Please welcome Alexa Egan to The Qwillery. Warrior's Curse (The Imnada Brotherhood 3) will be published next week by Pocket Books.
TQ: Welcome back to The Qwillery. Warrior's Curse, Imnada Brotherhood 3, is out next week. Has your writing process changed (or not) from when you wrote Demon's Curse (2012), the first novel in the series? What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Alexa: My process hasn’t changed. Instead, I’ve learned to trust it despite the churning stomach feeling I get when a deadline is looming and I seem to be taking two steps back for every one step forward.
The biggest challenge I’ve found is finding the right balance between writing and the business of writing. I’m not a marketer or a salesman but I’ve had to be both in promoting my books. Difficult for an introvert who would much rather live in her own head.
TQ: What do you wish you'd known about publishing when Demon's Curse came out that you know now?
Alexa: How much of publishing is beyond the author’s control; print runs, bookstore placement, Amazon rankings, book reviews, etc… and how I have to shut all those worries out if I don’t want to drive myself crazy. I’ve learned to ignore most of it, though I’ll still occasionally engage in masochistic tendencies by perusing Goodreads or checking my Amazon ranking non-stop on release day.
TQ: Tell us something about Warrior's Curse that is not in the book description.
Alexa: We dig deeper into the history of the Imnada shapechangers in this book, giving us a glimpse of the origins of this mysterious race. In so doing, I plant seeds for further adventures and a new enemy that might be lurking just beyond the last page.
TQ: In addition to the 3 novels in the Imnada Brotherhood series, you've written 3 novellas: Awaken the Curse, Unleash the Curse and Vanquish the Curse. How do the novellas fit in with the novels? Which is harder to write - the novels or novellas?
Alexa: I had never written a novella before I was asked to write the three Imnada novellas. For a writer who uses twenty words when two will do, the idea of limiting my word count was terrifying. So, I was amazed and excited when I completed ATC to find how much I really enjoyed this shorter tighter format.
Both novels and novellas posed their own unique challenges, but the greater difficulty was writing chronologically backwards since each of the three full length novels were completed before the novella that preceded them. That meant that I had to be very careful not to disturb the characters or plot lines I had already established while still giving readers a great story.
I tried to write the novellas as stand-alones within the greater series storyline. A reader won’t need to read them to follow the plot, but they compliment the books and give you more insight into certain characters that you wouldn’t get without them. They also contain glimpses of future storylines and a world beyond the one captured within this current series.
TQ: In the Imnada Brotherhood series so far which character has surprised you the most? Which character has been the most difficult to write and why?
Alexa: I love Badb; the exiled faery who grudgingly assists Gray and Meeryn as they fight to break the curse. Her tangled and ambiguous motives made her a really fun character to write, and as the series progressed, I learned so much about her that I didn’t know when she made her initial appearance in the first book of the series; DEMON’S CURSE. I love when characters reveal themselves to me slowly over the course of time.
I think the most difficult character to write was actually Gray de Coursy. Readers had already come to know him through two previous books and two novellas. He had a past and a personality established over many stories. This made it a challenge to flesh him out in a way that was consistent with what readers already knew of him as a secondary character and yet revealed him in a whole new (and heroic) light. Luckily, he was one of those characters that hit the page and write their own story. I just had to keep up with where he led me.
TQ: The Imnada Brotherhood series is Paranormal Historical Romance. What appeals to you about this sub-genre? Are there any other genre or sub-genres is which you'd like to write? Why Regency England as a setting?
Alexa: I’ve always been a huge fan of both Tolkien and Austen, so when I had the you-got-your-chocolate-in-my-peanut butter writer moment, I ran with it. I mean what could be better than combining the two genres I love most into something incredibly amazing and different. Right?
I began writing straight historical romance, and if the opportunity presented itself, I would certainly enjoy rediscovering a Regency setting that didn’t contain otherworldly elements like shapechangers, Fey-bloods, Arthurian magic, and black curses. Currently, I’m dabbling with a project completely outside my wheelhouse and having a blast with it, so I can never say never about any genre or setting.
TQ: In your opinion, does a Romance have to have a Happily Ever After?
Alexa: Yes. Not only do I think it must have a HEA, but I think this is its most defining and crucial element.
TQ: What's next?
Alexa: I’ve got my fingers in a lot of pies right now. As I said, I’m working on a new project that’s a definite departure from anything I’ve done before—and loving it. But I’m also continuing to play in the world of the Imnada with a new series, still in the very early stages. Hopefully, I’ll have more news about both projects in the coming months, but you can always check in with me through Facebook or on Twitter to hear about what I’m doing.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Alexa: Thank you so much for inviting me. I enjoyed visiting.
Alexa: My process hasn’t changed. Instead, I’ve learned to trust it despite the churning stomach feeling I get when a deadline is looming and I seem to be taking two steps back for every one step forward.
The biggest challenge I’ve found is finding the right balance between writing and the business of writing. I’m not a marketer or a salesman but I’ve had to be both in promoting my books. Difficult for an introvert who would much rather live in her own head.
TQ: What do you wish you'd known about publishing when Demon's Curse came out that you know now?
Alexa: How much of publishing is beyond the author’s control; print runs, bookstore placement, Amazon rankings, book reviews, etc… and how I have to shut all those worries out if I don’t want to drive myself crazy. I’ve learned to ignore most of it, though I’ll still occasionally engage in masochistic tendencies by perusing Goodreads or checking my Amazon ranking non-stop on release day.
TQ: Tell us something about Warrior's Curse that is not in the book description.
Alexa: We dig deeper into the history of the Imnada shapechangers in this book, giving us a glimpse of the origins of this mysterious race. In so doing, I plant seeds for further adventures and a new enemy that might be lurking just beyond the last page.
TQ: In addition to the 3 novels in the Imnada Brotherhood series, you've written 3 novellas: Awaken the Curse, Unleash the Curse and Vanquish the Curse. How do the novellas fit in with the novels? Which is harder to write - the novels or novellas?
Alexa: I had never written a novella before I was asked to write the three Imnada novellas. For a writer who uses twenty words when two will do, the idea of limiting my word count was terrifying. So, I was amazed and excited when I completed ATC to find how much I really enjoyed this shorter tighter format.
Both novels and novellas posed their own unique challenges, but the greater difficulty was writing chronologically backwards since each of the three full length novels were completed before the novella that preceded them. That meant that I had to be very careful not to disturb the characters or plot lines I had already established while still giving readers a great story.
I tried to write the novellas as stand-alones within the greater series storyline. A reader won’t need to read them to follow the plot, but they compliment the books and give you more insight into certain characters that you wouldn’t get without them. They also contain glimpses of future storylines and a world beyond the one captured within this current series.
TQ: In the Imnada Brotherhood series so far which character has surprised you the most? Which character has been the most difficult to write and why?
Alexa: I love Badb; the exiled faery who grudgingly assists Gray and Meeryn as they fight to break the curse. Her tangled and ambiguous motives made her a really fun character to write, and as the series progressed, I learned so much about her that I didn’t know when she made her initial appearance in the first book of the series; DEMON’S CURSE. I love when characters reveal themselves to me slowly over the course of time.
I think the most difficult character to write was actually Gray de Coursy. Readers had already come to know him through two previous books and two novellas. He had a past and a personality established over many stories. This made it a challenge to flesh him out in a way that was consistent with what readers already knew of him as a secondary character and yet revealed him in a whole new (and heroic) light. Luckily, he was one of those characters that hit the page and write their own story. I just had to keep up with where he led me.
TQ: The Imnada Brotherhood series is Paranormal Historical Romance. What appeals to you about this sub-genre? Are there any other genre or sub-genres is which you'd like to write? Why Regency England as a setting?
Alexa: I’ve always been a huge fan of both Tolkien and Austen, so when I had the you-got-your-chocolate-in-my-peanut butter writer moment, I ran with it. I mean what could be better than combining the two genres I love most into something incredibly amazing and different. Right?
I began writing straight historical romance, and if the opportunity presented itself, I would certainly enjoy rediscovering a Regency setting that didn’t contain otherworldly elements like shapechangers, Fey-bloods, Arthurian magic, and black curses. Currently, I’m dabbling with a project completely outside my wheelhouse and having a blast with it, so I can never say never about any genre or setting.
TQ: In your opinion, does a Romance have to have a Happily Ever After?
Alexa: Yes. Not only do I think it must have a HEA, but I think this is its most defining and crucial element.
TQ: What's next?
Alexa: I’ve got my fingers in a lot of pies right now. As I said, I’m working on a new project that’s a definite departure from anything I’ve done before—and loving it. But I’m also continuing to play in the world of the Imnada with a new series, still in the very early stages. Hopefully, I’ll have more news about both projects in the coming months, but you can always check in with me through Facebook or on Twitter to hear about what I’m doing.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Alexa: Thank you so much for inviting me. I enjoyed visiting.
The Imnada Brotherhood
Warrior's Curse
The Imnada Brotherhood 3
Pocket Books, April 29, 2014
Mass Market Paperbook and eBook, 400 pages
The Imnada Brotherhood 3
Pocket Books, April 29, 2014
Mass Market Paperbook and eBook, 400 pages
The third novel in the dark and sexy Imnada Brotherhood series about shape shifters in Regency-era England.
Despite being cast out of his clan, Gray de Coursy has been summoned to his estranged grandfather’s deathbed. A perfect opportunity to steal Jai Idrish, the Imnada’s most sacred relic and his last hope for breaking the fiendish spell imprisoning him.
Chosen as the Imnada clans’ next high shaman, Alys Swynford’s very soul has become inextricably bound to Jai Idrish—a crystal sphere that dates to the very origins of the Imnada. So when she catches Gray stealing it, he is left with only one choice—keep shaman and sphere together as the pair travel to The Gateway, the door between this world and the one the Imnada left behind aeons ago. For only there can the curse be lifted and Gray freed.
But conspirators among the Imnada have already opened the door to the shape-shifters’ ancient and deadly enemy. Now it will take the strength of the warrior and the power of the shaman to stop this otherworldly executioner—before it’s too late.
Cursed
The Complete Imnada Brotherhood Novellas
Pocket Star, March 31, 2014
eBook, 300 pages
The Complete Imnada Brotherhood Novellas
Pocket Star, March 31, 2014
eBook, 300 pages
The complete collection of Alexa Egan’s “not-to-be-missed” (Romantic Times) Imnada Brotherhood novellas—a dark and sexy series about a clan of shape-shifters living secretly as humans.
Awaken the Curse
University student James Farraday and professor’s daughter Katherine Lacey embark on a curse-ridden quest to find Katherine’s father, who vanished while studying a mysterious ancient obelisk. As they unravel the mystery, legends point to the existence of the Imnada, a race of shape-shifters said to have died off a thousand years ago. Or is the professor’s disappearance the result of a very human villain? Soon James and Kate’s search for the truth means fighting for their lives. Yet every hour they spend together exploring the past leads them to a very present and irresistible temptation…
Unleash the Curse
Neither actress Sarah Haye nor London’s most eligible bachelor, Sebastian Commin, the Earl of Deane has ever forgotten their scandalous night of white hot passion—and the differences that make a future together impossible. Yet they find themselves back together as they try to solve the mystery of a brutal attack on an Imnada shape-shifter and a sinister entity known as the Naxos. When the Naxos strike again, Sarah realizes she’s willing to risk a little scandal to save the world…and the man she loves.
Vanquish the Curse
Lady Estelle Swann didn’t come to London in search of a husband. Instead she’s here hunting for one of the magical Keys of Gylferion in hopes of preventing a war between Fey-blood and shape-shifter. So when the notorious scoundrel Lt. Jack Ramsay turns his dangerous charms her way, she’s more than a little suspicious. But he’s after something else—something that leads the couple on a mission both complicated and deadly. Soon Estelle and Jack find themselves fighting not only unseen enemies but their own very dangerous attraction…
Shadow's Curse
The Imnada Brotherhood 2
Pocket Books, September 24, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 416 pages
The Imnada Brotherhood 2
Pocket Books, September 24, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 416 pages
Can the magic of desire defeat the powers of darkness?
Forced by her half brother to use her dark gift of necromancy for profit, lovely Callista Hawthorne is determined to flee to her one chance for safety, her aunt in Scotland. With no hope of success unless she finds help on the long road north, she offers cursed shapechanger David St. Leger an irresistible bargain.
David—one of the mysterious Imnada—stalks the night streets of Regency London as a large black wolf. Renounced by his own kind, he spends his desperate rage on thieves and murderers. While Callista’s proposal will allow him to escape the terrible enchantment binding him, agreeing to her terms will force him into the treacherous world of the half-Fey Other, his clan’s ancient foes.
Drawn together by danger, David and Callista find passion in each other’s arms. But can they forswear the centuries of enmity separating their two races, and find a love they dare not even imagine?
Demon's Curse
The Imnada Brotherhood 1
Pocket Books, December 26, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 400 pages
The Imnada Brotherhood 1
Pocket Books, December 26, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 400 pages
She holds the key . . .
One of the mythical race of shape-shifting Imnada and a member of an elite military unit, Captain Mac Flannery suffers under a ruthless curse. As the result of a savage massacre on the eve of Waterloo, he and the men he served with are forced to live the hours of darkness trapped as their animal aspects. Now one of them has been murdered, and Mac suspects the existence of the Imnada may finally have been discovered. His only link to unearthing the truth—Bianca Parrino, the beautiful actress whom every man desires.
. . . to his forbidden desires
Forging a new life for herself after escaping the clutches of her abusive husband, Bianca is again drawn into violence when a dear friend is brutally murdered and she becomes a suspect. Forced to place her trust and her life in Mac’s hands as they flee a determined killer, Bianca cannot deny she is falling for the mysterious soldier. But will his dark secrets tear them asunder? Or will love be the key to breaking even the cruelest of spells?
About Alexa
Alexa Egan lives in Maryland with a husband who’s waiting impatiently for her fame and fortune to support them in a new and lavish lifestyle, three children for whom she serves as chauffeur, cook, nurse, social secretary, banker, and maid (not necessarily in that order), one cat … and twenty-seven fish. You can find her at www.AlexaEgan.com, friend her at www.Facebook.com/AlexaEganBooks or follow her at www.Twitter.com/AlexaEganBooks.
The Giveaway
What: One entrant will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Warrior's Curse (The Imnada Brotherhood 3) by Alexa Egan from The Qwillery.
How: Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.
Who and When: The giveaway is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Giveaway ends at 11:59PM US Eastern Time on May 3, 2014. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.*
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This books has got my attention because the cover books. Looking forward to read it!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for giveaway :)
this series looks and sounds awesome!!! Congrats to Alexa on her series. Definitely going on the top of my want list :)
ReplyDeleteI have the first book of the series on my TBR but haven't had a chance to read it. I'm glad to be reminded that I need to get started, because I'm getting behind. :D
ReplyDeleteThis series does look so amazing. How many will there be in total?
ReplyDeleteLove this series and am looking forward to this one too.
ReplyDeleteNice covers
ReplyDelete