The Qwillery

Please welcome Leigh Evans to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. The Trouble with Fate was published on December 24, 2012 in the US and will be published on January 3, 2013 in the UK.





TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery!

Leigh:  Thank you! Can I tell you a very short story?

Flash back a couple of years, and there I was, sniffling into my sleeve because @LeighEvans001 had less than 20 twitter followers. Then one day The Qwillery took a chance on me, and you know what? That started the ball rolling—other people started following me. I’ve had fond feelings for The Qwillery ever since. Which makes me all kinds of happy to be here as your guest.

TQ:  Wow! It's been a pleasure following you!


TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Leigh:  I have an ugly callus on the side of my left foot because I have the bad habit of sitting with one foot tucked under me while I write. There’s no hope of breaking me of it.


TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Leigh:  My list of favourites is near endless, and very diverse, as I read cross-genres. But whenever I sit down in front of the keyboard, I slip into the manuscript praying:

-- Dear Goddess in the big blue sky—please—for just for this morning, can you help me make my prose flow like the passages found inside one of Patrick Rothfuss’ s books?
-- Hey, Karma, I’ll be good today. Promise. So about this afternoon…I need my characters to read as real as the vampires and shape-shifters in Charlaine Harris’s Sookieverse…
--Helloooo, guardian angel. Wake up. I need you. What do you say that tonight is the night? I want my world building skills to evolve into something as complex and solid as Jim Butcher’s multi-layered realms.

Which basically means that every day I’m looking at a whole bunch of disappointment, but damn, I keep trying.


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Leigh:  Bit of both. Long before I type the heading, “Chapter One”, I do at least a month on character profiles and world building. Then I create a story outline, which is a near waste of time because I never really follow it. But that being said, I start each book cognizant of one goal—either what I want Hedi to learn, or how Hedi is going to foul up. The rest of the story? It either comes to me in the shower or during revisions. Gad, the revisions…


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Leigh:  Two words: action sequences. Why, oh why, do I write them? And why, once in the scene, do I feel compelled to use a whole cast of characters? I know that’s going to be a headache. And seriously? What’s with the size of those sequences? Why can’t they be short and sweet? I know writing a full chapter with magic and bullets flying is never going to be easy. But do I listen to myself? No. And that’s a shame, because I’d save a fortune on Tums if only I was content to write, ”bang, bang, you’re dead.”


TQ:  Describe The Trouble with Fate (Mystwalker 1) in 140 characters or less.

Leigh:  Hedi Peacock, a half-Fae/half-Were barista, must steal an amulet from the neck of the one wolf she swore she'd kill if she ever met again.


TQ:  What inspired you to write The Trouble with Fate?

Leigh:  I’ve read a lot of urban fantasy and hero-journey novels. The ones that interest me most feature a main character who begins the series thinking they are neither kick-ass or hero-inclined.

Enter Hedi Peacock. One confused 22 year-old on the cusp of learning who she really is.


TQ:  What sort of research did you do for The Trouble with Fate?

Leigh:  I have to admit the truth on this one. After I screwed up on one tiny detail about the Asrai (according to folklore, they’re aquatic fairies), I took a long, thoughtful look at the concept of basing my worlds on existing myths.

Totally ruined my manicure. I must have spent a full afternoon, alternately clicking on Google links and filing my nails.

Whoa, I thought. Getting it right will be a helluva a lot of work.

I put down the nail file, and decided from that day on whatever I wrote was going to be pulled from my own brain—created just to suit my needs. Because doing that was easier, and if I messed up no one was going to jab an accusing finger at some page in a reference book.

That being said, I’m older than dirt. A whole bunch of stuff has seeped into my brain during my life time. So what you get is a bit of this, and a lot of that. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how well I did with it:-)


TQ:  What is the oddest bit of information that you came across in your research?

Leigh:  Asrais like water… Huh. That messes up the whole hates-water rule.


TQ:  Tell us something about The Trouble with Fate that is not in the book description.

Leigh:  One character that earns a lot of fan love is Merry, a sentient being imprisoned in a hunk of amber that Hedi wears around her neck. Merry’s all attitude. She knows exactly what she wants, and she’s willing to put herself (and Hedi) on the line to do it.


TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Leigh:  Hands down, in terms of motivation, the easiest character to write is Merry.

I guess the hardest character was Lou. She didn’t start out that way. I didn’t realize how twisted she was until the end of the first draft, and once I realized what was hidden in the murk of her personality....well, I found it very difficult to work on any scene she was in.


TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in The Trouble with Fate?

Leigh:  My agent decided to represent me when she got halfway through the book—she cried reading the courtyard scene. So that’s probably one of the strongest. But you know what? I had the most fun writing the love scene. Mostly because it’s not your usual romp in the sheets.


TQ:  What's next?

Leigh:  I’m busier than a girl with small bailer and boat with a large leak. This week, copy edits are due for the second book in the series, THE THING ABOUT WERES. Meanwhile, I’m trying to hurry toward the end of the first draft for the third book in the series. That book doesn’t have a name yet—mostly because with me, the story is very much in flux until I hit the period on the last page.


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Leigh:  The pleasure is all mine.




The Mystwalker Series

The Trouble with Fate
Mystwalker 1
St. Martin's Paperbacks, December 24, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…

Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again…

The Trouble with Fate (UK)
Mystwalker 1
Tor, January 3, 2013
Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

SHE’S HALF FAE AND ALL TROUBLE

WHAT SHE DOESN’T KNOW MIGHT KILL HER: Hedi looks normal. Yet that’s taken effort. Her fellow Starbucks baristas don't see her pointed ears, fae amulet or her dark past, and normal is hard for a half-fae, half-werewolf on the run. Hedi’s life changed ten years ago, when her parents were murdered by unknown assassins. She’s been in hiding with her loopy aunt Lou since, as whatever they wanted she’s determined they won’t get it.

Things change when wolves capture Lou, forcing Hedi to steal to free her – for if she can offer up a fae amulet like her own they may trade. But it belongs to a rogue werewolf named Robson Trowbridge, who betrayed Hedi on the night of her greatest need. Over forty-eight hours, Hedi will face the weres of Creemore, discover the extent of her fae powers and possibly break her own heart in the process.

The Thing About Weres
Mystwalker 2
St. Martin's Paperbacks, July 30, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

In the never-ending saga that is my love-hate relationship with Robson Trowbridge, I, half-Were Hedi Peacock, have had a change of heart. Ever since I shoved Trowbridge through the Gates of Merenwyn, I’ve been the leader of the pack—hard to believe, right? The thing is: I’m half-Fae. So even though my Were side is ready to heed the call of the wild, the other part of me is desperate to take flight. And much as it pains me to admit it, life without Trowbridge is really starting to were me down…

I AM WERE, HEAR ME ROAR.

To make matters worse, the wolves of Creemore want my blood—and the North American Council of Weres wants me dead. So I’m just counting the days until Trowbridge returns from the other realm…and comes to my brave rescue…and becomes my alpha mate. Wishful thinking? Of course it is. But given all the mess I’ve been through already, what’s the harm in doing a little bit of daisy-plucking? Besides, Trowbridge owes me bigtime. A girl can dream.

About Leigh

Leigh was born in Montreal, Quebec but now lives in Southern Ontario with her husband. She’s raised two kids, mothered three dogs, and herded a few cats. Other than that, her life was fairly routine until she hit the age of 50. Some women get tattoos. Leigh decided to write a book. A little tardy, but then again, her Mum always said she was a late bloomer.





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The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a US Mass Market Paperback copy of The Trouble with Fate (Mystwalker 1) from The Qwillery.

How:   Answer The Qwillery's Question:  


Please remember - if you don't answer the questions your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry).  This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 9, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

What are the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Authors up to in 2013?  This is the sixth is a series of posts.




Linda Grimes

Quick Fix
Ciel Halligan 2
Tor, August 20, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

The second installment of the original urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Ciel Halligan, an aura adaptor with a chameleon-like ability to step into the lives of her clients and fix their problems for them — as them — is working a job at the National Zoo with her boyfriend, Billy, and his ten-year-old sister, Molly. It's supposed to be a quick fix, giving her time to decide if it's wise to pursue the romantic relationship her charming scoundrel of a best friend wants, or if she should give Mark, the CIA spook she's crushed on since hormones first rattled her pubescent brain, a chance to step up to the plate.

Molly has already begun to show signs of being an adaptor herself. She's young for it, but she's always been precocious, so it's not impossible. What is impossible is her taking on the form of the baby orangutan she touches — adaptors can only project human auras. Until now, apparently. Worse, Molly is stuck in ape form. She can't change herself back.

Escaping from the zoo with their new baby orang, Ciel and Billy head for NYC and the only person they know can help: Ciel's brother James, a non-adaptor scientist who's determined to crack the aura adaptor genetic code. But when Billy winds up in jail, accused of attempted murder, Ciel begins to suspect Molly's unusual adapting ability is more than just a fluke. Who's been experimenting on Molly, and what do they hope to gain? And will Ciel survive to find out?

Rhiannon Held

Tarnished
Silver 2
Tor, May 21, 2013
Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages

Experience the romance and danger of running with the werewolves in this urban fantasy.

Andrew Dare has found his mate in Silver, but they haven’t found the pack they can call home. Some of his old friends think he should return and challenge Roanoke for leadership of all the werewolf packs on the East Coast. But Andrew has baggage—his violent history with the packs of Spain and the rumors of his lack of control. And then there’s Silver—the werewolf who has lost her wild self to a monster’s assault, and who can no longer shift forms. But perhaps together they can overcome all the doubters.

The second book in this wonderful urban fantasy series plunges readers into the world of the shape-shifter packs who live hidden among us.

Alex Hughes

Sharp
Mindspace Investigations 2
Roc, April 2, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

HISTORY HAS A WAY OF REPEATING ITSELF, EVEN FOR TELEPATHS.…

As a Level Eight telepath, I am the best police interrogator in the department. But I’m not a cop—I never will be—and my only friend on the force, Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino, is avoiding me because of a telepathic link I created by accident.

And I might not even be an interrogator for much longer. Our boss says unless I pull out a miracle, I’ll be gone before Christmas. I need this job, damn it. It’s the only thing keeping me sane.

Parts for illegal Tech—the same parts used to bring the world to its knees in the Tech Wars sixty years ago—are being hijacked all over the city. Plus Cherbino's longtime nemesis, a cop killer, has resurfaced with a vengeance. If I can stay alive long enough, I just might be able to prove my worth, once and for all...

J.A. Kazimer

Froggy Style
F***ed-Up Fairytale 2
Kensington, February 26, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 288 pages

Jean-Michel La Grenouille has a lot going for him. He's a prince. Handsome. Filthy rich. And definitely charming. But he also spent his first few years as a fly-catching, pond-dwelling frog. All that saved him was the kiss of The One, the girl who saw nobility through his slimy form and fell into True Love. Okay, fine. Technically she was a toddler who tried to eat him, but whatever. The curse broke, and as long as he finds and marries her by his 30th birthday, he's a free man.

Trouble is, he's going to be 30 in ten days, and he's getting some seriously cold-blooded feet. He's pretty sure Princess Sleeping Beauty is The One. But his best man has some villain issues, his in-laws-to-be belong in a really special castle, and a smoking-hot lady biker named Lollie Bliss has him rethinking all this happily-ever-after stuff. Oh, and he may have accidentally put out a hit on his blushing bride. Oopsie.

Bec McMaster

Heart of Iron
London Steampunk 2
Sourcebooks Casablanca, May 7, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 448pages

Lena Todd is the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a rebel against London’s vicious elite—not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can’t twist around her little finger.

Will Carver, is more than man, he’s a verwolfen and he wants nothing to do with the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds Lena in possession of a coded letter, he realizes she’s in a world of trouble. To protect her, he’ll have to seduce the truth from her before it’s too late.

Carol Wolf

Binding
Wolf Moon Saga 2
Night Shade Books, April 2, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 288 pages

What do you do after you’ve saved the world—and nobody believes you?
Amber is a teenage runaway, hiding out in Los Angeles, who is also a daughter of the wolf kind. And, not long ago, she had her own personal demon. Richard was her servant, her lover, and a hellish force bound to the earth against his will. Together they turned back the World Snake that threatened to destroy the city—and she had granted Richard his freedom.
Now Amber is alone, but nobody accepts that she has truly shed her demon. Many still fear the World Snake and seek to capture the demon’s power for their own purposes, unaware that Richard has already departed the mortal realm. Amber finds herself hunted, in both wolf and human forms, by cultists, illusionists, raisers of power, and even an evil veterinarian.
Saving the world was one thing. To save herself Amber may have to call back her fearsome demon lover, who is no longer bound to obey her. . . .

What are the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Authors up to in 2013?  This is the fifth is a series of posts.



Jill Archer

Fiery Edge of Steel
Noon Onyx 2
Ace, May 28, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

Lucifer and his army triumphed at Armageddon, leaving humans and demons living in uncertain peace based on sacrifice and strict laws. It is up to those with mixed demon and human blood, the Host, to prevent society from falling into anarchy.

Noon Onyx is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. Her unique abilities, paired with a lack of control and reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider from her peers. Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support her unconventional ways.

When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, a task which will most likely involve trying and killing the patron demon of that area, it seems Luck is not on her side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be facing something much worse than she ever imagined…

Lee Battersby

The Marching Dead
Marius don Hellepsont 2
Angry Robot, March 26, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook

Find the dead a King, save himself, win the love of his life, live happily ever after. No wonder Marius dos Helles is bored. But now something has stopped the dead from, well, dying.

It’s up to Marius, Gerd, and Gerd’s not-dead-enough Granny to journey across the continent and put the dead back in the afterlife where they belong.

File Under: Fantasy [ Dead Reckoning | Strange Problems | By Royal Decree | Still Running ]

Kira Brady

Hearts of Shadow
The Deadlglass Trilogy 2
Kensington Zebra, May 7, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

In this brilliant new novel in the Deadglass series, a fierce young woman’s quest entangles her in an apocalyptic endgame–and unexpected desire…

Grace Mercer’s unmatched wraith-killing ability made her the unofficial defender of a city shattered by supernatural catastrophe. So there’s no way she’ll allow the new regent of Seattle’s most powerful dragon shifter clan to “protect” her from a vicious evil stalking the ruined streets–and keep her from the freedom she’s risked everything to earn. Leif’s science-honed instincts tell him Grace is the key to keeping shifters and humans safe. But helping this wary fighter channel her untapped power is burning away the dragon’s sensual self-control and putting a crucial alliance at risk. Soon the only chance Leif and Grace will have to save their world will be a dangerously fragile link that could forever unite their souls…or consume all in a storm of destruction.

Amanda Carlson

Hot Blooded
Jessica McClain 2
Orbit, April 23, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

All in a day's work for a girl.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...

Lee Collins

She Returns from War
Cora Oglesby 2
Angry Robot, January 29, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

Four years after the horrific events in Leadville, a young woman from England, Victoria Dawes, sets into motion a series of events that will lead Cora and herself out into the New Mexico desert in pursuit of Anaba, a Navajo witch bent on taking revenge for the atrocities committed against her people.

File Under: Dark Fantasy [ The Wilder West | Unseen Forces | A Conspiracy | Fight For Life ]

Leigh Evans

That Thing About Weres
Mystwalker 2
St. Martin's Paperbacks, July 30, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

In the never-ending saga that is my love-hate relationship with Robson Trowbridge, I, half-Were Hedi Peacock, have had a change of heart. Ever since I shoved Trowbridge through the Gates of Merenwyn, I’ve been the leader of the pack—hard to believe, right? The thing is: I’m half-Fae. So even though my Were side is ready to heed the call of the wild, the other part of me is desperate to take flight. And much as it pains me to admit it, life without Trowbridge is really starting to were me down…

I AM WERE, HEAR ME ROAR.

To make matters worse, the wolves of Creemore want my blood—and the North American Council of Weres wants me dead. So I’m just counting the days until Trowbridge returns from the other realm…and comes to my brave rescue…and becomes my alpha mate. Wishful thinking? Of course it is. But given all the mess I’ve been through already, what’s the harm in doing a little bit of daisy-plucking? Besides, Trowbridge owes me bigtime. A girl can dream.

The 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars winner for December is Trey Garrison's Black Sun Reich (The Spear of Destiny: Part One)  with 48% of the votes cast. Black Sun Reich was published by HarperVoyager on December 18, 2012







The final results:














Thank you to everyone who voted, Tweeted, and participated. The 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars will continue soon with voting for 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - COVER OF THE YEAR!

Please welcome Nancy Northcott to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Guest Blogs. Renegade (The Protectors 1) was published on November 6th (eBook) and was published on December 18th in Trade Paperback. Read an interview with Nancy here.







Sally, thank you for having me here today!

Reading often fills me with anticipation. As I turn the pages, I look forward to the triumph of the good characters and the happy conclusion to any romantic arc in the book. I expect serious problems, even danger and disaster, along the way, but I figure the ending will leave me satisfied.

As I writer, I try to deliver what I like to read. This means anticipating what readers might want. Renegade, my debut novel is labeled paranormal romance. I think of it as a combination of dark fantasy and romantic suspense, a label that won’t fit a vendor’s marketing niche. To make it satisfying to readers, I had to look at the components of those genres.

First, I needed characters who had appealing goals but would not be natural allies. A sheriff and a fugitive wouldn’t join forces immediately. They might eventually, though, if the fugitive is wrongly accused. So Renegade is about the mages’ shire reeve, or sheriff, Valeria Banning, and the mage world’s most wanted criminal, former shire reeve Griffin Dare. Trying to clear his name and unmask the real threat force them into dangerous situations that also draw them closer to each other.

I also needed a world and a magic system with rules and consistency. For those, I drew on Wicca, New Age concepts, and folklore. My mages’ power is nature-based, and they can draw only so much of it at any time, or they can burn themselves out with an overload. I set that limit because I felt it was more realistic and more challenging. Unless the characters face significant, believable challenges, the plot has no conflict. It’s the Superman problem of finding an adversary who poses a real threat.

I wanted a place with abundant life energy for my mages to draw. Based on vague childhood memory, I chose the Okefenokee Swamp. It’s actually a peat bog, not a swamp, so it doesn’t smell and isn’t muddy, but its 700 or so square miles in southeast Georgia teem with various forms of wildlife.

Every genre novel hero or heroine needs an adversary, and my mages have the ghouls. Corrupted by dark magic, they can’t breed among themselves, so they kidnap mages or Mundanes (normal humans) for that purpose. They also have talons that extend from beneath their fingernails to drain magical energy or inject potentially lethal venom into their prey. Unable to digest anything not freshly killed, they keep animals for that purpose. They also engage in chaos magic, which not only violates the natural order but feeds on terror, pain, and the ritual sacrifices of souls.

I read pretty much every type of genre fiction as well as a range of nonfiction. I can enjoy a novel that doesn’t have a romantic arc, but I prefer those that do. Renegade is basically a romantic suspense novel set in a contemporary fantasy world, so the romance has to be the primary story arc to deliver what romantic suspense readers most anticipate. Griff’s and Val’s battles against ghouls and mage intrigue provide the provide the danger and suspense elements and fuel the romantic conflict.

I always enjoy reading, but now anticipation, for me, is also about building the mages’ world, driving them toward a final confrontation with their greatest foes. I’m enjoying the process and hope readers will enjoy the end result.

Thanks again for having me, Sally. I’d like to wish all your readers a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2013!





About Renegade

Renegade
The Protectors 1
Grand Central Publishing , November 6, 2012 (eBook)
December 18, 2012 (Trade Paperback)
Trade Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

SHE FOLLOWS THE RULES

As the Collegium council's top sheriff of the southeastern United States, Valeria Banning doesn't just take her job seriously, she takes it personally. So when a notorious traitor wanted by the authorities suddenly risks his life to save hers, she has to wonder why.

HE BREAKS EVERY ONE OF THEM

As a mage, Griffin is sworn to protect innocents from dark magic, which is how he finds himself fighting side by side with the beautiful Valeria Banning. But when the council finds out the two have been working together, they're both left running for their lives-from the law, the threat of a ghoul takeover, and a possible Collegium mole.

About Nancy

Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman. Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy and YA romance. A sucker for fast action and wrenching emotion, Nancy combines the romance and high stakes she loves in her new contemporary mage series.

Married since 1987, she considers herself lucky to have found a man doesn’t mind carrying home a suitcase full of research books. Nancy and her husband have one son, a bossy dog, and a house full of books.


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Please welcome Alexa Egan to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Alexa's debut novel, Demon's Curse  (The Imnada Brotherhood 1) will be published on December 26, 2012. Awaken the Curse, an e-novella prequel, was published on November 20, 2012. You may read Alexa's Guest Blog - Writing Bass-Akwards - here.




TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery!

Alexa:  Thank you so much for inviting me as part of your debut author challenge. I’m incredibly excited to take part.


TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Alexa:  Oh wow, I really wish I could say something great like I do all my writing in the bath amid the light of a thousand candles. Or I only write during the full moon or in months with an “R” in their name. Those would be quirks worth sharing. Unfortunately, the most quirky thing about me is the HUGE cup of coffee (or two) I need before I can sit down at my desk and the pens and notepads I have stashed all over my house and in my car for the moment inspiration strikes. Although, this time of year, I do bring my laptop down out of my office to write curled on the couch in front of the woodstove. It’s not candlelight, but it’s cozy.


TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Alexa:  I could wax poetic for hours about my favorite writers from Jane Austen to Lois McMaster Bujold. I grew up a huge SF/F fan devouring McCaffrey, Lackey, Norton, Kay, and Vinge to name a few. But interspersed in there were tons of historicals from writers like Dunnett, Gabaldon, Cornwell, and Penman. And of course romance of any subgenre. I love Julia Quinn and Kristin Higgins, Karen Marie Moning and Hester Browne. I always come away thinking, “boy I want to write like that when I grow up.” Right now, I’m reading CS Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series…actually it would be more accurate to say gobbling. They’re fabulous!

I think every author I read influences my writing to some degree, and since I read across such a wide spectrum of genres, all of those influences jumbled together turned into my mash-up of paranormal-historical romance that became the Imnada Brotherhood and DEMON’S CURSE.


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Alexa:  A definite pantser. When I begin a book, I have a bare bones premise and two characters I vaguely understand. The act of writing is what stirs my imagination, so outlining for me is completely useless. I don’t know my characters until they come alive on the page and the story I end up with is the story they tell. I just follow along behind with my laptop madly typing.


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Alexa:  Definitely that following along madly typing thing we just talked about. It’s a challenge every time, especially when midway through the book my characters decide to take a detour and I have to grit my teeth and rewrite the first two hundred pages. I also need to relearn with every book that the story will only come when I surrender to that inevitable route change. When I struggle to keep to the path I set at the beginning, the words grind to a halt and the whiny panic and self-doubt begins.


TQ:  Describe Demon's Curse in 140 characters or less.

Alexa:  A star on the Covent Garden stage and one of the mysterious race of shapeshifting Imnada join forces to find a killer and break a curse.


TQ:  What inspired you to write Demon's Curse?

Alexa:  Don’t laugh, but my very first thought when coming up with the series was ‘why not have aliens in the regency?’. Needless to say, my agent was skeptical about little green men hanging with the beau monde. So I tweaked the idea a bit, added an Arthurian twist, two warring magical races, threw in a battle-toughened group of shapeshifting ex-soldiers, and…oh yeah…a really nasty curse.


TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Demon's Curse?

Alexa:  I spend most of my time making sure the Regency details are accurate. My office is floor to ceiling bookshelves and probably one-third of that space is devoted to information on the time period when my books are set; everything from military maps and travel guides to sources on food, architecture, fashion, and social mores of the era. For Mac and Bianca’s story, I spent a lot of time researching the theatre in general and Covent Garden in particular, including floor plans and biographies of actresses of the day.


TQ:  Tell us something about Demon's Curse that is not in the book description.

Alexa:  When writing the book, my inspiration for Mac Flannery came from a photo I found of Chris Evans (Captain America). Whether it was the pose or the expression on his face or just his extreme yumminess…I don’t know…but he became Mac, the shapechanger soldier who finds himself caught between duty to his race and the human woman he comes to love.


TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Alexa:  I always enjoy my secondary characters best. They seem to jump off the page with little effort on my part. Actually, I tend to have to put them on leashes to keep them from taking the story over. And in DEMON’S CURSE, there were lots of those types of characters to choose from. Lady Deane tried to hijack the book, especially in the early drafts when she was channeling Tallulah Bankhead. Mac’s smart-ass best friend David St. Leger tried horning in from time to time. And then there’s the mysterious Badb. My cp’s are dying to hear her story.

Mac was the hardest to write because he derived completely from my imagination. I had no built-in reader knowledge to fall back on. I had to explain everything about his character and his world and do it without sounding like an encyclopedia entry.


TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Demon's Curse?

Alexa:  I love the prologue when we witness the devastating attack that triggered the curse. Mac and the other shifters have been taught to hide what they are at all costs, but in following the laws of their clan, they’re struck down by a curse and end up outcasts from the very society they killed to protect. The whole scene rolled off my pen effortlessly from start to finish and really summed up the personalities and motivations of the four main characters.


TQ:  What's next?

Alexa:  The second book, SHADOW’S CURSE is complete and due out in the fall of 2013. Captain David St. Leger is trapped into helping a beautiful necromancer flee north to her family, but his good deed sets an Imnada assassin, a Fey-blood gang lord, and a carnival knife thrower on his tail. If he survives, he might discover a way to break the curse. If he dies, he might find true love.

I’m also working on a novella which will come out about a month prior to Shadows where we find out how Sebastian Commin, the Earl of Deane wooed and won the heart of London actress Sarah Hayes.

And AWAKEN THE CURSE, the novella that began the series is still available for a mere 99 cents anywhere e-books are sold.


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Alexa:  Thank you for having me. I want to wish everyone a magical and memorable holiday. I hope to hear from lots of you in the coming year, letting me know what you thought of my Regency shifters.




About The Imnada Brotherhood

Demon's Curse
The Imnada Brotherhood 1
Pocket Books, December 26, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 400 pages

She holds the key . . .

One of the mythical race of shape-shifting Imnada and a member of an elite military unit, Captain Mac Flannery suffers under a ruthless curse. As the result of a savage massacre on the eve of Waterloo, he and the men he served with are forced to live the hours of darkness trapped as their animal aspects. Now one of them has been murdered, and Mac suspects the existence of the Imnada may finally have been discovered. His only link to unearthing the truth—Bianca Parrino, the beautiful actress whom every man desires.

. . . to his forbidden desires

Forging a new life for herself after escaping the clutches of her abusive husband, Bianca is again drawn into violence when a dear friend is brutally murdered and she becomes a suspect. Forced to place her trust and her life in Mac’s hands as they flee a determined killer, Bianca cannot deny she is falling for the mysterious soldier. But will his dark secrets tear them asunder? Or will love be the key to breaking even the cruelest of spells?

Awaken the Curse
The Imnada Brotherhood
Pocket Star, November 20, 2012
eBook, 100 pages

One very passionate and very scandalous kiss separated university student James Farraday and professor’s daughter Katherine Lacey. Now five years later, James, the new Lord Duncallan, receives an unexpected summons from Kate’s father begging him to come to Wales. When James arrives, he finds Professor Lacey has vanished while studying a mysterious ancient obelisk and everyone blames the nightwalkers; sinister creatures said to haunt the surrounding remote Welsh mountains. Do these legends point to the existence of the Imnada; a race of shape-shifters said to have died off a thousand years ago? Or is the professor’s disappearance the result of a very human villain? James and Kate are determined to find out the truth, knowing it may be the only way to find her father.

Even as they work to unravel the mystery, they find that they’re not the only ones interested in the obelisk and the lost race of Imnada. Treasure hunter Gilles d’Espe believes the ancient dolmen is the focal point of the shape-shifters’ power and would do anything to lay his hands on the last of four silver disks he needs to unlock the dolmen. A disk that hangs around the neck of James Farraday. While Cade, a local villager, is determined to refute both the claims of nightwalker sightings and the power of the dolmen as superstitious nonsense.

James and Kate soon find themselves fighting for their lives. Yet every hour they spend together makes it harder to lay aside the bitterness of the past and a very new and very real temptation…

About Alexa

Alexa Egan lives in Maryland with a husband who’s waiting impatiently for her fame and fortune to support them in a new and lavish lifestyle, three children for whom she serves as chauffeur, cook, nurse, social secretary, banker, and maid (not necessarily in that order), one cat … and twenty-seven fish. You can find her at www.AlexaEgan.com, friend her at www.Facebook.com/AlexaEganBooks or follow her at www.Twitter.com/AlexaEganBooks.




THE GIVEAWAY

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Demon's Curse (The Imnada Brotherhood 1) from The Qwillery.

How:   Answer The Qwillery's Question: 


Please remember - if you don't answer the questions your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry).  This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 2, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

Please welcome Trey Garrison to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Trey's debut novel, The Spear of Destiny, will be published in 3 e-parts starting in December 2012. A print version will follow. You may read Trey's Guest Blog - On zombies, Nazis, robots and cowboys: Writing the book was the easy part - here.

The first part, Black Sun Reich, is out on December 18, 2012.






TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery.

Trey:  Thank you. It’s a great site and I love the dedication you bring. I love your mission and the fact that you give debut novelists a platform.


TQ:  Writing quirks! What are some of yours?

Trey:  When I’m writing, I don’t read other fiction. I ended up with a stack of books I’m still working through.

This manuscript took six months – January 2010 through the end of June, and about 75 percent of the time my Chihuahua, Harley, was sitting on my lap while I wrote.

I have a man-cave office full of all my favorite sports and comics paraphernalia, as well as action figures and posters that relate to the manuscript. But I almost never write in there. I write in a lounger in the den.

I end up buying props and things that are in the book. I bought a model of the airplane I based the Raposa on, as well as a vintage Flying Tigers patch and blood chit that I had sewn on a bomber jacket. I don’t know if it helped, but it was just something I felt compelled to do.

I also have a stack of 3x5 index cards bound with a rubber band. I have it with me all the time. I take down notes, lines of dialog that occur to me, or even scenes I want to flesh out later.


TQ:   Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Trey:  The list is long. In terms of thrillers, humor and science fiction, I’m a big fan of Robert Heinlein, James P. Hogan, Poul Anderson, Harry Turtledove, S.M. Stirling, F. Paul Wilson, L. Neil Smith, Ayn Rand, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Greg Rucka, Mike Resnick, Vernor Vinge, Robert Anton Wilson, John Kennedy Toole, George R.R. Martin, George Mann, John Ringo, Christopher Buckley, and Brad Thor. (I know, it’s all over the place.) Of course there’s the grandfathers, Jules Verne and Ray Bradbury.

I really like how Vernor Vinge’s primary heroes resolve their conflicts not necessarily with who has the biggest gun, but using ideas, free trade and smarts. Likewise is the case with Poul Anderson’s technic series, with Nicholas Van Rijn as a merchant hero. In fact, one of my characters is a salute to Old Nick.

Finally, even though this book is based on some of the classic tropes of pulp adventure, I like turning what the reader expects on its ear. An example from another medium would be how Joss Whedon wrote my favorite TV series “Firefly.”


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Trey:  I tried making a detailed outline of the plot, and overall I generally stuck to it, but at least for me a story is a living entity that takes on its own life as it unfolds. A lot of the storyline flowed naturally from what I was writing, so the outline became more of a suggestion than a hard guide.


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Trey:  Getting started on a daily basis. Once I get started it’s easy but resolving to actually start each day is a hurdle.

The thing is, no one told me that writing the manuscript was the easy part for a first time novelist. The real hard work began trying to get an agent to give me a read. I actually knew the man who ultimately became my agent, David Hale Smith, before I started all this. We’d even worked together on a few non-fiction projects. But selling him on investing his time in my novel was still an uphill battle. Of course, he’s a great agent because he’s so discriminating, and his initial notes really helped me upgrade my manuscript to a much higher level than it started.

Likewise my editor at Harper Collins, Will Hinton, really pushed me hard, and where the novel is strongest it likely is where he had the biggest influence. It was hard work, but well worth it. It’s a much better story than my first draft.


TQ:  Describe The Spear of Destiny in 140 characters or less.

Trey:  It’s an alternate history adventure series with elements of dieselpunk and unapologetic, old-fashioned fun. And it’s got Nazis, zombies, robots and cowboys.


TQ:  What inspired you to write The Spear of Destiny?

Trey:  I love the intensity of stuff like the Bourne movie series, but when you’re done you feel like you’ve been through a wringer. I remembered how I felt when I was a kid seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark, and how I came out of the theater excited and ready to take on my own adventure. I wanted to recapture that kind of fun in a story, and have a hero who was realistic but still imbued with the old-fashioned virtues that predate the rise of the anti-hero. He may not always live up to those virtues, but he certainly strives to.

I guess the bigger picture was that I love writing, but after almost 20 years writing for newspapers and magazines, I was ready to get away from non-fiction and make my mark. This isn’t serious literature and I have no pretensions about writing the Great American Novel – it’s just what I hope is a fun adventure yarn.


TQ:  What sort of research did you do for The Spear of Destiny?

Trey:  I think readers are actually more forgiving of anachronisms in historical fiction than in alternate history fiction. You have to create a world that is plausible and consistent. I always was fascinated by the 1920s and the prosperity it saw, like they saw in Hong Kong under John Cowperthwaite. It was a time of great societal revolution and changing mores owing to the automobile and other technology and social causes. It was a time of individuality and individual rights grew for everyone, but at the same time you saw the horrible, statist idea of prohibition.

I immersed myself in the advertising, the music, the fashion, and the journalism of the era. It might be a throwaway description, but I wanted to have the characters dressed in the right kind of clothes, using the right lingo, and employing the technology of the time – although of course being an alternate history I had plenty of room to play around.

I included a large number of real historical figures as both supporting characters and antagonists, so I had to research a lot about each of them. I also had to speculate on what the Third Reich might have been like had the Beer Hall Putsch been successful, which allowed me to keep the story in the 1920s but still have the Nazis as the adversaries.

Some of the social commentary about how the cowboy way was the first truly multicultural push comes directly from real history. The cowboy skills needed were so in demand no rancher cared whether his hands were white, black or Hispanic. And one of my primary characters is a gay man. In the 1920s, homosexuality wasn’t the big deal it is today. The top box office draw of the time was William Haines, who was openly gay and living with his boyfriend. No one cared. (If anything, I hope people understand that my use of old terms that were common then but offensive now is simply going for verisimilitude – Negro for black people and “pansy clubs” for the gay bars of the time, for example. I trust the readers to get it.)

I really enjoyed exploring the Roma culture. They’re a fascinating people that usually get badly treated by writers. Learning their mythologies, philosophies and lifestyle was a gas. I get where they’re coming from.

The one thing I dislike about the majority of alternate history is that almost invariably the writers bring things around to status quo ante – the South is victorious but ultimately succumbs to reunification, America eventually gets free of British rule by the 20th Century after missing their chance in 1776, and so on. I say let it ride. Let’s look at a really different world without some divine sense of fate bringing things around to how the real world is.

Overall, alternative history is like jazz, I guess. You have to know the rules and the fundamentals before you can riff on anything. You have to have plausible reasons that history went this way instead of that. You have to know these people to speculate how they would have been if things had been different.


TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Trey:  I always had a fear of writing fiction because ultimately every character is an extension of the writer, to one degree or another. I didn’t want people to think I was as screwed up in the head as some of the worst villains in my story. I disturbed myself with some of the scenes involving the telepathic sadist Der Schadel, which I think is ultimately a good sign since that was the purpose and the intent of the character. I wanted to establish early on that the stakes were high. While this was at heart a fun adventure, writing his scenes was emotionally taxing.

The doctor, Kurt von Deitel, is the reader’s avatar into this alternate history. Through his eyes you get a sense of how different this world is, without boring exposition. He’s also the anchor to reality in scenes with the primary hero, who is larger than life in many ways. Rucker is the kind of man I strive to be, but the doctor is a more realistic extension of my own frustrations and insecurities. Writing Deitel was a blast because of this, and because he brings a certain dour sense of humor and an amusing, nebbish sense of persecution to the story.

Otto Skorzeny was fun too, as he was a mirror image of Fox Rucker, a very charismatic and honorable soldier even though he was on the wrong side. The real Skorzeny was larger than life. A supporting character, Charlie Almond, is my nod to one of my favorite characters, Charlie Allnut from “The African Queen.”


TQ:   Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in The Spear of Destiny?

Trey:  I think all the scenes with dialogue, action and argument between Fox Rucker and Deitel were my favorites. They’re so very different and they don’t get along much, and that conflict makes it compelling and opens the door to a lot of the humor. In a way, the doctor is the primary hero of the story because undergoes the most dramatic metamorphosis of any character, growing far beyond what he starts as. Rucker is the catalyst for that change.


TQ:  What's next?

Trey:  Holy cow, I have to write a sequel. It’s part of a two-book deal. It’s actually something I look forward to because I love the world and the characters I created for the first book, and I want to explore more of that world in the second book. I hope readers enjoy this other world as much as I enjoyed creating it. I hope this is received well enough for an ongoing series.


TQ:   Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Trey:  I really appreciate the time you take to do this. I think all us first timers really enjoy the opportunity and exposure you give. Thank you for inviting me into the fold.

TQ:  My pleasure!




The Spear of Destiny

Black Sun Reich
The Spear of Destiny: Part One
HarperVoyager, December 18, 2012
eBook, 100 pages

Black Sun Reich: Part One of three in The Spear of Destiny, the first novel in a new steampunk, horror, alternate history, action-adventure series set in a 1920s where the Nazis have begun their subjugation of the world using the occult, advanced science, and a holy relic with awesome powers.

And don't miss the other parts of this serialized novel—Part Two: Death's Head Legion and Part Three: Shadows Will Fall.

Trey Garrison recaptures the unapologetic adventure, wonder, and excitement of the classic pulp fiction of the 1930s and 1940s, blending elements of steampunk with deeply researched historical fiction and a good dose of humor. The novel also explores major philosophical and moral issues relevant to our contemporary world: the trade-off between security and liberty, the morality of preemptive war, and what fundamentally separates good from evil.

The North American continent is made up of several rival nations, and a Cold War is building among them. The Nazis rose to power a decade ago. People travel by airship, and powerful organizations calculate with Babbage's Difference Engine. The Nazis have hatched a plot to raise a legion of undead soldiers.

Enter Sean Fox Rucker and Jesus D'Anconia Lago, two Great War veterans and freelance pilots who are pulled into the quest. They are joined by a brash Greek merchant, a brilliant Jewish cowboy, and the woman who once broke Rucker's heart. This ragtag band of reluctant, bickering, swashbuckling heroes is soon locked in a globe-spanning race against Nazi occultists, clockwork assassins, and a darkly charismatic commando. In a world where science and the supernatural coexist, and the monsters of legend are as real as the necromancers who summon them from murky realms, our heroes alone stand before the rising shadows. But all their efforts may not be enough.

The Spear of Destiny, Parts Two and Three:








About Trey

     Trey Garrison has been a newspaperman, a magazine writer, and a soldier of misfortune. Trey’s secret identity is working as a mild-mannered journalist, editor, humorist, consultant, and part-time sybarite. Maybe the best word to describe him is racontrepreneur. Currently he is director of communications for a foundation based in Dallas that promotes free market solutions and free enterprise.
      Trey’s work has appeared in a number of publications, often with his consent and sometimes with his knowledge. He’s been a contributor and editor for D Magazine — considered among the best city magazines in the United States — and for Reason magazine, the national magazine that promotes free minds and free markets. Trey has been a special contributor for The Dallas Morning News and a field reporter for The Land Report.
     He’s a master in the kitchen, great at the gun range, and decent at Kung Fu. He lives in Texas. This is his first novel.
     His blog is www.treygarrison.com and you can pre-order THE SPEAR OF DESTINY here: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Black-Sun-Reich-Trey-Garrison?isbn=9780062261250&HCHP=TB_Black+Sun+Reich

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It's time for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars for December 2012!



As part of this year's Debut Author Challenge I thought it would be fun for you to choose a favorite cover from each month's debut novels. At the end of the year the 12 monthly winners will be pitted against each other to choose the 2012 Debut Novel Cover of the Year. Please note that a debut novel cover is eligible in the month in which the novel is released in the US.

Later this month you will be voting for the 2012 Debut Novel Cover of the Year!

You have 5 novels to choose from for December.

Please welcome Cecy Robson to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Interviews and The Weird Girls Blog Tour!  Sealed With A Curse (The Weird Girls 1) will be published on December 31st. The Weird Girls (an eNovella) was published on December 4th.  You may read Cecy's Guest Blog - Bedtime Tales - here






TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery!

Cecy:  Hello, Sally. Thank you for having me!


TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Cecy:  That would be acting out my action scenes. My husband has walked in on me throwing myself on the floor more than once. He once helped me work out a scene where my protagonist, Celia, impales a vampire with a fence post. My husband really got into playing the role of the vampire.


TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Cecy:  I have a non-sexual crush on Harry Dresden, therefore Jim Butcher is one of my favs. I love Mercy Thompson’s trials and tribulations―Patricia Briggs really knows how to write beautiful pain. I also just started reading Karen Marie Moning. The woman is amazing. My greatest influence comes from my love of the Urban Fantasy genre.


TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Cecy:  I used to be a panster. The problem was my over-active imagination kicked into high gear and I’d forget all about the important things like the plot. ; )


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Cecy:  Probably finding the time and quiet. I currently work as a labor nurse and I’m also a mother of three busy children.


TQ:  Describe Sealed with a Curse in 140 characters or less.

Cecy:  One backfired curse. Four unique sisters. The supernatural world is about to get body-slammed.


TQ:  What inspired you to write Sealed with a Curse?

Cecy:  Heh, heh, heh. My editor at Penguin, Jhanteigh Kupihea. When my agent submitted the original WEIRD GIRLS novel, she felt too much happened and suggested I take the first three chapters and make that my new book one. That novel turned into SEALED WITH A CURSE.


TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Sealed with a Curse?

Cecy:  I had to learn a great deal about Lake Tahoe region since I’ve never been there―the weather, environment, area restaurants, and tourist attractions. It sounds like a beautiful area.


TQ:  Tell us something about Sealed with a Curse that is not in the book description.

Cecy:  The girls are half Latina, half Caucasian, and the cast is multi-cultural.


TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Cecy:  Celia is the easiest because I’ve written almost four and a half books about her―so I’ve been in her “head” the most. Gemini, my Japanese werewolf, is probably the hardest since he’s the strong silent type and his creator tends to be a yapper.


TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Sealed with a Curse?

Cecy:  I think I have to say when the girls get a strong dose of what’s happening and finally decide to get involved. It’s a beautiful / sad / tense moment with just them that highlights their fears and love for each other.


TQ:  What's next?

Cecy:  A CURSED EMBRACE releases on July 2nd, followed by CURSED BY DESTINY in January 2014. I’m rewriting A CURSED BLOODLINE, Celia’s fourth novel. If the series does well, I’m hoping WEIRD GIRLS, Book 5, will be Taran’s book. I’ve also just written a proposal for my OLD ERTH series, a high fantasy category romance my agent will be shopping soon.


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Cecy:  Thank you, Sally. You’re always so gracious.





About The Weird Girls

Sealed with a Curse
The Weird Girls 1
Signet Eclipse, December 31, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, weird…

The Wird sisters are content to avoid the local vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region—until one of them blows up a vampire in self-defense. Everyone knows vampires aren't aggressive, and killing one is punishable by death. But soon more bloodlust-fueled attacks occur, and the community wonders: are the vampires of Tahoe cursed with a plague?

Celia reluctantly agrees to help Misha, the handsome leader of an infected vampire family. But Aric, the head of the werewolf pack determined to destroy Misha's family to keep the region safe, warns Celia to stay out of the fight. Caught between two hot alphas, Celia must find a way to please everyone, save everyone, and oh yeah, not lose her heart to the wrong guy—or die a miserable death. Because now that the evil behind the plague knows who Celia is, it’s coming for her and her sisters. This Wird girl has never had it so tough.

The Weird Girls
Signet Eclipse, December 4, 2012
eNovella

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, a little weird…

The Wird sisters are different from every race on earth—human and supernatural. When human society is no longer an option for them, they move in among the resident vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region. Could this be the true home they’ve longed for? Um, not quite. After the sisters accidentally strip a witch of her powers in a bar brawl, they soon realize the mistake will cost them. Because to take on a witch means to take on her coven. And losing the battle isn’t an option.

Includes a preview of the first full-length novel in the Weird Girls series, Sealed with a Curse—as well as introductions to the Weird World, and a letter from the author.

About Cecy

Cecy (pronounced Sessy) Robson is an author with Penguin's SIGNET ECLIPSE. She attributes her passion for story-telling back to the rough New Jersey neighborhood she was raised in. As a child, she was rarely allowed to leave the safety of her house and passed her time fantasizing about flying, fairies, and things that go bump in the night. Her dad unwittingly encouraged Cecy's creativity by kissing her goodnight wearing vampire fangs. Gifted and cursed with an overactive imagination, she began writing her Urban Fantasy Romance Series, Weird Girls, in May 2009. THE WEIRD GIRLS: A Novella, debuts December 4, 2012 followed by SEALED WITH A CURSE, December 31, 2012, and A CURSED EMBRACE, July 2, 2013.

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The 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars winner for November is A.J. Colucci's The Colony  with 75% of the votes cast. The Colony was published by Thomas Dunne Books on November 13, 2012.








The final results:














Thank you to everyone who voted, Tweeted, and participated. The 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars will continue in December with voting on the December debut covers and in late December for 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - Cover of the Year!