Author Interview: Rising Darkness – Thea Harrison

We have Thea Harrison with us today chatting about her release, RISING DARKNESS.  Help me in welcoming Thea to Cocktails and Books.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a self proclaimed geek, and I love science fiction, fantasy and paranormal romance.  I have two dogs, a great family, wonderful friends, and I often get lost inside my head for hours at a time.  I get to call this work.

How did you get your start as a writer?

I’ve always been a voracious reader, and as a teen, I saw an article about successful romance writers in People magazine.  That sparked the idea.  I can remember reading the article and thinking, hey, I can do this.  When I continued reading through the next couple of years, the thought never left my mind.  At age nineteen I bought myself a portable electric typewriter, plotted out a book and wrote it.  Harlequin Mills & Boon asked for revisions, which I completed, and they accepted the story for publication.  I ended up writing sixteen books for them. 

What is your typical writing schedule like?

Oh wow, I’m not sure I know what typical means right now!  My life has had a lot of forward movement lately, and I’ve been writing around meetings and other obligations.  Soon I expect things to settle into more of a routine.  What I like to do is write in the mornings as a regular thing.

Tell us about RISING DARKNESS.

RISING DARKNESS is the first of two books.  The second half of the story is completed in FALLING LIGHT, which is scheduled for release in February 2014.

Here is the official blurb:

USA Today bestselling author Thea Harrison begins an all-new, darkly romantic paranormal saga, in which the fate of existence itself lies in the balance—and the key to victory may rest in the hands of two eternal lovers…
In the hospital ER where she works, Mary is used to chaos. But lately, every aspect of her life seems adrift. She’s feeling disconnected from herself. Voices appear in her head. And the vivid, disturbing dreams she’s had all her life are becoming more intense. Then she meets Michael. He’s handsome, enigmatic and knows more than he can say. In his company, she slowly remembers the truth about herself…

Thousands of years ago, there were eight of them. The one called the Deceiver came to destroy the world, and the other seven followed to stop him. Reincarnated over and over, they carry on—and Mary finds herself drawn into the battle once again. And the more she learns, the more she realizes that Michael will go to any lengths to destroy the Deceiver.

Then she remembers who killed her during her last life, nine hundred years ago…Michael.

Where did the idea for the storyline come from?

The storyline came from so many different places.  I was attending a Buddhist meditation group at the time and contemplating the concept of reincarnation.  I had taken religious studies courses when I had returned to school, and I also liked the idea of taking our myths and exploring the idea of what the “real story” behind those myths would be like.  Plus, I have read so much science fiction / fantasy, and paranormal romance over the years.  I think the storyline came from an amalgamation of all these things.

What do you think readers will like/love about Mary and Michael?

I hope they enjoy the intensity between the two.  Mary and Michael are characters that are pulled toward each other, lifetime after lifetime, and I think the story reflects a very strong connection between them.

What was your favorite scene from the book?

Is it wrong of me to admit that there are several scenes I love?   I will pick just one though, when Michael tries to teach Mary how to shoot a gun.  The scene has a comedic touch to it that lightens the intensity of their situation.

Who are some of your must read authors?

Oh, I love so many authors!  Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Christine Feehan, Lilith Saintcrow, Karen Marie Moning, J R Ward…. I could go on and on.  There are huge talents writing in the field today, and it’s an exciting time to explore new books and new reading pleasures.

What are three things about you that might surprise your readers?
Hm, I don’t know that I’m a very surprising person, really!  Probably the most surprising things I come up with are my writing projects.  It might surprise readers that in read life, I am a lot more boring than my characters!

What’s next for you?

Ooh, I’m excited about this – I just put a lot of time into writing and revising a proposal for a new series.  I can’t tell any details just yet, but as of this week, the project is completed enough that my agent is going to start looking for a home for it.  It will be very interesting to see what happens next!  For readers who are interested in following this kind of news, you can always check out my blog or even sign up for my newsletter at www.theaharrison.com.  The newsletter is a new venture, and we’re only going to put one out before each release, so I think readers will enjoy getting it in their inbox.

Thanks so much for having me today!  I’ve enjoyed the visit!

For readers:  do you subscribe to author’s newsletters?  If so, what do you like the most about them?

About the Book

In the hospital ER where she works, Mary is used to chaos. But lately, every aspect of her life seems adrift. She’s feeling disconnected from herself. Voices appear in her head. And the vivid, disturbing dreams she’s had all her life are becoming more intense. Then she meets Michael. He’s handsome, enigmatic and knows more than he can say. In his company, she slowly remembers the truth about herself…

Thousands of years ago, there were eight of them. The one called the Deceiver came to destroy the world, and the other seven followed to stop him. Reincarnated over and over, they carry on—and Mary finds herself drawn into the battle once again. And the more she learns, the more she realizes that Michael will go to any lengths to destroy the Deceiver.

Then she remembers who killed her during her last life, nine hundred years ago…Michael.

About the Author

I write paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and other stuff. I taught myself to read when I was four. That was around the time I tried to ride my tricycle to work. I wasn’t sure where work was, but I knew it had to be interesting if people went there every day. Now I combine my love of books with work, and I don’t have to ride my tricycle to get there. My Elder Races series began May, 2011. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook!

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