Can you introduce yourself to my readers a little?
I am the author of the NYT Times bestselling Morganville Vampires (Glass Houses) young adult paranormal, as well as the adult urban fantasy Weather Warden (Ill Wind)and Outcast Season (Undone) series. I also have written romantic suspense for the Harlequin Bombshell line (Devil’s Bargain, Devil’s Due) and kicked off the second Athena Force series with Athena Force: Line of Sight.
Can you introduce us to the world that you have created?
I think it’ll have to be worlds, plural … most recently published, Unseen is the third book of the Outcast Season series, which shares the universe of the Weather Warden novels. In that urban fantasy reality, the Warden organization, with the help (and sometimes hindrance) of Djinn (genies) fights the harshest attacks by an aware and very angry Mother Nature — storms, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis — while on Djinn in particular (Cassiel) has been cast down and trapped in human form as punishment.
Her story, in the four-book Outcast Season series, is a special challenge to life on earth, as an old and ancient enemy surfaces who threatens not just the human race, but the sentient Earth herself. Cassiel’s tied to humanity not just by necessity but also, now, but feelings; her fight has special meaning because of her love for her Warden partner Luis and his orphaned niece Isabel.
In May, the 10th book of the Morganville Vampires series arrives! Morganville is a seemingly normal town in Texas, with a twist: it’s owned by vampires who run it like their very own kingdom, owning the businesses and the people trapped inside, who pay their taxes in blood. When 16-year-old Claire moves to town as an early-admission college student, she not only runs into trouble with mean girls, but the darker secrets of a town where secrets have names, faces, and fangs. Only her friendship with the residents of the Glass House (Michael, Eve, and Shane) allow her to survive … and her romance with Shane ensures she’s not leaving town, even if she had the chance.
Book 10, Bite Club, finds Morganville in a state of fragile truce between the vampires and humans; humans are being granted expanded rights and privileges, and one of them is self defense. When Shane — already a fighter — gets drawn into a new martial arts gym that promises to prepare him to battle vampires, he begins to change for the worse. It’s up to Claire, Eve and Michael to save him from himself, and from a plot to stir up the human/vampire war to new, dangerous heights.
In August I’ll be kicking off a new series, The Revivalist, and the first book is called Working Stiff. Bryn is a different kind of heroine … she’s an idealistic funeral director whose optimism is shattered when she discovers her bosses are reviving the dead for profit in the mortuary basement — and addicting them to the drug that brings them back. With the help of the mysterious but capable Patrick McCallister, Bryn will uncover a giant conspiracy to not only conquer the grave, but enslave the living. Call it … the ultimate corporate loyalty program. Death.
Will this be your first RT or are you a veteran? Any advice for those who are going for the first time?
I’m not sure if I qualify as a veteran, but it’s my second tour of RT duty! My advice is come prepared for a rocking good time, rookies … and don’t expect a lot of sleep. Besides the official events, parties, discussions and panels, you can enjoy late nights and early mornings informally with your choice of friends and authors, up close and personal. The guest list is overwhelming! No matter what kind of fiction you’re into, you’ll find an impressive list of authors to enjoy. Oh, and bring an extra suitcase just for the books. :)
Are you speaking on any panels during RT? Are there any you are looking forward to?
I hear that I’ll be on at least a couple of panels, though I don’t have a final schedule yet … I plan to be involved on both the Urban Fantasy and Young Adult tracks! I always look forward to RT panels, which are packed with the tops in the field. I’m sure that I’ll be able to fill many hours with programming — it’s always a very tough choice of what to attend when I’m free, since I’m a fan of so many different genres, and RT has representation from so many (including the suspense field, which I love).
If someone were wanting to meet up with you at RT, who should they look for?
Unfortunately I doubt I’ll be wearing any signature hats or fancy shoes, but I’ll be making appearances at the signing events, in particular the YA Day party and signing. I’ll be the one with the giant stack of books. Oh, wait, that’s everyone!
