Mistral Dawn and Bound By The Summer Prince

XXX Who is Mistral Dawn? XXXEnjoy this interview with her and be sure to FOLLOW her on Twitter because she's a MOOD BOOST:

1.  How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
Well, for my first book, Taken By The Huntsman, I got the idea from a dream I had after having a debate with an online friend about the nature of consent.  At the time, I was researching European mythology and somehow the two subjects got jumbled in my head while I was asleep.  When I woke up I texted a friend with the outline of the idea and asked if she thought it was interesting.  She was kind enough to say that she did think it was interesting, and would like to read a book based on it.  I wrote the first couple of chapters and emailed them to her, and she said she wanted to read the rest; so I wrote it.  As I wrote that story, ideas for several more came to me and a series was born. 
2.  Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?
I'm dyslexic and didn't learn to read at all until I was eight years old.  Once I finally did learn to read, I skipped a lot of the "children's" books (though I've read many of the classics as an adult) and dove headlong into sci-fi and fantasy novels written for adults.  The first novel I ever read was Heir To The Empire by Timothy Zahn, a continuation of George Lucas's Star Wars series.  Reading that prompted me to haunt libraries and second hand book stores (this was before the prequel trilogy of movies made the series popular again...boy I'm getting old! ;-) ) until I had gotten my hands on everything that had ever been written in the Star Warsuniverse.  Once I was done with those, I was on to Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings.  I've seldom been spotted without my nose in a book since. 
3.  How long have you been writing?
It depends. If you mean how long have I been writing fiction then, other than a few doodles I've written over the years as school assignments and a dismal fan-fiction piece I wrote in junior high, I've  written two novels: Taken By The Huntsman and Bound By The SummerPrince which just came out. It's getting some great reviews.
4.  What kind(s) of writing do you do?
Well my novels are fantasy romance/paranormal romance/borderline erotica.  But I'm a graduate student, so I do a lot of non-fiction writing as well.
5.  What cultural value do you see in writing/reading/storytelling/etc.?
I think fiction both informs and is informed by society.  Sometimes what is written in fiction is a reflection of what we wish to see.  Sometimes it is an exaggeration/satrization of what we see.  Sometimes it is a warning against what we are afraid will result if steps are not taken to prevent it.  Also, the messages and/or lessons in it are often presented in a symbolic form, but fiction never emerges from a vacuum.  It is left up to the reader, one hopes, to take the abstract concept present in the story and apply it to real life.  Honestly, I sometimes think this may be the only way to get people thinking and talking about the most important issues that face our society, because fiction provides a safe arena to discuss the matters that hit closest to home.  Someone who might be comfortable talking about the absurdity of wizards excluding other wizards because they weren't born from parents who were wizards, might not be so comfortable considering the implications of racism or gender bias in our society.
6.  Are there vocabulary words or concepts in your book that may be new to readers?  Define some of those.
Yes, the most important ones are Anamchara, which is the Fae word for soul-mates who are bound together in a magical bond called the Siorghra.
7.  Are there underrepresented groups or ideas featured in your books? If so, discuss them.
Yes, as I said my first story began with the idea that the nature of consent was something worth being discussed.  There are BDSM themes throughout my stories, and I compare and contrast the "games" that adults may choose to play with each other with non-consensual assaults perpetrated by a disturbed individual against others.  I plan to expand on this in future stories.  The heroine in my second book, Bound By The Summer Prince, is a woman of mixed ancestry, and I plan to continue to bring ethnic diversity into my stories.  The Fae, as well, have some diversity issues they are struggling with.  Additionally, in the short story I'm writing now, it will be revealed that one of my characters is asexual.  In future stories I plan to include gay characters, bisexual and pansexual characters, intersex characters, characters who are transgender or who identify as both male and female genders simultaneously, etc.  I hope to make the characters in my stories as varied and interesting as the people I'm fortunate enough to know in real life.  If anyone has any suggestion for a character they feel belongs to an underrepresented group I'd be happy to hear it. 
8.  Are there misconceptions that people have about your book?  If so, explain.
Yes, I've had some feedback saying that the descriptions in my stories are too long and that there are too many of them; though I've also had plenty of feedback indicating that these descriptions are appreciated by some people.  I believe that the complaints about these descriptions come mainly from people who read my stories expecting them to be what they may have come to expect from erotica: many sex scenes with a little supporting story.  That's not what my stories are, and that's why I call them "borderline" erotica.The sex scenes in my stories are very explicit and contain depictions of activities that some people might consider "kinky." In spite of this, I consider the stories to be more important than the sex scenes.  The explanations and descriptions are what drive the stories, not the sex.  What I hope to do in all of my stories is paint word-pictures for my readers.  I conceptualize each story as a series of pictures in my head, almost like a movie, where I can see and hear what my characters do.  I want my readers to share that experience with me, and that's how I write my narrative.
9.  What do you like to read in your free time?
I mainly read sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal romance novels.
10.  What projects are you working on at the present?
At the moment, I'm writing a short story that is set soon after the events that take place in Bound By The Summer Prince.  After that, I plan to work on my third novel which will tell the story of the Winter Court king of Fairie and how he meets his human soul-mate.  After that, I have several more novels and short stories planned for the series that takes place in Fairie, but I also have a cyberpunk series that I plan to write. 
Visit Mistral Dawn's Amazon Page CLICK HERE