undead live vampire list
Maria Zannini is a fantasy writer from North Texas[phpbay] Her first book, Touch of Fire came out in May 2008 from Samhein Press[phpbay] She is a busy, prolific writer juggling several projects including a vampire story[phpbay]
Q: What contemporary authors have influenced you?
Maria: Jim Butcher is at the top of my list[phpbay] And Ann Aguirre is a new writer (to me) who has quickly made me a fan too[phpbay]
Q:Tell us about the world you have created for Touch of Fire[phpbay]
Maria: Touch Of Fire is set 1200 years in the future[phpbay] The centuries have forgotten all technology and society knows only Elemental magic, the kind wielded by the fae, mages who can control one of the four Elements: earth, water, air and fire[phpbay] When a dangerous alchemist's book surfaces, Leda, a young fire mage, is ordered to find it before it lands in the wrong hands[phpbay] The trail leads her to Greyhawke Tams, an ex-soldier turned scavenger who has no intention of helping her or her kind[phpbay]
Grey and Leda live in a world that gives very little quarter to the weak, where people die a cruel death or suffer a worse fate by not dying at all[phpbay]
I thoroughly loved weaving little clues throughout the story that reminds the reader that there are still bits of the Earth we know buried in artifacts and rituals[phpbay] I think that's the part most people will get a kick out of[phpbay] You recognize this world-and yet you don't[phpbay]
Q: What inspired the story?
Maria: I am fascinated by post apocalyptic stories, pagan rites and magic[phpbay] One day I read an article about how the Mayan calendar abruptly ends on 12-21-12 and I thought: What a marvelous jumping off point for a novel[phpbay] It gave me a chance to use familiar things of the 21st century and blur their meanings[phpbay]
Q: How did the characters of Leda and Greyhawke evolve? Will they be featured in the sequel?
Maria: Oh, I love these two[phpbay] They're damaged goods, but they're not bitter-just set in their ways[phpbay] I wanted them to start out with baggage that they'll have to deal with in order to beat the bad guy[phpbay] Despite themselves, they fall in love[phpbay]
And yes, they'll be back! If you read Touch Of Fire, it will give you the segue into the sequel[phpbay] This time an Elemental witch meets a coven of 21st century witches[phpbay] Expect a lot of hex play[phpbay]
Should readers deduce from the steamy cover that there will be plenty of steamy scenes within?
LOL! Absolutely[phpbay] This isn't erotica, but it is a sensual romance[phpbay] You might want to have your significant other nearby[phpbay] (wink) It is at heart a love story, but it's also about physical attraction and how we're sometimes our own worst enemy when we see somebody we want[phpbay]
Q: Will you continue to write in the fantasy genre?
Maria: Yes[phpbay] I love this genre! While I sometimes have a thin thread of science fiction in my books, it's only to give the story some credence in the real world[phpbay] I think what makes a story more chilling is when there's a sliver of truth within the paranormal elements that are woven into it[phpbay] But I've been a lifelong student of the paranormal-and sometimes a participant[phpbay] I write what I know best[phpbay]
Q: What are you working on now?
Maria: I'm working on two novels simultaneously and a third one that's in the outline stage[phpbay] Something I thought I'd never do[phpbay] I am finishing up the edits to a paranormal historical full of pirates, werewolves and gargoyles that like Touch Of Fire will have a twist at the end[phpbay] I'm also fleshing out the first draft for the sequel to Touch Of Fire[phpbay] The third project does involve a vampire, but it's not blood he's after[phpbay] It's the victim's ch'i[phpbay]
Q: What is your writing environment like?
Maria: Tomb silent[phpbay] (Cue creepy music[phpbay]) I need the silence so I can hear the voices in my head[phpbay]
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
Maria: Sadly, mostly dry research material[phpbay] When I write my books, I want to make sure I have all the facts straight, so I've been poring over wiccan culture, and all the latest theories on time travel[phpbay]
Q: Where can we find you most days?
Maria: I blog at least 3-4 times a week and my website is updated weekly, Between the two you can usually find me at my computer, head down and fingers blurring across the keyboard[phpbay] I do this to convince my husband that I am indeed a working author[phpbay] For some reason he doesn't think staring out the window constitutes a legitimate work activity[phpbay]
I tell him it's research[phpbay]
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