Book Blitz & Giveaway: "Timespell" by Diana Paz

Title: Timespell

Author: Diana Paz

Genre: YA Fantasy/Time Travel

Release Date: April 1, 2013

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Synopsis: In TIMESPELL, the brash and impulsive Julia must team up with her sweet and straight-laced best friend, Angie, and the malicious and power-hungry Kaitlyn in order to keep the witch-like powers of her inheritance. But these powers come at a cost. The girls are bound to serve the Fates, and their first mission sends them back in time to Marie Antoinette’s Paris and eventually, into the chaos and war of the French Revolution.

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Timespell Excerpt I: Angie

With a flick of her wrist, Angie lit the candelabras lining the wall. She shouldn’t have gone this far into the backstage labyrinth of the opera house without Kaitlyn and Julia. Listening to them fight, hearing the loathing in Kaitlyn’s words, made up her mind. She had decided to slip away on her own. And now she couldn’t go back. Not when she sensed the magic drawing her forward. Its pull was irresistible.

She turned a corner, lifting her hand to release a shimmer of light. It trailed to where the hall opened up to reveal a stage. She had circled the entire opera house. Despite the layers of her gown, Angie shivered. The magic grew stronger with each step she took. Her eyes slid closed as her entire body pulsed with warm energy that swelled inside her, filling her like a breath that wouldn’t end.

The music from the masked ball became louder as she neared the stage. She took another step then froze at the sight of a door. Beneath it, light shone against the gloom. Light. And the shadow of footsteps.

Her heart buzzed behind her ribcage as she raised her hand again, opening the door with a gentle nudge of magic.

Timespell Excerpt II: Julia

The teacher went on. Julia tried to stay awak, but it was like the woman spoke in a hypnotic voice on purpose. She could practically hear her saying, “You’re getting sleepy … very, very sleepy.”

“Julia Corona,” Mrs. Ramirez snapped. Julia straightened again, forcing her eyes wide open. “Name a victim of the Reign of Terror. Now.”

“Right.” Crap. Mrs. Ramirez really had it in for her today. She flipped back a page in her textbook. “A victim,” she repeated. “There were so very, very many. Sad times …,” she trailed off.

Mrs. Ramirez crossed her arms.

Julia chewed on her lip, scanning a paragraph about the September Massacres. The mark on her arm grew warm and she frowned. The page in her history book went blank. She blinked. An involuntary sound escaped her throat as the blank page began filling in. Word after word, image after image, shifting and changing until the page looked nothing like it had before. A moment ago it had talked about survivors—Pauline de Tourzel and her mother—and the next moment it talked about their untimely deaths.

“We’re waiting.”

She flipped the page, wondering if being sleepy had made her hallucinate. There was no mistaking the warmth flowing from the mark on her arm. Her heart pounded as she watched another page rearrange itself, entire paragraphs disappearing. She slammed the book shut. Mrs. Ramirez narrowed her eyes.

Julia swallowed. “I—want to remember without looking.” What was going on? History was changing, and shutting her book wouldn’t stop whatever was happening in the past.

Author Bio

Diana Paz writes books about magic, adventure, and romance. She was born in Costa Rica, grew up on Miami Beach, moved to Los Angeles in high school, and went to college in San Diego. Basically, she’s a beach bum. Diana graduated from California State University, San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. She loves old movies, epic fantasy, all kinds of music, and heading to the beach with a good book. Preferably sipping a highly sweetened iced coffee.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.dianapaz.com/

Blog: http://www.dianapazwrites.blogspot.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianapazwrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianapazwrites

Author Interview

Why don't we start with getting to know you. Tell us a little about yourself.

Let’s see… I’m technically an adult, but I’m most definitely not a grown-up. I grew up both on Miami Beach and in Los Angeles, and was both a bookworm and a cheerleader. I have a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, I taught third grade, and my very first job was at a movie theater. I love thunderstorms, warm cookies, anime, snowy cabins, sunny beaches, and video games.

Timepsell is your first published novel. Is it the first book you’ve written?

No. Timespell is my fourth completed novel. My first novel is a historical romance set in Medieval France with a knight and a damsel and—oh, the damsel was kidnapped by nefarious villains at least four times. She had amazing fainting spells and she could cure almost anything with herbs and flowers. When I realized that my first novel had a lot of problems, I decided to view it as a learning experience, and started my next idea: a young adult paranormal romance that was rather meandering and filled with altogether too many villains, side characters, plot holes, and dropped plot threads. This was another learning experience novel, and I have no regrets about either of these stories. Then there is my other young adult novel, this time a fantasy romance set in a magical world. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for that story. I consider it an old flame that won’t die out, and someday I may rewrite it. Even if I don’t, and even if I never complete any of the half dozen unfinished stories slumbering on my hard drive, I value the time I’ve spent writing all of my stories.

How did you come up with the idea for Timespell?

The idea came when I thought up a scene about a pair of time-crossed lovers, and the scene wouldn’t leave my thoughts. I wrote it down, and from there everything started falling into place. The idea of two best friends, completely excited about having magic so they could travel through time to fulfill their destiny, only to realize they can only keep their power if they join with the most evil girl in school? That was too much fun not to write.

The main characters in Timespell have the ability to time travel. If you could time travel, would you go into the past or into the future?

Oh, that’s so tough… as much as I adore history, I’m too curious for my own good, and I would choose the future.

Is Timespell a stand-alone novel or is it planned as part of a series?

Timespell can definitely be read on its own, but I wrote it with the idea of a series in mind. I’m currently working on the next book, in which the girls will be sent on a mission back in time to the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy. I’m thrilled to be joining Julia, Angie, and Kaitlyn in another adventure, especially one involving sword fights and treasure.

Let’s start with your writing routine. Do you have a particular place you like to settle in to write?

I usually start with a snack and music, sometimes I spend a few minutes daydreaming about my characters and what I have planned for them… then I dive into my manuscript! My favorite place to write is on my sofa, tucked into the corner with my laptop, and I’m big on having a steady supply of tea and cookies within reach. I tend to snack a LOT while writing, but it balances out because I end up forgetting to eat during revisions.

In the novel, the three main characters seem very different. How would you describe them? Was writing in three points of view a challenge?

I enjoyed the challenge of viewing the world through each of my character’s eyes. Julia is sarcastic, outspoken, protective, and impulsive. Angie is steady, polite, thoughtful, and reserved. Kaitlyn is contemptuous, cynical, guarded, and fearless. They each have flaws and strengths that play into their relationship. I wanted to see if three girls who were so dissimilar could overcome their differences and, if so, would their experiences change them? What would their motivations be? Would they cooperate for the good of the world? For their own agendas? For personal gain? What about loyalty to one another? It was fascinating to me to think about how the girls would react to an existence that forced them to unite, and I loved seeing each of them grow.

Do any of the characters personalities resemble your own, or people you know?

Even though I created the main characters as their own people, I can’t help but infuse pieces of myself, and the experiences I’ve had, in every character I write. Because of this, I would say that I can relate to each of them.

Timespell delves into the time period of the French Revolution. What drew you to this historical period? What made you choose certain locations in the book?

I loved the idea of Marie Antoinette being the same age as my main characters when she made her Parisian debut. I think that’s probably what first had me poking into researching this particular era. The more I read, the more fascinated I became, and before I knew it, I had several scenes in mind for the story based around key events surrounding Marie Antoinette’s life. I liked choosing locations that made sense in the story and the timeline, so I decided to use Tuileries Palace as an anchor throughout a lot of the time travel that occurred in Timespell. Between Marie Antoinette’s Parisian debut and the terrifying march on the palace many years later, it was a great place to have the girls battle demons and experience key events of the Marie Antoinette era.

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