Q& A with Author Keri Arthur

Today I want to Welcome Author Keri Arthur

Hi Keri!! Thanks for being here today! First Let's talk about you. Why don't you tell everyone a bit about yourself?

Um, let's see. I've worked as a cook at the MCG (the home of football here in Australia), and then as a dessert and function chef at the Essendon football club. I've been writing stories for most of life, but it wasn't until the birth of my daughter that I got serious about it. I was first published with Imajinn Books, a small US e-press, and wrote 12 books and a novella for them. I wrote the first couple of Riley Jenson books in 2004, and sold them in 2005.  I've been writing full time for the last four years or so.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Myth and Magic Series?

It's a series that revolves around the mythical creatures that live in our world, creatures we humans are unaware of. The first two books concentrate on the dragon societies and hints at their desperate attempts to keep their presence a secret

Destiny Kills tells the story of Destiny's quest to uncover who she is and why she was on that beach, and it quickly becomes a desperate race to save her father and find her mother. She meets Trae Wilson--a sexy fire dragon with an agenda of his own--along the way, and the two eventually join forces against a human scientist determined to use dragon DNA for human benefit.

Mercy Burns unveils the story of Mercy, the sister Trae was looking for in Destiny Kills. The novel opens with Mercy involved in a serious car accident, and she becomes involved in a desperate race to find the men who tried to kill them, and to save her friends soul. Your latest is Mercy Burns which was released April 19th. How excited are you? 

Very excited. It's been a long time between books for this series, but I can't wait to see what sort of reception Mercy and her hero--Damon--get, because I love these two characters. 

 

How long did it take you to write Mercy Burns?

On average, it takes three or four months for me to write a book, and Mercy was no different. It was actually written before the last two Riley books, but the publisher's scheduling meant it's come out later.

How did you come up with this idea and this world you blessed us with? 

Weirdly, the idea for the first book came from the movie, the Bourne Identity. You know that very first scene, where we find Jason floating face down in the water? Well, the writer in me began thinking, why is it always guys? Why can't the hero ever be a woman? So, Destiny Kills opens with our heroine on the beach, with no idea of how she got there or who the dead guy beside her is.

Of course, I can't seem to write a book without some form of supernatural elements creeping into it, but this time, it wasn't vampires and werewolves, but rather dragons--sea and fire dragons. Only in Destiny's world, humans don't know they exist, and the dragons are desperate to keep it that way. Only they haven't quite succeeded, and some very nasty men are hunting Destiny. 

What can we expect from Mercy Wilson?   

Hopefully, a very exciting read that will snare you from the first page! And with any luck, you'll love the hero as much as Mercy and I do by the end of the book. 

Please tell me the series doesn't end here? How many books are planned for this series in total?

Originally it was going to be on ongoing series featuring different heroes and heroines, but I think Mercy will probably be the last book. Right now, I'm contracted to do three more books in the Dark Angels series, and I'm also working on  the first book of a new series (currently uncontracted) that features a phoenix. 

I have to say you are going to have a busy year, not only does Mercy Burns come out, but you have two other books set to release later in the year. Does this make you even more excited?

Totally! I love the Dark Angels books--they're an offshoot of the Riley Jenson series, and features a a very grown up Risa Jones (the little girl who saves Riley's life in Bound to Shadows). Risa is every bit as kick-ass as her aunt Riley, but in a totally different way. And she has two very different--very sexy--men in her life!  Risa's series concentrates more on the vampire council, Aedh and reaper side of things, although there are still some sexy werewolves roaming around.  :)

How do you spend your release days?

The same way that I spend every other day--I go to the gym in the morning, and I write in the afternoon!  

I am a big sucker for getting caught up in different worlds, and you defiantly bring that to my bookshelves but have you ever thought about writing lets say contemporary romance ? 

I've tried, but I just can't seem to stay away from things that go bump in the night. Every time I've set out to write a contemporary romance, either murder and mayhem happens, or something supernatural pops along. The last time I tried a contemporary, I found myself dealing with a hero who was a ghost. lol  

Here is the real kicker, Who are some of your favorite Authors? Do you get time to read with all the writing you do? 

My all time favorite authors are Dick Francis, James Herbert, Peter O'Donnell (who wrote the Modesty Blaise series--a kick ass heroine way before they ever became fashionable!), and Alistair MacLean. Oh, and Tolkien, of course. Recent favorites include Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, any of my fellow Deadline Dames, and Kelly Hunter  

Any plans for any other series in the works? 

As I mentioned earlier, I'm committed to the Dark Angels series (which is currently 5 books, and is likely to go to 6 or 7) and I have the phoenix series (if I ever finish/sell it). There's also another series bubbling away in the background featuring a genetically enginered woman and several ghosts, but that's not likely to hit the stands any time soon.

Thanks for stopping by Keri! I truly do appreciate your time and your willingness to answer some questions for me. I am looking forward to reading Mercy Burns!

Thanks for inviting me, and hope you enjoy Mercy!