Excerpt from Dawn of a Dark Knight & Interview with author Zoe Forward

Hi! Grab a drink and get comfy as I chat with Zoe Forward about her book, herself. and writing. Zoe writes action-adventure paranormal romances. She lives in North Carolina with her family and an assortment of pets. A graduate of Duke University, she majored in biological anthropology, but always had a special love of archaeology, especially anything Egyptian.  Although a deep part of her wishes she had pursued a career that would have her at a dig site in a hot, sandy country, she's a small animal veterinarian, caring for everything from chinchillas to dogs...and even one hermit crab in there.  When she's not being a vet, a mom, or sneaking out to a movie with her husband, she's at her laptop writing.

Find Zoe online:

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Bea: What’s a typical day of writing for you? Are you a planner or do you wing it?

Zoe: I’m thrilled to grab a few minutes to type some lines or work on some edits between my job as a vet, family time and activities. There’s no set routine or time, although I do find myself writing late at night.  I haven’t been able to stick to outlines or plots, although I keep trying.  Every time I have a plan for where I want the story to go, the characters make their own decisions that surprise and frustrate me although it all works out in the end.

Bea: What prompted you to start writing? Would you continue to write if you were no longer published?

Zoe: I recall reading a dreadfully written paranormal with a rather blasé plot.  Annoyed, I determined that the characters bumping around in my brain would be more interesting. So, I released them onto paper. And what an exhilarating experience.  I’ve got many more characters and stories. So, absolutely even if I never publish another novel (although Scimitar Magi series novel #2 is on the way), I’ll keep on writing.

Bea: What is your favorite part of writing? What is your least favorite part?

Zoe: My favorite part is when it all comes together. There is this moment that occurs towards the end of a novel when everything just works.  My least favorite part is writing a summary, tagline or a book blurb.  It’s tough to dwindle down an entire novel into a one-liner or a couple of sentences.
  
Bea: Who are some of your influences? Some of your favorite writers?

Zoe: I’ve got so many favorites and so many that influenced me.  My interest in paranormals started with Ann Rice and then I moved on to the masters of paranormal romance such as J.R.Ward and Christine Feehan.  But I remain a fan of humorous paranormal fiction such as Rick Gualtieri.

Bea: Do you prefer to read paper books or ebooks? Why?

Zoe: About 5 months ago I would’ve said I couldn’t imagine anything other than a paper book, but now that I have my newest e-reader it rocks!  I prefer it because it’s so much easier to hold.  And I can take a ton of books with me in one small location. However, I continue to be annoyed by the variances of formatting for books on the e-reader. Someday this kink will be worked out. 

Bea: Can you tell us about the journey that led you to write your book?

Zoe: I’ve been a paranormal and mainstream fiction addict for decades. And I grew up a fan of Indiana Jones and Ann Rice. So, writing a paranormal was a no brainer.  For Dawn of a Dark Knight everything came together at the right creative moment. For Dawn of a Dark Knight everything came together at the right creative moment – my love of Egyptian mythology, my long-time passion for archaeology, my ideas about a new type of paranormal hero and more. It all just gelled.

Bea: How is your book different from other paranormal romances on the market?

Zoe: For the Scimitar Magi series I created a new type of hero. As a passionate reader of paranormals I’ve read my fair share of vampires, weres, face, shape shifters, and demons. And loved them all. But I wanted something fresh.  In DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT the Scimitar Magi are ten pseudo-immortals that live within our modern world, but struggle to remain incognito.  The guys are not exactly thrilled to discover they vowed their eternal soul eons ago to serve the Egyptian gods, and now must execute daemons for the rest of their lives.  With no past-life memory, they’ve got no clue how to wield the powers gifted to them by the gods. Man to super warrior in a five-minute induction ceremony with no instruction manual.  So, it takes each Scimitar a long time to work it out.  At first losing control at random is the norm, and irritates the bejesus out of the more experienced guys.  Incidents happen like blowing up a gas station, which is misinterpreted as an international terrorist act.  And then there are the women. Each Scimitar gets matched to one woman for all time, and she is also reincarnated. But when, and if, this woman shows up is entirely up to the gods, who love to muck things up for entertainment.

Bea: You majored in biological anthropology, then switched to small animal veterinary work; what prompted the switch? Do you ever regret it? What’s your favorite part of vet work?
 

Zoe: I almost went to grad school in bio anthro, but I always wanted to be a vet. That pathway opened for me and I took it.  I enjoyed the living aspect of bio anthro…the getting out there in the rainforest and running around beneath the trees chasing monkeys or lemurs.  But I have never regretted my veterinary work.  My favorite aspect of veterinary work is the relationship that is built over years between an owner, the pet and myself.  We go through many journeys together -- the highs, the lows, the wins and losses. There is no greater honor than to be invited on that journey. 

Bea: Anything that you want to add or say to your readers?

Zoe: I’d like to thank my readers for picking up my book and taking that chance.  There are so many options out there.  I’m honored when you put my book on your shelf.  I love to hear from readers whether it is via email, facebook or twitter. So, don’t be shy. 

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Blurb from the author ~

In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop.
An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods' choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn't have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.
Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable.

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm’s length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision—follow the gods' rules or follow their hearts.

Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Format: paperback, ebook
Length: 366 pages, 444 KB
Release Date: March 1, 2013

Buying Links:
WildRose Press

NOOK

Amazon

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EXCERPT

“Watch out,” Kira shrieked as a four-door import pulled alongside the SUV. The driver targeted Ashor with a gun.

“Down,” Ashor commanded. He dodged the firing muzzle and grabbed Kira forward to avoid the bullet’s path. The bullet left clean holes in the side windows and a spiderweb of cracked glass.

“Persistent bastards,” Ashor grumbled as he jammed the SUV into gear and rammed the car next to them before peeling away. Just as they hit the road, Ashor’s new cell phone squealed in a high-pitched, synthetic, musical noise.

“You okay?” he asked, ignoring the phone. To clear his side view, Ashor thrust his elbow through the spiderweb of cracked safety glass. Glass cubes showered everywhere. “Shit.” He wiped his body free of debris.

“I’m fine,” she replied. She whiplashed into the seat as the SUV was rammed forward.

Ashor tapped the brakes. The cars crashed together again, slamming them forward and then forcefully back in their seats.

“Can’t you do a spell or something to protect this car or make his explode?” Kira asked.

“What? No.”

“Aren’t you a magus, which implies magician or sorcerer? You guys are supposed to do magic spells.”

“The spells were lost.” His phone rang again.

“Lost? What kind of moronic organization loses the spells!”