{Blog Tour} Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer: Character Interview + Giveaway

So, I'm sure you guys have all noticed that flashing button in my sidebar tempting you with the promise of five hot guys as part of the Elementals Read Along that Steph from Cuddlebuggery and I are hosting.  I'm sad that it's almost over, but I'm glad I got to experience these books for the first time with some of you!

You know what else I'm excited about?  Hosting a stop on the Spirit Blog Tour hosted by The Midnight Garden!  And the always delightful Gabriel Merrick is here to answer a few of my burning questions!!!

o Full Name – Gabriel Merrick
o Age – 17
o Goals – Qualify to go through Fire School for the spring semester. Stay alive.
o Likes – Layne, fire, macaroni-and-cheese, running
o Dislikes – Health food, math, when Michael is being a moron
o What constitutes your perfect woman? Have you met Layne?

Welcome to The Starry-Eyed Revue, Gabriel.  I hope you don't mind letting me pick your brain today...I know you control fire but do you think you can you handle the heat?  I guess we’ll find out…

First things first, why don’t you like to be called Gabe?  You call your twin brother Nicky but you don’t like to be called anything but Gabriel.

Seriously, does anyone like to be called Gabe? Ugh. And I’ve called my brother Nicky since we were little kids. If he minded, he’d tell me.

Ooookay.  I actually knew a Gabe in school, but that's neither here nor there.

So, I did a little research, and all four of you Merrick boys bear the names of patron saints.  Do you think this was intentional?  Saint Christopher was a patron for storms.  It had to be intentional, right?  That’s just too big of a coincidence.  Except that Saint Gabriel is the patron saint of messengers, communication workers, and postal workers.  Your parents kind of missed the mark on that one, huh?  Or was I just looking in the wrong place?

Yeah … um … we’re not really all that religious. Some d-bag at school said that Gabriel was supposed to be a chick angel or something. I punched him in the face.

Ha, I'll just bet you did.  And deservedly so.

If you had to pick -- and there was no chance it would cause a fight -- who’s your favorite brother?  (Oh, who am I kidding…you’d probably do it just to pick a fight.)

I’m closest to Nicky. That wouldn’t start a fight. They know.

Okay...I just thought that maybe after what had happened in Spark and what's been foreshadowed with Nick, that maybe you'd have a different opinion.  Glad to see you guys are as tight as ever.

I gotta say, you were my favorite character right from the beginning.  That first exchange with Becca in your kitchen was when I knew.  Sure, you’re cruel to her later in the story, but you own up to your mistakes and apologize, even going so far as to defend her honor.  I think you are a genuinely good guy; you just don’t know how to verbalize it or show that side of yourself to others.  Am I right?

*scoffs* It’ll probably save you time if you just keep assuming I’m a complete tool. *hesitates* Nah. You’re right. You’re right.

Glad to hear it.  I've got a soft spot for the bad boy who has a change of heart.

You’re kind of the black sheep of the family.  And it’s never more evident than in your book.  After the events in Spark, do you think you guys might get closer?   I mean, you do realize that your brothers are only trying to protect you, right?  Even when Michael’s being a hard-ass, it’s because he cares.

It’s funny. Sometimes I think we’re growing apart—but sometimes I think we’re growing closer. *rolls eyes* Mike still needs to switch to decaf, though. Or maybe spend more time with Hannah. *wink*

Agreed.  I think Hannah will prove to be very good for Michael.

While you were avoiding your brothers, you found a friend in an unlikely place.  What do you make of this Hunter kid?  I really enjoyed the bromance that developed between the two of you in Spark, but are you sure we can trust him?

If I answer this question, can we quit calling it a bromance? Ugh, I hate that word. It’s like we should be sharing sloppy kisses or something. But yeah, Hunter’s all right. He’s a messed up kid, but we all are, really. He’s been screwed over too many times. Once he figures out that we’re not next in line to mess with him, he’ll calm down a bit.

*shakes head* Sorry...that was hawt.  I was picturing...no, never mind.  Ahem.  Where were we?  Oh, yeah...sure, sorry, I'll stop calling it a bromance.

Sure, Hunter's as messed up as any of you, but he did get you involved in a pretty risky venture.  Was it the lure of the fire drawing you, or was it saving innocent lives that made you keep doing it?  Or are you just that crazy?

Sweetheart, I am just that crazy.

That's okay.  I like crazy.  *bats eyelashes*

You finally shared your secret with someone outside of your family.  Do you feel relieved not to have to hide it from Layne anymore?  Do you feel like you’ve burdened her now or put her in danger, like Chris inadvertently ended up doing to Becca?

Yeah, it’s a relief. Layne earned the right to know. Maybe I have brought danger to her doorstep—but I can’t undo that. And now that it’s out there, I don’t think I’d undo it, even if I could. *wince* I know that makes me sound like a selfish bastard. See what I mean about keeping up the assumption that I’m a complete tool?

That doesn't make you a tool; I'm glad Layne makes you that happy and that you're that comfortable with her.  Speaking of, how badly did you want to wipe that grin off Chris and Michael’s faces whenever they compared what you had with Layne to Chris’s romantic entanglement?  They really do like to antagonize you.  Don’t they realize they’re playing with fire? 

*grin* Don’t worry, I can get them back. Wait til you see what I do to Chris in Nicky’s book.

Heh.  Can't wait!

I love that the girl you fell for was the polar opposite of anyone you’ve dated before.  I think you surprised just about everyone…including yourself.  Was there ever a moment when you tried to deny how you felt about Layne, whether to protect her or yourself?  And if so, you knew that was never going to work, right?

I never wanted to deny what I felt for Layne. I was too busy hoping she felt the same way back. You’re not going to print that, right?

*swoons*  But, yeah, I'm totally printing that.  :0)  I assume you see a future with this girl, considering you let the cat out of the bag and there’s no going back from that point.  But aside from that, what do you think your future holds?  Think you’ll take Hannah’s advice?

Right now, I can’t see a future without Layne. She’s helping me get my math scores up so I can go through fire school in the spring.

*sigh*  I think that's every nerdy girl's dream...a hot firefighter.  Or is that just this nerdy girl?

Besides fighting fires, I think you should consider a career dealing with special needs kids.  You were really great with Simon.  I know a lot of readers who don’t exactly like you after reading Storm.   Think your actions in Spark will redeem you in their eyes?  Do you even care?

You think I give a crap if people don’t like me? I care about protecting my brothers. I care about protecting Layne. I care about douchebgs walking through the school hallways and beating the crap out of some kid who can’t even hear. If that makes me a dickhead, I’m pretty sure I’ll get over it.

Yeah, I kind of thought that might be your response.  For the record, I think it makes you honorable.

Well, that about wraps it up, though I could think of a million more questions to ask you.  Thank you so much for stopping by, Gabriel.  I loved you before, but I think I love you even more now. Don’t be a stranger!  ;0)

Title: Spirit
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elementals, book #3
Publisher: Kensington/KTeen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

the Elementals series
(click on the images to be taken to the book's Goodreads page)

Starry-Eyed reviews of the Elementals series: Elemental (#0.5) - Michael's novella Storm (#1) - Chris's book Fearless (#1.5) - Hunter's novella Spark (#2) - Gabriel's book Breathless (#2.5) - Nick's novella Spirit (#3) - Hunter's book
And now's your opportunity to pick who Brigid writes about next:

About the author:

Brigid Kemmerer started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years!

Spirit, the latest book in the series, will be released in stores and online on May 28, 2013.

Find Brigid:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

This contest is international. Open to readers ages 18+, or 13 & up with parental permission. See complete rules on the entry form. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule: May 20 - 31, 2013

5/20  The Midnight Garden  Guest Post

5/21  Bewitched Bookworms Character Interview

5/22  The Reader's Den Q&A

5/23  Hobbitsies Excerpt

5/24  The Starry-Eyed Revue Character Interview

5/27  Saz101 Q&A

5/28  Realm of Fiction Guest Post

5/29  Stuck in Books  Q&A

5/30  Books with Bite Excerpt

5/31  Cuddlebuggery Character Interview

Find the full tour schedule on the main tour page over at The Midnight Garden!

Big thanks to The Midnight Garden, Brigid Kemmerer, and Kensington Teen for putting this tour together and allowing The Starry-Eyed Revue to be a part of it!

Labels: blog tour, brigid kemmerer, character interview, elementals, favorites, giveaways, kensington teen, must-read, paranormal, read-along, superpowers