WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Sarah Elle Emm, Author

Sarah Elle Emm, Author
HARMONY RUN SERIES:
PRISMATIC

Sarah Elle Emm has authored the HARMONY RUN SERIES, a fantasy dystopian four-book series for teenagers and young adults. PRISMATIC, the first of the series, features Rain, a multiracial girl who joins with friends in a segregated country to fight a dictator. Reviewers tout the book as a “truly original, unique and inspired storyline” with “vision and imagination” and “very emotive, truth-drawing and utterly thought-provoking” and an “unexpected and quirky twist within the plot.”

Emm loves to write, and she enjoys exploring the “what if” scenario offered by dystopian fantasy because she gets to create her own “rules” for her world. However, she also has written a lighter novel, MARRYING MISSY, and appreciates that genre as well. She plans to publish the third book in the HARMONY RUN SERIES:  CHATOYANT this summer and is currently finishing the fourth book in the series NACREOUS —in between fighting off fake lizards placed in her bed by her kids, taking photos, and cooking. She is well-traveled and currently lives in Florida.

Don't miss the opportunity to enter a giveaway following the interview.

Q: Reviewers of PRISMATIC praise the novel as “truly original, unique and inspired.” How did you conceive of the story? What makes it unique?

Sarah Elle Emm: From what I’ve seen in the reviews and from the emails I’ve received, people tend to agree that one of the reasons my story is unique is because the protagonist, Rain, is a multiracial girl. While multiracial fiction is out there, it isn’t the largest genre.  The story takes place in the future, in a newly segregated country, under the ruling thumb of an evil dictator. Rain and her friends, who are from varying ethnic backgrounds, take a stand against their oppressor when most of the adults have lost hope and given up. This story was inspired by real life events in history such as the Holocaust, slavery, apartheid, and segregation, to name a few. It was also inspired by my own childhood and life experience. I have multiracial relatives, cousins, friends, and children, and I’ve seen prejudice and racism in my travels around the world and in the U.S.A. I decided to write a story where multiracial teenagers could try to help spread the word that we are all just humans.

Q: How did you draw readers into the dystopian, fantasy world of PRISMATIC? How did you make the world believable? Do you think believability is important?

Sarah Elle Emm: The cool thing about writing fantasy and dystopian is that as the writer you get to create your own rules for your world, which is nice.  But as far as making it believable, I think the most important thing for me is making the characters seem real.  As far as setting goes, this futuristic society of mine has droid technology, hover technology, and many technological advancements, but most important is that you believe Rain and her friends are real. I don’t just want you to enjoy her as a fiction character, I want you to care about her, to carry her with you in your mind when you aren’t reading the story, and to think about her after you’ve put the book down.  Let’s be honest, this is a four book series, and I’m currently writing the final book, so these teenagers are very real to me. Still, while the reader may never be able to care about them as much as I do, I still have that hope, and that’s my goal. So yes, believability is important!

Q: A reviewer called your protagonist, Rain, “a worthy heroine.” How do you make her engaging?

Sarah Elle Emm: Rain’s character is good. She cares about her brother and her friends.  She cares about her family. She’s not afraid to stand up to injustice, but she still has fears. The story takes place four years after her family has been sent to this deplorable, walled city, so she still remembers what life was like before. I think that desire to get her freedom back makes her even more engaging. She wasn’t born into this undesirable society. She was sent here. She’s also just your average teenage girl in the midst of a scary place. She wants the same things other girls might want, who don’t live in a world like this. She jokes around with her friends, has arguments with her mom, and even falls in love. But you’ll have to read PRISMATIC to find out more about her crush…

Q: Is the concept of “hero” vs “villain” relevant to PRISMATIC? Do you need a villain in order to have a hero?

Sarah Elle Emm: Yes, I definitely have a hero vs villain in this story. Rain is one tough female hero, but she definitely has the help of her heroic friends, and they are waging a war against the worst of the worst as far as villains go. While there is actually a person who is the villain in this story, I think in other stories it is possible to have a hero without having a person as the villain.

Q: You describe PRISMATIC as a dystopian fantasy for teens and young adults. How do you direct the story to that segment? Do you believe older readers would enjoy reading PRISMATIC?

Sarah Elle Emm: While PRISMATIC is technically a young adult and teen story, I have found that a lot of adults are reading it too. For one thing, adults these days are reading more and more teen dystopian than ever. I’ve heard from some adults who say they like to read what their kids are reading, so that is the interest. I’ve also heard from adult readers of my series who say they enjoyed the history in my story. Older generations can pick up on the WWII parallels in this series that young adults haven’t even learned about yet in school. A lady in England emailed me that she was sending PRISMATIC to her son’s school in hopes they would add it to their history lesson. I’ve met with young adult readers who’ve read PRISMATIC, and they tell me they can relate to the characters as far as the conversation goes, their sense of humor, and the teenage feelings of love. So, I hope PRISMATIC can entertain young adults and adults alike. 

Q: Did you write PRISMATIC strictly to entertain? Or did you want to also deliver a message?

Sarah Elle Emm: Both. I wanted to entertain readers with Rain and her story. I want people to care about her, to root for her as she stands up for her rights, and as she falls in love. But this series has a very simple, but important message. We are all just humans, regardless of our outward differences. We should celebrate our cultural diversity, yes, but in a positive way, and we shouldn’t label each other because of how we look on the outside. 

Q:  You have also written a novel, MARRYING MISSY, which is not a fantasy/dystopian story. Which genre do you enjoy writing more? 

Sarah Elle Emm: I enjoy reading lots of genres, which is why I think I enjoy writing in more than one. Personally, I loved writing MARRYING MISSY because it was so light and fun. Sometimes, I’m in the mood for light, and sometimes, I’m in the mood for more intensity. Of course, I just love a good ‘what if’ scenario like you can find in dystopian fiction. I’m not going to say I enjoy writing dystopian more because to be honest, I just love to write, but I will tell you I’ve been taking notes for another YA dystopian series I’d like to write. 

Q: Do your characters ever take over your writing, or do you stick to your outline?

Sarah Elle Emm: I take notes and plan plot points, but sometimes my characters do take over, and suddenly I’m going on an adventure I hadn’t planned at all. 

Q: What’s next?

Sarah Elle Emm: My current project is to continue and finish the fourth book in the HARMONY RUN SERIES, NACREOUS.  The third book in this series, CHATOYANT, comes out this August, too.  In between writing and promoting, I’ll try to keep up with my kids. I emphasize the word try. They like to play tricks on me every single day. I don’t care how many times they pull the same prank on me, when I get into bed at night and feel a lizard under or on my pillow, I always have that moment where I forget it’s their fake lizard and scream. The fake lizard is their favorite.

Q: Tell us about Sarah Elle Emm. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I love to cook. Since I made a healthy lifestyle transformation a couple of years ago, I’m cooking vegan food these days. I like to take traditional recipes, like my grandmother’s banana bread for example, and convert them into healthy vegan recipes. I love speaking Spanish and try to stay in touch with my native Spanish speaking friends, I go to church, stay active, and I love to read. I also dabble in amateur photography, and Florida has so much for me to photograph. When I can, I post Florida photography at my blog, Sarah’s View from the Bottom.  (www.Sarahsviewfromthebottom.com)

About Sarah Elle Emm

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of the HARMONY RUN SERIES, a young-adult fantasy and dystopian series, released in May 2012 by Winter Goose Publishing. (PRISMATIC, May 2012, OPALESCENT, February 2013, CHATOYANT set for release August 2014, NACREOUS release TBD) Her debut fiction novel, MARRYING MISSY, an Amazon Best Seller in marriage, was published by Bird Brain Publishing in October 2011. Sarah is a graduate of The University of Evansville. She has lived and worked in Mexico, Germany, England, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has traveled extensively beyond. Her love of journal writing, travel, and multicultural experience have all influenced her novels. Sarah lives in Naples, Florida with her family. When she’s not walking the plank of her daughters’ imaginary pirate ship or snapping photos of Southwest Florida scenery, she is writing.

About PRISMATIC

Rare glimpses of birds are the only reminder of the freedoms Rain Hawkins once had. Now segregated into a mixed-race zone within the United Zones of the Authority, under tyrannical rule of President Nicks, Rain is forced to endure the bleak conditions set upon her. The possibility of a way out arises when Rain discovers an organized resistance called The Freedom Front, and learns that she, along with many other multi-racial people, has special abilities. Determined to overcome her situation, Rain sets out on a mission with the resistance that will fill her life with wonder, romance, and the undying hope for a better world.

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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Alysha Kaye, Author

Alysha Kaye, Author
THE WAITING ROOM

Author Alysha Kaye will release her novel, THE WAITING ROOM, on July 1 - a romance about an ordinary couple, Jude and Nina, who are in love. When Jude dies, he awakens in a room that looks like an airport terminal where he waits for his name to be called out of a group of souls. But his name is not called. Instead, he waits for Nina. 

Kaye—who has a BA in creative writing—teaches in Austin, TX, a vocation she enjoys as much as writing. When she’s not teaching or writing, she enjoys exploring the restaurants, bars, parks, and museums of Austin.

Q: How did you conceive of the idea for THE WAITING ROOM?

Alysha Kaye: I offhandedly wrote my boyfriend a cheesy poem about waiting for him after death—being reborn together again and again. For some reason, it stuck in my head and I started writing about it more. I never thought it would turn into a novel!

Q: The story of the death of a loved one is not, well, pleasant, nor would it be a topic many would consider reading. How or why is THE WAITING ROOM inviting to read? Do you consider it a romance?

Alysha Kaye: It is definitely a romance—I think that’s what buffers the obvious element of death and mourning. Jude and Nina lose each other, yet time and time again, they reunite.

Q: How do you engage readers to care about your main characters, Jude and Nina? Is there something special about their relationship? Are they just normal, every day people?

Alysha Kaye: They’re very normal—they fight quite a bit actually! Although they are the only couple in history who have been able to wait for each other after death, and to be reborn together—they are not “more in love” than any other couple in the universe. I like the idea that they could be any couple—the fact that they were somehow chosen to wait for each other feels more like happenstance.

Q: How important is credibility to the story? What will make readers believe that there is such a place as a “waiting room?” Can they appreciate the story if they don’t accept the premise?

Alysha Kaye: The room is very “real”—it actually looks exactly like an airport terminal, as you can see on the cover. There are characters that arrive in the waiting room who are of every age, race, and religion. The book invites readers to believe their own interpretation of what the room could mean.

Q: Did you write THE WAITING ROOM to entertain readers? To deliver a message? To educate?

Alysha Kaye: I think the age-old question of “What happens after you die?” will always appeal universally. There are three parts of myself that struggled with the main purpose of this novel: the creative writer wanted to solely entertain, the middle school English teacher wanted to deliver a message about equality and loyalty, and the curious philosopher wanted to explore the endless questions I have about love and death.

Q: Is there a “villain” in THE WAITING ROOM? Do you believe that you need to have the conflict between a villain and a hero to have an entertaining story?

Alysha Kaye: There is no real “villain”. Some characters definitely feel contempt and frustration for whomever/whatever is “running” the waiting room, but the conflicts are clearly internal. I think the most interesting stories involve that struggle within—in real life, everyone is a hero and a villain at times.

Q: Did your characters lead you to write what they want? Or did you draft an outline and stick to it?

Alysha Kaye: I am not really an outline kind of writer, although I encourage my students to use them all the time! I started writing about Jude and Nina and it became a rabbit hole of discoveries.

Q: I notice that you have a degree in creative writing. Did you always want to be a writer? And you also have a degree in education. Do you enjoy teaching? Which do you prefer?

Alysha Kaye: I’ve been writing since I was very young. I was an only child and writing was definitely a creative escape for me. I never thought I would feel more passionate about anything, until I began teaching. My kids are amazing. They inspire me to be a better writer, and hopefully I do the same for them!

Q: What’s next?

Alysha Kaye: Well, the novel will be released in July. I can’t wait. I’ll continue teaching and hopefully start writing my second novel soon! Quite a few ideas brewing.

Q: Tell us about Alysha Kaye. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Alysha Kaye: When I’m not teaching or writing, I’m probably exploring Austin with friends. I moved here recently and it seems there are endless restaurants, bars, parks, and museums to check out. It’s an extremely creative, eclectic city—I love it!

About Alysha Kaye

Alysha Kaye was born in San Marcos, TX, where she also received her BA in Creative Writing from Texas State University. She worked in marketing for a brief and terrible cubicle-soul-sucking time until she was accepted into Teach for America and promptly moved to Oahu. She taught 7th grade English in Aiea for two years and also received her Masters in Education from University of Hawaii. She now teaches in Austin, TX and tries to squeeze in as much writing as possible between lesson planning. She dreamt about THE WAITING ROOM once, and offhandedly wrote her boyfriend a love poem about waiting for him after death. Somehow, that became a novel.

About THE WAITING ROOM

To be released in July 2014

Jude and Nina are the epitome of that whole raw, unflinching love thing that most people are jealous of. That is, until Jude dies and wakes up in The Waiting Room, surrounded by other souls who are all waiting to pass over into their next life. But unlike those souls, Jude’s name is never called by the mysterious “receptionist”. He waits, watching Nina out of giant windows. He’s waiting for her. What is this place? How long will he wait? And what will happen when and if Nina does join him? THE WAITING ROOM is a story of not just love, but of faith, predestination, and philosophy, friendship and self-actualization, of waiting.

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Twitter: alyshakaye7

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Stacy Eaton, Author

Stacy Eaton, Author
DISTORTED LOYALTY
SIX DAYS OF MEMORIES (To be published)
SECOND SHIELD
LIVEON - NO EVIL
WHETHER I'LL LIVE OR DIE
GARDA-WELCOME TO THE REALM
"My Blood Runs Blue" series

Full-time police officer Stacy Eaton writes romantic suspense novels in the world of law enforcement. She just released DISTORTED LOYALTY, a story about a relationship between a married ER doctor and a married police detective. Reviewers tout her “amazing story telling” and appreciate the “emotional maturity of the hero and heroine” who they believe “are real people dealing with overwhelming problems.”

Eaton is getting ready to release her eighth book, SIX DAYS OF MEMORIES, featuring Detective Foster who responds to a crash scene with a dead female passenger, a bag full of money in the back seat, a body in the trunk, and a driver with no memory!  

Fans also enjoy her “My Blood Runs Blue”series, and WHETHER I’LL LIVE OR DIE, a novel about domestic violence—and many others.

When she’s not fulfilling her crime investigation responsibilities as a police officer, or writing her books—she has several in the works—, or running her business, she enjoys watching her daughter train or perform Tae Kwon Do, spending time with her husband, and reading. She also has a son in the Navy.

Q: How much does your profession as a police officer influence your characters, plot, and back-story?

Stacy Eaton: One word – Completely!  Over the last fourteen years, I have seen a lot on the job – and bits and pieces of those things are woven into my stories. Every female detective is me, to an extent. She will have different points of view on some things, or deal with situations differently than I would, but her thought process, the way she handles herself, it’s all very similar to how I do it. It’s easy to write stories when you know so much about the subjects.

Q: Is the concept of “villain” vs “hero” relevant to your stories? If so, do you think you need a villain in order to produce a hero?

Stacy Eaton: Since I write a lot of romantic suspense in the world of law enforcement, there are a lot of criminals in my stories, but their stories are not all that important to me. What is important is the story of the hero, whether it is my detective or another character.  It is their mind, heart and soul that I want to bring forth to the readers. We see enough bad stuff in real life, who really wants to see more?

Q: Your most recent novel, DISTORTED LOYALTY, concerns a relationship between an ER doctor and a married police detective. Why will readers care for these two characters? What makes them engaging, or not?

Stacy Eaton: Just so you know, Rachel is married, too. She’s the ER doc. There is chemistry between these two that starts in the first chapter when Grant whispers something in Rachel’s ear. From that point on, these two are torn apart by circumstances, and then thrown back together so many times it puts your washing machine agitation mode to shame.  My beta readers told me that after so many real life struggles that they have to deal with, they deserve to be together.

Q: Without spoiling the plot, can you explain the significance of your title DISTORTED LOYALTY? Whose loyalty gets distorted and what does that mean?

Stacy Eaton: Oh boy! Like I mentioned before, Grant and Rachel are constantly in motion with issues. If it’s not their spouses, or their children, it’s the chemistry between them. At times the things they find out seem so disjoined, or distorted that they are unsure of anything in their lives. I think we have all been there at one time or another. We also like to think that the people we marry are loyal to us, but sometimes they are not.

Q: You have written vampire/romance/suspense books as well as the “emotionally riveting” WHETHER I’LL LIVE OR DIE. Would you say that your newest book, DISTORTED LOYALTY, is a new type of story different from anything you’ve written before?  

Stacy Eaton:  Nope! In the last year and a half, I have written 4 romantic suspense novels. LIVEON~NO EVIL came out early July 2013 and SECOND SHIELD came out late November 2013. Of course there is DISTORTED LOYALTY that came out on June 13^th, and at the end of the month, SIX DAYS OF MEMORIES will be released. All four of those are Romantic Suspense. I like this genre, a lot. While I still have plans to add a second book to my GARDA series, the guardian angel series, and I have a second domestic Violence novel, YOU’RE NOT ALONE (hopefully to be released late 2014), I plan on spending more time playing around in this genre. I find that it depends on what is going on in my life to what I write. Sometimes my life is filled with enough drama that I need to jump over to the paranormal and pretend for a while, lol…

Q: We are eagerly awaiting your next book, SIX DAYS OF MEMORIES, due to be published shortly. The plot sounds so intriguing, i.e., “When Detective Foster responds to the scene of a crash, she finds the female passenger dead, a bag full of money in the back seat, and a body in the trunk.” And then the driver regains consciousness and can’t remember anything, including who he is. It lines up so many mysteries. How did you conceive of such a plot?

Stacy Eaton: Lol… Joyce if I tell you that it just popped into my head while I was in the shower, would you believe me? Because, that is exactly what happened.  I wasn’t even trying to come up with any plot lines. I have enough already, but this one hit me hard and I sat down and started writing the minute I was out of the shower. Okay, I got dressed first, then sat and wrote. That is usually how it works. I told one of the officers I work with what the plot was, and they thought it was time for me to go have a psychological exam, lol….

Q: How important is setting to telling your stories? Could they occur anywhere at any time? Big city, small town?  

Stacy Eaton: I’m partial to small towns, not like everyone knows your name small towns, but not big cities. I tend to write most of my books in the southeastern PA area, but there are a few books that you really have no idea where they are placed, and it’s not important to the story. It could be anyone’s home town area.

Q: Do you write your stories purely for entertaining your readers, or do you also try to educate or deliver a message?

Stacy Eaton: Most of my books are purely for entertainment. WHETHER I’LL LIVE OR DIE was the exception. That story revolved around Domestic Violence, something I know a lot about, not only from my job, but my personal life. There was a strong message in that one, that you don’t have to be a victim, you can choose to live a full happy life.  Of course, in SIX DAYS OF MEMORIES, you might think that crashing your car with a dead body in the trunk and a bag full of money might be an educated message not to break the law, lol…

Q: What’s next? (Can you believe I dare ask such a question in the month that you’re launching two new books?!)

Stacy Eaton: lol… Of course you dare! And of course, I have several things on the plate.  YOU’RE NOT ALONE is another domestic violence novel that is about 2/3 done. I’m hoping to complete that this summer and release it this fall. SECOND SHIELD 2 is about half way done, and I’d like to see that published later this year, too.  I’m also working slowly on GARDA 2 – and I just started a new story that is called ONE EVERY THIRTY SIX.  This is another suspense novel, but this one adds magic to the mix. Other than that, there are a few other ideas lying under everything else for when I have some extra time.

Q: Tell us about Stacy Eaton. It’s hard to believe that you have any spare time between rearing a family, working as a police officer, and writing novels, but what do you like to do when you’re not writing or policing?

Stacy Eaton: Wait? Am I supposed to be doing anything else? Lol… Actually, I also own a business and I do that early morning and late evening around everything else. My daughter is working hard on her last few months of training to get her black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I love to watch her train and perform, so I spend what time I can doing that. My down time is spent reading, and I read fast. I just got done reading the 487 pages of Divergent in 6.5 hours. I kind of read like I write, really fast. Once in a while I even get to see my husband, and sometimes I even get to see a friend or two for coffee. I love my life and there is little I would change about it.

About Stacy Eaton

Stacy is a full-time police officer who enjoys crime scene investigation above all else, taking a passion in putting the pieces together to figure out the crime. She is also a business owner where she helps people get the awareness out for the causes they care most about. She is a mother of two, a son proudly serving in the United States Navy and a young daughter. Her husband is also in law enforcement. She is very much into photography and carries her Nikon Digital SLR with her almost everywhere, just in case.

About DISTORTED LOYALTY

Emergency room Doctor Rachel Wilde and Detective Grant Murphy meet by chance and it takes only one glance and a simple gentle touch to ignite their senses.
When Grant’s wife is in a tragic accident, Rachel goes above and beyond the call of duty to save her life. It is the moment she faces Grant again that their lives begin to spin out of control and they realize the lives of their loved ones were deeply intertwined.

The distorted loyalties of the ones they lost will drive a wedge between them and it will take another death, a last will and a look beyond the grave to find the path they must follow.
(This novel does contain adult language)

About SIX DAYS OF MEMORIES (Coming soon)

Detective Natasha Foster will put her job on the line to prove her gut feeling is dead on.

When Detective Foster responds to the scene of a crash, she finds the female passenger dead, a bag full of money in the back seat and a body in the trunk.  It is only when the driver, whom she nicknames Jay, wakes up with no memory that she must go with her instincts and continue the investigation in a way that was never taught.

Jay finds himself lost, but drawn to the beautiful detective who steps above and beyond the call of duty. His need to know if he was a victim or the criminal pushes him to try and recall what happened and who he is. With the pull of a trigger, Jay’s memory will suddenly return and with it, the terrible truth.

(This novel does contain adult language)

Purchase Links

 DISTORTED LOYALTY

Amazon Kindle 

Barnes and Noble Nook

Amazon Paperback 
Kobo 

Amazon Author Page 

Author Links

Facebook

Twitter: @StacySEaton

Blog 

Website 

Goodreads 

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Annamaria Bazzi, Author

Annamaria Bazzi, Author
INCANTATION PARADOX

Annamaria Bazzi departs from her usual YA books with her recently-released first paranormal mystery, INCANTATION PARADOX, reviewed as “An enjoyable paranormal read with the subtle hints of romance blended in” and “a good creep factor.” Bazzi wrote it for pure entertainment as “an escape novel.”

When the author isn’t writing or reading, she loves to paint, crochet, or go on hikes. She confesses that she’s not a very good cook, but she’s getting better—she enjoys having all her children to dinner.  She plans to release her next YA novel by the end of the year.

Q:  INCANTATION PARADOX departs from your series of the YA fantasy world of Kendíka. How would you characterize the new genre?

Annamaria Bazzi: I actually wrote INCANTATION PARADOX before Kendíka’s story. I wrote the novel because an author told me that to be a good writer I needed to come out of my comfort zone and write something I’d never write. So I did, coming up with mystery and murder and suspense, I hope.

Q:  How do you create a “tangled web of murder, intrigue and magic?” How important is building suspense to telling your story?

Annamaria Bazzi: It wasn’t too difficult to build the intrigue and murder, all it really took is a very evil person as the antagonist. You know, I originally wrote the novel in first person, but became so fascinated by Eric, the evil maniac, that I had to rewrite it in third person just so I could get into his twisted mind.

Building the initial suspense was very important because it was something that could never happen in real life, or at least that’s what Dolores, the main character, believed. The suspense creates tension within Dolores, making her feel like she’s gone crazy.

Q:  Can you explain the title INCANTATION PARADOX (without spoiling the plot)?

Annamaria Bazzi: I’ll give it a try. First, I’d like to say that the original title was Trapped in a Nightmare, but I found another book in the market with this title. Wanting my book to be unique, I brainstormed. Nothing came to mind. I was too ingrained with the nightmare title to see past it. I asked a few author friends who were familiar with the book and Michael Drakich, author of The Brotherhood of Piaxia, came up with this new title for the book. I really liked it.

Q: Your previous works were targeted at young adults. Who are the most likely readers of INCANTATION PARADOX? Is it intended for the YA audience?

Annamaria Bazzi: This novel I did not write with a YA audience in mind; this novel is more for New Adults and adults in general. In the real world good doesn’t always prevail, unfortunately, so this is an escape novel where good wins over evil and the man ends up with the woman of his dreams. But make no mistake, this is not a romance novel.

I would assume that anyone who enjoys reading urban fantasy would enjoy this piece.

Q: What inspired you to create Dolores Raynard? What did you do to make her engaging? Why will readers care about her?

Annamaria Bazzi: Dolores is a single mother with two teenage daughters who is literally plucked from her existence and thrown into a strange world, inside a strange body, surrounded by intrigue and murder. In her devastating predicament, she fights to return home.

Q:  Did you write INCANTATION PARADOX purely for entertaining your readers? Or did you also intend to deliver a message or educate?

Annamaria Bazzi: No, no messages, no education, this novel is for pure enjoyment, quite different from my usual.

Q: Do you have villains and heroes in INCANTATION PARADOX? What makes an effective villain?

Annamaria Bazzi: I definitely have a villain in this story and his name is Brian, at least that’s what it was in his old life. He’s a typical power hungry male who will stop at nothing to gain it. I can’t really say what makes an effective villain, because in my mind to be effective he must also be successful in his endeavors and well, you need to read the novel to decide about this particular villain.

Q:  How helpful is setting to telling your story?

Annamaria Bazzi: With this particular novel, setting is not very important. The interactions and actions of the characters are important. For the longest time, till the end of the novel I had no idea where it was taking place. I finally settled on Seattle, Washington.

Q: What’s next?

Annamaria Bazzi: Next is the YA novel White Swans A Regency World. I’m hoping it can be released around the Christmas holidays. The main character, Kendíka, even has a website where she gives updates on my work. At present Dolores, from INCANTATION PARADOX, lends her a hand. You’re welcome to stop by at http://annamariasbooks.com

Q: Tell us about Annamaria Bazzi. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Annamaria Bazzi: One thing I find extremely relaxing is painting, but I also like to crochet. Most of the time I read. I love going for hikes or long walks in the park, I hate cooking, but am getting better at it. The most pleasurable thing is having all my children for dinner.

About Annamaria Bazzi

Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the States, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish.

Annamaria spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating innovative solutions, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond, Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.

About INCANTATION PARADOX

Magic is an illusion. It doesn’t really exist. Or does it?

A horrible car accident destroys Dolores Reynard’s life. But instead of waking up in a hospital bed, she awakens in a teenager’s body. Soon, she discovers she is at the heart of the murderous mystery surrounding the death of Mona, the young girl whose body she occupies. Caught between an evil greater than she ever imagined and a wizard who heals her tattered heart, she is forced to play a dangerous game of intrigue in the hopes of finding a way to return to her previous life.

Will magic be her ally, or will it lead to her demise once and for all.

Links

Purchase Links 

Amazon 

Smashwords

Barns and Noble

You can visit Annamaria at:

blog 
website 
facebook 
goodreads 
Kendíka’s facebook page

email: annamariascorner@yahoo.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/AMBazzi