A Darkness Strange and Lovely Blog Tour: Character Interview with Daniel + A Giveaway

I'm thrilled today to welcome to the blog Daniel; Spirit Hunter, inventor extraordinaire, and love interest for Eleanor in Susan Dennard's newest release, A Darkness Strange and Lovely. I absolutely adored the first book in the series, Something Strange and Deadly, despite my fierce aversion to all things zombie, and I may have fallen a little in love with Eleanor and Daniel both individually and as a couple. Daniel was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule fighting the Dead to answer a few questions for me, and be sure and check the bottom of the post for all the details on a fantastic giveaway!

Take us back to the first time you ran afoul of a zombie. What was your reaction and what object or person do you most wish you had with you when you came face to face with one?

The first time I ran afoul of the Dead, I was just a kid. My ma worked for a rich family outside of Chicago, and their estate was deep in the forest. There was this terrifying spirit that haunted those those woods—you could hear it hiss at night. *shudder* I wish I’d had Joseph with me then. He’d have known what to do—even if he would’ve only been a boy like myself, I bet he could’ve handled it. *grin*

If, in a separate interview, Eleanor was asked to describe you, how different do you think her answer would be from the way you would describe yourself?

Aw, she’d probably say I’m ornery. And rude. And I’ve heard her call me a scalawag more times than I can count now, so I reckon that’d be on her list too. But I’ll be honest, I’m not as grouchy as she might think—I just don’t like people touchin’ my inventions. What’s so hard to understand about that? And while I’ll admit I haven’t got my manners all tidied up like Joseph or Eleanor,  I wouldn’t call myself rude. I can be nice…when I want to be.

The scalawag thing, though…She’s probably right about that. *wink*

If zombies and spirits were suddenly a non-issue and your days no longer revolved around them, what would you most enjoy focusing on instead?

I reckon I’d go to school. Why hell, I might even start a school. I could teach kids like me—orphans and guttersnipes. I’ve been real blessed since my time in pris…well, you know where. Ever since I escaped that hell, though, I’ve been real blessed, and it only seems right to pass that luck on.

Let’s say you’re teaching a multi-week class specifically geared toward fighting the dangerous Dead. What would the class be called and what would the first item on the syllabus be?

Honestly, I’d leave that kind of class to Joseph or Jie. They’re the real Dead-fighers in the group. But I can already tell you what item Jie would want on the syllabus first…

Aim for the Knees: how to incapacitate a corpse when you’ve got no weapons or magic

If you had ample time to show Eleanor around your lab, which of your many inventions do you think she would be most fascinated by?

Now that’s a secret. One I don’t want her findin’ out. I reckon you’ll just have to read A Darkness Strange and Lovely to see for yourself. *sly smile*

While Eleanor doesn’t have your same experience with zombies, she is a quick learner and determined to be of assistance to you and the other Spirit Hunters. What quality of hers do you admire most?

I respect a woman—or any person, really—who doesn’t back down just ‘cause things get hard. As long as my fingers can curl into fists and breath still burns in my chest, I won’t stop—and neither will Eleanor.

It doesn’t hurt that she’s mighty fine to look at either.

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A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • The Book Depository

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SUSAN DENNARD

Susan Dennard is a writer, reader, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. She used to be a marine biologist, but now she writes novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (she really likes swoon-worthy rogues).

She lives in the Midwest with her French husband and Irish setter, and her debut, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY, is now available from HarperTeen.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

There will be 10 winners total and the prizes are…..

•      5 Winners will receive a hardcover copy of A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY and a paperback of SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY, along with signed swag - US ONLY.

•      5 winners will receive an e-novella of A DAWN MOST WICKED and signed swag - INTERNATIONAL.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on this tour, put together by the amazing team at Rockstar Book Tours!

WEEK ONE
7/15/2013 - Bookcase to Heaven - Interview
7/16/2013 - Magical Urban Fantasy Reads - Guest Post
7/17/2013 - Tynga's Reviews - Review
7/18/2013 - Supernatural Snark - Interview
7/19/2013 - The Book Cellar - Guest Post

WEEK TWO
7/22/2013 - Read-A-holicZ - Review
7/23/2013 - IceyBooks - Interview
7/24/2013 - Working for the Mandroid - Review
7/25/2013 - The Reader's Antidote - Review
7/26/2013 - Two Chicks on Books - Guest Post