If you’ve been following the “Next Big Thing” blog hop going around author websites, you may have seen my post on the Being Emily site announcing that the sequel is in progress. There’s more exciting news. I recently signed the contract for another book to come out next year – a romantic paranormal novel.
The details about the book are below but I also want to add that this book and any others in its series will be out under my pen name “Rachel Calish.” As you can see, I’m not using the pen name to cover my identity, rather it’s to distinguish the two kinds of books that I write. Young adult is a very different genre than romantic paranormal, so I wanted to let readers decide for themselves if they want to read in both genres rather than assuming that someone who loved Being Emily will automatically want to read my paranormal novels.
What is the working title of your next book?
The Demon Abraxas
What genre does your book fall under?
Romantic paranormal/urban fantasy
What is the synopsis or blurb of your book?
Having escaped the poverty and violence of her childhood, Ana thought she didn’t have room for any more inner demons until she met one who knew more about being human than she did.
Ana Koury knows there’s more to life and she’s determined to find it when a chance meeting with the icy and brilliant Sabel sends her running into danger. Seized by a group of men determined to summon a powerful demon, Ana can only escape by allowing the demon Abraxas to inhabit her body. She chooses to work with him to go after the men who thought they could use her.
Sabel Young is an accomplished professor and the student of a powerful group of witches who demand her complete submission in order to teach her how to control the magic coursing through her body. They have assigned her to watch Ana, but without emotional involvement. That seems like easy work until she meets Ana face to face and is stunned by her attraction to this woman who is strong enough to host a demon.
With her world turned upside down, Ana finds herself drawing closer to Sabel – unaware that her involvement puts Sabel in danger from every side.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The world I created for this book is a combination of two ideas:
1. Some demons are good. There’s nothing in the world that’s 100% evil. When we think it’s okay to “demonize” a whole group of people, for example, we get into trouble. So what if you couldn’t even demonize demons? Historically in the pre-Christian era there were demons who worked to protect and help humanity. What if those demons are still around taking care of us and protecting us from the adversarial demons? And what would you do if you had to allow one of those protector demons to live in your body in order to survive?
2. Real magic is unseen. I wanted to create a world that felt believably like the world we experience – where we don’t see magic happening but it can feel like there are powerful forces at work around us.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I haven’t settled on an Ana yet, but I’d love to see Sabel portrayed by Serinda Swan or Anna Skellern.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Bella Books is the publisher.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Hard to say since I wrote the first draft in 2003 as my thesis for my master’s degree and have since re-written it many times. Originally Ana was in a heterosexual romance, but I’m not as good at writing that as I am lesbian romance and I think she was relieved to get to come out. She’s certainly been excited about the addition of Sabel to the story, though she really wishes that 2000 years of animosity between the demons and the witches wasn’t smacked down in the middle of her new relationship.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Readers who know me have probably heard by now that I often write because I’m angry about something. In 2003 I was angry about some shallow paranormal novels on the market. I wanted to see novels with the same level of action and sexiness but with more depth to the characters and ideas.
Since then I’ve read a lot of work from Jacqueline Carey and Patricia Briggs that I’ve really enjoyed. I hope readers of my book will see influences from their work in mine.
I’ll have the Rachel Calish website up in the spring or summer of 2013. In the mean time ifyou want to stay in the loop, you’re welcome to friend my alter ego on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rachel.calish.
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