This month I have a special edition of Chatting with Buckeyes. I've been lucky enough to be a part of a blog book tour for Alayna Williams newest book, Rogue Oracle, so I am combing my Chatting with Buckeyes Series interview with the book tour.
Alana, thanks so much for stopping by and being a part of Chatting with Buckeyes and the Rogue Oracle book tour, hosted by Bewitching Book Tours.
Thanks so much for the invitation to come by! As a Buckeye myself, it's great to connect to fellow Ohioans! ;-)
Thanks so much for the invitation to come by! As a Buckeye myself, it's great to connect to fellow Ohioans! ;-)
1. When you began writing Dark Oracle, did you plan on writing a series? How many future books in the series do you have planned?
I would love to do more books in the Oracle series - explore Tara's difficult relationship with Harry, dig more into the past of Delphi's Daughters. I also have plans for Cassie, who will be struggling with becoming the leader of the ancient society of oracles. I'm contracted for two at the moment, and hope that there will be more...I have an idea about alternate reality that I'd be excited to commit to paper. But the number of books is dependent upon the publisher. Fingers crossed!
2. What made inspired you to write Urban Fantasy?
I've always been intrigued by the idea of a hidden supernatural world existing beneath our own. Urban Fantasy allows me to explore the "what if's": What if a criminal profiler turned to Tarot card divination? What if the Oracle of Delphi survived into the modern day...and what would they have been up to? What if the future could be told through the use of magic...and how would we try to change what we saw?
3. What makes your series different from other UF series that are out there now?
I don't have vampires or weres. My heroine, Tara, is a criminal profiler who uses Tarot cards to solve crimes. I drew upon much of my own knowledge in criminology to create her. She's allied with the ancient Delphic Oracle, an organization that's survived to modern times, altering world events - sometimes, not always for the better.
I do a lot of research, particularly with respect to the science and magic parts of the story. Tara's experiences with Tarot cards take into account the symbolism and the ways in which diviners work. For this book, I also delved into the history of Chernobyl. I spent many hours looking at the terrible pictures, reading the accounts of survivors and victims' families.
My work is a bit of an odd duck because it includes both magic and science - it appeals to fans of the X-Files and Fringe.
4. What do you like best about the Urban Fantasy genre?
I like the fact that it's wide open. I'm not bound by many conventions as far as structure or the ending...UF doesn't require the story to follow a fixed pattern. I can allow the story to unfold and let it be unpredictable as it develops. I like to explore.
5. The heroine in the Delphic Oracles, specializes in Tarot Card reading. What made you decide on that specialization?
I've used cards as story prompts before, but it was a lot of fun to give a heroine that particular power. Tara makes connections between the images on the cards and the world around her, and I enjoy getting into her head as she works through a mystery.
6. Do you have a favorite book among the ones you have out? Or do you love them all equally?
They're all my children, so it's hard to play favorites! I also write UF as Laura Bickle (EMBERS and SPARKS, Pocket Books, 2010). I love Sparky the fire salamander very much in that series...he's a blast to write.
But I have to say that I'm proudest of ROGUE ORACLE. ROGUE is the second installment that began with DARK ORACLE (Pocket, 2010). ROGUE was very challenging for me to write, but I'm very proud of the way it turned out. The feel is very spy thriller with a heavy dollop of fantasy. It's something I never tried before.
7. Do you read any other Urban Fantasy authors? Do you have a favorite author or series?
I'm a huge fan of Ann Aguirre's HELLFIRE series and Stacia Kane's DOWNSIDE GHOSTS. I'm also reading Philippa Ballantine's GEIST, Thomas Sniegoski's Remy Chandler books, and Ekaterina Sedia's THE SECRET HISTORY OF MOSCOW. One of my all-time favorites is Jeri Smith-Ready's SHADE. All great stuff.
8. What you would like us to know about the Rogue Oracle?
Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.
Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen.
ROGUE ORACLE will be released February 22.
9. What would we be surprised to learn about you?
I think that people would be most surprised to learn that I've been known to break out into spontaneous bellydancing. But never in public. That would really conflict with my shy-librarian persona. ;-)
I also have a background in criminal justice and occasionally read Tarot cards. But I've never mixed criminology and the Tarot professionally.
And I have four feline overlords. Pet owners know how that goes...
10. Where can we find you on the web?
My website is here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/
I'm also on Facebook and Twitter...@Laura_
Now, for the Ohio Questions!
Now, for the Ohio Questions!
1. Where are your favorite places to go in Ohio?
My favorite place to go is the Hocking Hills. My husband and I were married there...great hiking in lovely forests and caves. There's nothing like watching the fireflies come out at dusk on the porch of a log cabin. Bonus points if I can watch from a jacuzzi. :-) Other favorite places are the Dayton Air Force Museum, Perkins Observatory, the Columbus Zoo, and the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg.
2. What's your favorite Ohio food or drink?
Hands-down...Graeter's ice cream! I love raspberry chocolate chip and mint chocolate chip.
3. What's your favorite C City? Columbus, Cincy or Cleveland?
With apologies to Cincy and Cleveland, I've gotta go with Columbus. Went to Ohio State. One of my favorite things about the city is that, due to OSU's agricultural degree programs, you can be driving through the middle of the city and see cowfields.I also love that Columbus has falcons that live downtown. They've had a tough time of it, but I always follow what's going on in the nest box webcam DNR operates downtown: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/
And the Columbus Zoo is one of my favorite places. Last year, there were baby otters in the North American exhibit...and they made my summer!
4. What's your favorite season in Ohio?
Summer. Winter is miserable...grey skies, snow and sleet. But summers are lovely for hiking, stargazing, and getting outside for new adventures.
Thanks so much for having me!
Alayna Williams aka Laura Bickle
Now, for the giveaway: To enter, you must be a blog follower and tell Alayna and I your favorite thing about reading Urban Fantasy! Giveaway is open until 11:59pm March 20th, 2011. Please state if you are entering the giveaway and leave an email address so I can contact the winner!
Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around—and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn’t need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.
Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards—and Tara’s increasingly ominous dreams—suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationship with the mysterious order known as Delphi’s Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen.
