I promised that in October I would run a Giveaway of the novel Witch-Born, and so I’ve gone ahead and started it. Or, well, it hasn’t started quite yet. It starts September 8th and runs all the way through October. I’ve put in the widget already, so you can click on that and go straight to Goodreads, who is hosting the Giveaway.
Thank you, Goodreads! You are super-fabulous!
Anyway, as this is the first time I’ve given away Witch-Born, I figure I should take a moment to give a little background information on the novel.
So! There I was getting ready for National Novel Writing Month back in 2008, and I had this great outline for a straight Romance novel. (I love National Novel Writing Month. Seriously. If you know anything about them then you know they are out there promoting literacy and everything in young people.) But then a funny thing happened. November 1st showed up and I simply could not write the novel I had mapped out.
It was infuriating.
I had taken all of October to create that outline and suddenly I couldn’t use it. So I threw it aside, grabbed the two main characters (in my mind it was by the throat, even though I’m pretty sure both of them could have killed me with a wink) and let them lead. By November 3rd I had a better idea of what the story was about. My straight romance novel was overrun by witches, dirigibles, snake-like creatures that attached to people and took over their minds, and assassination plots.
It was pure mayhem. And I loved every second of it.
I didn’t want to make Witches into the hunted creatures tradition has placed them in. So, I decided to make a world where Witches were in charge. This made for a strange, convoluted society that separates the Witch-Born from the Untalented, but resembles the familiar fiefdom we have in our history books.
I barely won National Novel Writing Month that year, but I did win. (First time, too.) And then I took all of December to complete the novel. For the next year I edited it. Then I threw it out on the market where it was picked up by Double Dragon Publishing. It was published June of 2011 and its sequel (Dead Magic) is currently under contract with Double Dragon.
It’s actually quite appropriate that I give away Witch-Born now, since I should have Dead Magic completed by November. (That’s not the publication date, just the day I’ll finish working on it before the editors at Double Dragon start ripping it apart.)
I’d give you all a teaser of Witch-Born, but if you go to the Amazon page you can get the first chapter and a half for free. So instead I’ll put up a quick snippet from Dead Magic. (Not much, mind you. I don’t want to get in trouble from the publisher.)
***
“Are you taking me to the ark?” Valeda asked bluntly.
Elsie smiled some more, careful not to show her surprise. Regardless of her good nature, Miss Quinlan was a reporter. The last thing Elsie needed was another news report about Delgora matters. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Quinlan.”
“I saw it last night. From my window.” Valeda’s soft gray eyes narrowed at her. “On the southern ridgeline.”
Elsie chuckled and turned away, resuming their hike before she answered. “First of all, Miss Quinlan, you’ll notice the position of the mid-morning sun is directly to our right. You, being an educated woman, are well aware of the sun’s rotation from East to West, which would make our current trajectory due north of Delgora Manor.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Valeda look to the sky and frown. “That doesn’t deny what I saw last night.”
“Secondly,” Elsie continued without acknowledging the comment, “Even if I were inclined to divulge Delgora House matters to you, Miss Quinlan, my better sense knows that your profession cannot be trusted.”
“I’m a reporter, not an idiot. If you required my silence you would have it. I’d never cross a Witch.”
AJMaguire 