Book Monster Reviews: Interview & Giveaway with Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Monday, October 15, 2012

Interview & Giveaway with Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Hello Literal Addicts and Book Monsters!

LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews are very pleased to welcome Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

to our sites today.

Nancy Holder was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.

Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled TEACH ME TO LOVE.

She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and served on the Clarion Board of Directors and is a former Trustee of the Horror Writers Association.

She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David, Kittnen Snow, and McGee. She and Belle are freaky cooks and love steampunk.
Nancy is the proud creator of the Possessions and Unseen series.

Her work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A five-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received a Scribe Award and a Pioneer Award from the Romantic Times Conference,and accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, and the New York Public Library.

Debbie Viguie has been writing for most of her life. She has experimented with poetry and nonfiction, but her true passion lies in writing novels.

She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from UC Davis. While at Davis she met her husband, Scott, at auditions for a play. It was love at first sight.

Debbie and Scott now live on the island of Kauai. When Debbie is not writing and Scott has time off they love to indulge their passion for theme parks.

Debbie brings us the SWEET SEASONS, PSALM 23 MYSTERIES, and WITCH HUNT series as well as the KISS trilogy.

Nancy and Debbie have co-authored the New York Times bestselling WICKED and CRUSADE series as well as the WOLF SPRING CHRONICLES.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Nancy and/or Debbie’s work, we highly suggest that you check our each of their backlists immediately (Nancy’s Backlist | Debbie’s Backlist). For today though, we’re going to concentrate on their joint efforts. For those of you not yet familiar with the WICKED and CRUSADE series or the WOLF SPRING CHRONICLES, we’ll give you the synopses for a handful of the books to get you up to speed. For information on the entire series, just click on the series’ name link.

WICKED series

“Wicked: Witch and Curse”

WICKED #1 & #2:

Complete text of Witch and Curse in a single volume.

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 launced 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.

“Wicked: Legacy and Spellbound”

WICKED #3 & #4:

Complete text of Legacy and Spellbound in a single volume.

Holly Cathers is not the same person she was almost a year and a half ago. After discovering her connection to an ancient legacy of witches, Holly has accepted her destiny as a descendant of the House of Cahors. She is determined to end an intergenerational feud that has plagued her family for centuries.

Holly will have to overcome unworldly obstacles as she battles to protect her loved ones -- including Jer, a member of the rival House of Deveraux and her one true love. A war of magical proportions is being waged, and Holly is at the center of it all.

Lives will be lost, and sacrifices will have to be made...

“Wicked: Resurrection”

WICKED #5:

Who is Alex Carruthers? That is the question Wicked fans have been asking for nearly six years. "Spellbound," the fourth and seemingly final book in the Wicked series, originally published in 2003, left readers on the edge of their seats with a classic cliffhanger ending. But now, as new fans of the bind-up editions of the series begin to ask the same question, the true and final conclusion to the Wicked series will emerge. And all their questions will be answered in this heart-stopping, magical adventure about witches, destiny, and the beyond.

CRUSADE series

“Crusade”

CRUSADE #1:

The ultimate battle. The ultimate love.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 strong-hold. 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 had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself—and her heart.

“Damned”

CRUSADE #2:

There is a fine line between love and sacrifice….

Antonio would do anything for his beloved fighting partner Jenn. He protects her, even suppresses his vampire cravings to be with her. Together, they defend humanity against the Cursed Ones. But tensions threaten to fracture their hunting team and his loyalty—his love—is called into question.

With an even more sinister power on the rise, Jenn must overcome her personal vendettas.

Antonio and Jenn need each other to survive, but evil lurks at every turn. With humanity’s fate hanging in the balance, they must face down the darkness…or die trying.

“Vanquished”

CRUSADE #3:

Released 8/28/12

Hope is in short supply, but courage runs deep as the Salamancan hunters recover from a devastating loss. Jenn knows she must rally her team against the Cursed Ones, but her focus is shattered. She’s torn between passion for Antonio, who once fought by her side, and hate for the bloodthirsty vampire he’s become. His volatility is tearing apart their team...and Jenn’s trust.

As the Cursed Ones amass new strength, Team Salamanca must strike together if they hope to survive, let alone defend humanity. Jenn wants to believe Antonio’s loyal to their cause—and their love—but she’s slowly losing her heart to Resistance fighter Noah. And if Antonio’s not careful, he may just end up with a stake in his.

This gripping conclusion to an epic trilogy pairs steamy romance with heart-stopping action, and delivers an ending as dramatic as it is unexpected.

WOLF SPRINGS CHRONICLES

“Unleashed”

WOLF SPRINGS CHRONICLES #1:

Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs.

Did we peek your interests enough? Make sure to add them to your TBR and find them you’re your favorite bookseller along with Nancy and Debbie’s solo titles. For now though, let’s find out more about the dynamic duo behind these incredible books….

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews: Hi Nancy, welcome to LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews. Debbie, welcome back. J Congratulations to both of you on your successes so far, both together and apart. We’re very happy to have you here today!

Nancy: Thank you so much! It’s always good to come “home!”

Debbie: I’m thrilled to be back!

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

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourselves (no matter how random) that we can’t find out easily on the internet?

Nancy: If I could, I would live off bread and cheese for the rest of my life. I’m allergic to dust. My father and I took aikido together when we lived in Japan.

Debbie: Someday I want to own a pet tiger. I love chocolate mousse way too much. I think my husband is the sexiest man I’ve ever met. (No secret there, but I don’t think it’s easy to find on the internet!)

2) How long have each of you been writing, and what genre did you start out in?

Nancy: I wrote a story about a mermaid in the second grade and I’ve been writing ever since. I’ve been writing for a looooong time. I started out in young adult romance.

Debbie: I started writing poetry and stories when I was about 10. I’ve been a published author for 10 years now. I started out writing fantasy and westerns. I’ve had fantasy published, now I’ve got to work on the western!

3) What made you decide to team up?

Nancy: I had a four-book contract to write Wicked and a new baby. I saw how talented Debbie was at Maui and I asked her to help me write the Wicked series. I’m so glad I did!

Debbie: After meeting at the Maui Writer’s Conference we became friends. Nancy was kind enough to invite me to write Wicked with her and I leaped at the chance.

4) Did either of you ever consider releasing your joint work under a pseudonym?

Nancy: Not really. But we do have one if we ever need it.

Debbie: Not seriously. However, we have one picked out just in case!

5) Do either of you have any interesting writing quirks, or things that you must have with you to begin the writing process?

Nancy: Coffee is a must. If I can have music too, I’m good to go anywhere!

Debbie: When I’m under deadline I must have Coca Cola and Cheez-Its.

6) Are there any authors and/or titles that either of you feel inspired you to become the writers you are today?

Nancy: I love Shirley Jackson and I devoured the work of Stephen King. I also read a lot of comic books!

Debbie: The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey - when I finished reading that book I knew I wanted to be a writer and make people feel the way I felt right then.

7) What do each of you like to do when you’re not writing or taking care of other author business?

Nancy: I like to go to theme parks and I love watching movies and reading. I’m a total Disney freak.

Debbie: My husband and I love to travel and go to theme parks!!!

8) If you each could spend the day with anyone – alive, dead, fictional, etc – who would you want to spend it with, why, and what would you want to do?

Nancy: Queen Elizabeth I, because I have a historical crush on her. She was vain, driven, brilliant, and had the cool clothes!

Debbie: Abraham Lincoln - I’d want to ask him how he found the courage to do everything he did. Then I’d like to take him to the American Adventure at EPCOT in Walt Disney World and show him how much of an impact he has had on our country.

9) You’ve each written about several different types of preternatural beings. Do you have a personal favorite ‘supe group’? Why?

Nancy: Witches. Do they count? If they don’t count, then vampire witches, werewolf witches, and ghost witches.

Debbie: When I was a kid I was all about the werewolves. In my twenties I finally started to get the appeal of vampires. As much as I love vampires, I still tend to gravitate toward werewolves, though.

10) What are the best and worst parts about writing as a duo for each of you?

Nancy: The best part is that Debbie can stop and see the big picture if I/we are feeling bogged down. She can keep our plot in her head. I have to do a lot of rereading to get back up to speed. The worst part is that I fret about my work and when I fret about our work I’m afraid she thinks I’m dissing her ability. I’m not. I’m just fretting.

Debbie: The best part is that if there are scenes I’m just not feeling and don’t want to write I can give them to Nancy. When writing with Nancy there really is no “worst part”. The only thing that comes close is occasionally having to compromise when we disagree (which is rare).

11) Was there any specific inspiration behind the creation of the WICKED series?

Nancy: The castles of France. Driving through the French countryside. There really is a town called Cahors. That’s where the witch family got its name.

Debbie: The Wicked series was all about being as epic as possible and letting our imaginations run wild. Need a bigger battle scene? Summon dead ancestors to help out!

12) What about CRUSADE or the WOLF SPRINGS CHRONICLES?

Nancy: What Debbie says below.

Debbie: Crusade we really patterned off of aspects of World War II. Wolf Springs we created to be King Lear with werewolves.

13) How many books do you guys have planned for each of the 3 series?

Nancy: What Debbie said! We have hopes of returning to at least one of these “worlds.”

Debbie: Wicked is (so far) 5 books. Crusade is 3 and Wolf Springs is planned to be 3 books as well.

14) What are each of you the most proud of with regards to your career together so far?

Nancy: That we have done so many amazing things, both as cowriters and friends. We’ve stayed at fantastic hotels on author tour. We've gone to Club 33 at Disneyland, seen some of the “Nine Old Men” at DisneyWorld at a special D-23 event, and I even think about moving to Florida to be closer to her and Scott.

Debbie: That we are even better friends now than we were when we started writing together. Not everyone can have a successful working relationship and maintain a close friendship but we have.

15) Is there anything special each of you would like to say to your readers while we have you here today?

Nancy: We love you so much! We’re readers and fans like you and we can’t say enough about how much your support means to us.

Debbie: Thank you for all your support! Without you we couldn’t keep bringing our stories to the world and sharing them. We love you all.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews: Thank you again ladies for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. We would love to have you back again both separately and together for your next big releases if you’re ever up for it.

Debbie: Thank you! We’d love to come back!

If you would like to find out more about Nancy and Debbie, you can visit them at any of the sites below.