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| 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.
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
You can visit Annamaria at:
Joyce, thank you so much for hosting this tour stop for Incantation Paradox. It's been great fun and a pleasure talking with you. hope we'll get together for a chat soon
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