Cutting Up and Cutting Souls With Lexa Cain

Please welcome Lexa Cain, author of the highly entertaining YA supernatural thriller, Soul Cutter.*Lexa! Okay, I’ve gotta’ ask…Is Lexa Cain your real name or a pen name? You don’t have to give your true name if it’s not, but…dang, I’m jealous. “Lexa Cain” rolls off the tongue like a dental drug. Hi Stuart! Thanks for having me on your blog.  Yes, as you’ve so astutely surmised, Lexa Cain is a pen name. It’s my third pen name since I started getting short stories published a few years ago. I like having  different identities. It makes me feel like an international spy!
*Tell us about your book, Soul Cutter. The main character, Élan, is a person who loves to be in control and who is a skeptic of all things paranormal. When she goes to Egypt, she finds herself surrounded by supernatural forces, including an unearthly killer called the Soul Cutter, who’s kidnapped her mother.  With the help of a tough but secretive young man, Élan has to confront her biggest fears, fight enemies both human and non-human, and save her mother and everyone else from the legendary killer, the Soul Cutter.
*Your book transported me, as a reader, to an exotic locale: Egypt. All of the sounds, sights, smells, customs. Very convincing and very realistic. What experience do you have with Egypt? Tell me it’s not from the intronets.I’ve lived in Egypt for over twenty years, and I’m married to an Egyptian, so most of my knowledge is first hand, except for the paranormal things. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting any ghosties or supernatural beasties … yet.
*Your protagonist, Elan, is an interesting gal. Part psychic phenomenon debunker, part spunky heroine, all crazy teenage heroine. How much of Elan are you? Not much really, although I’m as ridiculously stubborn and determined as she is.
*Why is she a psychic phenomenon debunker? I mean, it’s really cool and everything, but, why?Good question! Complicated answer. Élan killed someone before the book starts and her guilt has convinced her the dead person’s ghost is stalking her to get revenge. She’s obsessed with proving the supernatural doesn’t exist in order to assure herself she has nothing to fear.
*Along these same lines, Elan has issues. Any issues we can relate to you as the author?Élan has issues with her mother, who didn’t treat her very well as a child. I’ve also found family relationships are often less than satisfying. I also like to be in control and find it hard to accept that I can’t control everything.
*There are some interesting Egyptian legends (and some Islamic ones, as well) presented in your tale. How many of these are based on true beliefs and how many were birthed in your cranium?The Soul Cutter is completely fictitious, but the Darsani are based on efreet, the evil cousins of djinn. Both efreet and djinn are well known Arabic legends. Efreet are basically demonic entities, and the Darsani in my book are also demonic, but have their own specific abilities and motivations.
*Okay, we have dark, claustrophobic rooms, snakes, rats, perilous height situations, and septic tank trauma! Why do I get the sneaking suspicion this is a laundry list of what frightens Lexa Cain?It’s rats and snakesand being trapped in a septic tank! Who wouldn’t be scared of those things?
*Putting you on the spot! Which was a bigger influence on your tale: Hellraiser (the flick, not Barker’s novella) or “Scooby-Doo?” I’d have to go with Hellraiser. The thrills and chills in my novel aren’t for the faint of heart and would even send the Scooby Gang speeding away in their Mystery Machine.
*What’s next to come out of your keyboard, Lexa? Will there be a sequel to Soul Cutter?I’d definitely love to take Élan and Ramsey on a new adventure! I already have ideas about the new challenges they’ll face, including “Mommy Dearest,” the return of the Soul Cutter, and an even bigger and more dangerous foe. But at the moment that’s on a back burner while I write two other books, a suspense/thriller and a scifi/horror.Now, go out and buy the dang book, folks. It’s excellent! Lexa’s prose is fantastic and the setting is unique. Plus, if you’re a horror fan, Lexa doesn’t shy away from the goods.

BLURB FOR SOUL CUTTER:The Soul Cutter is hunting again.Seventeen-year-old Élan spends her free time videoing psychic scams and outing them online. Skepticism makes life safe—all the ghosts Élan encounters are fakes. When her estranged mother disappears from a film shoot in Egypt, Élan puts her medium-busting activities on hold and joins the search.In Egypt, the superstitious film crew sucks at finding her mom. When a hotel guest is killed, whispers start—the locals think their legendary Soul Cutter has come back from the dead. Élan's only ally is Ramsey, a film-crew intern, but he’s arrogant, stubborn—and hiding dangerous secrets.When Élan discovers the Soul Cutter is no scam, she finds herself locked in a deadly battle against a supernatural killer with more than her mother’s life at stake.Élan's fighting for her very soul.
BUY LINKS:Amazon: http://ibty.in/31a1297
Amazon UK: http://ibty.in/6c078e8
Barnes & Noble: http://ibty.in/e060b50
Smashwords: http://ibty.in/f7f1cba
Kobo: http://ibty.in/f193d27
MuseItUp Publishing: http://ibty.in/7f5945f
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:Blog: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexa.cain.1
Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexa-Cain/504432766289367
GoodReads Author: http://www.goodreads.com/Lexa_Cain
GoodReads Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18753339-soul-cutter