Interview with Seleste DeLaney

The beautiful Seleste DeLaney is an up and coming author, with several excellent works released in the last year. Bea and I are both lucky enough to have known her for a few years now, and she was kind enough to grant us an interview in honor of her new release, Badlands. We're very excited to have her here! Leave a comment or question for her for a chance to win a copy of the book.

Welcome, Sel, and Happy Release Day!

1) You have written paranormal romance, and, as Julie Particka, the forthcoming urban fantasy YA novel, "Pretty Souls" but "Badlands" is steampunk. Why the change? Didn't it start as a sci-fi story? Do you have a preferred genre to write in?

It did indeed start as sci-fi and was…not good in that genre. As for a preferred genre, I market myself (as Seleste) as a speculative romance author. I’m not fond of boxing myself into a corner by saying things like “I write paranormal” or “I write steampunk”. Instead I prefer to write where the story takes me. As for the YA, I tend to have fewer romantic elements there for the simple reason I have a hard time focusing on a younger love story for an entire book.

2) And on a related note, are there any genres that you are dying to do, or that you don't think you will ever do? Why or why not?

I still want to get that sci-fi out there LOL. I have a few possibilities to get it done as soon as I find the time. I used to say I didn’t think I’d ever write a contemporary (aka non-speculative), but if the right story came along, I would.

3) When you write, do you outline, are you seat of the pants, or somewhere in between? What's your writing day like? You're married and have young kids, how do you juggle it all?

I’m definitely in between. If it’s a short story, I can pants it, but anything longer and about 10,000 words in I lose the ability to pants and have to create plot points at the very least. I look at writing longer pieces like a road trip, with the plot points being the can’t miss sights along the way.

My day’s lately have been crazy as the kids have been home (ice storm knocked out the power/heat at their school). Normally I try to do non-writing work in the mornings (email, etc). Then in the afternoon (when both kids are at school) I work on blogging, plotting or editing. My prime writing time is after everyone else is in bed. And somewhere in there I try to clean, work out, eat and sleep. Needless to say, the cleaning and work outs are the first things to fall by the wayside…which I need to work on remedying.

4) What is the craziest thing you have ever done as a writer? The craziest thing you have ever done at all? Is there anything that you haven't done and want to?

This is a tough question for me in that if I’ve done something, I don’t really think it’s all that crazy LOL. As a writer, I took a piece of (almost) flash fiction and re-wrote it into a short story long enough for publication (Of Course I Try) and it became the jumping off point for my first series. Last year, I wanted to attend RT as an aspiring author and (like a lot of people) got booted to the overflow hotel. Another aspiring author I’d met only once (for a couple hours) invited me to share her room instead. Since then, we’ve gone to Vegas together and will be bunking with each other for RT LA this year as well. I also flew a plane once (debated getting my pilot’s license but decided I’d get too distracted and miss something without a co-pilot LOL). I missed out on swimming with the sharks in Hawaii because my son got hurt and couldn’t go. I’d still like to do that. I’d also like to go skydiving, bungee-jumping, zip-lining. Basically, I want to do all sorts of adventure-type things—I’m a closet adrenaline junkie.

5) Who are some of your influences? Some of your favorite writers?

Kelley Armstrong is the woman whose career I aspire to. I would love to have her success and range. So needless to say she’s one of my favorites. I also love Jacqueline Carey, Richelle Mead, James Rollins, Hannah Moskowitz, Suzanne Collins, …and this list could go on a long time…

6) Do you have a favorite character out of all of your stories? Do you feel like any of them are, or could be, you?

I love all my characters, and every one of them is a little bit like me, but none of them are a lot like me. Jocelyn (from my Blood Kissed series) is a bit like the girl I was in college, and Ever (from Badlands) is in some ways the woman I want to be when I grow up.

My favorite character though is one people haven’t seen yet (eventually but not yet). His name is Remy and he is so deliciously colorful and flamboyant, yet he’s the one in the story whose motives are hardest to pin down. You’re never quite sure if he’s a good guy or a bad guy.

7) You're very active on Twitter, and to a lesser degree, on Facebook. Why? Does that help get your name out there? Do you think that you might set up a MySpace page for Elle, Jax, and Cass from "Pretty Souls"?

I love Twitter. Love, love, love it. It’s a fabulous resource for me as a writer and great for networking. For connecting with fans though, it’s not as effective as I’d like. I have Facebook in part for that, though even there, I think fans are somewhat leery of talking to authors. (People, please talk to me! I like conversations!)

Myspace? Does anyone even use Myspace anymore? I have thought about setting up a Twitter account for the Paranormal Response Team but haven’t had the time yet. If I see that I’m getting interest from fans there, I’ll do it for sure. (Yes, Twitter is kind of the medium I prefer.)

8) I know you like to find pictures to represent your characters, if only for the covers. When you've asked for help from readers, what is the most surprising or memorable suggestion you've gotten?

I so love doing this. Honestly, I don’t always get a say in the covers other than filling out a form and hoping the cover artist gets what I’m saying. But for my own personal use when writing it is a huge help. (I can be a very visual person.) Usually I have a pretty good idea of someone in my mind when I create a character, but every once in a while I come up blank. I know for a character in an unreleased novel, I was describing him to a friend (who likes to help me with these things) as kind of a California surfer boy. She kept sending me pictures of guys with dreadlocks and stuff. Good looking men, but not what I was going for at all. Eventually, after a lot of back and forth, she sent me a picture of Kevin Zegers. I laughed and said, “If I’d told you I wanted an older, blonder Zac Efron, you would have sent this right away, wouldn’t you?” She just said yes and laughed at me.

9) What in the publishing process surprised you the most?

How easy it is for things to get lost in the mix. I enjoy editing and all that, but even though I keep two calendars (one desk calendar and one on my laptop), blog posts and interviews sometimes don’t make it on there. It kills me when I realize I’ve forgotten something or get backed up and turn it in late. With that, the sheer amount of promo there is to do is astounding.

On her blog, Seleste is giving away a copy of Badlands to a random commenter (from here or a few other blogs) who can give an example of a strong woman from their real life. She’ll draw a winner tonight at 11:59 pm est.

Badlands is available now

After a brutal Civil War, America is a land divided. As commander of her nation's border guards, Ever is a warrior sworn to protect her country and her queen. When an airship attacks and kills the monarch, Ever must infiltrate enemy territory to bring home the heir to the throne, and the dirigible Dark Hawk is her fastest way to the Union.

Captain Spencer Pierce just wants to pay off the debt he owes on the Dark Hawk and make a life for himself trading across the border. When the queen's assassination puts the shipping routes at risk, he finds himself Ever's reluctant ally.

ARC Review: Pretty Souls by Julie Particka

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Book Blurb: Print - Feb. 14, 2011 digital - soon


More info: goodreads

Book Blurb: Elle hasn’t been afraid of the things that go bump in the night since she became a werewolf. She'd happily give up her inner monster to get her family back though. Hell, she'd give up the beast for nothing. Of course her foster sister doesn't get it. After all, she doesn't battle with her own darker half, but vampire blood can do that to a person. 

Their nightly patrols have become more habit than necessity—until a demon spawncomes to town, ripping souls from strangers, enemies, and friends alike. When it threatens her foster mom, Elle's peaceful life is shattered, but she's not going to give up without a fight. Fighting the beast for control at the same time is more than she can handle though. Armed with more attitude than experience, Elle and her sister have to track down the demon spawn before it collects enough souls to fulfill its birthright and open a doorway to hell. 

For the first time in years, Elle is scared. She's willing to lose herself in the beast if that's what it takes, but saving the world could cost her soul.

My Thoughts:

Pretty Souls is Julie Particka’s debut novel under that name but she has several published works as Seleste de Laney. “Pretty Souls”, her first YA and the first in her Paranormal Response Team series, continues her interest in the paranormal. This book has werewolves, vampires, demons and zombies, oh my!

Pretty Souls tells the story of two foster sisters, Elle and Cass, who are not your average teenage girls: Elle is a werewolf and Cass is a vampire. They met and clicked immediately. In an unlikely series of events, they stay together through several foster families, all the while trying to blend into the human world and not draw attention to themselves. (NOTE: that was my understanding of the story but on IM, Particka says they met at their current foster home. I didn't read it that way, but I can't swear that it's not in the book.) They’ve found foster parents that they like and try to do all the right things so they can remain in a safe, loving home.

Elle and Cass sneak out at nights to patrol the town for supernatural beings but are startled when they encounter peers and other townspeople who have been turned into living zombies. These zombies are not dead nor are they rotting; their body remains unchanged but their souls are gone. The girls start to hunt for the being or beings responsible and quickly encounter more suspects than they know what to do with. Additionally, their school work suffers from their nocturnal activities and as a result they find themselves saddled with tutors. Unsurprisingly, there is more to the eye concerning the tutors than the girls first believe. Cass appears to be head over heels for her tutor, Corbin, a college student, while Elle has feelings for Jax, her tutor and a new kid in town. Elle believes that she is less attractive than her blond, tiny, and perky sister and is convinced that Jax is attracted to Cass; she worries that Cass is interested in Jax and is prepared to step aside despite her own feelings for him.

Things aren’t always what they seem in this novel, there are more secrets than they realized. Their foster parents begin to act suspiciously, and overheard whispered conversations only raise more questions for the girls. The villain they hunt lays down numerous false trails and pretty much everyone around them is a suspect. As they fumble around in their investigation, we see them learn about themselves both as supernatural beings and teenage girls. They make their share of mistakes during their hunt for the zombie maker, whom they eventually realize is trying to find a way into Hell. They feel real and are likable, even when being stupid or unreasonable.

They struggle with their feelings towards each other as sisters and as supernatural beings, with their interactions with teenage boys, and just generally fitting in, something most teens struggle with. Just like normal teenagers, they deal with family issues, school, friends, peers, and emerging romantic and sexual feelings.

The story is told in first person by Elle. She narrates the events and we get a close up look at her struggles to control the beast inside her, cope with the mundane activities and concerns of an American teenager, and her feelings for her foster family including Cass. Their devotion to each other is demonstrated time and again but is never saccharine; just like real-life siblings, they squabble and argue. Particka makes them seem real and her world is believable. The story moves along but never feels rushed and she takes her time in developing her characters. Even the minor characters that are on page briefly are fleshed out; you can imagine that you know them or could know them.

The one real quibble I have is the author's habit of being sparse with details. Actually, I mostly like that as I am not one who needs a great deal of detail about a character's looks, clothes, house, etc. However, there were several times in the story when I was confused, primarily where and when the sisters met (see above) and where the story takes place. I eventually figured out that it was in the Midwestern part of the US but some clarity would have been appreciated. To be fair, I was sick when I read it and had a killer headache so I could have missed some of the informtation.

The story ends after they find the zombie maker but not all of the loose ends are tied up. The ending makes it clear that there is another book to come. I look forward to reading it.

NOTE: The author and the reviewer are friends.

I received this as a PDF ARC from the author for review.

Author Interviews - Kelley Armstrong board authors

     When I decided to try my hand at interviewing authors, I thought about what authors I wanted to inerview. Well, that list is long and includes some big names who will probably turn me down when I do get around to asking. But, it immediately occurred to me that I knew a group of authors, some personally, some not, who I wanted to spotlight and who might even agree to being interviewed by me. :P

     I belong to various author boards, including that of the awesome Kelley Armstrong. Her board has an online writers group that is very active and apparently very effective, as more and more are now published authors or have been signed by a publisher. So, I approached them and most graciously agreed. So, I will run a series of interviews over the course of the year with published members of the KA board OWG. I plan to run a review of their most current work along with the interview and some giveaways are also planned.

     The list of participants is subject to change as other OWG members get signed or published, and there's always the possibility of someone cancelling. The current line up is as follows, dates to be determined:

Morgan Ashbury - romance and erotica: interview, part 1; interview, part 2 2/14/11

Seleste deLaney AKA Julie Particka - paranormal romance as deLaney; YA as Particka: interview

Kelly Metz - urban fantasy - TBD

Ian O'Neill - mystery and urban fantasy - TBD

Angela Addams - paranormal romance: interview 4/30/11

Julie Campbell - YA urban fantasy: guest post 3/9/11; interview - October/November 2011

D.B. Reynolds - paranormal romance: Interview 5/16/11