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August 15, 2012
Greetings:
K.D. McEntire returns to the Never in Reaper, the sequel to Lightbringer. K.D. McEntire joins us to talk about writing and keeping things difficult for her characters. |
 | Exclusive Q & A with K. D. McEntire
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Rene Sears: -Lightbringer and Reaper feature a very different take on the Peter Pan story with an interesting relationship between the dead and the living. What sparked that connection?
K.D. McEntire: Lightbringer and Reaper are based off a line from the Buffy musical episode where Spike tells Buffy, "Whisper in a dead man's ear/doesn't make it real" and it got me thinking about people talking to the dead, talking to their imaginary friends, etc. In Peter Pan their father doesn't believe that Wendy is talking to Peter but her mother does, though it troubles her. Essentially it all boiled in my inspirational melting pot until Lightbringer came out.
Rene Sears: How is writing a second book different from writing the first? Was anything easier or more difficult?
K.D. McEntire: I was juggling being pregnant and handling my toddler while writing Reaper so I didn't have a lot of time for the normal author tradition of self-doubt and fretting. I just sat down every second I could and cranked until the story was on the page. With Lightbringer I was pregnant with my first child so I had a LOT more time to pore over the text and research. Reaper was much more of a 'fly by the seat of my pants' type project.
Rene Sears: Between the White Lady in Lightbringer and Wendy's maternal family in Reaper, you are not afraid to put your characters through the wringer. What are some of the ways you up the stakes while writing?
K.D. McEntire: I'm not afraid to put my characters through the wringer because that's life. Life isn't always fair, not everyone is guaranteed to make it to the end, not even Wendy. Books are supposed to be a snapshot of an emotion, of a possible world, and not all worlds are easy, not all emotions are pretty. So upping the stakes is fairly simple. What's the worst possible scenario? What will challenge my characters and make them grow the most? That's where I go to, that's what I reach for. Otherwise you're writing a pretty story. Actual, old-fashioned fairy tales were gruesome, they might have taught you a lesson but they were intended for adults. I think teenagers are fully capable of being handed hard truths and I think cushioning their stories is doing them a disservice and nothing more.
Rene Sears: What are you reading right now?
K.D. McEntire: I'm juggling a couple books right now. The one I'm liking best is Anna Dressed in Blood. The pacing is *fantastic*.
Many thanks to K.D. for joining us! |
| Reaper
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"This sequel to Lightbringer builds character depth and continues the adventures in McEntire's universe....a fast-paced and suspenseful follow-up that leaves room for more exciting adventures."
-RT Book Reviews, 3 stars "If you're a reader looking for a non-stop, action packed fantasy story with a lot of drama and a side of scary, you have to check out Reaper...Kudos to Ms. McEntire for creating such a dramatic world that adults as well as teens will enjoy and characters that will stick with us long after the last page has ended." -Night Owl Reviews "Reaper is a fascinating and touching story built in a rich, layered world where the stakes are bigger than life or death... . K.D. McEntire's writing is smart, sharp, and utterly engaging. Reaper will take you on a thrilling trip... where death is only the beginning."
--Leah Petersen, author of Fighting Gravity "McEntire's strong sophomore effort has ghosts, multi-dimensional, interlapping worlds, complex plotting, interesting and well developed characters with themes of family, friendship, loyalty and love. Well written paranormal urban fantasy with a good mix of humor and drama, Reaper isn't just for young adults but for everyone."
--Bryan Thomas Schmidt, author, Saga of Davi Rhii
After the death of her mother, Wendy is attempting to fill her mother's shoes and discovering that the prospect is far more difficult than she ever imagined. Learning that she is part of a powerful and ancient family of Reapers that her mother had forsaken is just the first surprise--Wendy soon discovers that the San Francisco Bay Never is filled with political powers and factions both previously unknown and completely mysterious to Wendy. Since both her mother and Piotr are gone, Wendy must struggle to maneuver between the machinations of the dead and the dark intentions of her living Reaper family.
Eventually betrayed and made sick unto death, the clock is ticking before Wendy will fall - she has only a matter of days to unravel the mysteries her mother left behind and to convince her wary family to accept her as one of their own.
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| The Long-Awaited Conclusion to the Vampire Empire Trilogy
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The Kingmakers, the highly-anticipated third book of the Vampire Empire, hits shelves next month.
"The Griffith's awesome steampunk fantasy trilogy ends with the most amazing bang ever, as the blood of two species spills as they vie to rule Earth. Readers will remember these beguiling characters, rendered in eloquent detail, long after the novel ends....the authors' artful storytelling makes for entirely believable, delightful reading."
-RT Book Reviews, Top Pick!, 4 � stars
"[T]he best vampire series I have read in ages. . . . I am blown away by it. It has it all: romance, steampunk, vampires, adventure, and impossible odds for the hero to overcome. . . . It has the romantic heroism of The Three Musketeers and the last-gasp struggle of Star Wars rolled into a fantasy adventure that will have you gripping the pages. Don't miss out on this one-I have never had such a great time reading a new adventure as I did with this."
-Vampire Librarian
A war to the death. Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs.
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| Coming Next Month!
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"Smart, clever and abundantly original, with suspense that grabs your eyeballs, this is real science fiction for all ages...More! More!" -Kirkus
"I am highly anticipating the next book in the series and I recommend this book to those who love and adore the works of science fiction because this book will take you out of this world." -The Book Reaper
In Book Two of the Everness Series, Everett Singh has escaped with the Infundibulum from the clutches of Charlotte Villiers and the Order, but at a terrible price. His father is missing, banished to one of the billions of parallel universes of the Panoply of All World, and Everett and the crew of the airship Everness have taken a wild, random Heisenberg Jump to a random parallel plane. Everett is smart and resourceful, and, from a frozen earth far beyond the Plenitude, he plans to rescue his family. But the villainous Charlotte Villiers is one step ahead of him. |
That's it for this issue. As always, please check out our entire catalog and drop by our blog.
Happy Reading,
Rene Sears
Editorial Assistant, Pyr�
an imprint of Prometheus Books |
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