Hello everyone, please help me give a warm welcome to Elle Chardou, aka Danielle Blanchard Benson!
Ten Things About Danielle
1.
Your genre(s)?
My genre will always be romance or some form thereof though I
have been known to do contemporary, erotic (not erotica as there is a
difference), paranormal, dystopian and even -- grasp! -- horror. I am an artist
so I don't limit myself and as a reader you don't have to buy everything I
write. I assume most of y'all will cherry-pick anyway.
2. How
many books have you completed?
I love serials and series so I have completed one long damn
serial, The Beautiful People (which
consisted of eight novellas), Death
Wish and Better Off Dead in The
Vamp Saga (and a novella, Death Lair), Beginnings inThe Plague series, Love Voodoo in the DeGeneration series, The
Catalyst in my other serial, The Pop Stars,
and Forever 27, a novelette in The 27 Club series.
3. How
many books are you working on now?
*Breathe*
Okay, I am almost finished writing Queen of the Undead in The
Vamp Saga (72k and counting),Hart Attack, the first novel
in The Hart Family Saga (another paranormal series), Apocalypse
2012 in The Plague series, The Making of a
Star in The Pop Stars serial and Love Game in
the DeGeneration series. Plus, I am co-writing a novel with a
writer friend of mine, a horror-thriller, Ties That Unbind. I'm
tired just thinking about my year...
4. Are
you a linear or chunk writer?
I try to work on one project at a time so it makes it easier
for me to maintain consistency. That list above, that is the order of the books
with the exception of the one I am co-writing. I write that one when I get it
back from my co-author, write my part and then send it to him via email and
Drop Box.
5. The
POV (= Point of View) you’re most partial to?
I'm
not. I love first person though it can definitely have its limitations. I
usually stick with third person though. The HUGE exception to this rule
is The Vamp Saga. The first novel is written in first person but
the rest are a mix of first and third person. There are some people out there
this irks but what can I say? I love Manon and I *can't* write her in third but
I also love some of the other characters and thought they should get a word in
too. Hence the bastard project it has become involving both POVs.
6. The
themes that keep cropping up in your books?
Female empowerment, strength, change and staying true to
one's self. None of these are ever easy but nothing in life worth fighting for
ever is so there you have it.
7. How
many days a week do you write?
Everyday. There is no such thing as writer's block for me. I
began Apocalypse 2012 but my Vamp Saga muse
didn't want to let go so I began the third novel. Due to my schedule, I write
at least 2k each day and can finish a first draft in anywhere between four and
six weeks.
8.
What time of day do you get your best writing done?
The
evening. I have two children under the age of ten so when they are sleeping or
are about to go down, I find myself most creative. Plus, I can have a glass of
wine while I write... yes, I sometimes write toasted but I do all my revisions
dead sober and I have an editor just to make sure she catches all the mistakes
I don't. Plus, I have some great writers who act as beta readers and guinea
pigs for those other pesky mistakes neither of us catch. I will upload and
re-do a book that isn't perfect countless times. I do it all the time as it is
a bit easier with the e-books than print but there is no such thing as
"done" for me if mistakes are found.
9.
What kind of music do you listen to when you write?
I'm a child of Generation X and I listen to everything but
when I write paranormal/horror, I need some hard rocking music. My favorites:
Deftones (Diamond Eyes and Best
Of albums are classics), Marilyn
Manson (Mechanical Animals, and Eat Me, Drink Me are two
of my faves but I have every album ever made), Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein...I
also listen to a lot of French hip-hop (Sinik, Diam's, MC Solaar) and French
music in general (too many artists to count!). And I love some good pop music
so Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Britney Spears, and Madonna are never far away...neither
is Mylene Farmer for the matter, my favorite French pop star.
10.
What the hell is up with your love affair with France?
Yeah,
la Belle France gets mentioned a lot in a myriad of my novels. Better
Off Dead and Queen of the Undead take place there as
does most of Beginnings and Apocalypse 2012 will
be a revisit (yet again). TheDeGeneration series takes place almost
entirely in France. My other love affair is French influenced even if it is in
the States. Hart Attack takes place in New Orleans.
I just
love France, French culture, the language and desperately can't wait until I
can live there for a couple of years and write. I have lots of French friends
and am partial to the Ile-de-France area of the country (though it is often
cold, rainy and overcast). Plus, who wouldn't want their children to be
bi-lingual? And did I mention the wine and the cheese and the food? Everything
is better with a French accent! ;-)
Now here's one of Danielle's books under her secret identity:
BLURB:
The Gorgeous Wife
Lara MacIntyre-Buchanan has it all:
a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter and more money than she can spend in a
lifetime. Looks can be deceiving and although Lara should be one of the
happiest women in the world, she is miserable. So much is missing from her life
but the most important, she needs love…
The Superstar Husband
Sean Buchanan is movie star supreme:
he has Lara, his blue-blood wife, and a lovely daughter. He also has a
billion-dollar movie career that has spanned more than a decade. His wife gives
into his every need and she has been the perfect submissive until now but it is
no longer fulfilling. Now he wants more…
Marriage Interrupted
Lara takes a part in a cable
television show to get away from her so-called perfect life and meets the
perfect guy instead. Kristian Stenfeldt has his share of flaws but he is
everything her husband is incapable of becoming and now she has to make a
decision. Should she hold on to the life she has cultivated or throw it away for
a mysterious future that could hold limitless possibilities?
WARNING: This is an erotic contemporary romance
story part of the Superstar Marriages Anthology. This
story contains a badly behaving movie star, a submissive wife who has to come
to terms with finding a backbone, a hot guy who is too delicious to resist and
a storyline that guarantees an HEA…though it might not be with the man you
think!
Sound cool? Well, here's your chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you're impatient like me and can't wait to read this book, here's where to get it!
Kindle: Paperback
AUTHOR:
Ms.
Blanchard Benson is the author of Beginnings:
Book I (The Plague), Death Wish: Book I, Better off Dead: Book II and Death
Lair: A Novella (all from The Vamp Saga), The
Catalyst: Book One (The Pop Stars) and The Beautiful People series.
She
is currently working on Love Voodoo: Book I (DeGeneration), Apocalypse 2012: Book II (The Plague), Hart Attack: Book I (The Hart Family Saga), The
Making of a Star: Book Two (The
Pop Stars) and Queen of
the Undead: Book III (The
Vamp Saga).
Ms.
Blanchard Benson has lived abroad in Stockholm (Sweden), Manchester (England),
Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. She currently resides in
Las Vegas, Nevada.
TO FIND DANIELLE:
Danielle Blanchard AKA Elle Chardou
Follow Danielle Blanchard Benson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/dblanchbenz007
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Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4883227.Danielle_Blanchard_Benson
Email Me: mzdanibee007@gmail.com
Check out the earlier posts on the tour:
9/7 The Bunny's Review
9/7 Debbie Jean's
9/10 Books, Books, and More Books9/10 Genuine Jenn
9/11 Lissette E. Manning
9/11 My Cozie Corner
9/11 Reviews By Molly
9/12 mademoiselle Le Sphinx
9/13 The Self-Taught Cook9/13 Sharing Links and Wisdom
Check out the earlier posts on the tour:
9/7 The Bunny's Review
9/7 Debbie Jean's
9/10 Books, Books, and More Books9/10 Genuine Jenn
9/11 Lissette E. Manning
9/11 My Cozie Corner
9/11 Reviews By Molly
9/12 mademoiselle Le Sphinx
9/13 The Self-Taught Cook9/13 Sharing Links and Wisdom
i visited Paris, France back in 02 and fell in love w/ the french culture and food. my fave. memory from there is coming out of the Louvre after it stopped raining and seeing a rainbow over the Paris skyline
ReplyDeleteparisfan_ca@yahoo.com