Guest Post and Giveaway: The Surrounded by Crimson Blog Tour with Lexi Ander

We’re so pleased to welcome author Lexi Ander back today, on the Surrounded by Crimson blog tour.

Since the color red is referenced in the title of the book, I asked Lexi if she’d like to chat about symbolism, what the color represents in the story, and if the symbolism was intentional or synchronstic.

Enjoy what she has to say on the subject, then be sure to click on the Rafflecopter widget below for the chance to win one of the following prizes:

1. $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Surrounded by Crimson, swag (pens, bookmarks)
2. $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Surrounded by Crimson, swag (pens, bookmarks)
3. hard copy of Surrounded by Crimson, swag (pens, bookmarks)
4. e-book copy of Surrounded by Crimson
5. e-book copy of Surrounded by Crimson

Good luck!

Lexi: Do I include different symbolic elements into the story? Ah… yes and no. I don’t usually use symbolism on purpose. Most of the time it’s accidental and I have a moment where I think, “Hey, that would fit like a beaut!” Sometimes I insert symbols of the culture that I’m writing about. But… when I sat down to pen Surrounded by Crimson, I did intend to us the some symbolism for the color red.

Red is powerful and invokes a wide range of emotional responses in people that goes from the sexy side of passion, seduction, and love to the negative reactions of violence and anger. With prehistoric people, the color was associated with the primal forces of fire and blood.

When I was writing Dreams of the Forgotten, I was also reading The Rise and Fall of Babylon. There was a description of a burial site that predated Babylonia. At the excavation of Uruk, there was a list of items found along with an explanation of red being the color of mourning for the area. There were other tidbits about the length of time they mourned along with habits and rituals, which fascinated me—and some pieces made it into the ending of Dreams of the Forgotten. Tristan wears red as he mourns for the loss of Brian.

Tristan’s red robes were carried forward into Surrounded by Crimson, but had nothing to do with the title, at the beginning. No, I had meant for the symbolism to be about sacrifice because this was supposed to be the book in which some died. The idea was nixed when I was in the middle of book three, but I kept the title based on the replacement scene which would be pivotal to the storyline. When my writing finally dropped my off at that point, I had a thought went something like this. “Well, hell, how is Tristan going to show people what this looks like when he can’t step outside of himself to show everyone that?” Briefly, I considered changing the title.

All wasn’t lost, though. When I finished, I noticed I had woven in the mourning element, along with the love, the rage, and well, I won’t give away spoilers, but there was another element, and it all fit. The title came to represent several things instead of that one snippet of a scene. In no way was the symbolism intentional, but I happen to think that since I had the title picked out long before I began writing helped to bring everything together than if I had planned it. ^_^

Fun Facts About Red

Red is one of the top two favorite colors of all people.

Red is the most popular color used on flags in the world. Approximately 77% of all flags include red.

Red is the international color for stop.

Red districts sell sex and pornography in every European culture.

The history of languages reveals that red is the first color after black and white. (All languages have words for black and white. If a third hue exists, it is red.)

Cultural Meanings

Red is the color of good luck in Asia and is the most popular color in China.

Most Japanese children draw the sun as a big red circle.

In East Asian stock markets, red is used to denote a rise in stock prices. (Note: In North American stock markets, red is used to denote a drop in stock prices.)

Red is an auspicious color for marriage. Brides in India and Nepal wear red saris; in Japan, a red kimono symbolizes happiness and good luck.

In Russia, the word for “red” means beautiful.

Thank you for stopping by and reading! Good luck with the giveaway!

Blurb: Tristan has agreed to bond with Ushna but there is still much to do and returning to Tribe Enkidu puts everyone on edge. Tristan is being stalked like prey all the while fighting depression as he mourns the loss of Nikita and enduring a battle of wills with the Elder Council over his birthright. The pleading of his adoptive daughter only adds still more stress to the situation.

Stumbling onto a secret prison while searching for Ushna leads Tristan to risk everything to free a lost God. But breaking the tie to his Flame has more repercussions than Tristan knew and the assistance of a forgotten Goddess and a centuries old lover may not be enough to save him.

Buy Links: Less Than Three Press | Amazon US | All Romance eBooks

About the Author: Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Where to find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | E-mail | Goodreads

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