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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Author Interview with Kelly Gay

This week on Amberkatze's Book Blog I am really happy to have author Kelly Gay as my guest. As soon as I read her debut book 'The Better Part of Darkness' (Book 1 in the Charlie Madigan Series) I didn't waste any time in e-mailing her and inviting her to be on the blog.

Finally it is time to share the interview with you all and I really hope it will get some of you adding the book to your wishlist! Or even better, putting it in your shopping basket!

The second book in the Charlie Madigan series, The Darkest Edge of Dawn, is due out later this Summer but if you are interested in getting hold of a copy before it comes out, then make sure you enter this weeks contest!

Enjoy!

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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your Charlie Madigan Series?

Kelly - Thanks, Amber. It's great to be here! The Charlie Madigan series is about a single mom law enforcement officer who works in the city of Atlanta. But this is not your ordinary city. Thirteen years earlier scientists discovered two alternate dimensions, Elysia and Charbydon, and quickly realized that the worlds and the beings in them inspired our myths of heaven and hell, angels, demons, gods, and monsters. Unable to visit our world in secret any longer, these beings came out of the closet and have slowly integrated into our society. Underground Atlanta has become one of the largest 'off-world' sectors in the country. And it's Charlie's job to keep tabs on the population and to keep the peace. Helping in this endeavor is her partner Hank, a siren from Elysia.

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the series? Was it a long process or was it something that just happened?

Kelly - I think I've always wanted to explore the possibilities of real supernatural creatures being the basis for many of our myths. The main idea for the story, however, came with Charlie and wanting to write about a single mom, to put her in a position where she has to make a choice between her work and her city, and protecting those she loves. I kept thinking of the fierce nature of a mother protecting her young, and how cool this would be in an urban fantasy setting/world. It all kind of fell into place after that.

Amber - Are you anything like Charlie? Are any of your characters based on people you know?

Kelly - No question, I'm like Charlie when it comes to my kids. But I'm also like her when it comes to second guessing myself, wondering if I have made the right or the best decisions, and not always leaning on others even though the offers are there. It's hard for me to ask for help, and I often feel like I have to shoulder burdens on my own so no one else I care for has to. Charlie does this, too. I think that's an aspect of her character that makes her very real.

Amber - I know book two is due out in August. What can we expect from The Darkest Edge of Dawn?

Kelly - Yep. Book too is out August 31st. Readers can expect a lot more of Hank! I really fell in love with him in the first book (how could I resist the lure of a frustrated male siren?), some 'hold on to your seat' moments, creepy events, and some romantic encounters. Readers will also be introduced to the Druid King (who I also have fallen in love with. Sorry, Hank!). And we'll see more of Emma and Rex, too.

Amber - How many books have you planned for the series? Are you working on anything else?

Kelly - I have four planned, but would love to do more, especially some stand alone novels that feature characters in Charlie's world. I'm also writing Young Adult under the penname Kelly Keaton. The first book, DARKNESS BECOMES HER, debuts from Simon Pulse in Feb. 2011. It's dark urban fantasy set in a post apocalyptic-like New Orleans that has been abandoned by our government and is now a sanctuary for things of a darker nature...

Amber - What kind of kind of research have you done for for the series so far? Anything interesting or is the research boring?

Kelly - My research mostly takes place on my couch. :-) I do a lot of reading: history, mythology, folklore... I've fired a few weapons as well and am pleased to say I'm a pretty good shot.

Amber - Did you always wanted to be an author? Why did you pick the Paranormal Urban Fantasy genre?

Kelly - I started telling tales when I was three years old. I wrote my first story in the 1st Grade. So, I guess you could say I've always, in some way, wanted to be a storyteller. It wasn't until I was in my teens that I decided I wanted to tell those stories via the written word. The fantasy/genre part of it was always there. I grew up on fairytales. My grandmother and my mother would take me for walks in the woods and point out fairy castles, playgrounds, and hiding spots, so my mind was open to the possibilities of the Unseen from an early age. I couldn't imagine writing without this aspect.

Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What experiences have you had so far?

Kelly - There have been really awesome 'ups' for sure. Seeing my book for the first time on the shelf at B&N . . . wow. I had great moments when I sold, when I held the book for the first time, but when I saw it there -- that really got me. Some of the best moments have been getting to know authors that I've been a fan of for a long time, and then being absolutely amazed when they've turned around and helped a newbie like myself. There are some really gracious people out there! The downside, would be the pressure to please every reader on earth (I know, not going to happen, but still...), trying to time manage myself, and to get to a point where I have a good balance between writing, real-life, and the business side of things like promoting, networking, etc...

Amber - Charlie was always a guys name for me. Why did you pick that name and how do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?

Kelly - Charlie is short for Charlene, which has a nice southern ring to it. And since my heroine is a southern girl, the name stood out. Only problem was that Charlene didn't exactly fit the character or personality of my heroine. But when I looked at nicknames, and Charlie came up, I was like "Yes! That's it!". I knew immediately that was her name, and that she'd always hated being called Charlene from a very early age. ;-)

I don't have a system for choosing names. It's really about the name fitting the personality that I see in my head.

Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Is there any music or other media that influences your writing?

Kelly - I love Castle, Merlin, Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth, a lot of SyFy stuff obviously! I'm inspired most by art. I love the fantasy creations over at Glitter Graphics, and works by artists such as Luis Royo, Ciruelo Cabral, Jessica Galbreth, Amy Brown, Victoria Frances, and Nene Thomas. Love Pre-Raphaelite painters J.W. Waterhouse and Edmund Leighton. I can't listen to music while I write because I always end up paying attention to the lyrics more than my writing, but I love to listen to music in the planning stages or before I write a scene.

Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

Kelly - I'd want to be a goddess. Then, I'd have the power to do anything. Live forever. Shapeshift. Control the elements. Time travel. Because we all know goddesses can do all these things and more. :D

Amber - Thank you for being a guest! I hope you will come back again!

Kelly - Absolutely! Thanks so much for having me!



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Contest Time

Kelly is giving away a copy of her upcoming release, The Darkest Edge of Dawn. It won't be an ARC version but one of the final copies that Kelly will get at the beginning of August. So when she sends the book to the winner (depending on where they live and the speed of the postman/woman...) it should get to them well before the book is actually released at the end of August! Cool :)

How to Enter

If you could time travel. Which time would you travel to?

No Time = No Entry

Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!

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You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com links/Banners below and around the site!

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 25th of July 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.

52 comments:

Meredith said...

I think I'd like to try the 1300's or 1400's...maybe not to stay, but just to check things out.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Bethany C. said...

I finally got to Better Part of Darkness a few weeks ago, and it was one of the best books I'd read in a long time!
If I got to time travel, I'd go to the 1930's to thank Dr. Bonica for inventing the epidural.

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Barbara E. said...

If I could time travel, I'd go 100 years in the future. I think it would be awesome to see how people are living, and I wouldn't have to worry about messing with the past and changing the future.

emmad said...

I'm another who would like to travel to the future. But only say60 years ahead. Just want to see what is happening lol

Vickie said...

I would love to travel back to the 40s or 50s to see if it was nifty as I have seen in the movies. I'd try hard not to do anything to offset the balance and keep me from being born or meeting DH when I did. Oooooo! I'd love to go back in time to when DH was in high school and see if he really BMOC in his school and town.....

wanda f said...

I think the the elizabethan period not to stay forever but there were so many things going on at the time it would be cool to catch a will shakepeare play just as he came on the scene lol or go to the early middle ages when the codes of chivalry and courtly love set rules for proper behavior how cool would that be to experience

Pamk said...

I would love to travel forward in time not back but if I had to go back I love to try the late 1960's just to see what my parents where like.

C.J. Redwine said...

I'd travel to the Medieval era. As long as I got to take some soap and penicillin with me, lol.

Nicole said...

I think I would like to go to the future. Maybe a few hundred years or so. See what kind of technology there is. :)

cait045 said...

I would love to visit the Wild West with Cowboy, Indians, and can can girls in Saloons. That could be cool.

usignolc(at)yahooDOTcom

skyla11377 said...

If I could Time Travel I would travel to Medieval Times back were the tales of King Arthur began. I was always fasinated with that time and all the folklore surrounding King Arthur, Lancelot, and Lady Guinevere. Can't say that I would enjoy no plumbing but I think it would be an awesome time period to behold.

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Karen W. said...

I would time travel to the "Old West." I've always been fascinated by 19th Century America with cowboys, Indians, pioneers, etc. I think the people who settled the west were amazingly strong, especially the women.

Van Pham said...

I'd like to either go into the future just a couple of years to see how things will be like or about 40-50 years back to see what my parents were like when they were younger.


van
Littopandaxpress(at)yahoo(dot)com

Michelle said...

I would go back to when my Mom was a child in East Germany. I'd try to save her from some of the suffering she had to endure. Of course, it would probably change everything (including my existance) but if I could do it without causing harm, I would.

readingfanatic1 at gmail dot com

Mardel said...

I read The Better Part of Darkness at the end of last year - loved it a lot. I also never thought of Hank as a romantic partner for Charlie - more like a friend/partner who happens to be very sexy, which Charlie akcnowledges. One of my favorite characters was Rex.

Anyway, if I could time travel, I think I would love to visit the past - to see what some of my relatives were really like. Was my great aunt really a "lady"? The Aunt that live in an Indian tribe - was she a part of the tribe or a captive? The original guy that came over from...wherever, where did he really come from? And then, there's the whole central american side of the family - how "tribal" were they? I'd love to witness some of this history, as long as I could get back fast in a pinch! :) I couldn't take being stranded in a time with no bathroom amenities, showers, refridgerators,...pepsi! :)

Contest Linked in my side bar - rabid reader

Ladytink_534 said...

I think I'd like the 1940s or 1950s.

Ladytink_534(at)yahoo(dot)com

SandyG265 said...

I'd like to see what things would be like a hundred years from now.

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

I'm not sure...can I choose somewhere further into the future? From what I've learned about the past, not all of it was good times. Why does history only record the bad stuff?

So that's my answer, I would travel to the future where, hopefully, things are better.

Unknown said...

I would like to travel to the future. Maybe like 500 years into the future to see what it is like. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

JenM said...

If I could time travel, I would definitely go forward, not back. I think it would be awful to have gone back in time, gotten sick, and to know that there will be a cure for what I've got, but it hasn't been invented yet LOL. Anyway, I'd like to go just about 50 years into the future to see what's happening with the world.

Victoria said...

I'd travel to the future - maybe 40 or 50 yrs. Check and see how much has changed and make sure my kids are okay. May have to change things around in the present if the kids are a mess ;).

Katie said...

I have said for years that if I had a time machine I would go back to 1987 and see the entire Duran Duran Strange Behavior tour. :-D That makes the answer easy.

Thanks!
Katie

Ina said...

I would travel to the 1960s to meet my parents as kids ;)

Kelly, your first book is already on my wishlist and I've heard a lot of good things about it!
wish you all the best, Ina

inale87 at gmx dot at

BrigidsBlest said...

Oooh, hard question, and so many good answers -- Chicago during the Roaring 20s, Florence during the reign of Il Magnifico, England in the early 500s (to solve that pesky "was King Arthur real in some form or not?" question), London in 1888 (to apply the forensic techniques I gained in college--I have a Criminal Justice degree--to see whether I could figure out who Jack the Ripper really was).

I think my final choice, however, would be the 1960s--not very far back, no, but I'm an old hippie at heart, and who could pass up the chance to see the Beatles' American debut, to attend the first Grateful Dead concert, to actually be at Woodstock instead of just watching the concert on DVD?

BrigidsBlest at yahoo dot com

Zita said...

I would travel to the future maybe about 500 years, 2510. Of course, that's provided we make it past 2012!

Anonymous said...

I would like to travel fifty years into the future.

Skk25@aol.com

doreen lamoureux said...

It would be interesting to be around when Adam and Eve come along..just to see what was really going on.
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Anonymous said...

I guess I would like to travel into a time when the Celts were at there height.

vvb32 reads said...

i'd like to time travel forward to 4010. what does the future hold? i wonder...
vvb32 at yahoo.com

Chris J. said...

Great blog and yeah, a new author. :)
I have emailed friends and sent to you, I am a follower and now to answer the question:
I would travel back to the time of Joan of Arc, I would love to meet her and I love that time period.
Best Wishes and Have a Great Day.

LSUReader said...

I'd like to travel back to the earliest days of Christianity and hear some of Jesus Christ's sermons first hand.

Anonymous said...

I'd hit up the 1920s, for sure. I need someone to teach me how to do the Charleston, once and for all.

heidi330 said...

That's a hard one for me..
I would love to go back to the 1800's to expereince what it was like to live then but I would also like to visit Henry VIII's ,1400-1500's, also. I would just like to be there watching not getting involved, just to see what it was like.
Maybe even go in the future to see what is going on then would be fun.
thanks
Heidi

jim said...

I would like to go to the early 1480's. To try and meet Leonardo da Vinci before he became really famous. He seems so far ahead of his times i would love the chance to talk to him.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to time travel to the future...200 years from now. Hopefully there are flying cars!

Anonymous said...

If I could time-travel, I would like to go to Scotland of the
1400s. Of course, I would want to take a few things with me...a portable tv, a Mr. Coffee(made to work of batteries), a mattress, and most importantly, a toilet! But, I'd like to meet a real Highland Laird.
mom1248(at)att(dot)net

Anonymous said...

I'd like to take a tour through history and see some of the key turning points in society.

Pam S
pams00@aol.com

K. said...

These comments are so interesting. Thanks everyone for entering and reading the interview! :D Now, if I could just decide what time period I'd like to visit....

elaing8 said...

I think I'd travel to the future to see how my life turned out. So I'd know if I had to make better decisions now :)

tweeted http://twitter.com/elaing8/status/18998233623

elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

Sue Brandes said...

I would like to time travel into the future maybe 75-100 years. Would be fun to see how differant things are.
Your books sound really good. Great covers. Enjoyed your interview.
Sue B
steve(at)gmail(dot)com

Deirdre said...

Tweeted here: http://twitter.com/wyvernfriend/status/19032158712 I think I'd like to check out the 1920's before the bust. Too many books I like are from that era.

Unknown said...

I would travel back to the 1980's and see how life is elizabethcerna2011@gmail.com

Brenda Hyde said...

I loved The Better Part of Darkness! Now, on the time travel question-- I wouldn't want to go anywhere permanently but I would love to travel back to meet my grandfather when he was young, and in Ireland. He died when I was 3, so I don't really remember him, and that would be cool:)

throuthehaze said...

I would travel back to the 60's so I could watch some of my favorite musicians in concert :)
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I would travel into the year 3000.

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donnas said...

I would like to go back to the 30s. It seemed like such a fun entertaining time with all kinds of exciting new things being invented.

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kalynnick said...

I wold definitely go back in time of Regency area, which around 1810-20. What Can I say but I would like meet all the Dukes, Earls, and other ton people.

Kt Clapsadl said...

I would want to go back to see the pyramids built. The ancient Egyptian culture has always fascinated me.

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CrystalGB said...

I would want to go back to Regency England and attend a ball. :)

Crystal816[at]hotmail[dot}com

Calliope said...

I think I would jump forward. Going back I'd be paranoid about the whole butterfly effect thing, but forward I figure is pretty safe. Plus, add to that the fact that if I were in the future I wouldn't have to wait for the books I want to read to be published and I'll have it made.

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Dawn M. said...

I would want to visit the future - say 100 years from now. Maybe we'd finally have those flying cars they always talked about. *grin*

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Unknown said...

Thanks for the fun interview and the great giveaway!

I would like to go back to the time of Ancient Greece! Would love to experience that old, original time of democracy and culture!

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