Kalayna Price is my guest today talking about her new urban fantasy series about a witch P.I. who has a close and personal relationship with Death himself. GRAVE WITCH is being published on October 5, 2010 (my review will be up tomorrow but I’ll tell you now that it reminded me of Laurel K. Hamiliton’s early Anita Blake books mixed with Tanya Huff’s Blood Lines series. In a word, excellent), but you can win a copy and some swag today courtesy of Kalayna & I’m giving away my ARC as part of my Blogoversary giveaway. See details below.
Kalayna Price is the author of the Alex Craft Novels, a new dark urban fantasy series from Roc, and the author of the Novels of Haven from Bell Bridge Books. She draws her ideas from the world around her, her studies into ancient mythologies, and her obsession with classic folklore. Her stories contain not only the mystical elements of fantasy, but also a dash of romance, a bit of gritty horror, some humor, and a large serving of mystery. She is a member of SFWA and RWA, and an avid hula-hoop dancer who has been known light her hoop on fire. To find out more, please visit her at www.kalayna.com.
Interview
ATUF: GRAVE WITCH has a ‘sudden revelation’ world building scenario in which the supernatural community ‘came out of the broom closet’ as you put it, as opposed to having always co-existed openly with humanity. What made you choose this route?
KP: When I began plotting the book, I knew from very early on that I wanted to write in an open world where everyone was aware supernaturals existed. Having the world open meant that Alex could work magic in a legitimate business and even work within the justice system. But, at the same time, Alex's world isn't completely dissimilar from our own—well, if vanity and convenience charms were normal in any modern household—so the sudden revelation gives a reference point for when Alex's world veered off course. Also, I think part of the magic of urban fantasy is that the world is somewhat recognizable, so it was fun to play with the idea of "What would happen if all the creatures of folklore and legend announced that they weren't just myths?" ATUF: Can you tell us what exactly a Grave witch is and what is unique about the magic system in GRAVE WITCH?
KP: A grave witch in Alex's world is a witch whose magic allows her to pull memories from a body and give those memories shape as something called a shade. The shade has no will or independent thought, but it can answer questions like how he died or the last things he saw before death. When grave witches use this magic, they straddle the chasm between the land of the living—where normal living people exist--and the land of the dead where wandering spirits roam. The land of the dead overlays that of the living perfectly, only everything in the land of the dead is ruined and decaying. That means when Alex uses her grave magic, she peers across that chasm and the world appears to crumble around her: hues fade, metals rust, buildings fall, and the world appear to be the bleak landscape. This can present interesting complications and interesting consequences. Grave Magic is only one of the magics in the Alex Craft series but as it is Alex's magic, it gets a lot of focus. I hope readers find it as interesting to read about as I did to write about.
ATUF: I know I tend to get bored with a story if things come so easily for the main character, which is why I appreciated so much the steep price that Alex pays each time she uses her magic. Alex goes temporarily blind after using her ‘grave sight’ and nearly succumbs to hypothermia if she holds it too long. Can you explain how and why you came up with this system?
KP: I agree, magic should always have a price. I think a lot of the time that price isn't apparent, but in this series, I wanted that price to be very immediate and very obvious. When I was plotting and working out the intricacies of the magic system, I considered several possible side effects from using magic and eventually developed a system where different magics will affect the user differently. Alex touches the grave and peers into the land of the dead. I've always thought of the dead as cold, some bringing back some of the chill of the grave made sense. The fact that she sees—even if only on a psychic level—across the chasm to the land of the dead gave me the idea to make the magic tax her eyesight. The reader will meet other characters over the course of the series who use other kinds of magic and who pay very different prices.
ATUF: Let’s talk about Death. He and Alex have a long history and a somewhat complicated relationship in GRAVE WITCH. How did you settle on Death as a character and potential romantic interest for Alex?
KP: As a character, Death developed very early on in my plotting. I knew I wanted to write about Alex, a woman who could question the dead, so it was a logical step from interacting with spirits to talking with a grim reaper. When I started working out who Alex was and fleshing out her history, I had the idea for Death and Alex's first meeting, which eventually became the first sentence of the book. Death and Alex's relationship is rather tense at times, but that's bound to happen when Alex doesn't know if Death is there for a soul or a cup of coffee. It's a fun dynamic to write and I hope people enjoy reading about it!
ATUF: If GRAVE WITCH were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?
KP: I'm going to be completely honest—and probably rather boring—with this answer. I'm bad at names and faces, and even worse when it comes to celebrities. That said, I probably couldn't name enough actors to cast the book, let alone pick out a dream (or nightmare) cast.
ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?
KP: The third book in my Haven series will be out in a few months, and the second Alex Craft Novel, GRAVE DANCE, will be out in the summer of 2011.
ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?
KP: There was a time I read practically everything being released in the urban fantasy genre (though it wasn't called that at the time). Now there are so many amazing books coming out every year that I'm struggling too keep up. I read so many spectacular authors that it would be hard to narrow a list down to just a few favorites, but if I had to pull a short list from my shelves, I'd probably start with Rachel Caine, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Chloe Neill, Karen Chance, and—no never mind, I can't narrow it down. I love the genre and I think there are great books being released.
ATUF: The cover art for GRAVE WITCH is fantastic and perfectly matches the story and character of Alex. What can you tell us about the cover and the artist?
KP: Earlier this year my editor had me fill out a form with lots of specific information about the book in general and Alex in particular. Then, a couple months later, she sent me a copy of the cover art. I was blown away. The artist is Aleta Rafton, and I think she did a truly amazing job. I absolutely love the cover and I hope that Aleta paints the cover for subsequent books in the series.
ATUF: The scenes between Alex and DEATH, specifically the last scene, were my favorite and I’m hoping for lots more between these two in the next book, but what were your favorite scene(s) in GRAVE WITCH? Was there one in particular that was especially fun/difficult to write?
KP: Well, I can start off by saying yes, you will definitely be seeing more of Death in the second book. The scenes between Alex and Death are a lot of fun to write because, as I mentioned earlier, regardless of what else is happening, Alex and Death have a history and there is always a little bit of tension in their relationship. Also, Death is just generally fun to write. My favorite scenes were probably scenes where I got to go in and really describe the magic and Alex's grave sight. Those are fun. Then of course the scene where Alex (and through her, the reader) get a quick look at what Faerie is like was tons of fun to write because I got to pull together a lot of folklore and different types of magic. You asked earlier about movie casting, and while I can't say much about actors, the scene in the Fae bar would be one I'd love to see blocked out on the big screen.
Thank you so much for having me here today, Abigail!
ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Kalayna. Come back anytime!
Visit Kalayna online:
Want to read more from Kalayna Price?
Haven
1. Once Bitten (read my Review)
2. Twice Dead
Alex Craft
1. Grave Witch
Giveaway
One signed copy of GRAVE WITCH by Kalayna Price Or a $10 gift certificate to Amazon
Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say…
As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around…
To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life…and her soul.
Click HERE to read an excerpt from GRAVE WITCH
GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES
- Open Internationally (thanks Kalayna)
- Leave a comment that includes:
- A question/comment for Kalayna
- A way to contact you if you win
- Entries must be received by Midnight MST on October 5th.
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