Interview & Giveaway with Debbie Viguie

Debbie Viguie Interview Intro:

Hello everyone!  LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews are very happy to welcome best selling author Debbie Viguie to our sites today.   

Debbie is the New York Times Bestselling author of over a dozen novels including the WICKED series and the new CRUSADE series co-authored by Nancy Holder. 


Much of Debbie’s writing has a dark edge to it, including her retold fairy tales, her latest being “Violet Eyes”, a retelling of the Princess and the Pea.  In addition to her epic dark fantasy work, Debbie also writes thrillers including the PSALM 23 MYSTERIES and the upcoming KISS TRILOGY.

When Debbie isn’t busy writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband Scott, visiting theme parks.  They live in Florida with their cat, Shrödinger.     

You can find information on Debbie’s entire backlist HERE so you can add those desired to your TBR lists and then find them at your favorite bookseller, but we thought we’d give you the synopses of a handful of titles to peak your interests even more.

“The Thirteenth Sacrifice”

 WITCH HUNT Book #1:

Released 4/3/12

When young women start dying, Boston cop Samantha Ryan is the perfect person to investigate, for only she knows what the archaic symbol carved into their flesh means. The last in a long line of ruthless witches, she grew up in a coven seduced by power and greed. And now she's sure that bad witches have returned to Salem. Reluctantly, Samantha goes undercover-into a town obsessed with black magic, into her terrifying past, and into the dark, newly awakened heart of evil.












“Wicked: Witch & Curse”

 WICKED Vol I:

Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.
 
In her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there's the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows.

Holly, Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launched into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations...and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.

 “Crusade”

 CRUSADE Book #1:

The Cursed Ones have made their presence known, and the world will never be the same.

For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.

Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire stronghold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated—and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.

Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she has held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself—and her heart.

 “Violet Eyes”:

A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea

When a storm brings the dashing Prince Richard to her family's farm, Violet falls in love at first sight. Richard also gives Violet his heart, but he knows his marriage is destined to be an affair of state, not of passion. For the king and queen have devised a contest to determine who will win their son's hand in marriage.
 
To be reunited with her prince, Violet must compete against princesses from across the land. It will take all of her wits - and a little help from an unexpected source - if Violet is to demonstrate the depth of her character and become Richard's bride.

“The Lord is my Shepherd”

 PSALM 23 MYSTERIES Book #1:

Cindy is shocked and terrified when she literally stumbles over the body of an unknown man lying dead in the sanctuary. As she uncovers the truth, shocking revelations await.

“Kiss of Night”

 KISS TRILOGY Book #1:

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague. For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question, "What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God?" is answered.

We know… too much and not nearly enough all at the same time, right!?  We highly suggest that you check out more in Debbie’s backlist when you have a moment, but for now, join us in learning a bit more about this phenomenal author and her amazing library of literary excellence.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Hi Debbie!  We’re honored to have you here today. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us a bit.

Debbie: I’m thrilled to be here!  Thanks for showcasing my books.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  We always start by getting to know our guest authors just a little bit better… 

Q1): What are 3 things about yourself, no matter how random, that we couldn’t find out easily on the internet?

Debbie:  I’ve been through two hurricanes; I believe that chocolate mousse is the most perfect food; I’m planning on completing a short film in the next 18 months that I will show at film festivals.  

Q2):  If your house was on fire, and everyone was safe, what book would you absolutely want to try and save from the flames?

Debbie: Assuming that we’re not talking about my notebooks or anything related to my work, I’d have to say my copy of The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey (see question 5 to figure out why!)

Q3):  What are 2 things that always make you smile, and 2 things that never fail to piss you off?

Debbie: Our cat is a big flirt.  When he twists his head so he can stare at me upside down I melt every time.  The movie Clue also makes me smile no matter what.  Things that never fail to piss me off include drivers who tailgate (follow too close behind) and sad endings to movies.

Q4):  What are some of the things that you enjoy doing when you’re not writing or taking care of other author business (besides frequenting theme parks)?

Debbie:  I love to go see movies and plays, go horseback riding, do scrapbooking, and travel.

Q5):  Are there any specific titles and/or authors that you feel have directly influenced you to become the writer you are today?

Debbie: The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey.  It was the first book of his that I read and when I closed the book after the last page I knew that I wanted to make people feel the way I felt right then.  That’s what helped me decide to become an author.

Q6):  What are the best and worst parts about writing for you?

Debbie: Writing can be incredibly lonely.  It’s just you locked in a room with your computer wondering if anyone will even care about what you’re doing.  The isolation can be difficult.  On the other hand, getting the chance to actually go to events and book signings and meet the fans is amazing.  That’s when you realize someone did care and all the hard work has paid off and made a difference in someone’s life.

Q7):  Since “The Thirteenth Sacrifice” was just recently released, we’ll focus a bit on the new WITCH HUNT series.  What was the inspiration behind the creation of the series?

Debbie:  A few years ago I had an opportunity to speak at a convention in Salem.  It was amazing.  I fell in love with Salem.  It’s like the forever Halloween town.  While there, though, I began to wonder what would happen if beneath all the fun and silly witch related events and trinkets aimed at tourists there was actually something truly sinister going on.

Q8):  What were some of the challenges (research, literary, psychological, logistical, etc) in bringing the WITCH HUNT series to life?

Debbie:  The hardest part was maintaining the level of creepiness throughout the story.  It’s one thing to write a scary scene or two, but to keep the fear rolling throughout the story was a challenge.

Q9):  Do you have a particular favorite book or series in your backlist thus far, maybe one that had special meaning for you when it was written, etc?  Why?

Debbie: The Fall of Candy Corn (book #2 in the Sweet Seasons series).  The series is about a girl who gets a job working at a theme park and book 2 focuses on all the craziness associated with the Halloween festivities.  I laughed myself silly writing this book and it’s the only time I’ve ever put that much of myself into a book.  Close friends have called me up laughing hysterically because they recognized things from real life that I actually put in there.

Q10):  What’s going on with your other series (upcoming releases, re-releases, etc) that readers and fans can look forward to?

Debbie:  I’m thrilled to say that the Sweet Seasons series has just been re-released with new covers (love The Fall of Candy Corn one especially). In other news, Vanquished, the 3rd Crusade book comes out at the end of August; Kiss of Death, the 2nd in the Kiss trilogy, comes out in early October; Hot Blooded, the 2nd Wolf Springs Chronicles book, will be out at the end of the year.  I just finished the first draft for The Last Grave, the 2nd Witch Hunt book, and Beside Still Waters, the 4th in the Psalm 23 Mysteries series will be available in ebook form in just a few days. PLUS - look for an announcement in the next few weeks about a new series by Nancy Holder and me!!

Q11):  Do you have anything new in the works that you can share with us?

Debbie:  Well, I can’t spoil the new series with Nancy just yet, but let’s say that I’m so excited about it that it’s hard not to!  Also, I’m almost finished writing the first novel in my western series.  This is a big deal for me because it’s the book I’ve been wanting to write for years.

Q12):  If you could spend the day with any of your characters, with whom would you want to spend it, and what would you like to do?

Debbie:  I would totally spend it with Becca and some of the other Sweet Seasons gang at The Zone, the theme park I created for the series.  I designed all those rides for my story and I really, really want to ride them.  Some day hopefully!

Q13):  What has been the biggest surprise of your career thus far?

Debbie:  How much more work there is than just writing and revising a manuscript.  There is so much more to being an author, especially these days.  Promoting a book including doing interviews, social networking, speaking, etc. take up a huge amount of time, often more than writing the book does.  The more you’re in the spotlight, the more promotion work you have to do, too.  When I hit the NYT list, I was unprepared for just how much more was going to be required of me.  Now I know to build in more cushion time around deadlines, but it can still be challenging to juggle all the things I have to.

Q14):  What has it been like working with Nancy Holder?

Debbie:  Fantastic!  Nancy is a queen among writers.  She’s got such a vivid imagination, and such a twisted way of looking at things, that it always keeps the process fresh and interesting.  We have complete respect for each other and the longer we work together the more comfortable we are with focusing on our individual skills and strengths during the process.

Q15):  Would you like to say anything special to your readers while we have you here today?

Debbie:  Thanks for being here with us!  Without the readers what writers do is worthless.  I appreciate your support and enthusiasm for my work.  Thank you all!

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Debbie, thank you so much for being with us!  It’s been a pleasure, and we really hope that we’ve introduced some new readers to your amazing work.  We’d absolutely love to have you back for the next big release if you’d be interested, and we’d love to have a dual event with you and Nancy for your next collaboration as well if you think we could manage it!

Debbie:  That would be awesome!  I know Nancy would be thrilled.  (We have a quasi-psychic connection you see, I know this without even having to ask her!)  All kidding aside, we’d love to come back in August to talk about Vanquished and how the war to save mankind from the vampires who have taken over the world is going to end.  Thank you so much for having me.  It’s been a pleasure. 

If you want to keep up with Debbie online, you can find her at her Website, on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Debbie’s Publisher is graciously offering up a copy of “The Thirteenth Sacrifice” to a winner from  Book Monster Reviews and another winner over at the LITERAL ADDICTION Website.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway