Rite to Reign
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Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Something wicked this way
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Willful witches, supernatural sorcerers, cruel queens,
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More
than 20 award-winning and bestselling authors have come together to
curate this bewitching boxed set collection of the best PARANORMAL
ROMANCE and URBAN FANTASY books in the genre, each brimming with
stories of royal magic.
Journey through worlds of danger and
mayhem, where witches and warlocks battle for influence and wizards
fight for unrestricted power.
But reader beware: the highly
addictive stores in RITE TO REIGN will put you under their spell. One
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Featuring
Stories from :
USA Today bestselling author Heather Marie
Adkins
Teresa Roman
JJ King writing with Candace Osmond
USA
Today bestselling author SJ Davis writing with P. Mattern
Scott
Hungerford
USA Today bestselling author Shawna Romkey
USA Today
bestselling author Ash Krafton
USA Today bestselling author
Christine Ashworth
Anna Santos
Melissa Winters
Colleen S.
Myers
Andie M. Long
Alex H. Singh
Sabrina Ramoth
L.C.
Ireland
Louisa Bacio
Grace White
Helen Scott
Carma Haley
Shoemaker
Kyndra Hatch
Mirren Hogen & Stephanie Barr
E.B.
Black
Ella Middaugh
Kat Parrish
Tanya Dawson
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GUEST POST
Stuff about you: (Stephanie Barr)
What is something unique/quirky about
you?
I'm a rocket
scientist, even a good one. For some reason, that floors people.
Tell us something really interesting
that's happened to you!
I
received a phone from the company that provides replacement phones
(for my carrier) if you lose or break your phone. Except none of us
had a broken/lost phone. Turns out, someone at the warehouse slapped
the wrong label on it so it came to me instead of the man who lost
it. So the guy from the company begged me to go out and ship it
overnight to the person who was supposed to get it. Cost me $80 but
they gave me a $100 credit on my next cellphone bill.
What are some of your pet peeves?
I
hate cliffhanger endings in books, even series. I think each books
should be able to stand alone as a whole story.
Where were you born/grew up at?
Without
being an armed services brat, I traveled all over. By the time I
graduated college, I'd lived in seven different states. I moved to
Texas after graduation and I haven't live anywhere else since.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how
would you spend your last day?
Read manga,
cuddle with kids and cats.
Who is your hero and why?
I
have several heroes. I've a great deal of respect for martin Luther
King Jr. for instance, but I have to say a current hero is Hillary
Clinton. She has been smeared and maligned, refused to wallow in the
mud, has grown and adapted, learned her craft, studied her subjects,
found detailed everything, and keeps getting back up no matter how
often she's slammed down.
What kind of world ruler would you be?
Compassionate
and incorruptible. I'd love to say I'd always keep my cool, but I
don't know that I would. I'm passionate about the protection of the
vulnerable.
What are you passionate about these
days?
People
are people. Human rights. Destroying rape culture. Teaching people
that who you are is more important than what you are.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read manga
How to find time to write as a parent?
Bwahahaha! I
don't sleep much. Prioritize and write whenever I can.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Honest.
Analytical. Compassionate. Open-minded. Relentless.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
When I published
my first story in a magazine back in the 90's
Do you have a favorite movie?
I
have dozens of favorite movies. I like humor and adventure, romance
and social commentary. I want it all. My "favorite" depends
on my mood though I feel like I only watch kid movies recently since
that's all my kids will watch. Moana is my current favorite of those.
Which of your novels can you imagine
made into a movie?
Curse
of the Jenri would make a kickass movie I think. Tarot Queen as well.
Actually, given how I grew up on movies, most of my books are dialog
focused and have cool visuals, so I don't have a hard time imagining
any as a movie.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone
on?
None. I'm happy
to read from home.
As a writer, what would you choose as
your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Cats and dragons
are both favorites and you'll find some version of both in every
book.
Stuff about the Book: Incantation
What inspired you to write this book?
Mirren
Hogan wanted to be part this bookset so we tried to find a unique
spin on royalty and witchcraft. Mirren liked the idea of reimagining
Europe as matriarchal, so I suggested we have a gay couple, a prince
who was expected to marry advantageously but wanted to do witchcraft
and was in love with his best friend.
What can we expect from you in the
future?
I
have a fantasy (modern) with a library that can take you into the
past I'm working on. I'm working on a sequel to Beast Within and Nine
Lives (shapeshifter novels) and Curse of the Jenri (Sword and
sorcery). I'm also editing a charity anthology with disabled main
characters (different authors) and working on an anthology of cat
stories (all mine).
Do you have any “side stories”
about the characters?
Not
yet. I have done that with many characters in other books, but Mirren
and I have been working on sequels to Incantation
so we haven't explored stories. But I'd love to do some. Maybe I'll
write one for the cat anthology. David's familiar (Cinammon) is a
rusty spotted cat, which is one of the smallest of the wildcats.
Can you tell us a little bit about the
characters in Incantation?
David
and Henry are both very capable people and both suffer from low
self-esteem and lack of confidence in their abilities. David responds
by overdoing, never satisfied with his results. Henry responds by
expecting nothing and belittling what he does accomplish. We've got a
demanding dragon teacher, a few magical and non-magical friends,
David's sister who has her own self-esteem problems (who is also
threatened and will star in the next book) and a few snarky dragons
and a bristly cat.
How did you come up with the concept
and characters for the book?
I
think we're both fond of good characters so I didn't get the sense
that either of us struggled to come up with characters. The concept
came from whittling down the premise, adding a few quirks and
locations, and then letting them act it out.
Where did you come up with the names in
the story?
We
picked the names when we added a character. I don't know what
Mirren's method was (though she intended the dragon teacher's name to
be a joke). I picked names I like.
What did you enjoy most about writing
this book?
I
liked the humor and the quick pace. No chance to get bored. Plus,
with us taking turns writing, we never really knew what would happen
next.
Tell us about your main characters-
what makes them tick?
David
loves magic and his country, but the plan for him is to leave his
country to "serve" it. He also cares about Henry more than
himself. Henry is also a giving person and is also willing to
sacrifice himself for David. It looks like they've given up on their
home country but running away, but they're not done yet, especially
once they've realized someone is trying to subvert it from the
outside.
How did you come up with the title of
your first novel?
My
first title (Curse of the Jenri)
stemmed from the title of the short story that was the basis ("Code
of the Jenri"). For *this* title, I think we were going for
something witchy and David sort of specializes in Incantation.
Who designed your book covers?
Loraine
van Tonder is a favorite cover artist for both Mirren and myself so
she was the one we both wanted for Incantation.
If you had to do it all over again,
would you change anything in your latest book?
In
Incantation,
there really isn't or we would have fixed it. I'm not shy about
changing a book that doesn't do what I want.
Did you learn anything during the
writing of your recent book?
Cowriting is more
challenging than I'd expected. I didn't realize I was such a control
freak.
Anything specific you want to tell your
readers?
This book is
worth your time to read. It's fun and different from the usual.
How did you come up with name of this
book?
I think we were
going for something witchy and David sort of specializes in
Incantation.
What is your favorite part of this book
and why?
There
are several parts I liked, most of it in fact, but I've a special
fondness for their "escape" near the end where they have
dragons to embarrass them and Henry has to change the crashed car
into alternate an alternate form of transportation. I won't lie, it's
because it's funny.
If you could spend
time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would
you do during that day?
Heath
the dragon. I'd ask him questions all day long. I'd probably get
torched.
Are your characters based off real
people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
I
think we imagined them.
Do your characters
seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of
the story? Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
Ideally,
it's both. The characters create the story with our guidance. I think
that, if you create compelling characters and give them a dilemma,
you can't help but end up with a compelling story.
Have you written any other books that
are not published?
I
have a regency romance that's in desperate need of a plot injection
but, all the rest of my completed novels are published.
Stuff about Writing/ Reading:
What are your top 10 favorite
books/authors?
Robert
Heinlein, Edgar Allan Poe, Nora Roberts, Georgette Heyer, Robert Lynn
Asprin, Douglas Adams, James Clavell, Dorothy Sayers, George Herbert,
Robert Ludlum – but I could add a dozen more and then dozens of
mangaka (I love reading manga and they have also influenced me a
great deal)
What book do you think everyone should
read?
Incantation
How long have you been writing?
Thirty-eight
years, since I was thirteen.
Do the characters all come to you at
the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
I have main
characters in mind before I start. Side characters can show up as I
write.
What kind of research do you do before
you begin writing a book?
I have main
characters in mind before I start. Side characters can show up as I
write.
Do you see writing as a career?
I'd
love to write for a living, but, as a single mother, I can't afford
an unreliable income, so I don't see it happening.
What do you think about the current
publishing market?
I don't know it
well enough to have a useful answer.
Do you read yourself and if so what is
your favorite genre?
I
do read myself and it's not so much a favorite genre as that I love
books with good characters. I'll read almost anything with good
characters, though I'm not generally fond of Westerns/pioneer
stories, mysteries, or horror, but I can tell you exceptions in
everything but Westerns.
Do you prefer to write in silence or
with noise? Why?
I
have to write write in silence but I can edit, do day job work, and
read with noise, in fact I need it.
Do you write one book at a time or do
you have several going at a time?
I
generally have several books in work, but I'm usually focused on one
at a time when I get going. When I get in the zone, I can really
write a great deal quickly.
If you could have been the author of
any book ever written, which book would you choose?
Mine.
I've read many great books, but I've never wished I'd written them
instead. I've learn from them, been inspired, but I always want to
write my own stories. No need to covet anyone else's.
Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer.
I don't even own a typewriter (anymore) and even I can't read my
handwriting.
Tell us about a favorite character from
a book.
I've
loved lots of characters incredibly over the years. I could be here
all day. Roarke (from the In Death
books), Manny from The
Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, the Count
of Monte Cristo from the book of the same name, Anjin-san from
Sho-gun,.. Very
few books can and do keep my interest unless I'm all but in love with
a character.
What made you want to become an author
and do you feel it was the right decision?
I
don't know that I decided so much as I always loved to tell people
stories. I think some people just love to write but I love to SHARE
what I write and means I have to put it out there. I've never
regretted it.
A day in the life of the author?
Get
up, put the kids on the bus. Work at rocket science all day. Kids
come home. Feed and run errands if required. Maybe squeeze a little
writing in before doing litterboxes and running kids through the
bath. If lucky, I'll get an hour or so of writing afterwards.
Advice they would give new authors?
Listen
to readers you trust who like the kind of books you like. Listen to
other readers that don't. But, never forget that your name is on this
and make sure you like what you produce and not change it into
something you hate to make others happy.
Describe your writing style.
I
have been told I have a very approachable style. I'm
character-centric so I have a lot of dialog. It's almost friendly
where the reader is invited to be part of the story, instead of being
held off with a bit of formality. I write chatty.
What makes a good story?
Story,
world, plot are all important, but I think good characters are
crucial. I'll walk through fire for a character I fall in love with
and I think they make better stories.
What are they currently reading?
I've
got three indie books I'm beta reading. An epic fantasy, another
fantasy and a mystery.
What is your writing
process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the
chapters first? What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I'm
a pantser. I figure out the characters I want before I sit down and
the dilemma I'm going to give them. And. after that, I'm mostly there
for the ride.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I'm
really not a plotter. If you want clever twists and turns that
totally catch you by surprise, I'm probably not your first choice.
And, though I can describe things pretty well, I don't always do so.
I'm sort of the less is more when it comes to description..
Do you try more to be original or to
deliver to readers what they want?
I
try to write the kind of stories I most enjoy reading, those with a
little of everything: humor, romance, adventure, tension, pathos, and
satisfaction. I want my books to be saying good and important things,
but entertaining so you don't hardly notice. .
If you could tell your younger writing
self anything, what would it be?
Don't
second guess yourself so much. And spend more time writing before you
have children because you'll never have that kind of time again..
What’s the most difficult thing about
writing characters from the opposite sex?
I'm
not the least bit troubled writing characters from the opposite sex
and, I've been assured by several male readers, they tend to come
across as genuine, which is good since the main characters from
Incantation
are both male.
How long on average does it take you to
write a book?
Not
easy to answer. My first book and the only one I extensively rewrote,
took more than a decade. But, during that time I wrote four other
books, three of them in less than 45 days each. However, I tend to
think of ideas for a book years before I put virtual pencil to paper.
My subconscious does great work that it doesn't tell my conscious
mind about so they probably count as a year or so apiece.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Of course. Every writer's different and I think
far too many writers who think writing every day is the only way to
do it sneer at those who don't write that way. I think there's room
for all of us and, yes, I've had writer's block, but, in my case, it
was one of two things. Either I was deeply depressed (like the two
years after my divorce) or my subconscious is still working on
something and isn't ready to get to writing. No sense trying to write
when it's like that—I have tried and it's garbage and has to be
tossed anyway. But, if I wait until it's ready, it flows out
effortlessly and I love the final product.
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