Happy December, Everyone!
Help me kick off the month beginning with Author Katie Salidas! Katie was gracious enough to join me for a fun Q&A. If you're unfamiliar with Katie's work, or you've been a longtime fan, this interview is sure to entertain.
Jae Lynne: Welcome, Katie! Tell us a bit about yourself:
Katie: Hi everyone! I’m very happy to be here. Hmmm, a little about myself. Oddly enough, I am a super shy person “in person.” Seriously, Introverted is my middle name. But, online, I can often overcome that social awkwardness. Being a bit shy means I am more of a people watcher. What else are you going to do when you’re the wallflower? That comes in handy though when creating characters. I spend a lot of time watching people and learning from their interactions. It helps me when it comes to my own characters.
Jae Lynne: In which genres do you write?
Katie: I primarily write Urban Fantasy, but I love to work with Paranormal Romance and a little Erotica every now and again. The main thing that connects each genre I play with though, is vampires! I love vampires and I love to use them in different situations. I find them to be the chameleon of the monster world. They can go from a creature of Horror to a lust-worthy creature from your wildest dreams, and everywhere in between.
Jae Lynne: What inspires you to write?
Katie: My biggest inspiration comes from asking questions. For instance, in the Immortalis series, I asked what it would be like to really turn into a vampire… without a choice? One minute you are a normal, everyday college girl, and the next, you’re a creature of the night. It’s a hugely life changing event that I think gets glossed over in other books. I really wanted readers to transform with the character and experience the hardship that comes with that. From there, the series blossomed.
Jae Lynne: How do you choose names for your characters?
Katie: I love looking at baby name sites as well as sites that tell you the origins of names. That’s my main resource for character names. I look for something that is age specific (ancient Greek names for my older vampires) as well as area specific (I have some French, some African, etc… vampires), as well as a few Werewolves of Irish decent. Sites like Behindthename.com are my favorite for this.
Jae Lynne: What is your favorite type of character to write? Do you have a personal favorite amongst your own characters?
Katie: This is probably going to come out wrong but I like writing “the jerk.” The guy you love to hate. You know the kind. He’s antagonistic and snarky. He gets under your skin. He pisses you off, but ultimately, he’s on the side of good so you have to work with him. That’s my character Nicholas. He really blossoms as a character in book 2 (Hunters & Prey), and I just love him to death!!!
Katie: Always be writing! Don’t ever let yourself become idle. Don’t focus on one story. Always have additional projects. One of the things I’ve found that helps me through writers block is to switch things up. Some days I can work in one genre, then when I get stuck, I can switch to another story for a little bit. That break often allows me to come back fresh to the first story.
Jae Lynne: Who is/are your favorite author(s)?
Katie: Some of my favorites include: Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris, Laurel K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, and Lara Adrian
Jae Lynne: How do/does your favorite authors(s) impact your writing?
Katie: I think, whether consciously or not, we take a little something from the books we read. We learn. We know what’s been done before, so we can avoid doing it ourselves. We see what might not have been done and that can inspire us in new ways to create stories from there. And of course, reading is a nice relaxation too. And of course, reading inspires us, not just to write our own stories, but to work our fingers to the bones to become a great author like the ones we idolize!
Jae Lynne: Hollywood called! They want to turn your novel into a movie or television series. If given the choice, who would you cast as your characters?
Katie: This is always fun. Let me give you my dream cast …
The girls:
Alyssa - Mila Kunis
Rozaline - Anne Hathaway
Crystal - Reese Witherspoon
Kallisto - Angelina Jolie or Catherine Zeta-Jones
Fallon - Kiera Knightly
The guys:
Lysander – Gerard Butler
Nicholas – Eric Bana
Drew - Matther McConaughey
Edmond - Jason Isaacs
Santino – Vinnie Jones
Quentin – Mel Gibson
Pandora’s Box Immortalis Series, Book 3
Primary Genre: Urban Fantasy
Secondary Genre: Paranormal Romance
Adult Content: Some strong language. No sexual content.
Page Count: 238
Word Count: 65,000
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Print Publishing Date: July 12th 2011
Author: Katie Salidas
Available in print and/or ebook at:
Amazon.com USA
Amazon.co.UK UK
Amazon.co.DE Germany
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Synopsis: After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she’d learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package – a Pandora’s Box.
Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it?
When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.
Apparently powerless against the ancient evil, the clan flees Las Vegas for Boston, with only a slim hope for salvation. Could Lysander’s old journals hold the key? And what if they don’t?
And how welcome will they be in a city run by a whole different kind of supernatural being?
Werewolves…
Immortalis Series, Book 2
Primary Genre: Urban Fantasy
Secondary Genre: Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 263
Word Count: 75,000
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Print Publishing Date: December 10, 2010
Author: Katie Salidas
Available in print and/or ebook at:
Amazon.com USA
Amazon.co.DE Germany
Synopsis: Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.
Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.
If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.
Immortalis Carpe NoctemImmortalis Series, Book 1
Primary Genre: Urban Fantasy
Secondary Genre: Paranormal Romance
Adult Content: Some strong language. No sexual content.
Page Count: 323
Word Count: 85,000
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Print Publishing Date: March 2, 2010
Author: Katie Salidas
Available in print and/or ebook at:
Amazon.com USA
Amazon.co.UK UK
Amazon.co.DE Germany
Synopsis: Bleeding to death after brutal mugging on the campus of UNLV, Twenty-five year old Alyssa, is rescued by the cold and aloof, vampire, Lysander. Taking pity on her, he shares the gift-and curse-of immortality. She awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life: the loss of her friends, her independence, and her humanity.
As if having her humanity stripped away was not enough to make life interesting, Alyssa finds out her “turning”, did not go unnoticed by the rest of undead society. Old enemies; an ancient sect of vampire hunters, known as the Acta Sanctorum, as well as a powerful Vampire mistress, each set plans in motion to destroy both Alyssa and Lysander.
Only by accepting her newfound immortality, seizing the night, will Alyssa hope to survive. She and Lysander must fight together against two sets of enemies bent on destroying them both.
Thanks so much for joining us today, Katie! As an added bonus, Katie brought a gift to the party. She's giving away an eBook of any one novel in the Immortalis series (winner's choice). Simply leave a comment and you're entered to win!
In addition, there is a tour wide giveaway! The Grand Prize is a signed set of all 3 books in the Immortalis Series with book swag. This contest is open to international shipping!Winner to be chosen on January 1, 2012! Click HERE for more details.
About the AuthorKatie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.
And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
To learn more about Katie and her work, visit her website http://www.katiesalidas.com/
3 comments:
This sounds like a great series. Kate is a new author for me and these books look great. I love the cover and would love to win and read these books. I also am a huge fan of Laurell K Hamilton and Charlaine Harris. I love Laurell's books. I think she is what got me hooked to paranormal. I actually met Charlaine last year and had her sign some of my books. I will definately be following alone Kate's tour. Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win one of your books. I would love to win. Will also post on facebook.
christinebails@yahoo.com
Thank you so much for having me here today! Love your blog!!
Good luck to everyone participating in the giveaway!
*Hugs*
Katie Salidas
Haha, there is my girl. *waves* hey Katie.
Chris, you'll fall in love with the series.
Jae, love the layout of your blog. :)
bidelia78@yahoo.com
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