#CMCon18 Beach Bonfire Q&A with Elicia Hyder

As one of the #CMCon18 featured bloggers, I get to have a little fun with a few of the fabulous authors who will be hitting the beach for Coastal Magic 2018 by showcasing their many stories.

Writing short stories, even mini-fiction, can’t always be worked into a writing schedule; so for those authors who may not be able to let their characters play in the sand, I’ve invited them to a nighttime beach bonfire to have a drink, listen to the crashing waves, and answer a few questions of my own.

Joining me in the sand is Elicia Hyder, author of the The Soul Summoner series!
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Elicia Hyder

Can you tell us a little about yourself, something readers may not have heard before?
I’ll make an admission here that few people outside my family know. I’m deathly afraid of crickets. Like, TERRIFIED of them.

Snakes? No problem.
Spiders? Give me a shoe. I’ve got this.
Crickets? Get the $*@# outta my way!

I hate them. They’re so unpredictable. One minute they’re minding their own business chilling on a blade of grass, and the next they’re all up in your hair with their creepy antennae and singsong legs. Screw that.

People often wonder if I write horror because my covers look a little spooky and I have pictures of me and Stephen King plastered all over Facebook. But let me reassure the world: while my books may not be all sunshine and lollipops–—I am afraid of crickets. I could never write anything that I, myself, might lose sleep over. Obviously, that wouldn’t take much!

Official Bio: I write books with badass chicks. Often with cute boys. I’m the bestselling author of The Soul Summoner series, The Bed She Made, and To Be Her First. In real life, I’m a military wife, so you can expect my books to have a lot of mouthwatering men and don’t-take-no-crap women. My latest series has a supernatural twist because I have an overactive imagination and the firm belief that truly anything is possible.

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Can you introduce us to the world(s) that you have created?
My series, The Soul Summoner, is what some would call “low fantasy.” It’s very much set in the real world with magic hidden in plain sight. Sloan, my unwitting heroine, lives in the mountains of western North Carolina, in a beautiful and quirky city called Asheville. She’s spent her whole life hiding the fact that she may (or may not) have a superpower—the ability to “summon” someone to her by talking about them.

When eleven women go missing, Sloan taps into her unsettling power to stop a serial killer, but the more she uses her gift, the more powerful it becomes. Suddenly, she’s exposed herself to a world more dangerous than she ever imagined, and there’s no more hiding from the evil that wants to consume her.

Will this be your first Coastal Magic or are you a veteran? What was it about Coastal Magic that drew you to it? Why have you continued to return?
At my very first book signing event, Damon Suede told me: “You have to go to Coastal Magic!” So last year, I showed up to see some friends and some of my own favorite authors: Jennifer Estep, Lara Adrian, and Larissa Ione. I had a blast! I was thrilled when Coastal Magic invited me to participate in 2018.

What was your inspiration when you created your characters and the worlds they live in?
My heroine’s superpower started as a joke. On far more than one bizarre occasion, my best friend and I would be talking about someone we hadn’t seen in years. Then within the span of a few days—or sometimes minutes—that person would show up.

I told my husband once that she always joked it was my superpower. The same day I told him, we were also having a conversation about a mutual friend from childhood, wondering what happened to him. The very next day, we were at Disney and guess who came walking down Main Street?? That was the moment the idea for The Soul Summoner was born.

Is there any part of your series, any of your series, world(s) that you would like to expand on in the future?
The series has some very interesting characters that deserve their own books (or even series): Azrael, the Archangel of Death, and Fury, a badass female mercenary, are just a couple that I plan on writing more about.

Don’t miss your chance to meet over 50 fabulous urban fantasy, paranormal, and romance authors at Coastal Magic next February! This super casual book-lover weekend happens on Daytona Beach, and gives everyone the chance to hang out with fellow readers and amazing storytellers.

REGISTRATION is now open! If you haven’t been to Coastal Magic yet, you’re missing out on a lot of fun. Be sure to keep up with all things Coastal Magic, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | RSVP at the Facebook Event.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.