Author Interview & Contest with Jeannie Holmes

Back in August I read an amazing debut book. Blood Law by Jeannie Holmes was pretty awesome and it didn't take me long to get in touch with the author and invite her to Amberkatze's Book Blog.

Jeannie Holmes is new to the genre so I hope you will all add her book to your wishlists for Christmas. Here you have the chance to get to know the author and find out more about Blood Law. Oh and if you are lucky you could win a copy! Check out the contest to find out more!

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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 debut book, Blood Law?

Jeannie – Thanks for inviting me, Amber! I’m very happy to be here. Blood Law is the first in the Alexandra Sabian series. In the book, the vampires of Jefferson, Mississippi lived by one law: Never take by force from one what is freely offered by others...until someone crossed the line. Now a killer is stalking the small town's vampires and Alexandra Sabian, an Enforcer with the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation, must face mounting tensions between the humans and vampires, increasing pressure from her bosses, and her ex-fiancé in order to stop the murders before the town rips itself apart.

Amber - I really like Blood Law and can't wait for more. How did you come up with the idea? Was it a long process?

Jeannie – The idea sprouted from my personal love of urban fantasy and mysteries. I’ve always liked vampires so it seemed a natural choice for me to write about them, but I wanted to modernize them and put my own spin on the mythos. I spent a few years researching various vampire myths and lore from around the globe before actually starting the book. However, Blood Law saw many incarnations before the final version was printed.

Amber - Are you anything like Alexandra? Are any of the characters based on people you know?

Jeannie – The only attribute Alex and I share is a love of coffee and cats. She has a pet Maine Coon named Dweezil, whose personality is an amalgamation of my own four cats. Alex and all the characters in Blood Law are fictional. None are based on anyone I know.

Amber - What famous person could be Alexandra's twin?

Jeannie – I can’t really think of anyone who would be an identical twin for Alex. I’ve had some readers at signings tell me they think the model on the cover favors Felicia Day from the web show, The Guild. I can see where someone may make that association, but the Alex I picture in my head is hard to translate to any one famous person.

Amber - When will the second book come out? What can we expect from the Alexandra Sabian series?

Jeannie – The second book, Blood Secrets, is slated for release next summer. I don’t have a confirmed date yet. As soon as I do, I will let everyone know. What to expect from the series…a lot of twists and turns and a few surprises. Blood Secrets will reveal a little more about Alex’s father, her past, and her relationship with Varik. The second book will also introduce a new bad guy who will really challenge Alex and Varik professionally as well as personally. That’s really I can say without giving away spoilers.



Amber - How much say did you have in the book publishing process? Eg. Do you get to pick the cover?

Jeannie – Once a book is in the publisher’s hands, the author doesn’t have a lot of input from that point forward. We’re certainly consulted on any major changes the publisher wants to make but everyone involved is working toward the same goal, which is to put out the best book we possibly can, so there are hundreds of decisions that have to be made. Authors aren’t consulted on every single one simply because of the sheer amount of time it would take. I was asked for my input on the cover prior to its creation and then given two options to choose from for the final cover. I picked the one I thought best reflected Alex and the book’s content. My editor and the entire publishing team agreed with the choice and that’s how I got a true awesome cover that I completely love.

Amber - What is like being a new author on the writing scene? Wild parties with other authors or sitting at home writing more books as fast as possible?

Jeannie – The only word I can use to describe being a new author on the scene is “surreal.” I worked for so long to make Blood Law a reality and to finally see it on shelves and hear from readers who have enjoyed it is just surreal. I wake up thinking it’s a dream and then when I sit at my computer and see emails from readers, I know it’s not and feel incredibly grateful that I can do something I love to do—write. No wild parties for me. I’m not a wild party person. I’m actually very boring in real life and spend most of my time locked in my office, writing.

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

Jeannie – I wouldn’t say I always knew I wanted to be an author. I’ve always enjoyed writing and making up my own stories, but I actually decided to write full-time after I realized that my visual art talent capped out with figure drawing. All the people I tried to draw in my college classes looked like deformed Hobbits—not pretty. I was much better with words so I switched to creative writing and that set me on the road to publication. I’ve always like science fiction and fantasy so when I discovered urban fantasy I realized I could blend all these different genre elements. That really appealed to me so I guess it was sort of a mutual “picking.”



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

Jeannie – I don’t really watch a lot of television. I have a few shows I watch purely for escapism—Hell’s Kitchen, Doctor Who, Project Runway, Ghost Hunters—but I listen to a lot of music, especially when I’m writing. Currently, I’m enjoying the album “Avalon” from Sully Erna, leader singer of Godsmack. It’s his first solo album and I’m in love it. Other musical influences on my writing are really varied from bands like Motley Crue to Nine Inch Nails to Kamelot to the Dixie Chicks. It’s more about what fits the mood of the scene I’m working on than anything else.

Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?

Jeannie – I’m a non-discriminatory reader. I read everything. Favorite series are Rachel Morgan by Kim Harrison and Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris. I also love the Signs of the Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson. For favored individual authors I like the classics—Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, John Milton, Dante—and I also read a lot of folklore and mythology.

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

Jeannie – I would have to pick my favorite and say a vampire. The main reason is because I’ve spent so much time researching them that I think I know enough about them at this point to be able to survive being one. Plus I know where all the good hang outs are. ;)

Amber - Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will come visit us again :)

Jeannie – Thanks again for inviting me! This was a lot of fun.



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Contest Time

Jeannie says she loves to go giveaways and will gladly offer a signed copy of Blood Law to one lucky reader.

How To Enter

Christmas is coming. What is books (or book related items) are going on your wishlist?

No Answer = 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.

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 14th of November 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. Do not post your email address here! I do not need it (because you need to contact me if you win...read above!) and you are only opening yourself up for spam!