Keri Arthur Blog Tour: Interview and Giveaway!

Author Keri Arthur joins SciFiChick.com today for her first stop along her latest blog tour, promoting her new release FIREBORN!

Can you tell us a bit about FIREBORN in your own words?

Fireborn is the story of Emberly, a phoenix blessed (or cursed) with foresight. When she sees the death of the man she once loved, she steps into alter fate–and in the process becomes involved in not only the investigation of her boss’s murder, but the efforts to recover his stolen research before it falls into the wrong hands–and changes the world forever.

Tell us about Emberly Pearson. A phoenix as a main character sounds like something new.

It’s certainly new for me! But after spending 16 books in the Riley Jenson world, writing about vamps and weres, I really felt the need to write something totally different. So I began researching all sorts of mythical creatures, and it was the phoenix–with it’s ability to be reborn time and again out of the ashes of its death–that snagged my muse’s interest, mainly because of the potential such an ability offered story-wise. So Emberly–and the world of phoenixes–was born

Does this mean she’s immortal?

She’s immortal in the sense that on death, she’s reborn. But it’s not automatic; there are restrictions and if they’re not met, she dies permanently.

Is there anything else unique about this urban fantasy series?

There’s a different take on vampires in this one, and there’s certainly some supernaturals that haven’t featured in any of my books before–dark elves, for instance.

How many books do you have planned for the Souls of Fire series?

I’m currently contracted for two, but there will be more than that. I can’t say how many, because I usually have to be a couple of books into a series before I know. I’m naturally a pantser, and I just can’t seem to entirely break that mold.

Any other stories on the horizon?

Well, Darkness Falls–the last of the Dark Angels series–comes out in December. In 2015, we’ll have Fireborn’s sequel, as well as City of Light–the first of a new series, and one that I’m really excited about. This was a project of the heart, and a story that eluded me for three long years. It wasn’t until October last year that the characters started talking to me again and I finally had a direction. And–like Fireborn—City of Light is a little different–the heroine is a genetically designed courtesan assassin.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience in writing.

I started writing when I was 12 years old and really haven’t looked back. I can’t actually imagine not writing. But it wasn’t until after my daughter was born that I decided to get ‘serious’, and it took me ten long years (and many rejections!) to get my first book accepted. Since then, I’ve had 32 books, 1 novella, and three short stories published–and I still wake up every day grinning like a loon because my stories are out there and people are actually reading them.

And best of all, I still love writing, despite it now being the day job.

What inspires you?

Inspiration is one of those things that’s hard to pin down. It can come from the weirdest things, or hit at the strangest moment. Take the Riley Jenson series–the idea for the first three books came out of an article I read about cloning. The start of the Risa Jones series came to me when I was driving home through a really bad fog–the fog was eddying, and it looked like their were insubstantial people moving about within it. The first line in Darkness Unbound — I’ve always seen the reapers — just hit me. Same with the first scene in Fireborn–I was cruising the net, looking for ideas, and stumbled on an article about telepathy. And from that, the whole first scene developed. It’s weird how the muse works sometimes.

Who are some of your favorite authors? What books do you love?

My favorite authors of all time would have to be Dick Francis and James Herbert. But my go-to genre when I just need a break from writing is generally regency romance. I just love them. They’re fun reads, and you’re always guaranteed a happy ending–something you’re not always certain of in my own genre!

What do you do when you’re not writing? In your spare time?

I have a fabulous garden, and the weeds that seemed determined to overrun it keeps me busy. But I’m also something of a would-be photographer, so if the weather if fine and the garden is weed free, then I’m more than likely out in the car with my camera, looking for interesting things to take pics of.
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Follow Keri’s next stop on her blog tour tomorrow at:
http://www.ismellsheep.com/
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Courtesy of Signet, I have a copy of Fireborn for one (1) lucky winner!

Contest is open to US residents only. No PO Boxes, please. To enter, just fill out the form below. Contest ends July 11. I’ll draw a name on July 12, and notify winner via email.

ENTER DAILY TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING!

Good luck!

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