The Masked Songbird by Emmie Mears

Everyone, please welcome the most fantabulous Emmie Mears! I am thrilled to host her here as part of the release week blog tour for her new urban fantasy novel, THE MASKED SONGBIRD, coming July 1st through Harlequin! Before we begin, would you like to see the cover? Yes?

 

 

Gorgeous, right?? Now that the pretty’s out of the way, heeeere’s Emmie! (Psst–I’ll tell you what the novel’s all about at the bottom, after the interview.)

 

1. Where did the idea for TMS come from?

E.M.: It pounced on me while I sat in a theater feeling indignant over Spider-Man getting another reboot while Wonder Woman languished in a mobius-strip of production hell. The first line had already popped into my head fully formed, and I just ran with it. Six weeks later, there was a book.

2. Why is it important to write superheroines? What do you love most about yours?

E.M.: I wanted to write a female superhero because they were so meaningful to me when I was growing up. Buffy, Rogue, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, Catwoman — all of them meant so much to me. If Gwen touches one person the way they touched me, I’ll consider it a success. I love Gwen because she represents something I truly believe: that strength isn’t inborn, it’s built.

3. What’s your writerly routine?

E.M.: Some people have a daily routine, but mine goes by months and cycles around. I’ve always felt like I have a tank of writing energy somewhere in me (or a battery pack, you choose), and I have to spend periods of time replenishing before I write. I often write books very quickly (6-12 weeks), and those bouts of extreme productivity come at the cost of needing some time to recharge, where I usually spend the time reading and absorbing life, working on bloggy things, and giving my brain a break.

4. The absolute best thing about the publishing process so far has been:

E.M.: The validation. For over ten years, I worked away at a lot of things that didn’t go anywhere. I knew when I wrote THE MASKED SONGBIRD that it was different than anything I’d ever written before, and it definitely proved to be. It’s been a tremendously validating experience to connect with my agent and editor and have the weight of Harlequin behind me.




And now, read on to find out more about THE MASKED SONGBIRD…

Mildly hapless Edinburgh accountant Gwenllian Maule is surviving. She’s got a boyfriend, a rescued pet bird and a flatmate to share rent. Gwen’s biggest challenges: stretching her last twenty quid until payday and not antagonizing her terrifying boss.

 

Then Gwen mistakenly drinks a mysterious beverage that gives her heightened senses, accelerated healing powers and astonishing strength. All of which come in handy the night she rescues her activist neighbour from a beat-down by political thugs.

 

Now Gwen must figure out what else the serum has done to her body, who else is interested and how her boss is involved. Finally—and most mysteriously—she must uncover how this whole debacle is connected to the looming referendum on Scottish independence.

 

Gwen’s hunt for answers will test her superpowers and endanger her family, her friends—even her country.

~*~




Doesn’t that sound great? THE MASKED SONGBIRD will be out July 1st! Have you added it on Goodreads yet?




About Emmie:

 

Emmie Mears was born in Austin, Texas, where the Lone Star state promptly spat her out at the tender age of three months. After a childhood spent mostly in Alaska, Oregon, and Montana, she became a proper vagabond and spent most of her time at university devising ways to leave the country.

 

Except for an ill-fated space opera she attempted at age nine, most of Emmie’s childhood was spent reading books instead of writing them. Growing up she yearned to see girls in books doing awesome things, and struggled to find stories in her beloved fantasy genre that showed female heroes saving people and hunting things. Mid-way through high school, she decided the best way to see those stories was to write them herself. She now scribbles her way through the fantasy genre, most loving to pen stories about flawed characters and gritty situations lightened with the occasional quirky humor.

 

Emmie now lives in her eighth US state, still yearning for a return to Scotland. She inhabits a cozy domicile outside DC with two felines who think they’re lions and tigers.

 

You can preorder THE MASKED SONGBIRD here! Released in a box set, you get four great paranormal and urban fantasy books for less than $4!

Follow Emmie on Twitter @EmmieMears and join her on Facebook!