Authors After Dark Author Spotlight Interview - Adrian Phoenix

Please welcome Adrian Phoenix as part of The Qwillery's Authors After Dark Author Spotlight Interviews.

TQ:  What inspired you to become a writer?

Adrian:  I loved reading. From the moment I learned to read, I constantly had a book in my hand. I read everything—fiction, non-fiction, how-to books, you name it. In elementary school, I would start with the As in the room library (and the school library) and grab the first book on the shelf. Subject matter or genre didn’t concern me. I read it all. And learned a lot of things I didn’t really want to learn in the process. LOL.

In junior high, I refined my approach and started reading more fiction—mainly angsty teen fiction. I fell in love with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and yearned to write about characters that tugged at my heart (making me wish the story would never end) the way Ponyboy and his friends and brothers did in Hinton’s book.

I’d written little short stories in elementary school, but in the 8th grade, I started to get serious and began writing my own angsty teen stories. Lots of them—to the despair of my family who had to listen to them. :-)

TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Adrian:  Battling critical mindset—the inner critic and editor. Every writer needs to be in creative mode for the story to flow and for the plot to twist. If you find yourself pondering word choice or stopping to delete, then rewrite a scene, then you’re caught in the steel teeth of the critical mind-trap. It kills creative flow and momentum dead. This is a constant battle with me, but it’s getting easier. Every time I find myself pausing or my finger hovering over the DELETE key, I force myself to go on, promising I will fix whatever needs fixing AFTER I’ve finished that first crucial and creative draft. Duct tape that critic and toss it into a deep and dark closet. Dare to be bad.

TQ:  What writing achievement are you most proud of?

Adrian:  I’m proud of each and every book, but I think my proudest achievement was when my first novel, A Rush of Wings, was named as number seven on BN.com’s Best Paranormal Fantasy Novels of the Last Decade (2000-2009). I was both stunned and damned happy.

TQ:  What one thing should everyone know about your writing?

Adrian:  Good question. I guess it would be that character comes first, then I build the story around the characters. I’m also often inspired by music, Nine Inch Nails in particular (anything by Trent Reznor).

TQ:  Please tell us about your latest and upcoming works.

Adrian:  I’m finishing book five of The Maker’s Song series, On Midnight Wings, which will be out the end of 2012. It picks up where book four, Etched in Bone, leaves off with both Dante and Heather in dire situations. Here’s a little bit about it:

As Dante Baptiste’s true identity as both True Blood and Fallen ripples throughout New Orleans, he and Heather struggle for their lives against different foes, fighting their way back to each other. To free herself from her father’s treachery, Heather accepts help from an ally—and steps into even greater danger. Dante, lost to his brutal past, wavers between his own sense of self and the Bad Seed-programmed S that lurks within, between the never-ending Road and the Great Destroyer. And the danger of becoming both.

Then it’s on to book three of the Hoodoo series featuring fiery Cajun hoodoo Kallie Rivière and sexy nomad Layne Valin, Black Moon Mojo. I’m also planning another series about a pair of brothers who aren’t quite human fighting the forces of evil and fighting their own dark heritage called Sons of Darkness. It’s like Sons of Anarchy meets Supernatural meets Call of Cthulhu. LOL.

TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Adrian:  Thank you so much for having me! It’s been a pleasure. You can also find me at:

Website, Facebook , Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, MySpace, Goodreads, Pocket After Dark

You can read a chapter from the first book in The Maker’s Song series. Here’s a link to the first chapter of A Rush of Wings.

Here’s the first chapter of Black Dust Mambo. (Hoodoo Book 1)

And the first two chapters of Black Heart Loa. (Hoodoo Book 2)


The Maker's Song

A Rush of Wings

The Maker's Song 1
Pocket Books, February 24, 2009
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 512 pages
Originally published in Trade Paperback (January 2008)

HIS NAME IS DANTE.

Dark. Talented. Beautiful. Star of the rock band Inferno. Rumored owner of the hot New Orleans nightspot Club Hell. Born of the Blood, then broken by an evil beyond imagination.

HIS PAST IS A MYSTERY.

F.B.I. Special Agent Heather Wallace has been tracking a sadistic serial murderer known as the Cross Country Killer, and the trail has led her to New Orleans, Club Hell, and Dante. But the dangerously attractive musician not only resists her investigation, he claims to be "nightkind": in other words, a vampire. Digging into his past for answers reveals little. A juvenile record a mile long. No social security number. No known birth date. In and out of foster homes for most of his life before being taken in by a man named Lucien DeNoir, who appears to guard mysteries of his own.

HIS FUTURE IS CHAOS.

What Heather does know about Dante is that something links him to the killer -- and she's pretty sure that link makes him the CCK's next target. Heather must unravel the truth about this sensual, complicated, vulnerable young man -- who, she begins to believe, may indeed be a vampire -- in order to finally bring a killer to justice. But Dante's past holds a shocking, dangerous secret, and once it is revealed not even Heather will be able to protect him from his destiny.... 

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

In the Blood

The Maker's Song 2
Pocket Books, August 25, 2009
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 480 pages
(Originally published in Trade Paperback (December 2008)

DANTE LIVES.

Vampire. Rock star. Begotten son of the fallen angel Lucien. Dante Baptiste still struggles with nightmares and seizures, searching for the truth about his past. It is a quest as seductive as his kiss, as uncontrollable as his thirst, and as unforgiving as his determination to protect one mortal woman at any cost.

KNOWLEDGE KILLS.

FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace now knows the extent of the Bureau corruption that surrounds her, but worries she is losing the battle. And when Dante and his band Inferno come to Seattle on tour, Heather can't help but be drawn back to the beautiful, dangerous nightkind. But what Heather and Dante don't know is that new enemies lurk in the shadows, closer than they think...and even deadlier than they fear.

DESTINY UNFOLDS.

Shadowy government forces have pledged to eliminate all loose ends from Project Bad Seed -- and Heather and Dante are at the top of the list. Elsewhere, the Fallen gather in Gehenna, intent on finding their long-awaited savior, the True Blood nightkind whom Lucien DeNoir would die to protect. And a damaged and desperate adversary, with powers as strange and perilous as Dante's own, plots to use Dante as a pawn in a violent scheme for revenge. But only one of these lethal forces holds the key to Dante's past -- a key that could finally unlock the secret of his birth and the truth of his existence...or destroy him completely.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Beneath the Skin

The Maker's Song 3
Pocket Books, December 29, 2009
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

CHAOS CONTROLS HIS FUTURE. ONE MORTAL WOMAN COULD BE HIS SALVATION. THE COUNTDOWN TO ANNIHILATION WILL BEGIN WITH DANTE'S CHOICE....

THE FATE OF THREE WORLDS...

The dark pieces of vampire rock star Dante Baptiste's past are violently emerging, and it is only a matter of time before the Fallen discover he is the creawdwr they have sought for thousands of years. The destruction he left behind in Oregon threatens to reveal his identity as Fallen Maker and True Blood, exposing the young nightkind to shadowy predators -- mortal and supernatural -- who will do whatever it takes to win his favor...or destroy him.

RESTS IN DANTE'S HANDS.

When beautiful FBI special agent Heather Wallace went AWOL on assignment, she chose irresistible Dante over the shady government forces that now stalk them both. Heather has her own secrets of the past to uncover, but she is also the only one who can hold her nightkind lover together when his dangerous quest for the truth threatens to send him over the edge. And as she and Dante fi ght for their survival, she realizes they must work together to protect their future -- before his mysterious destiny tears them apart....

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Etched in Bone

The Maker's Song 4
Pocket Books, February 22, 2011
Mass Market Papberback and eBook,

SON OF A FALLEN ANGEL. FORGED IN VAMPIRE’S BLOOD. SWORN TO A MORTAL WOMAN. IF DANTE FALLS, THE WORLD FALLS WITH HIM. . . .

THREE LEGACIES ETCHED IN BONE

More beautiful and powerful than any creature the world has ever seen, Dante Baptiste has become the supreme target of the three worlds that spawned him. The mortal agents of the Shadow Branch have tried to control his mind through psychological torture. The vampire elders who guide nightkind society have plotted to use him in their bloodthirsty bid for power. And the Fallen have waited for millennia for Dante to claim his birthright as their Maker. But Dante belongs to no one—except the woman he loves. . . .

ONE PASSION SWORN IN BLOOD

Determined to face the Fallen and the world on his own terms, Dante hopes to piece together his shattered past and claim his future, with FBI agent Heather Wallace at his side. But in Heather’s human family awaits an unexpected enemy. One who could rip Heather from Dante’s heart and fill the holes with bullets. One who could force Dante to choose his darkest destiny—as the Great Destroyer. . . .

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Hoodoo

Black Dust Mambo

Hoodoo 1
Pocket Books, June 29, 2010
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!

"There will be times, girl, when all your magic ain't going to be enough, times when it will seem to dry up like mud under the noonday sun, or even make matters worse. . . ."

Kallie RiviÈre, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance's annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching—the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju—a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.

Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer—even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie's search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated—back home to Bayou CyprÉs Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie's aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Black Heart Loa

Hoodoo 2
Pocket Books, June 28, 2011
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

"An eye for an eye is never enough.”

Kallie Rivière, a Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a bent for trouble, learned the meaning of those ominous words when hoodoo bogeyman Doctor Heron targeted her family for revenge. Now, while searching for her still-missing bayou pirate cousin, Kallie finds out the hard way that someone is undoing powerful gris gris, which means that working magic has become as unpredictable as rolling a handful of dice. The wards woven to protect the Gulf coast are unraveling, leaving New Orleans and the surrounding bayous vulnerable just as an unnatural storm—the deadliest in a century—is born. As the hurricane powers toward the heart of all she loves, Kallie desperately searches for the cause of the disturbing randomness, only to learn a deeply unsettling truth: the culprit may be herself. To protect her family and friends, including the sexy nomad Layne Vallin, Kallie steps into the jaws of danger . . . and finds a loup garou designed to steal her heart—literally.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About Adrian

As a writer, a person, and a mother, I’ve always believed in following your dreams, following your heart. It’s also important to keep your heart, so I also believe in being prepared for zombie attacks and can’t stress enough the importance of having regular family drills so every member of the household is zombie-ready. One never knows. Make sure the sofa is ready to push in front of the door. Be clear that if a member of the family is on the wrong side of the door when the zombie action goes down. They remain on the wrong side of the door. The greater good, etc.

I live in Springfield, Oregon in a zombie-free home (except when meeting deadlines) with four cats, Amiga, Diabla, Keats, and Ember and have two sons and three grandchildren and two granddogs. I’m the author of The Maker’s Song (A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, Beneath the Skin, Etched in Bone) and Hoodoo series (Black Dust Mambo, Black Heart Loa) and short stories, including the critically acclaimed Hoodoo short, “Caught Forever Between.”.

Adrian's Links

Website, Facebook , Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, MySpace, Goodreads, Pocket After Dark



The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  Two commenters each will win his/her choice of a signed copy of one of Adrian's novels - A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, Beneath the Skin, Etched in Bone, Black Dust Mambo, OR Black Heart Loa - from Adrian!

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

What book or books did you fall in love with in when you were a teen?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)   Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Monday, March 19, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*