Elizabeth Hunter's Blog, page 42

Final Dream Cast: A Hidden Fire

Catalina Sandino Moreno as Beatrice

So, the votes are in, and I posted the final "dream cast" for A Hidden Fire here.

Many thanks to all of you who participated. I loved seeing your nominations from week to week and all of your ideas about the characters. This cast is yours, and I think it looks fantastic.

Thanks, also, to everyone who visited or participated in the blog tour this week! The launch for The Force of Wind went extremely well and I'm so pleased at the reviews I'm seeing come back for my third book. I also just ordered the paperback proof for Book Three, so if you've been waiting for that, it should be finished and ready to ship soon!

Please check back on the website for teasers for the fourth book that I'll be posting here every Tuesday until the release of A Fall of Water in June. Some of you noticed that the first chapter at the end of The Force of Wind started over a year after they left China. Anyone curious what happened in that year? Hmmm…

As always, thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Blog Tour for The Elemental Mysteries hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews

Hey all. Just wanted to let you know that the blog tour for the series is going on this week, and I wanted to give you the link to where you can find all the stops. There are reviews, interviews with me, character interviews, and a few give-aways too! It's being hosted by the amazing ladies over at A Tale of Many Reviews, and they've just done an amazing job setting it up. (Thanks, Leisha!)

Also, I'm going to leave voting up on the dream cast until Friday if you haven't had a chance to vote yet. Winners will be announced and posted on Saturday!

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth

The Force of Wind is on sale now!

Though it's not the "official" release date, I wanted to post and let you know that The Force of Wind is now available on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I usually post a few days early to make sure it's on sale for the official release date, but both systems were very fast at processing the book last night so you get it a bit early!

Here are the links. Smashwords is not up yet, but I'll be loading that up tonight. I'm still doing the formatting work on the paperback, and then I'll need to order a proof, so that will take a couple of weeks yet. I'll be sure to put up the links when it is available. But for now, here are the links to the e-book!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Here is what a few reviewers have to say about the third book:

"Darker, grittier, bittersweet and in a way heartbreaking. B is an unstoppable force, and the chase for the ancient immortality elixir is gaining momentum. This time you either win or die. [Hunter's] best book so far. I can not wait for the next one!" –Nocturnal Book Reviews

"I have said it before and I am so happy to be saying it again I LOVE THIS SERIES!!! At the end of last year when I made my Best of 2011 list, A Hidden Firewas on it. I have  no doubt that at the end of this year Elizabeth Hunter will be there again.  …The Force of Wind is just that, a force. I felt every emotion in this installment." –Bending the Spine Book Blog

I truly hope that the book lives up to all your expectations. It was a pleasure to write. A challenge, but a pleasure, and I can't wait for you to read.
Thanks for all your support!
Elizabeth


UPDATE: Wow, that was fast! Smashwords is now available, as well! 

Vote for your dream cast: Giovanni Vecchio

*drum roll*

So, it's the moment all you Gio fans have been waiting for. You all had lots of ideas for who to cast as Giovanni. He had, by far, the most nominations. It was a challenge to narrow it down because you all had very good ideas. I'll say again, no one actor or model is exactly what I see as Gio when I write (that really goes for all the characters) but these three men each have elements that are important.

Gio has classically handsome features. He's both a scholar and a warrior. Each of these nominations has something that I think comes close to what I see. I did limit myself to posting clothed pictures. (I'm sure you can use your imaginations.)

Really though, Giovanni and all the characters are who you imagine them to be. So, tell me what you think!

#1 Raoul Bova

#2 David Gandy

#3 Antonio Cupo

Take Our Poll

Vote your dream cast: Beatrice

Time for another finalist vote! This one was hard. I didn't receive a lot of nominations for Beatrice, but the ones I got were great! These top three choices all have very different looks, but I think they portray humor, intelligence, and also the feisty kind of attitude that we love about B. I also believe that all of them could wear a pair of Doc Marten's, which was essential.

Poll for our main man, Gio will be up tomorrow morning. In the meantime, tell me what you think!

#1 Jordana Brewster

#2 Catalina Sandino

#3 Lindsay Hartley

Take Our Poll

News: The End has a Name

Hey folks. I had a big day yesterday.

The fourth Elemental Mysteries book is finished.

Well, kinda. As is the case with anything, it still needs self-editing, polishing, pre-reading, more editing, proofreading… you get the idea. But the first draft is definitely done. It's bittersweet. I'm not going to lie. Telling Gio and B's story has been my project for over a year now, and I'm going to miss writing adventures for them.

BUT, I don't think you need to worry about the future of the series. One thing I never anticipated when I started these books was the amount of love readers would have, not just for Gio and B, but ALL the characters in this world. So, while Gio and B's story may be finished, I think there are more stories to tell. I'm already working on a companion novel for Carwyn, and there may be others. In fact, there may just be another short series (3-5 books) in the Elementals world. We'll have to see.

As for what I'm doing right now, I'll be posting the last two votes for the dream cast tonight or tomorrow. (I've loved seeing the votes, btw.) Mostly, I'm focused on the upcoming release for Book #3, The Force of Wind. The blog tour is happening next week and I'll be sure to post a schedule if you want to check out who's participating. There will be interviews with me, one with Gio (!) and another with Beatrice, reviews, excerpts from the books, and a give-away, too.

But today, since the first draft of the fourth book is finished, I wanted to give you the title. The title for book four was taken from a quote by Lucretius, a Roman poet and philosopher who reportedly drove himself mad with a love potion and wrote his poetry in between fits of insanity. (Great story, no?) The quote is:

"The fall of dropping water wears away the stone."

And so, the fourth Elemental Mysteries book, the finale of Giovanni and Beatrice's story, is entitled, A Fall of Water, and it will be released in June 2012.

Thank you all for reading,

Elizabeth

Vote for your A Hidden Fire dream cast: Carwyn!

So, it's the moment I know many, many of you have been waiting for. I know Carwyn has his own fan club. You all definitely seem to have a thing for redheads, don't you? Or is it the Hawaiian shirts? I can't blame you. It was really difficult going through page after page of good-looking redheads to find the right picture, but I managed.

For you.

Because I care.

So, hair color wasn't a requirement, but the top three nominations ended up being all redheads! More importantly, I think all three of these actors can convey both the humor and intensity of the character. Again, one of these gentlemen comes very close to what I picture, but I'm not telling. Let me know what you think:

#1 Damien Lewis

#2 Michael Fassbender

#3 Paul Bettany

Take Our Poll

Vote for your dream cast for A Hidden Fire: Tenzin

I had so many good nominations for Tenzin, it was really hard to narrow down. The actress didn't have to be Chinese (after all, Tenzin was born before borders were defined!) but the actress had to be able to convey a balance of innocence and ferocity. I hope you enjoy my final choices, one of which comes very close to what I pictured, but I'm not saying who. I want to see what readers think!

The Force of Wind takes place almost entirely in China, and you'll learn a lot more about one of my favorite vampires. She's a fascinating character; one that I love to write, even though she's incredibly challenging.

Time to vote! These are your choices:

#1 Oomasa Aya

#2 Ziyi Zhang

#3 Wei Zhao

Take Our Poll

Vote your dream cast: Caspar

So, Caspar was a hard one! First, there wasn't a huge amount of physical description in the book, so your imaginations could run wild. Second, the Michael Caine nomination was inevitable, not only because Mr. Caine played the world's coolest butler, but also because… well, it's Michael Caine, people! He's the very definition of cool. I paid less attention to age and more to overall look and attitude. And though I will say that none of these nominations hit exactly what I pictured when I wrote the character, these are all great ideas and fit very well.

So, vote your favorite:

#1 Michael Caine

#2 Liam Neeson

#3 Nigel Havers

Take Our Poll

Next poll will go up tomorrow for Tenzin. Happy voting!

Vote your dream cast: Lorenzo

I'll be posting these polls through the weekend, and we're going in reverse order, so first up?

Lorenzo!

Now, our favorite villain got lots of good nominations, but these three come closest to the character in my mind. All can look innocent or evil, and all have fairly classically handsome features. The top three nominations were:

#1 Harry Lloyd

#2 Jamie Cambell Bower

#3 Matt Barr

Let me hear what you think!

Take Our Poll