Interview with Cassi Carver and a Giveaway!

Last year I was happy to meet Cassi Carver online and review her debut book, Slayer’s Kiss. I was taken into a dark world where women rule and sexy, alpha men serve them. It was filled with action and fan worthy sex. So when Carver asked me if I wanted a review copy of book two in the series, Shadow Rising, I jumped at the chance. I also asked if I could interview her for y’all. Carver said yes and sweetened the acceptance with the offer of a giveaway.

Scooper: How would you market the Shadow Slayers series to romance and urban fantasy lovers? What makes it different or stand out from other books?

Cassie: Hi, Stacy! Thanks for having me! I love reading both romance and urban fantasy, but sometimes when I’m reading urban fantasy I get frustrated when the heroines have little or no love life. I mean, what’s the point of saving the world if you can’t come home at night, kick off your shoes, and snuggle up with a warm and welcoming body? So when I came up with the concept for the Shadow Slayers series, I was trying to do something that hadn’t been overdone in urban fantasy: action-packed UF, full of romance, relationships, and plenty of hot sex!

Scooper: Yep. That is so true. Nothing wrong with a little nookie. lol One thing I really want to know is how many books will be in the series?

Cassie: Great question! I’m not sure at this point, but it won’t be never-ending as some seem to be. My agent and editor also give me input into this, and for now, everyone is eagerly awaiting more books in the Shadow Slayers series. BUT I can tell you this, I’m currently writing book 3.0 (the fourth book including novella 2.5) , and after I turn this book in on November 15^th, I’m going to start working on another project my agent is excited about!

Scooper: That is good news. One of my pet peeves is getting into a series only to have it stop being published before the full story has been told. I like knowing the number of books in a series. On a different topic–have you or will you consider self-publishing your work? Why?

Cassie: I’m not considering self-publishing at this point—even though I have friends who are really enjoying it—and that’s mostly because I really love working with my current publisher, Samhain Publishing! They’ve been wonderful to me, so I’m eager to send more manuscripts their way. And the other reason I’m not considering self-publishing quite yet is that my writing schedule is fully booked in the near future. I don’t know when I’d find the time! But it’s definitely something I’m planning to try someday.

Scooper: Congratulations. I’m sure that has to feel awesome. Let’s have a bit of fun at your expense. 🙂 Do you have any writing rituals?

Cassie: Big-picture writing rituals for me are brainstorming and plotting a book before I get into the second chapter. I allow myself to play for chapter one, but then I need to know what’s going to happen. But as for rituals when I sit down at my computer…I’m neurotic, I think. I have to have everything just right. I keep supplies within arm’s reach, like Chap Stick and hand lotion, and I can’t write unless my all my supplies are present. Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this! LOL

Scooper: I appreciate you taking the time to visit. I’ll even let you in on a ritual of my own. Every time I interview an author I end by asking the author one question. Do you eat while you write? What’s your go-to snack?

Cassie: This is the other weird thing for me…I don’t eat while I write. (And I mean I really don’t eat. I forget!) When a deadline is approaching and I’m heavy into the world, it can be hard for me to transition back into this one, and I’m not willing to get up to cook something no matter how grumbly my stomach gets. To help, the hubby encourages me to keep protein bars near my supplies so when I get to the “Wow. Am I going to pass out?” stage, I have food nearby. I’m pretty sure I could completely solve this problem by getting a mini-fridge for my office and stocking it with diet Dr. Pepper and raspberry cheesecake. I would never go hungry again! Christmas is coming, right? I think I’m going to put that on my list!

Thank you for having me, Stacy! I’m thrilled to share book two of the Shadow Slayers with the world this week, and I hope you all enjoy it! I’d love to give away the first two books in the series as a set—book one, Slayer’s Kiss, and book two, Shadow Rising—to a winner who comments below. Even saying hello is good enough, but what I really want to know is…what would you stock in your mini fridge?

Scooper: Check out Cassie’s Shadow Slayers series. Before you leave make sure to comment or ask a question to be entered in the giveaway. One entry per person and I’ll use a random number generator to select a winner on Oct. 5. I’ll post the winner on Oct. 6 and send an email to the winner.

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Interview with J.C. Daniels

When I heard that Shiloh Walker, aka J.C. Daniels was publishing a new urban fantasy novel on Aug. 1, 2012, entitled Blade Song I had to know more. I requested a stop on Daniels’ blog tour. I rarely request interviews, but with my curiosity urging me forward I asked Daniels to answer a few questions. Thankfully Daniels agreed and you get to know what I found out.

Q. Why did you decide to write Blade Song under the name of J.C. Daniels?

A. Necessity, basically.  A lot of factors figure into how a publisher can market an author and although urban fantasy isn’t an issue, since I write like a hyped-up bunny on speed, it just simplified things, in the long run, to pick up another pen name.  BLADE SONG was a new direction and I figured I might as well take the step there.  In the future, the UF works will be as J.C. Daniels, as well as any new erotic or contemporary works that are set to be published with my epublishers.  The name change will not affect any of my current series.

Q. What information pushed you to the decision to self-publish Blade Song?

A. It wasn’t selling with the traditional markets and I decided I’d go ahead and try this route.

Q. What type of world is Blade Song set in and is it part of a series?

A. It’s roughly fifty years from now, in a world that’s just like our own, only magic is there.  The dominant non-human species are shapeshifters and witches, and there are vampires.   My heroine isn’t any of them.

If it goes well, it will be the first in the series.  It all kind of depends on well the first book is received.  The second book is done, but self-publishing is expensive and time-consuming, so basically this is a gamble.  If it pays off, I’ll make another one.  If not…eh, sometimes they don’t.

Q. With all the urban fantasy books on the market, why should a reader pick up Blade Song?

A. Well, why not?  There’s a free short story on Tor.com http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/07/a-stroke-of-dumb-luck to give people a feel for the heroine, if you like it, BLADE SONG will be available for download at $4.99 at most of the various online platforms.

Q. One last question. Do you eat while you write? What’s your go-to snack?

A. Not often, but if I get tired, I crave spicy stuff.  Salsa.  That wakes up my brain. Thanks for having me.

(Click here to read an excerpt.)

Interview with Ellen Connor! Why you Should Buy Nightfall & a Giveaway

Ellen Connor is the collaborative writing team of Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty. According to their website, the pen name comes from putting together the names of two “bad-ass female SF characters: Ellen Ripley (from Alien) and Sarah Connor (from The Terminator).” Tomorrow their first book in the Dark Age Dawning series, Nightfall will be released.