Today fellow Ellora’s Cave author Sabrina Garie stops by to talk about her writing process and her latest book. Take it away, Sabrina!
Cassandra, thank you for hosting me today. I am so pleased to be here to talk about my debut novel, Fires of Justice, a paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave.
Can you leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Ellora’s Cave http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10340-fires-of-justice.aspx
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fires-of-justice-sabrina-garie/1112582075?ean=9781419941542
Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…
Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.
Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.
Link to Excerpt: http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419941542.htm
Where can readers find you on the web?
Blog/Website: www.sabrinagarie.com
Blog: I also blog at www.darkertemptations.wordpress.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sabrinagarieauthor
Twitter: @sabrinagarie
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/sabrinagarie
Other than writing, what are some of your passions in life?
My greatest passion is my daughter. She brings such unexpected and simple joy in my life on a daily base even as she grays my hair with every step she takes toward teen-age angst and attitude. Other loves include Halloween which brings out every creative cell in my body, reading and word games, which are arguably off-shoots (or perhaps drivers) of my love for writing, and lately I’ve developed a keen interest in baking and cooking. I’ve never been overly domestic but in the uphill quest to keep sweet things and good food in my life while gaining some control over the ingredients that go into them, hanging out in the kitchen more seems like a reasonable thing to do. As I got into it, I found the rhythm of it to be relaxing and at times even artistic. Last, I must confess to a love of science fiction and fantasy, with Star Trek, Dr. Who and Lord of the Rings a perpetual presence in my life.
What is the best part of being a writer? What is the most difficult part?
The best part of being a writer is having full artistic control over my creation. I write to please myself and be true to my characters. In my day job, I write non-fiction to meet the needs of others, and the final products are usually the result of committee input, everyone with their own take and style. Working under those conditions is like a tease, a promise of doing what I love without the freedom to really do so. My fiction works provide me that freedom and I revel in it.
The hardest part—the ups and downs inherent in the process of writing. It does not always come easily, and you have to keep coming back to the page, every day, no matter what. Equally hard is the editing, and really and truly getting in my mind, heart and gut that sometimes the first draft is practice and then I have to write the real thing.
Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? Were there challenges or obstacles you had to overcome?
World-building is one of the reasons I write—the freedom to play with new ideas, new ways of doing something, new ways of being. I love to imagine what if, and world building can take that question and run with it. In Fires of Justice, I wanted to explore the intersection of western myth (witches and shifters) and eastern philosophy (yin and yang, the balance of life). These two intersect at the elemental character of the dragon and fire both of which symbolize renewal and rebirth. So I created elemental shifters who take the form of animals attached to one of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire). Air shifters take bird forms and can fly, earth, animals that walk the earth, water those that live in water, and fire, mythological creatures. Our hero, Cullen, shifts to a dragon and a phoenix during the story—the phoenix when the relationship hits a serious black spot and the dragon to restore dying magic. The story itself follows an arc of renewal. Cullen’s been pretty broken by his life experience and so the love story is the revival of his heart.
I can’t say I faced any challenges, because I enjoy this part of writing so much, I see that as problem solving, and so a little challenge under these conditions is a lot of fun for me.
We usually never talk about villains of books during interviews. Share with us who or what is the antagonist of your story.
The evil Calista and Cullen must fight is the result of the atrocities spawned by the Calista’s parents. Although they are dead when the story begins, their legacy generates the situations they both need to overcome to arrive at their happy ending and it is not easy. Every character in the story, the protagonists and the secondary characters, was injured in some ways by their deeds.
How do you get yourself in the mood to write those blush-worthy, heart-pumping sex scenes?
Stimulate the senses. Wine and chocolate for taste, a sexy nighty to feel the caress of silk, a scented candle to permeate the air, sexy photos to treat the eyes. My one exception—I write in silence but I may listen to music before I start.
I’m giving away a free e-copy of Fires of Justice to one commenter. How do you get in the mood to…create? Thanks for dropping by.
Bio
Sabrina Garie is on a journey to create the most kick-ass heroine romance fiction has ever known and the hero who can take her. A believer that big, audacious goals spice up life, she relies on coffee, red wine and laughter to make those goals (and her characters) come alive. When not at the computer, she wrangles vegetables and extra helpings of homework into her star-spangled, fashion-loving progeny, kowtows to a fat cat and reads, a lot. Since it is more fun to travel in packs, come along for the ride. I’d love to chat.
Thanks for having me today Cassandra. I’m delighted to be here to talk passions, villains and getting in the mood. I’m a big fan of your blog.
When I want to be creative I have to set the area I am going to work in in order, the tools ect in the right place, a glass of water near by and a plan. Then I just let the creative juices go and get to it. Carin
Hi Carin. I need my stuff all round me too, especially a cup of coffee. I write in the morning and that is key for me. As for a plan, sometimes its a lot more detailed than others. Thanks for dropping by.