E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 80

Piers Knight Urban Fantasy Series Giveaway Winner!

Congrats Tezza of Spades High Reads winner of our Piers Knight Series Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Tezza will receive one copy each of Brooklyn Knight and Central Park Knight, the first two books in the Piers Knight urban fantasy series by C.J. Henderson.

Thank you to all who entered.

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Guest Author Interview: Peter Labrow + Giveaway!

Please welcome today's guest author Peter Labrow!  Peter is the author of The Well.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Peter:  I've been writing non-fiction for over twenty years. Much of my work has been copywriting for brochures, websites and so on. I've also written literally countless articles for publications, often in the training industry – and I published a non-fiction book about training, over a decade ago. The last time I saw it on Amazon, it was selling second-hand for less than 50 cents. Sobering. I started writing fiction about ten years ago – but bailed after writing a novel that was projected to be 160,000 words when I hit 120,000 words. I'd just set up my own website development business and I couldn't focus on both goals. And, truth be told, the novel had become unwieldy – I'd literally written myself out of my depths. But, writing fiction is something I've wanted to do since I was a child and the dream persisted. I started to develop some different ideas for a book – and one of these was The Well. I started writing that on 1 January 2010 with the goal of releasing it on Kindle by the end of the year. I think I made it with a week to spare.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Peter:  Good question. A few things. The first is natural gravity. I've thought about writing lots of different genres, but once I sit down and write, that's where my mind takes me. I recall a friend suggested I write some 'guy-in-touch-with-his-inner-feelings chick lit' – I drafted and plotted an idea, but it soon turned from the story of a man looking for love into that of a haunted serial killer. I also find that the paranormal gives me more scope to explore 'the normal'. I want to write intimate and affecting stories right now, not global catastrophes. Terrifying tales about real people and supernatural events, but with more emotional depth than you typically find in horror stories. I'm interested in the duality of people; in how many people have contradictory character traits; how even nice people can have a dark side. The paranormal provides a better vehicle for this – there's more scope, more latitude. People are faced with greater extremes so can become more interesting to write. I also want to write in such a way that the paranormal isn't taken for granted, or lacks jeopardy – I want my characters to really feel the fear, that what's happening to them is extreme. Then, just for good measure, I want to keep a lot of what's going on really normal. Buddha said something like, "first the laundry, then enlightenment". That's the way life is – terrible, unimaginable things happen – and then people still need to eat, drink coffee, go to the toilet, comb their hair. Normal/paranormal – it's an interesting place. I especially don't like the way that (ahem!) some modern fiction has made the paranormal a cuddly, misunderstood phenomenon. Falling in love with vampires and werewolves, it's not for me – I want to reclaim that territory.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal power or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Peter:  You really expect me to answer that?! No woman would look me in the eye again. Actually, I'd like to be able to manipulate time. There's never enough time and there's always buckets of pointless stuff to do. I feel I have hundreds of stories in me, but I don't have time to tell them. I'd like to pause time, write a novel on a desert island somewhere, then unpause time to get it printed. I'm not sure I can be trusted to use my power for good, though. If you feel a slight hiccup in time and the Mona Lisa is missing, that might be me.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Peter:  I think I can tell you only what readers have told me. I set out to create interwoven stories of normal and paranormal terrors. The kind of thing you sadly see on the news every night twisted around something much darker, older and more evil. I wanted to see these come together. Readers tell me that they like that. The book is also a very fast read, despite being a pretty decent length – I remember Dickens used to write in the newspapers, so every chapter had to have a cliffhanger. That's The Well. Although there is some let-up, it's mostly a rollercoaster with quite a few "oh my God did that just happen" moments. I also like the way that in Greek tragedies the Gods throw thunderbolts just for sport, shaking the plot up for no reason. Life is like that – everything hangs by a thread. The Well is like that too – it will keep you guessing. And it will wrong-foot you. It's also emotional, although that's in the heart of the reader. One of the great things about writing today is that you can get feedback directly from readers – I'm a very accessible writer and I always respond. It was wonderful to get a message from someone saying she'd cried in the office at one point; and from someone else who had nightmares three nights on the run. That's me, bringing misery to the world, one paragraph at a time. So, The Well is fast-paced, unpredictable, populated by characters with complex motivations that we won't always agree with – people who aren't given a choice between good and evil, but between evil and slightly less evil; then they have to make the best of it.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Peter:  Well, The Well is set in a small town in Northern England. That's important; I'd not like to lose that feel. I'd cast predominantly, if not totally, English. So Tom Cruise is out. (Actually, Tom, if you read this and want to fund it, I'll write you in.) I'd like to choose actors not because they are showy, but because they are real. I want the people to feel normal, small-town people. And I'd also choose actors who are 'less obvious' choices. What this means to American readers of this website is that they may not recognize the names I propose. Google them – they're good. Another thing is that The Well is an ensemble piece – I keep you guessing as to who's good and bad, who lives and dies. Leading roles are less clear-cut. For Randle, I'd choose Brian Cox – despite not being the right build, he has real depth and presence and can move from charming to darkly evil in a second. For Helen, I'd choose Clare-Hope Ashitey (Children of Men) and for Helen's partner, Abby, I'd like say Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) – but she's too darned pretty for Abby, so the make-up people may have to rough her up a bit. Key lead roles in The Well are teenagers. I'm not so sure I can choose those, but for the girl who's actually trapped in The Well, I'd say perhaps Chloe Moretz, though I've clearly just broken my 'all-English cast' rule – and she'll have to dye her hair dark. If I were casting an English actress, I'd probably go for Dani Harmer, though she's possibly a little too old for the part now. Danny Boyle should direct it, definitely. I'd like a walk-on cameo – man in bar, drinking beer. I've been rehearsing it.























The Well by Peter Labrow.

Trapped. Missing. Cursed. Fourteen-year-old Becca Richards and her stepbrother have fallen to the bottom of an ancient well. Their parents are away; they won't be missed for days. The predatory man who had been stalking Becca now switches his attentions to her best friend. Two women who know where Becca is trapped are desperate that she should never escape. Over the course of a week, family, friends and strangers are drawn together by a terrible shared fate - from which not all will escape. 'The Well' is a darkly gripping tale about how we respond to the hand fate has dealt us - and the consequences of our choices. The Well deftly intertwines a story of supernatural horror with a tale of one of the greatest fears of modern life. As the book progresses, the two stories become one - driving relentlessly towards a single, thrilling finale. The Well is a fast-paced, riveting story that will grip you - and keep you guessing - until the very end.

Don't miss E.J.'s review of The Well by Peter Labrow here or the new trailer for The Well on YouTube here.

Thank you Peter for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Peter Labrow and his books, please visit his website.






















**The Well Giveaway**

We are giving away a signed paperback copy of The Well by Peter Labrow to one lucky winner!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is to US mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends May 28th midnight EST.

Guest Author Interview: Sierra Dean

Please welcome today's guest author Sierra Dean!  Sierra is the author of Something Secret This Way Comes.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Sierra:  I started writing when I was about 10 and took my first stab at writing a "book" when I was 12. Since then I've been constantly writing and probably have a hundred unfinished books laying around waiting for me to come back and resurrect those ideas and characters.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Sierra:  My first paranormal read was Laurell K. Hamilton's Obsidian Butterfly. I didn't even know I was starting in the middle of a series, but I immediately devoured the other books. I was in high school at the time, so the naughty factor definitely appealed to me. At 16, reading something that was basically Buffy with an R rating was the greatest thing to happen to my life.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Sierra:  What I've discovered from writing urban fantasy is that as cool as it would be to have some of the paranormal afflictions, they all come at a cost. Werewolves lose control of their humanity; vampires lose their connection with the daylight world... it's all tough. I'm working on a story idea with a girl who is pyrokinetic, and it seems like a nifty little skill to have. Something like that, where you can manipulate matter without it manipulating you, that would be pretty epic.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Sierra:  Anyone who appreciates a book with a kick-ass heroine who is also realistically portrayed and behaves like a real person, will like this series. Secret may not be human, but she is definitely the kind of heroine readers will be able to relate to. She's smart and sassy, but she's also vulnerable and sometimes very lost, and I like that about her. The story itself is fast paced with a lot of plot twists to keep things interesting. For readers who are burnt out a paranormals with more sex than story, this is a good option. The romance and heat are there, but it's much more about the mystery and the story than it is anything else.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Sierra:  This is one of those questions where the answer is constantly changing. I'm always making a mental cast list for my book, I've even gone so far as to Photoshop character flash cards together. I usually have a tie for most of my characters when it comes to actors I like.

Secret - I like Yvonne Strahovski from Chuck, because she can be tough but also tender, and she's beautiful but not in a too-perfect way. She's my #1 for Secret. I also love Dianna Agron from Glee, and think she'd bring out the softer sides of Secret really well.

Desmond - my choices for this change more often than any other role, because I see traits in actors that I think would suit Desmond wonderfully. But right now my choice pick is Darren Criss, also from Glee. When I see pictures of the actor in real life, when he's more casual, there's something about his mussed hair and those imploring, soulful eyes that screams Desmond to me.

Lucas - it's a tie between Kellan Lutz and Joel McHale (from NBC's Community). Kellan is in the right age bracket for Lucas and has his features, but Joel has a cheeky charm to him and a likability I think Lucas exudes. His character on Community also wears a lot of what I call "billionaire casual" and it helps me picture him as Lucas.

Holden - Matthew Bomer. No question. The brooding eyes, the longish hair, the cheekbones, mouth, you name it. Bomer is my one and only Holden.























Something Wicked This Way Comes (Secret McQueen, #1) by Sierra Dean.

Some secrets are dangerous. This Secret is deadly.

For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can.  When an enemy from her past returns with her death on his mind, she is forced to call on every ounce of her mixed heritage to save herself-and everyone else in the city she calls home. As if the fate of the world wasn't enough to deal with, there's Lucas Rain, King of the East Coast werewolves, who seems to believe he and Secret are fated to be together. Too bad Secret also feels a connection with Desmond, Lucas's second-in-command...

Warning: This book contains a sarcastic, kick-ass bounty hunter; a metaphysical love triangle with two sexy werewolves; a demanding vampire council; and a spicy seasoning of sex and violence. 


Thank you Sierra for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Sierra Dean and her books, please visit her website.

Spirit Guide Series Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to our Spirit Guide Series Giveaway winners!

Congrats Hira aka Enamored Soul winner of a Spirit Storm tote bag stuffed with Spirit Guide series bookmarks, postcards, romance trading cards, and signed copies of She Smells the Dead and Spirit Storm.

Congrats Louisa winner of ebook copies of She Smells the Dead and Spirit Storm, the first two books in the Spirit Guide series.

Thank you to all who entered.  So many entries...you rock! :)

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Book Review: Six Moon Summer

Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon, #1) by S.M. Reine.

Rylie's parents are going through a messy divorce. They send her to summer camp to get her out of the way of their fighting lawyers, but she's just as miserable at the girls' camp as she was at home-- there's nothing vegetarian for her to eat at the mess hall, she hates hiking and archery, and the other campers taunt Rylie mercilessly.

One night, the bullying goes too far, and Rylie runs away. She doesn't get far. It's a full moon, and she isn't alone in the forest. A wild animal mauls her. She's certain she won't survive. Instead of dying, she wakes up unharmed in her cabin the next morning. The only sign that something has changed are the healed scars on her chest, her increasingly keen senses, and her sudden craving for raw, bloody meat. A boy from the other camp seems to know what's happening to her, but Rylie isn't sure if she can trust herself with Seth.

Rylie soon learns that she only has until the end of summer before she becomes just like the monster that attacked her: a man-eating werewolf hungry for human flesh. Unless she can find a cure, she's only six moons away from transforming forever and losing her life to the hunger...

Review:

Just when Rylie thinks that things can't get any worse--her parents are getting divorced and have dumped her at a summer camp far from the city she calls home--something terrible happens in the forests of Gray Mountain.  Six Moon Summer is an amazing beginning to a new paranormal series.  I was immediately drawn into this dark paranormal tale.  Rylie is an outcast at the summer camp where her parents leave her while they finalize the messy details of their divorce.  Cast aside by her family and her peers, Rylie finds solace in the pages of her journal.  The nasty girls who bully her each day takes things too far though and Rylie finally runs away.  Unfortunately Rylie doesn't find peace in the dark hills of Gray Mountain.  Rylie is viciously attacked by a wolf, or at least she thinks she was, but she wakes up in her cabin the next morning with only old scars and the curious words of a mysterious boy to make her wonder what really happened.  Author S.M. Reine creates building suspense with the terror and mystery of what might happen with each phase of the ever changing moon.  An exciting new work of werewolf fiction with wonderful characters and an intriguing story.  I can't wait to read the next book in the Seasons of the Moon series.

**Side note: Rylie is described as having very pale blond hair, however the girl in the book cover pic has dark brown or black hair.  I only mention this since I found the cover image to be distracting when creating my initial image of Rylie.

I recommend Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon, #1) to readers of paranormal suspense, paranormal romance, young adult (though some scenes may be more suitable for older teens and adults), and especially to fans of werewolf fiction.  Fans of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver, Linger, Forever) by Maggie Stiefvater, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer, Firelight by Sophie Jordan, and Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson may enjoy this series.

Sensitive reader warning: violence and bloody transformations

Source: This book was provided by the author or publisher for honest review.

Six Moon Summer on Amazon.
Six Moon Summer on Goodreads.

Rot and Ruin Zombie Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Christy winner of our Rot and Ruin Zombie Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Christy will receive a hardcover copy of Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.

Thank you to all who entered.

Didn't win?  Be sure to check out all of our fab giveaways (links on our sidebar and below our blog header).

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Guest Author Interview: Devon Ashley + Giveaway!

Please welcome today's guest author Devon Ashley!  Devon is the author of Ordained: The Immortal Archives.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Devon:  It's hard to say. I've always loved to write, as far back as elemetary school. When I was inducted into the National Honor Society in HS I chose my seventh grade English teacher to invite. With her she brought a stack of papers I had written and told me she still used my work as her examples in class. I looked them over and said, "OMG, why??!! These are horrible!" She laughed and said, "Not for a seventh grader."

Writing has always been a stress reliever for me. For fun, I started writing a screenplay back in 1998. I entered it in a few competitions and it did surprisingly well. It never won, but always placed well in competition. One of my awards included a one-on-one with a judge, who happened to love the world I created. She told me there wasn't really a market for it in the screenwriting world at that moment but thought it would make a great fan fiction novel. A few years later I took her advice and started writing. I'm not sure I intended to actually sell it in the beginning. It was just something I did on the side to escape the world of reality for an hour or two. But in the end, I really loved the characters and world that I had created and really wanted to share it. So here I am. Now I'm totally psyched to finish the other 4 books in the series.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Devon:  I know this sounds familiar, but I dreamed my world. But in my defense, I had this dream several years before another author dreamed up hers (and I've got the copyright to prove it! lol). I am willing to admit that I most likely watched an episode of Buffy before I went to bed and felt inspired. But I've always enjoyed the paranormal/fantasy world. Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire was probably my first exposure to that world. I love the world of supernatural beings and have been latched on ever since!

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Devon:  I've gotta say, teleportation would be pretty sweet. Never having to sit on another transatlantic flight for 12 hours? Wanna get away for the day and hit the beach in Hawaii? Scuba diving in Palau? Stroll down Champs Elysees? You could be there with the snap of your finger.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will love your new release?

Devon:  I've spent the better part of ten years defining this world, and only a small part of it is shown in the first book. What will you see in this new world?

-a new type of vampire called pure vampires: it's a small clan of about 20 vampires that Abby and Noel are a part of. They descend from the original vampires, before the line started to mutate. They're not as vulnerable as the mutated vampires and require a different way to die.
-a reason for why vampirism spreads so easily through their blood. I have a Masters of Science degree in Microbiology and have worked in the field for ten years, so I was able to concoct a plausible reason for this. (granted, it's still fiction, but believable!)
-a little paranormal romance. Abby and Noel have been married for 200 hundred years but there's still a little fire in the oven. But for true romance lovers, the third book in the Immortal Archives will explore a blossoming romance between two paranormals that will really get your heart beating.
-I know I'm the writer and I love my story, but I think readers will enjoy the story too. And although my main characters are immortal,none of them are safe from me. My character Madam Melina sums it up best when she says, "Even immortals don't get to live forever."

EJ:  Who would I cast for the leading roles?

Devon:  For Abby, I had originally thought a good dark horse would by Dallas Bryce Howard but now that she's squeezed her way into the Twilight Saga, I would really want someone else. Amy Adams has the right look but she would REALLY have to step over to the dark side to pull it off. Abby is quite sarcastic and rarely has a reason to smile. As for Noel, I've always seen Skeet Ulrich, but with a look more similar to his Scream days. Emily I have yet to cast in my mind. She's always been an enigma to me. She's going to play a huge role in the series and I think she's the character most girls will see themselves as, so I really want the reader to come up with their own picture of her. Should this story ever make it to Hollywood, they'll have to surprise me.























Ordained (The Immortal Archives, #1) by Devon Ashley.

Normally, the school creates the hunters…not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn't the best choice for the Order's experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby's their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she's not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.  But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon's weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.

Thank you Devon for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Devon Ashley and her books, please visit her website.






















**Ordained: The Immortal Archives Giveaway**

We are giving away a paperback copy of Ordained: The Immortal Archives by Devon Ashley to one lucky winner!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is for US mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends May 20th midnight EST.

Guest Author Interview: Samantha Young

Please welcome today's guest author Samantha Young.  Samantha is the author of Drip Drop Teardrop, Slumber, and The Tale of Lunamorte series (Moon Spell, River Cast, Blood Solstice).

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Samantha:  I've been writing for as long as I can remember, and have a ton of notebooks filled with scribblings that date back to probably as young as ten or eleven. But I guess I knew I wanted to create imaginary worlds of my very own after reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the very first time when I was seven. I was captured by C.S. Lewis' imagination and soon began my love affair with fantasy fiction and writing.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Samantha:  My own love for the paranormal. There is so much scope for the imagination and just as much as I love escaping into other people's weird and wonderful creative minds, I love escaping into my own and taking readers with me. Hopefully they have fun once they're there.

EJ:  If you could be paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be, why?

Samantha:  I think I'd like the power to read minds. Why? Because I'm nosy.

EJ:  Tells us why readers will enjoy your next release.

Samantha:  My next release is Blood Solstice: Part Three in the Tale of Lunarmorte, and I think readers will really enjoy the finale of the trilogy because it's so action-packed. Everything comes to a head for Caia and her pack, and the war just explodes all around them. Moreover, the plot really unfolds as we discover the history and mythology behind the war.

EJ:  If your books were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Samantha:  If it was a little further into the future I think Dakota Fanning would be great for Caia. Caia's character development is a big part of the trilogy so it would take someone who had range. Ms Fanning is a solid actress with an ethereal quality about her that would really work for the character. Or Kristen Bell. She's great at the sassy smart-talking tough girl, and because of everything that has happened to her, Caia has definitely developed into more of that kind of person come Blood Solstice. Lucien is too difficult... I think it would probably have to be a built, rough around the edges unknown...























 Blood Solstice (The Tale of Lunamorte #3) by Samantha Young.

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance...

In the war between the Daylight and the Midnight Covens, Caia knows she must make a choice. In their bid for victory in war, both Midnight and Daylight have committed atrocities, and Caia needs to gain a foothold of power in the upper echelons of the fight if she is to stop the extremists.  Not only does she have Marita, the Head of the Daylight Coven, to contend with, but a mysterious vampyre who has orchestrated battles from the shadows of the war for many years. He is old. He is powerful. He is nigh un-killable… and there is only one thing he wants: for Caia to end the war his way.

When tragedy strikes, Caia must decide whether to answer to him and become the extremist she was trying to destroy, or defy the vampyre…And bring them all down on her own terms.


Thank you Samantha for joining us here today at From the Shadows .

To learn more about Samantha Young and her books, please visit her website.

Book Review: Entice (Need #3)

Entice (Need, #3) by Carrie Jones.

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that's not quite how things have worked out.

**Note: I have cut short the cover blurb for this book since the original description gives away everything that happens in the first two books of this series.**

Review:

Pixies, ghouls, and weres, oh my!  Entice is another exciting addition to the Need series by Carrie Jones.  Captivate, the second book in the series, was amazing and left us with a cliff hangar ending that had me racing to pre-order Entice.  I admit that I found myself comparing this book to Captivate and feeling less captivated.  That is not to say that I didn't enjoy Entice.  This is an enjoyable young adult read filled with pixies and weres and other paranormal creatures.  It just seems to be missing a bit of the magical allure that Captivate held for me.  I felt less emotionally invested in the characters this time around, which may have been due, in part, to Zara's aloofness (compared to her previously fragile and emotional personality) and the absence of a certain favorite character, but am again highly anticipating the next book in the series.  The final chapters of Entice were exciting and Jones leaves us, once again, with a cliff hangar ending.  There's so much going on in the final pages that I must find out what happens next.  There is also an interesting love triangle developing.  I will always be Team Nick, but am curious how Jones will continue to weave these tangled threads.  I look forward to reading the next book in this young adult paranormal series.

I recommend Entice (Need, #3) to readers of paranormal romance, young adult, urban fantasy, speculative fiction, and especially to fans of pixie and were fiction.  Entice may appeal to fans of Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson, The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater, and especially to fans of the Need series.

Source: This book was purchased by E.J. for review.

Don't miss E.J.'s reviews of Need (Need #1) (mini review) and Captivate (Need #2).

Entice on Amazon.
Entice on Goodreads.

Guest Author Interview: Alexi Zentner

Please welcome today's guest author Alexi Zentner.  Alexi is the author of Touch.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Alexi:  I think, like most authors, I started writing as a kid, but I didn't start writing seriously until maybe six years ago. It took me a while to figure out the difference between wanting to be a writer and working at being a writer.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Alexi:  I'm really interested in the ways that we accept the seemingly miraculous nature of science - just the fact that we are here, that we are conscious is amazing - as a matter of fact, but we have lost touch with a lot of the myths that used to be accepted as fact. In some ways, what fascinates me the most is the question of myth: how does a story go from being an accepted fact to a myth? There is a lot of magic in TOUCH, but I think of it as mythical realism rather than magical realism. What does that mean? Mostly that the myth and magic is woven throughout the story, an accepted part of the reality of the characters' lives rather than momentary bursts of amazement. The amazement should carry through the entire novel. The magic in TOUCH doesn't just take the forms of magical realism, whether the central and south American versions or the European versions, which are rooted firmly in their own place and traditions; I'd like to believe that I'm doing something new and unique to North America. All of that being said, I didn't really realize just how much magic, how many monsters and witches and supernatural things, were in the novel until after I'd finished writing it and I had to start talking about it. I'm sure some of comes from reading widely, both as a kid and now, as a writer. I'm not particularly snobby about what crosses my desk.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Alexi:  On the purely frivolous level, I'd have the ability to find what I was looking for in my fridge so that I wouldn't have to feel so incompetent. More seriously, I think an underrated talent would be the ability to soothe pain. Not physical pain, though that would be useful, of course, but rather the emotional pain (or less dramatically, ennui) that so many people seem to suffer from. I'm a generally happy guy, and usually when I'm not, I can just sort of say to myself, "get over it." I recognize that's not true for everybody, of course, and I wish it was something I could help with. Oh, and also, I'd like to be able to eat whatever I want - i.e. candy - and have it be good for me.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Alexi:  Why are readers going to enjoy my novel, TOUCH? I'm terrible at these questions. I'm much better at talking up other people than myself. Okay, here it goes: Touch is set in the fictional town of Sawgamet, a north-woods boomtown gone bust, where the cold of winter breaks the glass of the schoolhouse thermometer and the river freezes so fast it can trap the drowning. Stephen, a pastor, has brought his family home on the eve of his mother's death, thirty years after the mythic summer his grandfather returned in to raise his beloved wife from the dead. Publishers Weekly and Quill & Quire gave the book starred reviews and respectively called TOUCH "eerie and elegiac," and "one of those books that gets people talking." The incredibly generous and talented authors who read the book and praised it in advance of publication called TOUCH "haunting," "full of mystery and beauty," "ravishing," "enchanted with fables," and "full of a sinister magic straight from the Brothers Grimm." While TOUCH may not fit as neatly into the paranormal genre as some books - despite the magic and the monsters, I'm not sure what genre it truly belongs in other than the always slippery category of "literary fiction" - I think the reason why TOUCH seems to be resonating with early readers is that, at it's core, the book is a love story. It's about the grandfather - who walked across the country, stole a dog from a witch, and then founded the town of Sawgamet - and his inability to let go of the woman he loves even though she is in the grave, and it's about Stephen and his own memories. While the story is told in this incredibly harsh landscape, where I have the supernatural bumping against human heartbreak and loss, Touch is actually a really hopeful book. The monsters and myths in the story are sometimes one and the same, sometimes scary and sometimes simply part of Sawgamet.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Alexi:  For a leading role? It's embarrassing to admit that I haven't really thought about this. It's hard to think of my novel as a movie. The honest answer would probably be whomever I thought would draw the biggest audience, though I'd probably prefer somebody who wasn't already defined by other roles.























Touch by Alexi Zentner

In Sawgamet, a north woods boomtown gone bust, the cold of winter breaks the glass of the schoolhouse thermometer, and the dangers of working in the cuts are overshadowed by the mysteries and magic lurking in the woods. Stephen, a pastor, is at home on the eve of his mother's funeral, thirty years after the mythic summer his grandfather returned to the town in search of his beloved but long-dead wife. And like his grandfather, Stephen is forced to confront the losses of his past.

Touch introduces you to a world where monsters and witches oppose singing dogs and golden caribou, where the living and the dead part and meet again in the crippling beauty of winter and the surreal haze of summer.


Thank you Alexi for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Alexi Zentner and his books, please visit his website.