Release Day Interview with A.A. Chamberlynn!

I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to my friend, Alexia - A.A. Chamberlynn - and help us celebrate the release of Martinis with the Devil!

First, a little about the book... 

When offered a job on the Holy Representative’s special security team, bounty hunter Zyan Star couldn’t be less interested – until she finds out it’s her most hated of exes that they’re trying to track down. He broke her heart and dumped her, which in turn led to the loss of her soul at the hands of an immortal soul thief. Now she too exists on a diet of souls, with the occasional martini thrown in for good measure, and she’s had over two hundred years to fantasize about revenge. She just didn’t quite imagine it playing out alongside the emissaries of Heaven.

Working with Eli, the uptight angel that heads up the HR’s security, is just about as much fun as Zy expects. He of course wants her vampire ex brought to justice through legal avenues, which is very inconvenient and incredibly boring. As she dives into the case, however, she realizes there’s more at stake than her plot for payback. Like, the free will of mankind, and preventing the minions of hell from taking over the sovereign dimensions.

This job is going to push her to the limits of her abilities, and there’s just a slight problem with that: the powers she’s suppressed for centuries after losing control of them are exactly the powers she’s going to need to save the HR, end her millennia-old ex and stop Lucifer’s little plot to join the party and invade Earth.

Savior of humanity? Not so much. Or so she thought.

Now, on to the interview questions: 

When did you start writing?

I started writing stories when I was about five and never stopped. At around ten I submitted my first story to a magazine (Ranger Rick!) and got my first rejection. At twelve I attempted my first novel, which was about horses.

What is your favorite genre?

Fantasy, specifically contemporary or urban fantasy. It’s my favorite thing to read and write, because I absolutely love magic and the fantastical. I like to be taken on an adventure outside the usual realms of possibility. 

What is the best thing about writing?

Being struck with inspiration for a new story, and then entering that raw, creative stage of the first draft. Anything is possible, and it’s just the best feeling ever. Some people are scared of the blank page, but I love it. Writing is magic.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I have a horse, and I train with him (he’s still young). I also do yoga, and I like to walk, and occasionally jog. Also a big foodie, so trying new recipes is fun (and drinking wine while I’m cooking!). Traveling is also a big love of mine. And reading, of course.

Who are your favorite authors?

Neil Gaiman is my current favorite. I also love Maggie Stiefvater, Erin Morgenstern and Laini Taylor. My early inspirations were Tolkien, Tad Williams, Tamora Pierce, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, and then a bit later Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff.

What inspired you to start writing?

I didn’t have that one defining moment that writers talk about. I’ve just always loved books and written my own stories. As I mentioned above, it was young, around when I was five. The first thing I remember writing was a story about a girl getting a pony for Christmas, which I wrote to manipulate my parents :)

 

Where do your ideas come from?

Everywhere. My mind is constantly churning. Without meaning to, I’m always asking “What if?” Something will pop into my head, perhaps something very minor, a single thought, and then a full blown plot, character or setting comes out of it. Also, dreams occasionally, though more often than not once I wake up I realize it’s not that cool of an idea, or big enough to carry a whole book.

Do you work from an outline or plot or do you prefer just to see where an idea takes you?

I need a very light outline to avoid writer’s block. Just a page or two so I know the general idea of where the story is headed. But I deviate from the outline often once I get started, and I love it when that happens! I like my muse to surprise me.

Tell us about your main character, ZYAN STAR.

Zyan eats souls to survive, she is an eternally damned soul thief. When I tell people this, their eyes widen and they’re always like, “and she’s your heroine?” She’s definitely a very flawed character. However, she chooses to prey on scumbags and criminals and stays away from innocents, though their souls are of course much cleaner and more pleasant to eat ☺ She’s a bit over two hundred years old, so she’s definitely become jaded and sarcastic about her existence, and has some major trust issues. She doesn’t take much seriously – she bartends most of the time, and is a supernatural bounty hunter on the side. Zyan cusses and drinks cocktails and runs around with a katana. She’s a super fun character to write – I absolutely adore her. Her voice comes to me more strongly than anything I’ve ever written. Hmmm, what would Freud say??

If you want to know more about A.A. Chamberlynn, here's her bio: 

Alexia lives in Florida. When she's not writing or reading, she can be found playing with horses, drinking wine, traveling to the next place on her global wish list, or maybe doing yoga. She is represented by Sandy Lu of the L. Perkins Agency.

And if you want to snag a copy of her book, Martinis with the Devil, click away:

Martinis with the Devil, Part One purchase links

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/622489

B&N:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/martinis-with-the-devil-part-one-alexia-chamberlynn/1123516459?ean=2940152918359

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Martinis-Devil-Part-Zyan-Star-ebook/dp/B01CXT1RR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459961280&sr=1-1&keywords=chamberlynn

Thanks for stopping by Outside the Box today, Alexia! 

Any questions for Alexia?  Drop a comment.