Danielle Annett - Cursed by Fire ~Q&A, Giveaway and Excerpt~
It has
been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still
tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the
city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it
seems.
Aria
Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many
wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as
they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races
combined.
When a
stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped
in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for
as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.
Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind
Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA,
the primary location for her Blood & Magic series.
Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.
Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.
You
can learn more about Danielle on her website at Danielle-Annett.com or follow
on on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaniel... and on twitter
@Danielle_Annett
Website: http://danielle-annett.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danielle_Annett
The light
began to fade from his eyes as I crawled across the floor in an effort to reach
my father. My nails were raw and bloody as I struggled to carry myself closer
to him, digging into the rough wooden floors with each drag of my body.
“I’m coming,” I panted in between
breaths. “Just hang on, Papa, I’m coming.”
I woke gasping for breath, drenched
in a cold sweat, clutching the hilt of my dagger as if my life depended on it.
I frantically looked around the room in search of our attacker while also
taking stock of any injuries. I was perfectly whole.
“It was just a
nightmare,” I told
myself, though that did little to ease the ache in my chest over the remembered
pain. I miss you so much.
Rubbing my
hands over my face, I pushed back the wet, loose tendrils of hair that had
escaped my braid during my fitful rest and returned my dagger to its resting
place beneath my pillow. Taking another deep breath I registered a hint of
smoke.
Shit!
My eyes
roamed over the room, frantically looking for the source of fire.
“You have
got to be kidding me!”
I
untangled my body from the sheets, tripping and falling into a heap on the floor
before I was able to crawl out of my covers and retrieve an old shirt. I
frenziedly swatted at the bedroom curtains with the old t-shirt but the flames
continued to rise. Deciding there was no other choice, I ripped the curtains
from the window and rushed to the kitchen.
Throwing
the curtains into the sink and turning the faucet on all the way, I watched as
the flames were snuffed and steam began to rise. The curtains ruined.
Turning
the water off, I allowed my body to slide down the smooth wooden cabinets until
my bottom met the cool tile floor. I folded my arms across my knees and rested
my forehead against them. Closing my eyes I took several deep breaths, my heart
still racing from the effects of the recurring nightmare. This was getting out
of hand. I had thought the nightmares were fading, but something was bringing
the memories back with a screaming vengeance and this was the third time this
week they’d plagued me. I missed my parents but it’d been over six years now.
They weren’t coming back and I needed to let it go. My subconscious needed to
let it go and I needed to let Daniel’s death go. Not the case, no, I wouldn’t
let that go. But his death was affecting me in ways I couldn’t allow to
continue.
I breathed
deeply in an effort to calm my nerves. Small tremors racked my body, the
nightmare had shaken me more that I’d like to admit. My skin was covered in a
fine sheen of sweat. A physical reminder that I needed to relax before I
accidentally caught something else on fire.
Q/A with
Danielle
How did
you come up with the idea for this story?
I’m not
entirely sure to tell you the truth. I think when I decided I wanted to write
something this story just popped into my head because it was one I wanted to
read myself. Overtime it took shape and changed drastically but the idea itself
more of less popped in out of nowhere.
Where do
you find your inspiration?
I find my
inspiration at the Library. There is something entirely exciting about walking
through a room filled with books and looking at all of their covers that just
inspires you to write more.
Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Finding
the time to write is difficult. Between my day job, my blog, my home life and
beautiful daughter, it all adds up. Time is something I definitely wish I had
more of.
What are
your current projects?
Currently
I’m working on Book 2 in the Blood & Magic series, and a side PNR project
that is just beginning to take shape.
Tell us
about your first book. What would readers find different about the first one
and your most recent published work?
I don’t
have any other published works.
Is there a
message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Not
particularly. If there is a message in my book then it is coincidence. I’m a story
telling and don’t really look to add special messages in my writing but I do
think Cursed by Fire may have developed one, can you guess what it is?
Does music
play any type of role in your writing?
Music is
HUGE. I tend to assign a song to every scene. Music makes you feel something
and I want my book to make my readers feel something as well. Music for
specific scenes allows me to strive to draw that emotion into the scene.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life?
No. Everything
in Cursed by Fire is entirely fictitious.
What books
have influenced your life most?
I feel
like I should list the classics here but truth be told, Urban Fantasy novels
such as those by Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs have inspired me to want to
become a writer. Additionally, On Writing by Stephan King has been an extremely
helpful tool in developing my craft.
Are there
any new authors that have grasp your interest?
Yes. ML
Brennan is not completely new but is newer and has caught my attention.
Additionally, Sherry Palmer who wrote Life with Charley. Something completely
outside my genre scope but so touching has grabbed my attention and held on
tight.
Do you
have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope you
love my story as much as I loved writing it.
How can
readers discover more about you and your work?
They can
visit my website, www.Danielle-Annett.com
and follow me on twitter @DanielleCRomero
Do you
have a special time to write? How is your day structured writing-wise?
So not
structured at all. I fit in time to write whenever I can. Sometimes I write all
day and sometimes I don’t write until the weekend rolls around, every day
changes.
Why did
you choose to write [genre] stories?
I chose to
write Urban Fantasy because its what I enjoy reading most. There is something
about fantasy creatures living in todays society and dealing with everything it
brings.
What is
for you the perfect book hero?
My perfect
book hero is someone you can relate to. Someone who goes above and beyond to
help others but is not all that extra ordinary. I want to feel like I can be
that person.
When you
start a book, do you already have the whole story in your head or is it built
progressively?
It starts
progressively. I typically outline first but even my outline changes as I go.
Cursed by Fire went through four different outline revisions and three major
rewrites.
When and
why did you begin writing?
I began
writing passively about two years. I was just playing around with an idea and
slowly it began to take shape. Only within the last year have I taken my
writing seriously though and really buckled down to finish a book.
When did
you first consider yourself a writer?
That's
tough, I suppose when I typed THE END. That was when I felt accomplished enough
to say, I’m a writer.
List three
books you have recently read and would recommend.
Magic
Breaks by Ilona Andrews
The Kraken
Kong by Meljean Brook
Archangel’s
Shadow by Nalini Singh
Tell us something
that people would be surprised you know how to do.
I crochet.
I feel like it is a grandmotherly habit but I learned when I was young and
recently finished a baby blanket for my niece.
Will you
write more about these characters?
Yes. I
have four books planned so far for this particular series.
Behind the
scenes look at how Cursed by Fire’s cover came to be
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