Vincent is half gargoyle,
half man. Shunned by his clan and forced to live in the shadows, he guards over
a beautiful witch named Noir LeMar, the one light in his life. He longs to
touch her, but he carries a curse – anything he touches will turn to stone.
Orphaned at fifteen, Noir
has spent her life searching for the demon that killed her parents, and for her
little brother, who she hopes is still alive. She has no idea that she has a
secret protector, until she is caught in an ambush in Paris and Vince is forced
to reveal himself. Noir is immediately attracted to the handsome and lonely
Vince, but has sworn never to fall in love. Can she overcome her demons, and
the curse that keeps them apart?
Kara is an angel, sent to
prevent Noir and Vincent from falling into a trap set by Ash, the fallen angel
who killed Noir’s parents. When she meets Ash however, she is immediately
seduced by him, sensing that deep down he is still good. But as an angel, she
is forbidden from feeling desire, or she too will fall…Can they ever be
together? And can she protect Ash from Noir’s revenge?
A
gripping and suspenseful paranormal romance, Hearts of Stone is the first book in Inka Loreen Minden’s Guardian Wings series.
About the author:
Inka Loreen Minden is a German author of
erotic and paranormal romances and young adult books. She has so many
pseudonyms that she has been called ‘the multi-named woman’. She has written
more than twenty-six books—historical, contemporary, and paranormal—and her
titles appear regularly on the German online bestseller charts. Inka started
her career as a Young Adult author, saying: “Whenever
my protagonists clicked, I realized the tension between them was getting too
strong to just stick to kissing. I enjoyed building up these stories and that
is how I started writing erotica.”
Inka lives in
Munich with her husband and son
Interview:
Interview:
Where
are you from?
I'm
from Munich, but was born and raised in a quaint Alpine town called
Berchtesgaden.
Tell
us your latest news.
My
new adult romance Amy & Jason
came out two weeks ago and has already broken all of my previous sales records. I wasn’t expecting it, so I'm very happy. Next week
my book of erotic stories set on a cruise ship will be out (Love Trip).
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
I‘ve
been writing stories and novels since the first grade, but I just considered it
a hobby until eight years ago. I've only been earning money from writing since
2007 and ever since then, I’ve seen myself as a writer.
What
inspired you to write your first book?
I
can't really tell you what I would describe as my ‘first book’ because I always
used to write several books at the same time. I only just finished writing one
of the first “real novels” that I started three years ago. That being said,
even as a child I wrote entire novels, but I wouldn't describe those efforts as
"books." :-)
There
has always been inspiration in my life, since I have always written daily. If
it wasn't a story or a novel, then I wrote in my diary. I've filled up 15 of
them in four years.
Do
you have a specific writing style?
I
can only defer to the opinions of my readers, who claim that they feel like
they are in a movie or in the middle of the story when they read them. I always
try to appeal to all the senses, and you won't find any overwrought (landscape)
descriptions from me, since I would never employ anything in my stories that I
would find boring as a reader. I actually write the books that I would like to
read myself and it is very important to me that they are very emotional above
all. I want to touch the hearts of my readers.
How
did you come up with the title?
I
had actually chosen Dark Angel as a
working title, because it suited both Vincent (as a nocturnal guardian) and Ash
(the fallen angel). Only, the title had already been given to another book and
I so kept looking. It had to have something to do with unattainable love and
then Hearts of Stone quickly came to
mind. The title just fit perfectly to the main characters Vincent and Noir – Noir's
heart was closed off and, as a gargoyle, Vincent can turn anything he touches
to stone.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I
think about any messages, even when the readers later interpret all kinds of
them. And then I am always very surprised about the messages my stories (are
supposed to) have. The message in my books is actually always "love"
and that love is worth the fight - I would interpret that in it now ;-)
How
much of the book is realistic?
The
story takes place in our world, in our time, in real-world locations. I did a
lot of research. Even the palm leaf library in Kanchipuram that I mention
actually exists, among many other things, but the story and the characters are
pure fiction.
Are
experiences based on someone you know or events in your own life?
Of
course, one works out a lot of things that lie dormant in the subconscious, so
I can really only answer the question with: I don't know. I didn't deliberately
process anything.
What
books have most influenced your life?
Books
have been a part of my life every since I could read at all. Before I more
intensively devoted myself to writing, I would devour one a day. But none of
them have greatly influenced my literary work. As a teenager, my favorite book
was The Stand by Stephen King. I've
surely read that ten times.
However,
what I have taken from the Master of Horror: I have always loved that he gives
characters from other books a role in his latest works. Sometimes, they just
cross the street or have a tiny cameo appearance, and only insiders know who
the person is. I have used that in some of my own works.
If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I
don't know of anyone in particular. As a child, I devoured Stephen King, but he
was not a role model for my erotic novels and he has an entirely different
writing style than me (I don't like to be so extravagant). I became interested
in the genre very late. I actually only read my first romance and erotic novels
when I had already long since began writing them. Essentially, I never read in
the genre that I'm writing, so that I'm just not influenced by it. I would
prefer to always come up with something new, my own, which is of course
difficult because you can't reinvent the wheel. But I do my best and first
research every new book idea and if I find that something similar already exists,
I throw out or rework the idea.
What
book are you reading now?
Many,
but also none entirely. I like to read numerous bits of text, but I usually
have the problem that I can only rarely really get carried away in a book.
That's been my biggest problem for years, which is probably why I like reading
romantasies so much, since they are already so far from reality that I can really
be sent off.
Because
I have always had problems finding reading material that is suited to me, I
more or less write my own favorite stories. But soon I’ll have a vacation and
then my pile of unread books will be mercilessly attacked. Then I can more
easily find distance from my own projects and have my head free for reading.
What
are your current projects?
I'm
currently writing a continuation of a shape shifter story, then I have ten more
projects on my to-do list, from erotic stories to romantasies, continuations of
existing series or an entirely new YA idea, which seems most appealing to me at
the moment. But I'll have to set my priorities.
What
would you like my readers to know?
To
all readers who still don't know Hearts
of Stone, I wish you an exciting and thrilling read. To all of the others,
I thank you for the extensive feedback. I am always happy when you get lost in
my stories and can't get enough of them. The exchange with readers is always a
lot of fun for me and a wonderful validation for any author.
Author Links
Buy Links
Amazon uk
GIVEAWAY
The prize is an ecopy of the book
I like the book cover, but, to be honest, it feels a little busy to me. The book sounds great, but if I saw it lined up with others, my eye would probably go to something a little simpler.
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