New Release: Seizing Darkness by Mariana Thorn

 
Title: Seizing Darkness by Mariana ThornSeries: Fur, Fangs and Fairies.Genre: Dark FantasyRelease Date: Aug 14th 2013  
Blurb:   With her past distant and forgotten Natalya has built herself a nice life. She has a job she finds rewarding as a special agent with the Paranormal Investigation Bureau. Her partner,  Dante, isn’t too bad for a bloodsucking vampire. Val, her boss, is like a father to her. Her favorite part is that she lives near the Cascade Mountains. Whenever she needs a little vacation, she can shift into a tiger and go running in the woods. Life is good.  That is until recently. Agents are turning up dead and she can’t pin down what is going on. Little does she know that her past is about to come back and bite her in the tail. With no memories before the last year she is a little behind the curve in finding out what is going on. The investigation turns dangerous as the attack turn personal. Lives are on the line, including her own. Will Natalya find out what is going on before it’s too late?   My review for: Seizing Darkness by Mariana Thorn My rating: 5 out of 5 stars (If I could give more, I would!) Shanna Roberson    This is Mariana Thorn’s debut novel, but you wouldn’t know it. Her style of writing is highly entertaining, heart-pounding and in some parts downright steamy. She holds her own in this vast genre of dark fantasy and is every bit as talented as some of the big dogs in this genre like Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris.   Natalya Ignatiev has seen better days. Being an agent in a special forces unit handling all of the supernatural spats and with someone picking them off one by one, she longs for a much need vacation from all the carnage. But that wasn’t even a remote possibility.   Along with being an agent with PIB or Paranormal Investigation Bureau, she was a fierce weretiger. She was fighter and a survivor it is its purest form. With most of her memory taken from her, she has spent the last year working with the head of PIB, Valdimir and his two sons, Dante and Radek, just trying to make a new life for herself.   Things take a turn for the worse when it becomes clear that she is next on their list of agents to eliminate. Barely escaping that brawl, Nat is forced to face her past and what it could mean for all she cares about. With the clock ticking and a growing attraction to the boss’ son causing havoc on her body and mind, will Nat be able to unlock her past without destroying everything she worked so hard to keep?   With a slew of swoon-worthy men, the darkest of villains and one super kickass heroine…Fur, Fangs and Fairies is one UF series to watch out for! And Dante is officially my new book boyfriend….*swoon* If you love Kim Harrison’s Hollow Series, you will devour Seizing Darkness! Bravo, Mariana Thorn, you have made a fan for life.
 

Q&A with Mariana Thorn
 
Most of my favorite authors are indie or self-pubbed, what made me you decide to go that route?
Honestly, I think it was that I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of query letters and rejections and all that. I also had some very awesome contacts. I happen to have a friend who is my editor I’ve known her forever and it just kind of happened.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I have a list: To always remember to put your characters shirts back on.
To remember when you are in a room with other people and don’t announce things like: Crap I forgot to put his shirt back on, how much blood would really be coming out if you cut it like that, and oh so many more episodes of crazy. I like to kill off characters, torture characters, I’m good with fight scenes and my mind is twisted lol. 
Which of your characters are you most like? Least like?
That’s a tough one. There is a little bit of me in each of my characters even the evil ones lol. From Seizing Darkness I’m most like Natalya, I guess and least like Andrei.
Do you have a particular writing habit?
I always have to have music. I listen to all types depending on what’s going on in the story. I also have to have my coffee and I tend to do most of my writing in the mornings.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I can’t say that I have one exactly. I mean I have learned different things from different people. I guess I’ve always been one of those people that relies on themselves too much.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
LOL of course let’s make a list and of course I’m going to miss someone and then they will hate me forever lol. Sarah Jayne Carr, Pyxi Rose, Julieanne Lynch, Bonnie Bernard, Coey Cain, Elizabeth Lance, Cindy J. Smith and oh so many more.
Who designed the covers?
Me, myself and I did. I even took the picture myself. I’m rather proud of it.
What is the hardest part of your writing?
Writing the stinking blurb. Most annoying thing ever. If I could write a story in like 500 words then I would write novels in series. I mean seriously trying to take something that is 90000+ words and describe it in one page sigh… Rant over. Lol
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write for yourself first. Don’t listen to the negative people that say it’s been done before etc. Every story has been done before but each writer brings a new unique view to a story and that is what makes a story great.
Describe yourself in three words.
Ambitious, Creative, Crazy
I know characters are like children but if you could chose, who’s your favorite from your books? Of all time?
My all-time favorite character that I have created is from my fantasy series that I plan on publishing sometime next year. Her name is Layna and she is kickass. She’s been around for almost 15 years. As for favorite character of all time that isn’t mine: Sherlock Holmes and when Robert Downing Jr. played him I was so super thrilled I died a little inside…lol
Any song or songs that could basically sum up the overall mood of your book?
You’re Going Down by Sick Puppies
Do you plot out your books or just freely write them and let the characters tell you what to do next?
A little of both I guess. I have an idea of where most of the books are going but I don’t plan out the details. The first books in any of my series are completely unplanned lol.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider the biggest influence in your writing?
I’m not really sure, I read so much that I couldn’t tell you what influences me. I really just write what’s in my head 
What are your current projects? Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I have a book being released tomorrow by the name of Seizing Darkness. Besides working on its sequel I am working on a short story that is a collection of case files from Natalya’s year at the Paranormal Investigation Bureau.    Seizing Darkness Excerpt:  Landing hard, I heard a crunch as the bone in my left forearm snapped beneath me. I didn’t have any time to respond. The damn wolf was trying to rip out my throat with his teeth. I tried to fight back. He was strong. Normally a wolf was no big deal for me, but tonight I had a big disadvantage. I was weaker on the nights I couldn’t shift.  The smoke was filling my lungs and breathing was becoming difficult. We rolled on the ground and the wolf got me by the throat with his hands. He twisted me onto my back and his body pressed me into the cold, frozen ground. His legs pinned my arms to my sides. I couldn’t get the leverage with my feet to push him off.  His fingernails dug into the delicate skin of my neck. The scent of my blood filled my nose. I stared up at the starry sky. It’s not raining, I thought incongruously. I was barely getting any air through his hands clenched around my throat.  I managed to wrench my arms free and began digging at his hands, trying to pry them loose, but with only one working arm it was impossible. I was becoming weaker as I struggled to get air into my aching lungs. My vision started to get fuzzy around the edges.  All of a sudden, the weight of the wolf was lifted off of me. There was a crack and I heard flesh ripping. I was showered in hot, sticky liquid. As I gasped for breath, the scent of the wolf’s blood hit me.    About the Author:  If you look in the local Starbuck’s or Barnes and Noble you might just find Mariana Thorn. She can usually be found with headphones in and deep into the worlds she has created. There is this thing about her pens if you touch them you might receive a smack to the hand and the well-known glare of destruction.  As a child all her stories involved horses, horses and more horses. There might have been a slight obsession. Writing became more serious in her early twenties but she never dreamed of publishing until much later. Mariana participates yearly in the international event called NANOWRIMO. She has even been known as a Municipal Liaison for that crazy event. There is nothing like the feeling of encouraging other writers, she would say.  Outside of writing one of her favorite places to sit and read are the sunny beaches of Florida. At home in Washington State her favorite activity is riding horses up on the mountain trails. She has an awesome group of family and friends that keep her in coffee and encouragement. Then there is her best buddy Tony, her little dog. She suspects he will try and take over the world someday.    Stalker Links:   Facebook:www.facebook.com/MarianaGThorn Twitter:www.twitter.com/MarianaThorn Website:www.marianathorn.com Goodreads:www.goodreads.com/marianathorn   

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