers of Fantasy in our genre, and despite my heavy presence in Historicals, it's actually Fantasy where my heart lies.

So nice of you to have me here today, Elin! Thanks. :)

It's a pleasure, Dianne. And many apologies for the mix up over the giveaway.

Who couldn't love Estraven? But Frodo Baggins will always have the biggest part of my heart. I've read the books so many times I have them memorized, and still cry at the end when Frodo says goodbye to Sam. I even went so far as writing a fanfic where they meet again in Valinor. http://greenbooks.theonering.net/moonletters/creative/files/061104_02.html
It's sappy and full of flaws, but I couldn't bear for them to be parted forever...

Oh cool! I was a Tolkien fanwriter too, but more of a Celeborn fan. I will check out your fanfic and offer you one back. This is Celeborn comforting Sam on the first anniversary of Frodo's departure to the West:

http://www.elfringham.dsl.pipex.com/lotrfic/Remain.html

I love it! I wondered about Celeborn when they parted. But Celeborn had been in middle earth before Galadrial came, and it made sense that he stayed when she left. Though it made me sad for him.

Thanks! Yes, the story of the elves seems to have been the story of one sad parting after another. I guess when people rarely die, having them move to a different continent is the next best thing ;)

Today I have a guest - Dianne Hartsock :)

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