Interview & Giveaway with Lucy Snyder

Lucy Snyder Interview Intro:

Hey there Book Monsters and Literal Addicts! Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL ADDICTION are very pleased to welcome author Lucy Snyder to our sites today.

Lucy A. Snyder is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress, Switchblade Goddess, and the collections Sparks and Shadows, Chimeric Machines, and Installing Linux on a Dead Badger. Her writing has appeared in Strange Horizons, Weird Tales, Hellbound Hearts, Doctor Who Short Trips: Destination Prague, Chiaroscuro, GUD, and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet.

Lucy was born in South Carolina but grew up in San Angelo, Texas. She currently lives in Worthington, Ohio with her husband and occasional co-author Gary A. Braunbeck. Lucy has a BS in biology and an MA in journalism and is a graduate of the 1995 Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers' Workshop; her classmates included authors Kelly Link and Nalo Hopkinson.

She has worked as a computer systems specialist, science writer, biology tutor, researcher, software reviewer, radio news editor, and bassoon instructor. In her past life as an editor, she published Dark Planet and selected poetry and software reviews for HMS Beagle. She currently produces a column for Horror World on science and technology for writers and coordinates the writing workshops at the annual Context conference. You can learn more about her at www.lucysnyder.com.

As mentioned above, Lucy is the creator of many great books and series.  Today we are going to help Lucy promote her  Urban Fantasy, JESSIE SHIMMER series so we've posted the synopses below to peak your interest.

Spellbent

JESSIE SHIMMER series, Book 1

Published by Del Rey
December 29, 2009

Order from: 

Amazon.com · Random House · B&N · Chapters Indigo · Amazon.ca · Amazon.co.uk · Amazon.de · Amazon.fr· Tower Books · Books-A-Million · IndieBound

Also available in ebook formats: 

Kindle · Nook · ePub · PDF ·Mobipocket · Microsoft Reader

In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer's roguish lover, Cooper, has been teaching her ubiquemancy, the art of finding the magic in everyday things. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that's been unleashed.

In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she'll be shocked by what she discovers—and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.

Shotgun Sorceress

JESSIE SHIMMER series, Book 2

Published by Del Rey
October 26, 2010
Order from:

Amazon.com · Random House · B&N · Powell's Books · Chapters Indigo · Tower Books · Amazon.ca ·Amazon.co.uk · Amazon.de · Amazon.fr · Books-A-Million ·IndieBound

Also available in ebook formats:

Kindle · Nook · ePub · PDF ·Mobipocket · Microsoft Reader · Sony Reader

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

For Jessie Shimmer, everything changed when she went to hell and back to save her lover, Cooper Marron. After tangling with supernatural forces and killing an untouchable spirit lord, Jessie finds herself gifted—or perhaps cursed—with dark powers. And when she and Cooper make love, her pleasure throes light the whole house on fire. What is a sorceress to do?

Jessie is about to find out. The circumstances of her birth, the mystery of a father she never knew, and the help of a cuddly ferret turned fearsome monster have made Jessie not just an outlaw from mundane society, but an accidental revolutionary in the magic realm. Encountering portals stitched into thin air and a fiercely sexy soul harvester, Jessie rushes headlong among enemies, horrors, wonders, and lovers into a place of self-discovery—or destruction

Switchblade Goddess

JESSIE SHIMMER series, Book 3
Published by Del Rey
December 27, 2011

Order from:

Amazon.com · Random House · B&N · Powell's Books · Chapters Indigo · Amazon.ca · Amazon.co.uk ·Amazon.de · Amazon.fr · Books-A-Million · IndieBound

Also available in ebook formats:

Kindle · Nook

Switchblade Goddess is a direct sequel to Shotgun Sorceress and features the continued adventures of Jessie, her familiar Pal, Cooper Marron, and The Warlock.


When Jessie Shimmer traveled to a nightmare underworld to save her lover, Cooper Marron, she gained magical powers ... which soon seemed more like curses. Her beloved familiar, the ferret Pal, became a monster. Her enemies multiplied like demons. Worst of all, she hasn't found a moment of peace to be with the man she adores.

Now a switchblade-wielding demigoddess commanding a private hell stocked with suffering innocents is after her. The blademistress' vengeance sends Jessie and Pal on a dark journey through strange, perilous realms. Their quest for salvation will push her newfound abilities - and her relationship with Cooper - to the breaking point ... and beyond.

The books sound amazing don't they?  Now that we've learned more about the books, let's get to the interview to learn more about Lucy…..

Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION:  Hi Lucy!  Welcome to Book Monster and LITERAL ADDICTION!  Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to drop by and spend some time with us!  We’re so happy to have you with us today!

Lucy {Opening comments}: I'm happy to be here!

Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION:  We like to start out by getting to know our guest authors a little bit better.

Q1):   Can you tell us 3 things about yourself that we can't find out easily on the internet, in your bio, etc?

Lucy: My favorite white wine variety is Riesling ... I don't think that's out there anywhere. I also enjoy good Scotch.

Also: I learned to touch-type by accident. My handwriting is horrible -- I write like a lefty, apparently, even though I'm right-handed -- and so I took a typing class as soon as I could. It was the worst grade I got in high school. But I kept at it, and my four-fingered hunt-and peck evolved. One day I realized "Hey, I'm not looking at the keyboard and all the right words are showing up on the computer screen!" I was ridiculously excited. My typing instructor would probably still cringe at my hand position, but I have a decent speed and haven't given myself carpal tunnel, so it's fine.

A final thing that people probably don't know is that my husband and I have five cats. This wasn't deliberate. Jerks kept dumping starving kittens in our apartment complex. We found homes for the ones that we could, and kept the ones we couldn't place. They are a sweet bunch of kitties, but I wish they'd quit trying to terraform the house!

2)  Did anyone or anything in particular inspire you to become a writer? 

Lucy: Learning to read is what set me on the road to becoming a writer. I started devouring every science fiction and fantasy book I could find in the school library. I loved being transported to a whole different world; I thought that if I could make somebody else feel that way, it would be the best job in the world.

3)  What are some of your hobbies/interests, or things that you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

Lucy: I've been working out a lot more the past year. Between writing (which involves a lot of sitting in front of a computer) and my day job in IT (sitting!) I'd gotten dissatisfied with my size and condition. So I go to the gym regularly and I've lost about 25 pounds in the past 12 months.

4)  How long have you been writing?  What genre did you start off writing in?

Lucy: In terms of genre, I've always written a mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I've been writing seriously since graduate school; I attended the Clarion workshop right before I graduated. I had the notion going in that I wanted to work on novels once I finished the workshop, but Clarion was a real eye-opener and I realized that if I wanted to be good at my craft I needed to focus on short fiction for a while. 

5)  You have written many books in multiple genres.  Which is your favorite genre to write in and why?

Lucy: Contemporary dark fantasy has been my favorite so far; I enjoy writing cross-genre fiction and I find it works best for me in terms of what I want to do.

6)  What genre do you feel is the most challenging for you to write and why?

Lucy: Poetry is my favorite challenge. Working on poetry is a much more satisfying mental and creative exercise. I think of writing a novel as running a marathon; a short story is a sprint. Writing a poem, however, is like a high dive or a tumbling routine.

7)  Who are some of your favorite authors and series?

Lucy: I enjoy authors such as Neil Gaiman, Tim Powers, Nalo Hopkinson, Seanan McGuire, Gabrielle Calvocoressi ... there are a whole bunch of others. The list is constantly shifting.

8) What are some of your favorite TV shows and movies?

 

Lucy: I don't watch a lot of TV, but I seem to watch "Chopped" a whole lot and whatever short movies are on ShortsHD. As far as narrative shows go, I enjoy "Sons of Anarchy", and of course I've enjoyed the geek favorites like "Doctor Who", "Battlestar Galactica" etc. I love going to the movies. Most recently I saw and enjoyed "The Avengers" and "The Secret World of Arietty". We have over 700 movies in our collection, so picking favorites is hard.

9) What was one of the most surprising things you learned over the course of your career so far?

Lucy: Professional publishing is a lot like being a bronco rider in a rodeo. It's not a matter of whether or not you're going to end up face-down in the dust seeing stars; it's a matter of how quickly you can get yourself back on another horse once you find yourself there.

10)  Do you have a personal favorite amongst all of the books you have written?  Maybe one that has extra sentimental value, etc?

Lucy: My poetry collection Chimeric Machines is my most personal work and contains some of my best writing. So, I'd have to pick that as a favorite.

11)  For those that have not yet read the JESSIE SHIMMER series, can you please give us some more detailed information about the series?

Lucy: My urban fantasy series is a bit darker and grittier than most. It appeals to readers who enjoy action and adventure and who are tired of heroines who at worst might face a broken nail in the course of a fight scene. Horror and dark fantasy fans have really enjoyed the series, and my audience seems to be equally split between men and women. It's not suitable for younger readers, however. Spellbent is probably good for 14 and up; the other two are 17 and up.

12)  What was your inspiration behind the JESSIE SHIMMER series?

Lucy: The first novel in the series, Spellbent, emerged from a short story assignment that never happened. Some years back, I got a heads-up that there might be openings in the anthology Apprentice Fantastic, so I started working up some ideas to pitch to the editor. I got the idea for a story centered on a young apprentice who loses her master when a storm-calling goes wrong and has to face down a demon with just the help of her familiar. The anthology ended up not having any openings, but by that time, I’d gotten excited about the characters and slowly started working on the story, which became a a novella, which became a novel.

By the time the story had expanded to novella size, I was already thinking ahead to additional stories I wanted to tell about the characters, and also about the overarching plot that would be carried out over the course of several books. Of course I had no idea if I could sell the book, or if whoever bought the book would want a series, so Spellbent was written with a more “closed” ending than either Shotgun Sorceress or Switchblade Goddess.

13)  How many books do you have planned for the series, and when is the next book expected to be released?

Lucy: I need three more books to carry through with the main plot arc and the events implied by Spellbent's prologue. The next novels, unfortunately, will not be released by Del Rey. My agent and I are in contact with other publishers; one way or another, I will write the rest of the Jessie Shimmer series and make it available to readers. But at the same time, I do have to keep a roof over my head, so if I end up writing the rest of the series without the benefit of an advance, it’ll take me longer than I’d like.

14)  What's up next for Lucy Snyder?  What other projects do you have in the works right now?

Lucy: I've been writing new short fiction; a new Jessie Shimmer story will be in the upcoming anthology Appalachian Undead. I also just sold one of the best horror stories I've written, "Magdala Amygdala", to Dark Faith 2. They had over 700 submissions, and I'm pleased to be in the book.

I'm also working on erotica for a collection that will be out later this year entitled Orchid Carousals; many of those stories will also feature characters from my Jessie Shimmer series. It's been an opportunity to tell some side stories (like how The Warlock met Opal, how Kai got over his crush on Jessie, etc.) and have a bit of fun. I hope readers enjoy the collection. It'll be released by CGP, the small press publisher I've been working with.

         Book Monster Reviews/LITERAL ADDICTION:  Thank you so much Lucy for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk to us.  We would love to have you back on our sites again in the future.

Lucy: Thank you! I'd love to come back again.

If you would like to find out more about Lucy and her books, you can visit her Website & Blog or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Lucy is giving away SPELLBENT to a winner from Book Monster and another winner over at the LITERAL ADDICTION Website.

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