SHOWCASING: “A Rush of Wings” & “Black Heart Loa” – by Adrian Phoenix

AUTHOR INTERVIEW 

with 

ADRIAN PHOENIX

&

GIVEAWAY!!!

“A RUSH OF WINGS” (Book One of The Maker’s Song)

by Adrian Phoenix

OVERVIEW

Set in the brooding New Orleans area long established as the best location for all things vampiric, Phoenix's lively debut has it all: Rogue [FBI] agents, Bureau-ordered hits, mad-scientist experiments in psychopathology, vampires and fallen angels and a slicing-dicing serial killer. Smart, sexy FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace has been trying to catch the Cross-Country Killer for three years when the trail leads to New Orleans and Club Hell, where Dante Prejean performs with the Inferno, an industrial/goth rock band. Dante is a Cajun and a born vampire whose memories of his terrible past have been erased, leaving him vulnerable to the psychopathic killer, E, who knows all that Dante has forgotten. As E begins targeting Dante's loved ones, Heather must swallow her skepticism and work with Dante's vampiric friends and family to save him. Phoenix alternates romantic homages to gothdom and steamy blood-drinking threesomes with enough terse, fast-paced thriller scenes to satisfy even the most jaded fan.

“BLACK HEART LOA”

by Adrian Phoenix

OVERVIEW

“An eye for an eye is never enough.”

Kallie Rivière, a Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a bent for trouble, learned the meaning of those ominous words when hoodoo bogeyman Doctor Heron targeted her family for revenge. Now, while searching for her still-missing bayou pirate cousin, Kallie finds out the hard way that someone is undoing powerful gris gris, which means that working magic has become as unpredictable as rolling a handful of dice. The wards woven to protect the Gulf coast are unraveling, leaving New Orleans and the surrounding bayous vulnerable just as an unnatural storm—the deadliest in a century—is born. As the hurricane powers toward the heart of all she loves, Kallie desperately searches for the cause of the disturbing randomness, only to learn a deeply unsettling truth: the culprit may be herself. To protect her family and friends, including the sexy nomad Layne Vallin, Kallie steps into the jaws of danger . . . and finds a loup garou designed to steal her heart—literally.

READ the REVIEWS

“A Rush of Wings” by Adrian Phoenix has 247 reviews on GoodReads. Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2081569.A_Rush_of_Wings

“Black Heart Loa” by Adrian Phoenix has 64 reviews on GoodReads. Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9686423-black-heart-loa

MEET author ADRIAN PHOENIX

As a writer, a person, and a mother, I’ve always believed in following your dreams, following your heart. It’s also important to keep your heart, so I also believe in being prepared for zombie attacks and can’t stress enough the importance of having regular family drills so every member of the household is zombie-ready. One never knows. Make sure the sofa is ready to push in front of the door. Be clear that if a member of the family is on the wrong side of the door when the zombie action goes down. They remain on the wrong side of the door. The greater good, etc.

I live in Springfield, Oregon in a zombie-free home (except when meeting deadlines) with four cats, Amiga, Diabla, Keats, and Ember and have two sons and three grandchildren and two granddogs. I’m the author of The Maker’s Song (A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, Beneath the Skin, Etched in Bone) and Hoodoo series (Black Dust Mambo, Black Heart Loa) and short stories. 

INTERVIEW with ADRIAN PHOENIX

Q: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

A: Oh, it started when I was a kid, with my love of reading, of books in general. But by the time I was twelve or so, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wrote short stories for fun all the time, sharing them with my sisters and my friends and my teachers. By the time I was in junior high, I was in love with writing.

Q: What inspired you to write your first book?

A: Up until I wrote A Rush of Wings, I’d written only short stories. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to write a novel, but at the time I felt like novel writing had to be complicated , a mysterious process that only the initiated understood. Kind of like the Freemasons of verse. LOL. So, basically, I let my own fears stop me. Then I attended a story structure workshop taught by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, two pro writers that I deeply respect, and I learned that I was so wrong.

Novel writing is not complicated nor mysterious and you don’t need to be initiated into the club via an arcane ritual. All you have to do is write a story. It’s a bigger story, yes, but it possesses all the characteristics of a short story—a character in a setting with a problem—but with more arcs. Duh. Angelic choir in the background. Light bulb over my head. So simple. Tell the story. I went home and started on A Rush of Wings.

Q: How many books have you written? Which one did you enjoy writing the most?

A: I have written seven novels so far. Six of those are for the two series I have with Pocket, the seventh is a humorous urban fantasy novel (very tongue in cheek) that I plan to e-pub under a pen name because it’s so different from what I usually write. It’s short and funny. I’m working on book five for the first series right now, then on to book three of the second series.

The book I enjoyed writing the most was A Rush of Wings. It was purely for myself and I was pushing all boundaries and exploring. I enjoyed the process very much.

Q: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

A: My plots tend to be complicated with multiple sub-plots, so as the series progresses, it becomes more of a challenge keeping straight who knew what and when and how. LOL. I’m now keeping a bible to make all that a bit easier. Also with nightkind (vampires), Fallen, and loups garous (werewolves), the scent of smell is a highly attuned sense, so included in that bible is how each individual smells—the personal scent that identifies them. Annie smells like cigarette smoke and vanilla, for example.

Q: Are there any new authors who have grasped your interest?

A: Sad to say, I’m usually so busy that I only have time to read at bedtime, so I’m way behind on new and exciting work coming out. My TBR pile keeps growing because I keep adding to it. LOL. I haven’t had a chance to discover new authors yet, though I have some of their work in my ever-growing pile.

Q: Who are your favourite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

A: I love Stephen King, for one. His characterization captured me from book one. He makes his characters three-dimensional (even the villains) with flaws and ideals and hopes and fears.

 I also love Patricia Briggs for the same reason. I love her Mercedes Thompson series. Briggs gives readers a female protagonist who is warm and loyal, who fights for those she cares about, and although she’s a shapeshifter, she has limits and knows them. Mercy is someone you would want as friend.

Rob Thurman—I adore her urban fantasy Cal Leandros series (talk about compelling stories and fascinating, riveting characters!). In fact, she has two other series and a stand-alone paranormal thriller coming out soon. She never disappoints.

Jeri Smith-Ready, her WVMP vampire series and her YA paranormal series are both great. Again, compelling stories with three-dimensional characters. Actually all of her books are well worth picking up.

 I also love reading James Lee Burke, Janet Evanovich, Elmore Leonard, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jeaniene Frost, C.S. Harris, I know there are more, many more, but my mind is currently drawing a blank. Dammit.

Q: Do you ever experience writer's block and how do you deal with it?

A: Not writer’s block, per se, but I have had dealings with falling into critical mind set. When that happens, it can stop my progress cold. It’s when you slip out of creative into critic mode. You can’t write while in critic/editor mode. It stifles creativity and saps your confidence. This is crippling for a writer. When it  happens, when the critic takes over and my work slows to a stop, I take a deep breath, then mentally gag and duct tape the critic and toss it into a closet. Then I keep start moving forward again, allowing the creative to flow down into my fingertips again.

I have to remind myself whenever the urge to edit, back up, or delete comes over me: Just keep moving forward. You can fix things during revisions. You need to lay down the story bones completely before you can go back and add in muscle and flesh. Dare to be bad. Let the creative genius flow and trust yourself.

My advice for all writers (including myself) is this: Write only for yourself. Screw perfection—nothing is perfect. TRUST YOURSELF and GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY. Keep it fun. Listen to your heart, not your inner critic.

Q: What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

A: A tough question! I have so many interests and I’m not sure what would make an ideal career. Nursing might be good (I worked in a nursing home previously as a certified nurse’s aide), working in the FBI’s behavioural sciences department would be intriguing (I was majoring in psychology in college), I think being a bartender would be fun and fascinating, I love animals, so working at a shelter would be another choice too.

Q: If you were to do your career as an author again, what would you do differently, and why?

A: I think the only thing I would do differently would be to have faced my novel-writing fears and doubts sooner. Much sooner.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

A: I love to read. I also love to go watch movies at the theatre. The whole buy a ticket and popcorn thing is something I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid. I enjoy hiking and hanging out with friends. I love road trips and riding the train to different cities.

Q: What are your current projects and can you share a little about it with us?

A: I’m currently finishing up book five of The Maker’s Song series, On Midnight Wings. It picks up where book four, Etched in Bone, leaves off with both Dante and Heather in dire situations. Here’s a little bit about it:

As Dante Baptiste’s true identity as both True Blood and Fallen ripples throughout New Orleans, he and Heather struggle for their lives against different foes, fighting their way back to each other. To free herself from her father’s treachery, Heather accepts help from an ally—and steps into even greater danger. Dante, lost to his brutal past, wavers between his own sense of self and the Bad Seed-programmed S that lurks within, between the never-ending Road and the Great Destroyer. And the danger of becoming both.

Then it’s on to book three of the Hoodoo series featuring fiery Cajun hoodoo Kallie Rivière, Black Moon Mojo. I’m also planning another series about a pair of brothers who aren’t quite human fighting the forces of evil, called Sons of Darkness. It’s like Sons of Anarchy meets Supernatural meets Call of Cthulhu. LOL.

Q: Do you have any advice for other writers?

A: Always trust yourself and follow your heart. Discipline is important also. Sit your butt in the chair and write every day, even if it’s only for fifteen minutes. You’ll make progress each and every day. And have fun doing it!

Thanks so much for having me! It’s been a real pleasure.

You can read a chapter from the book that opens The Maker’s Song series. Here the first chapter of A Rush of Wings.

Here’s the first chapter of Black Dust Mambo. (Hoodoo Book 1)

And the first two chapters of Black Heart Loa. (Hoodoo Book 2)

I also have my first indie published short story “Caught Forever Between” up on Smashwords, Amazon, and BN.com. It’s a tale set in the bayou world of my Hoodoo books, but you don’t need to read the books in order to enjoy the short story.

You can also find me at:

PURCHASE LINKS

“A Rush of Wings”

Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Rush-Wings-Book-Makers-Song/dp/B005Q79KYY/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327849268&sr=1

Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rush-of-wings-adrian-phoenix/1030024410?ean=9781416593652&itm=4&usri=adrian+phoenix

“Black Heart Loa”

Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Black-Heart-Loa-Adrian-Phoenix/dp/1439167923/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327849268&sr=1-4

Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-heart-loa-adrian-phoenix/1101116711?ean=9781439167922&itm=1&usri=adrian+phoenix

FIND author ADRIAN PHOENIX here

Website,  Facebook,  Facebook Fan Page,  Twitter,  MySpace,  Goodreads

Dante's Club Hell Forum

Dante's Club Hell Yahoo Group

Pocket After Dark

GIVEAWAY!!!

Adrian Phoenix has generously offered to give two lucky winners each a printed copy of their choice of ANY one of her books!

Each series in order:

The Maker's Song:

-      A Rush of Wings

-      In the Blood

-      Beneath the Skin

-      Etched in Bone

The Hoodoo series:

-      Black Dust Mambo

-      Black Heart Loa

All you have to do to enter the giveaway:

1.       “Like” the Adrian Phoenix author page on FB and comment on her page with “Books4Tomorrow sent me” - Facebook Fan Page.

2.       Join this blog using GFC.

3.       Leave a comment on this post with your email address where we can contact you if you are one of the two lucky winners, as well as the book you would like to win!

The giveaway is open internationally.

The winner will be selected using random.org.

Giveaway ends Saturday, 11 February 2012

Good luck!!