Possession Interview

I recently got the chance to interview Annie Oldham the author of ‘Possession’.

1) Why did you start writing?

I write because I love to express myself in words. I’ve always loved to read, and from reading came the desire to create my own stories. And the fun part of this whole author business is that if I want to jump genres, that’s totally fine. I’ve written high fantasy, fantasy, dystopian, and now with Possession, contemporary paranormal.

2) What do you think is most important when writing a book?

Being true to the story. I don’t sacrifice the plot and characters for the sake of sensationalism or easy endings. If you’ve read to the end of The Burn trilogy, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, you should! I’ve had a lot readers tell me either that they 1) hate the ending (it’s so unfair!), 2) love the ending (the only way to end it!), or 3) hate the ending but understand it. To be true to Terra’s journey underwater and on the Burn and what she learned about herself along the way, it was the only ending that appropriately completely her story arc. That doesn’t mean it was easy. But that was the way it had to be.

3) What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

Read! And spend time with my family. And read when I have a few more minutes. My dream vacation would be finding a quiet spot where I could read without interruptions until I got sick of it.

4) On a less serious note, would you rather speak in riddles or not speak at all?

Ha! Not at all, definitely. I worked as a technical writer for several years, and I’m a big fan of saying what you mean and saying it clearly. There’s definitely a lack of that in the world today.

5) Another would you rather. Would you rather write one story about your life or write a million stories that have nothing to do with you?

I’m a very private person. If you’ve read my blog, you’ll notice it’s mostly book-related, and when I do venture into real life, I’ve never given names to my three children or my husband or many details about my personal life. That’s very intentional. When I write there are tidbits of my real life that sneak in: characters that have attributes from people I’ve known, events that have happened to me but are disguised as plot, and things like that. But it’s always just tidbits. I want to keep my personal life as it belongs–personal.

Arcana Book Tour

A themed tour through Prism Book Tours.

Arcana

by Jessica Leake

Adult Historical Fantasy

Hardcover, 288 pages

November 18th 2014 by Talos

Goodreads

Amid the sumptuous backdrop of the London Season in 1905, headstrong Katherine Sinclair must join the ranks of debutantes vying for suitors. Unfortunately for Katherine, she cannot imagine anything more loathsome – or dangerous. Through her late mother’s enchanted journal, Katherine receives warning to keep hidden her otherworldly ability to perform Arcana, a magic fueled by the power of the sun. The machinations of the fashionably elite are a constant threat, but worse still are those who covet Katherine’s Arcana, seeking the power of her birthright. They could be hiding behind the façade of every suitor, even the darkly handsome Earl of Thornewood. With so much danger and suspicion, can she give her heart to the one who captivates her, or is he just another after her power?

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Book Depository – Indie Bound

 

Welcome to Book City
Date: November 11, 2014

Special Report

Spoilers Ahead

Headline
Arcana
Jessica Leake

A romantic, suspenseful, genre-bending debut set in Edwardian London.

Amid the sumptuous backdrop of the London season in 1905, headstrong Katherine Sinclair must join the ranks of debutantes vying for suitors. Unfortunately for Katherine, she cannot imagine anything more loathsome—or dangerous. To help ease her entrance into society, Katherine’s family has elicited the assistance of the Earl of Thornewood, a friend and London’s most eligible bachelor, to be her constant companion at the endless fetes and balls. But upon her arrival in London, Katherine realizes there will be more to this season than just white gowns and husband hunting.

Through her late mother’s enchanted diary, Katherine receives warning to keep hidden her otherworldly ability to perform arcana, a magic fueled by the power of the sun. Any misstep could mean ruin—and not just for her family name. The Order of the Eternal Sun is everywhere—hunting for those like her, able to feed on arcana with only a touch of the hand.

But society intrigue can be just as perilous as the Order. The machinations of the fashionable elite are a constant threat, and those who covet Katherine’s arcana, seeking the power of her birthright, could be hiding behind the façade of every suitor—even the darkly handsome Earl of Thornewood.

With so much danger and suspicion, can she give her heart to the one who captivates her, or is he just another after her power?

City Calendar:
This is what happened during the week.
The story is mostly a period romance. It seems to be a stiff upper class society. But we have the little tidbit of Katherine our main girl being a bit magical.
We have action. But mostly romances. Suitors and lovers and happenings.
Not much.
And that’s what happened this week.

Personal Ads:
Katherine.
Oh dearest readers. I am well. And you? I’m married to the lovely Lord-Colin. He is simply divine. We are looking for a sitter for our soon-to-be-born child. (Because we ‘do it’ often enough.)
A bit stiff. A bit flirty. Odd and quirky. Magical. Looking for love in all the wrong, and right, places. Sister to Lucy and Robert. A bit tomboyish. Horseback rider. (Not side saddle.)

Opinions:
I really don’t know what to make of this book.
The speech is quite fantastic. It seems right for the time period. It’s proper and a bit verbose. Exactly how I imagine London all those years ago.
I also like the magic. It was nice. A bit confusing on what arcana was exactly. But still pretty fascinating.
Sadly, the plot is a bit dull. Too much romance. I like the ending. It’s fast-paced and pushing dearest ‘Wren’ to her limits. There seems to be only shameless flirting and rivalries. Of the Society sort.
I dislike Katherine. God. She’s insufferable! She’s a tomboy one moment and a drooling flirt in another. What’s up with you? Goodness. And she’s whiny. Very whiny.
The sexy, heated scenes? Please. Stop. No. I don’t need that. Oh god. Just stop. Right now. Right there. We don’t need to know he’s groping her!
I could go on. And on.

Weather:
Sunny with a chance of 50% rain
3/5

Prism Interview for Wren @ Into the Written Word/Welcome to Book City

What inspired you to start writing?

I have a cousin who’s only a few years younger than I am. I come from this big, Irish family, and most of my aunts & uncles are in the military, so I didn’t get to see my cousin very often. But for a short period of time—maybe 3 years?—we lived within driving distance of one another (and by driving distance I mean 8 hours, but that was better than when her dad was stationed in San Diego or Japan). We got to spend every major holiday together, and we’d stay up late into the night telling each other stories—ridiculous romantic dramas of our favorite actors at the time. Eventually, her dad was stationed in San Diego again, and she moved across the country, but one summer in college, we got to spend a whole week together again at our grandmother’s house in Texas. My cousin arrived with a spiral notebook with a half-finished story—she’d written the whole way from California to Texas—and it occurred to me that I could do that, too! I tried (and failed) to write a story in college, but it reminded me of just how much I loved it. Once I got started writing, though, it became a need, and when I haven’t written something in a long time, I literally crave it.
What is your favorite book/series?

Oh this is a hard one since there are so many! Maybe a favorite series from each age range? For MG, it’s definitely Harry Potter. YA would probably be The Hunger Games. And favorite adult series would be the Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn. I’m really restraining myself here…the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to list them.
Who is your favorite author?

Can I name more than one?? You’re a book lover, I’m sure you can understand ;). JK Rowling, Robin McKinley, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Brandon Mull, Phillipa Gregory, Cassandra Clare, Suzanne Collins, Maggie Stiefvater, Julia Quinn…I’ll stop there (but I could go on).
List your favorite book characters and why you like them.

Katniss from The Hunger Games because she’s so strong, Elizabeth from Pride & Prejudice because she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, Mr. Darcy, of course, from P&P because he is so deliciously arrogant…until he meets his match.
Which character, in your book or not, do you like the most? The least?

In Arcana, I love Katherine and Lord Thornewood, but I probably love Lord Thornewood just a tiny bit more because…well, because he’s so charming ;). The least? Katherine’s grandmother. Hateful family members are about 100x worse than hateful strangers. In others’ books, though, I will always, always hate Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter. HATE.
Would you rather write about not having to write for the rest of your life or have amazing ideas you can’t write down on paper?

I’d rather have amazing ideas I can’t write down on paper because I’d dictate them to someone else—loophole!! Muhahahahaha.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Wren!

Or, would you like a special personalized/autographed copy of Arcana? You can purchase one from Fiction Addiction HERE.

About Jessica Leake

I’m a stay-at-home mom of three beautiful children (two toddlers and a newborn, in fact, so I think you can begin to see why my blog may be a bit neglected) and author of Arcana: A Novel (Skyhorse/Talos, November 4, 2014), my debut historical fantasy with a heavy dose of romance. I have a particular obsession with blending different genres, but almost everything I write has an element of fantasy and romance. I’ve been in love with historical England ever since my first literary crush: Mr. Darcy (I can’t even count the number of times I watched Pride & Prejudice–the A&E version, of course!!) I’m represented by the fabulous Brianne Johnson of Writers House, and I live in Greenville, SC.

Before I was a writer, I worked as a psychotherapist. I spent several years working at a psychiatric hospital in Birmingham, AL, but after my husband graduated as a pharmacist, we moved back to Greenville. I claim Greenville as my hometown now since I spent most of my childhood here, and I’m a proud alumna of St. Joseph’s Catholic School and Winthrop University.

Website – Goodreads – Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest

Tour-Wide Giveaway

– $25 Amazon gift card & personalized hardcover of Arcana (INT)

– Two personalized hardcovers of Arcana + swag (US only)

– One ebook of Arcana (INT – Mobi or Epub)

Ends November 23rd

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Come along and follow the tour!

Tour Schedule

11/3 – Launch

11/4

MI Bookshelf

Coffee Books & Art

Pieces of Whimsy

11/5

Kelly P’s Blog

Lilac Reviews

11/6

Typical Distractions

A Thousand Words A Million Books

Rose Shadow Ink

11/7

Simplistic Reviews

My Life, Loves and Passion

Wishful Endings

11/9

The Wonderings of One Person

SBM Book Obsession

11/10

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing

Book Enthralled

The Book Lovers’ Lounge

11/11

100 Pages A Day

The Written Adventure

11/12

Beck Valley Books

Katy’s Krazy Books

11/13

My Devotional Thoughts

Avid Reviews

11/14

Dalene’s Book Reviews

Sarah’s StoryLines

Into the Written Word

11/16 – Grand Finale

Unstrung Interview

Kendra Highley is the author of ‘Unstrung’. Here is my interview with her.

 

Unstrung:

Book One: Unstrung Series

Lexa Pate, seventeen-year-old thief extraordinaire, has burned a bridge or two in her life. You don’t make a career out of stealing other people’s property without making enemies.

When a risky job goes from bad to worse, Lexa and her adopted family find themselves on Precipice Corporation’s hit list because they’ve accidentally stolen the wrong thing–plans for a new model of genetically-engineered super humans. Now every bounty hunter, cop on the take, and snitch in the city is after them.

Lexa’s world crumbles around her as she fights to keep her family safe even as someone strolls out of her forgotten past. Quinn claims to know who Lexa really is, but can she trust a stranger she met while robbing his boss?

More importantly, does she really want to know what Quinn has to tell her?

Based on the fairy tale Pinocchio, UNSTRUNG takes you into a near future world where the lines between fake and real are blurred, all that’s pristine isn’t always innocent, and being a criminal isn’t always wrong.

 

What character, encompassing all fiction, is your favorite?

Wow, just one? That’s a tough one. I’ve always been drawn to Austenian characters, so

maybe Emma? More recently, I’ve loved Eliza from the Girl of Fire and Thorns series.

She’s so strong, despite being told she’s not.

What character do you relate to the most, in your book?

I probably relate most with Lexa. She tough, but vulnerable, and she’d do anything for

her family.

What is your inspiration for your main character?

I’ve always loved the idea of Cat Woman (and I really enjoy heist capers, like Sneakers

and Ocean’s Eleven), plus I really enjoy SciFi that makes you question what is human

(Battlestar Galatica, for example). I pulled together those two ideas and came up with

a character in a new future world where “artificial” humans were made to work for “real”

humans. She was a thief, working against the prevailing government.

What is your favorite book/series?

I have so many: The Curse Workers, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Girl of Fire and

Thorns, LOTR, and The Raven Cycle to name a few.

Who is your favorite author?

There are many who’ve influenced me, but my first real favorite author as a teen was

Cynthia Voigt.

Why did you start writing?

I’ve written little scraps of stories most of my life, but I didn’t get series about publication

until 2008.

If given the choice to be in any fictional world, which would you choose?

Wow, not a dystopian for sure! Maybe Hogwarts. I think that would be amazing.

 

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